As long as he lived, he knew he would never forget the moment she climaxed and he greedily absorbed every bit of pleasure that she gave him.
He was still licking his lips, a hum of masculine approval escaping his chest as he returned to her quivering breasts. “Brandt, please…” she whispered.
“God, I love to hear my name coming from your lips.” He unbuttoned the falls of his trousers and positioned himself at her entrance. But he didn’t immediately push his full length inside. Instead, he teased her with the head of his cock. Giving her just enough length to make her pant for more, but not nearly enough to satiate the wanton need inside of her.
Her nails clawed at his back—demanding, pleading—and he found that he couldn’t deny her any longer, because he wanted her so much, he was almost delirious from it. He thrust inside fully, and he had to grit his teeth as her wet heat enveloped him. She was everything he’d ever wanted and as his movements quickened, he had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from releasing until he knew she was fully satisfied. When she released a low moan, he couldn’t hold back any longer. His entire body tightened, and then he spent everything he had, until there wasn’t anything else left to give. It wasn’t just his seed he’d expelled, but his heart and soul as well.
He collapsed on the side of the bed, his chest heaving with every breath. She was the same. She looked as though she couldn’t keep her eyes fully open.
Once he’d recovered, he turned on his side and gently stroked the side of her cheek. “Are you going to live?” he teased.
She wore a dreamy expression, her green eyes chips of emeralds, when she said, “I’m not sure yet.”
He chuckled, and kissed her lightly on the lips, and then he got to his feet. As he began to undress, she blinked, finally coming aware of reality. “What are you doing?”
He paused in the midst of taking off his shirt. “What does it look?”
She frowned. “It appears as though you’re preparing to spend the night in my bed.”
He removed what remained of his clothes, and it wasn’t until he was standing before her completely naked, that he replied, “The thought had crossed my mind, yes.”
The furrow between her brows deepened. “I don’t recall offering an invitation.”
“You didn’t need to,” he returned, as he laid back down. “In light of what just happened, I decided that it wouldn’t be entirely unwelcome.”
“Then you would be wrong.”
Ada knew she was being cruel, but she couldn’t allow this affair to continue. To do so would only cause trouble for both of them.
She got up and thrust her arms in her robe then tied it securely. She didn’t have the time, nor the wherewithal to repair the undergarments still sagging about her waist. Schooling her features, she turned back to the handsome, virile man, lying amongst the rumpled bedclothes. She had to resist the urge to climb back into that roomy expanse with him. “I think it’s best that you leave.”
He laughed, likely assuming that she was jesting, but when she merely stared at him in expectation, he sat up with an incredulous expression. “You’re not being serious?”
“I am,” she nodded firmly.
He uttered something that sounded like a curse and shoved his legs into his trousers. Once he had them fastened, he turned to her but didn’t attempt to gather the rest of his things. He merely glared at her impatiently. “It’s time you cease acting as though you don’t care about me. What we just did would prove otherwise.”
She swallowed hard. “Lust and love are not the same emotions.”
“What we shared is more than lust!” he nearly roared. “You’re fooling yourself if you think that’s all it is.”
Ada wasn’t sure she could pretend the correct amount of indifference to contradict him again, so she squared her shoulders and said, “I admit it was something wonderful, but that doesn’t mean I’m prepared to accept overnight guests. There is my reputation to consider, and that of the club—”
“Hang the club!” he snapped. “You would give up everything we have for that Manor?”
“The Manor is steadfast. I can count on the women there to be there for me in times of great need.”
“And the fact I’m here doesn’t count?” he pointed out.
She tilted her head to the side. “Much like the night we’d first met, you gained what you wanted, so now it’s time for you to leave.”
He shoved a hand through his hair. “I don’t believe this,” he muttered. He walked toward her and set his hands on her shoulders. His dark eyes sparked. “You need to rid yourself of the idea that you can’t love again, that lightning can’t strike twice, in a good way. Your husband wouldn’t want you to mourn him for the rest of your days.”
Ada was swamped with guilt. Until he had mentioned it, Archie’s memory hadn’t even crossed her mind. The truth was, she was scared to lose Brandt, so she imagined it would be best if she pushed him away before he grew tired of her. With their difference in age, and the fact she couldn’t provide him with any offspring, he would look back on this day as a blessing that she’d ended things before he’d made a terrible mistake.
“I told you before that I don’t intend to engage in matrimony again, and I meant it. I won’t change my mind, no matter what you do.”
He stared at her, as if he couldn’t believe the things she was saying to him. “Do you hear yourself? You can’t give me any good reason for denying my proposals other than the fact you don’t wish to marry again.” He paused, his gaze intent, as if he could see right through to her very soul. “Are you so afraid of love that you’re willing to toss it away before it even surfaces?”
