Free We'll Never Tell (Secrets of Ravenswood) by Jannine Gallant Page A

in a breathless voice. “I’m sure.”
    “Do you know how long
I’ve wanted to do this?”
    Her hands splayed across
his back beneath his T-shirt, searing his skin like a brand.
    “Since we saw each other
in the fire station?”
    “Try since you walked
out over five years ago. You got to me, Sam.”
    She pressed tighter
against him. “You weren’t the only one affected by that night. Honestly, when I
was in Africa or the Philippines or any of a half-dozen other places, homesick
for a taste of the familiar, I’d think of you and the night we spent together.”
    Pressure built in his
chest, and he swallowed against a knot of emotion. “I don’t know what to say.”
    She gave a little shrug then
grinned. “Stupid thing to do. All it accomplished was to make me lonely and frustrated.”
    Lifting her off her
feet, he swung her around and dropped her on the bed, coming down beside her.
“You make me laugh. It’s one of my favorite things about you—that and your
amazing legs.”
    Kicking aside the robe,
she wrapped pajama clad limbs around his waist. “You have a thing for flannel?”
    He nuzzled the side of
her neck and breathed in the fresh scent of her. “You aren’t going to be
wearing anything for long.”
    “I hope not.”
    Her breathless gasp
stole the last of his composure. Stripping the green T-shirt with a RAW logo over her head, he cupped her breasts in his hands, rubbing his thumb
across pink nipples. The little moan that escaped her sent his hands on a quest
across her smooth stomach to slip beneath the elastic waist of her pajama
bottoms. He pulled downward, taking her panties with them. Leaning back, he
feasted on the sight of her. Tanned and glowing, sleek and supple—and oh so
tempting.
    “I’m crazy for you,
Sam.”
    Her fingers worked the
button fly of his jeans. “Then help me get these off. I want skin on skin.”
    When her hand brushed
the ridge of his erection, he gritted his teeth. Standing, he toed off his
sneakers, shucked his jeans and boxers, and ripped his shirt over his head.
Covering her body with his, he lay still, absorbing the feel of her soft skin
pressed against his hardness. It had been too long.
    She moved restlessly,
and he surged against her damp heat. Sinking his fingers into her hair, he
kissed her, melding lips and tongues and teeth, unable to get enough of the
taste of her.
    When he feared he’d
explode, he leaned over the side of the bed and felt for his wallet. “I have
protection.”
    She took the foil packet
from him, ripped it open, and smoothed it down his length with shaking hands.
Ethan squeezed his eyes closed and prayed. The second he was covered, he slid
inside her.
    “Oh God, oh God,” she
whispered, her breath tickling his ear.
    Pressing deep, he pulled
out and surged forward. Stroking hard, he couldn’t hold back, exploding in a
shattering moment that pierced his soul. Still buried deep inside her, he
rolled to his side and pressed his face against her sweat dampened neck.
    “I couldn’t wait. Next
time will be better, I swear.”
    “If it got any better, I
might not survive.” She lifted her head to look deep into his eyes before a
slow smile spread across her face. “I was with you the whole way.”
    He slumped back as his
heart rate slowed. “Thank God.”
    She blinked down at him.
“Even if I hadn’t been, I wouldn’t hold it against you. I’ve never wanted someone as badly as I want you.”
    He pulled her close and
stroked her silky hair. Releasing a long breath, he reveled in the simple
pleasure of holding her. “I couldn’t agree more.”
    ****
    Sam woke slowly,
cocooned in addicting warmth. Sunlight crept between the cracks in the blinds.
She pressed her nose against the bare, musky skin of Ethan’s chest and breathed
deep. Stretching, her legs tangled with his hair roughened ones, and his
morning erection pushed against her stomach. Her pulse accelerated.
    He kissed her forehead
and cheek then lingered on her lips. “I wish I