Page 17 of Tristan’s Temptation

And then he frowned. He frowned and yanked on his pants with hard, impatient jerks. “But we shouldn’t have. We shouldn’t have.” His expression was bleak, all the way down to his cheekbones. “This can’t happen again.”

Ah. Agony sliced through her as his words hit home but Shannon threw her shoulders back and stiffened her spine. She disciplined herself to exude calm composure. It wouldn’t do for him to know how she felt. Not when his entire being radiated annoyance and regret.

She really hated the regret.

But all she said was, “Of course not.” And then she smiled and reached over to help him fasten his pants—his fingers were shaking, after all. It took everything she had in her but when she was done, she gave him a little pat on his forearm and added ever so nonchalantly, “But at least we got it out of our systems.”

He froze for a second. Cleared his throat. Looked around for his shoes. “Yeah,” he said. “Out of our systems.”

Shannon swallowed the tears burning in her throat. “Right then.” It was difficult adopting the staid, stalwart persona he expected of her but she did it. “I’m off to lunch.” She glided to the door with what she hoped was enviable aplomb.

But as she exited Tristan’s office, she fumed.

We shouldn’t have, he’d said. This can’t happen again, he’d said.

Well, she thought. We’ll just see about that.

Tristan sat at his desk, staring at the closed door, his mind in a whirl. He couldn’t believe he’d just bent Shannon over his desk and fucked her. It was something he’d imagined a thousand times and never expected to experience.

Jesus. It had been infinitely better in real life.

But it had been exceedingly unwise.

Worse than that, it could never happen again.

And even worse, she’d agreed with him on that point.

What the hell was up with that?

At least we got it out of our systems, she’d said with a calm, demure—utterly sincere—smile.

Acid burned in his gut. Had she really been that unaffected? Had their amazing encounter not scored her soul? It had his.

At least we got it out of our systems.

What a laugh.

Judging from the sensations still rocking his body as he relived their encounter again and again and again in his mind, he suspected she wasn’t out of his system at all. He just didn’t know what he was going to do about it.

Chapter Four

He was still thinking about her when he left for home that evening, though he was determined to put her out of his mind. He failed miserably, of course, as the memories of her sweet mouth and creamy clutches around his cock danced through his brain.

Even though she’d drained him completely, he was still hard most of the day. He tried logging on to Virtual Life but the instance that had always brought him satisfaction now left him utterly unmoved. It was simply not enough anymore. He’d tasted heaven with her, the real thing, and this pallid, cheesy scene was a pale reflection.

He wanted her hands on him, her mouth around him. He wanted her body pressed up against his, preferably nude. He railed at himself that he hadn’t taken more time, hadn’t stripped her naked and studied her form at length. He should have savored their encounter, kept her in his office and taken her again instead of blurting that ridiculous edict right away.

He knew this couldn’t happen again and apparently so did she. But he shouldn’t have been so blunt about it. So crude.

And she’d agreed so quickly, which gnawed at him. Had she insisted, surely she could have convinced him to perform again. But she hadn’t.

That was damn annoying.

Could it be? Was it possible it hadn’t been as fantastic for her as it had been for him? He’d been a bull elephant in musth, fucking her like a mindless beast and shoving her aside as soon as he was done. Not his usual style, to be sure. He usually made it a point to leave women purring and keening for more.

With Shannon there had been no finesse, no seduction, no tender afterplay. With Shannon it had been hard and brutal, direct and to the point. He was, he realized with a flush of mortification, an idiot.

And a jackass.