Free Highly Charged! by Joanne Rock Page A

Brad’s whisper in her ear sent sweet ribbons of pleasure chasing down her neck.
    â€œMmm?” She smoothed her palm across the plane of his chest and down to a tight six-pack.
    â€œI need to stop here if we’re not going to finish this tonight.”
    She struggled to make sense of that, her skin burning for more of anything he wanted to give her, not sure how she could peel herself away from him. He was addictive. She didn’t think she could get enough of him, let alone walk away. But that’s what he was warning herabout, wasn’t it? She’d made it clear they couldn’t go any further and yet she was writhing around in his bed as if she hadn’t known the man all of one day.
    â€œOh, my goodness.” She gazed at him in the moonlight, his aquamarine eyes promising fulfillment such as she’d never experienced. She’d been the one to set the ground rules, hadn’t she? Yet he’d been the one who had to remind her of them. “I’m so sorry.”
    Tugging her nightdress back into place, she covered her breasts.
    â€œDon’t be sorry on my account.” He lay very still, not touching her, his breathing shallow. “I’ve been dreaming about what you would feel like all day.”
    Embarrassed, she sat up, pulling her hem down as far as it would go and not coming close to her knees. His reference to dreaming made her remember the nightmare he’d had and how haunted he’d looked afterward. Why had he needed the distraction of a kiss so badly?
    â€œBut if you hadn’t stopped me, I would have—” She shook her head, knowing she must have looked like a tease when she put his hand on her breast. How quickly she’d forgotten all about the nightmare and how upset he’d been. “I don’t know what came over me. I’ve never—”
    â€œYou can’t imagine how happy it makes me to think I could affect you like that.” He stroked her hair, the barest brush of his fingers through tangled locks, and she felt all mushy inside. “But I know you have reservations. I can promise you I won’t take advantage of this thing between us until I’m sure all of you is on board with taking it further.”
    Her eyes burned at the realization that he would holdback like that for her, even though she hadn’t been able to restrain herself. Brad Riddock had needed her for comfort and it had turned into something combustible.
    â€œThank you.” But she wouldn’t get carried away like that again. “And I promise I will be far better behaved in the future. Between being exhausted from working so hard and then waking up to your shout, I think I was in a kind of dream state myself.” Would he talk about what was bothering him now that he was more relaxed? “Do you know what you were dreaming about earlier? I was really worried about you.”
    â€œNothing.” He yanked the covers back up, establishing a barrier between them as tangible as his suddenly cool tone. “It was nothing. We’d better get some sleep if we want to get any work done tomorrow.”
    â€œSure.” Nikki rose, feeling dismissed and unsteady, the floor cold under her feet. She felt hypersensitive to everything around her, her body still abuzz with unfulfilled hunger. She’d been moments away from giving him everything, so it hurt to be shut out now. Still, she couldn’t resist calling back to him when she reached the door. “Sleep well.”
    His grunt of assent could have meant anything. Leaving her to wonder if his growled response was a sign he was more annoyed by having to cut things short than he let on.
    Or was he frustrated with her for asking about his nightmare? Tomorrow, she would find out.
    Â 
    H E WAS SCREWED IN THE HEAD.
    Brad lay in the dark long after Nikki walked away,trying to come up with any other answer beside the obvious to explain the persistence of his nightmares.
    He was