Six Australian Heroes. Margaret Way
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remember about the man she was currently in bed with.
‘It’s no wonder you went into sexual hibernation,’ Ryan said. ‘But their loss is my gain. I have to confess that I haven’t had this much fun with a woman in years.’
‘Fun!’ she exclaimed, not sure if she should feel flattered or flattened. Calling sex with her ‘fun’ was hardly romantic. But then she didn’t want him to romance her, did she?
Not really. But she didn’t much like him calling what they were doing ‘fun’. It seemed demeaning. ‘Sex for you is just a game, isn’t it?’ she threw at him.
‘Now, Laura, don’t go getting all hoity-toity on me. I’ve just shown you that great sex does not have to have any connection with love. Not that being in love ever gave you great sex in the past,’ he pointed out somewhat ruthlessly.
‘Sex, my sweet, can be indulged in strictly for pleasure, without the complications which emotional involvement inevitably brings. But I wouldn’t say I think of sex as a game. More of a wonderfully satisfying pastime, one where the degree of pleasure involved improves with time and practice.
‘Let me assure you that over the years I have devoted much time and practice to perfecting my skills in the bedroom. Trust me when I say that there’s so much more that I can show you, and do with you. As I said earlier, one night is not going to be enough. If you’ll agree, I’d like to continue our affair when we go back to Sydney. After all, we’ve crossed the line now; we might as well take full advantage and thoroughly enjoy ourselves.’
Laura stared up at him. Dear heaven, but he was as good a seducer with words as he was with his body. Such thinking reminded her suddenly of Brad and Mario, who’d both had silver tongues. Looking back, she saw that they’d seduced her more with what they’d said than what they’d done. Why had she fallen for their lies about loving her so readily? she wondered now. Why?
Because she’d wanted to be loved so very, very much. Because she’d been an emotionally needy little fool.
They hadn’t even been good lovers. Just good liars.
At least Ryan was a good lover and, though persuasive, he wasn’t a liar.
His head dipped to nuzzle at an earlobe, making her shiver uncontrollably.
‘Do you agree, lovely Laura?’ he whispered in a low, incredibly sexy voice.
What else could she do but nod?
‘In that case,’ he went on after reaching for their last condom, ‘I think we’ve done enough waiting for tonight.’
Laura thought the first time he’d made love to her had been incredible. But there was something even more magical the second time round. He took his time once he’d entered her, setting up a slow, sensual rhythm with his hips, his eyes holding hers. Her mouth fell open as the tension built and built, her breathing becoming fast and shallow. Yet there was no anxiety in her, only the warm, sweet pleasure of his flesh rocking back and forth within hers. At no point did she fear she might not come because she knew she would. And when she did he came too, their bodies in perfect physical harmony with each other.
Laura found the experience quite overwhelming. Sexually, they seemed made for each other. But as she clung to him, their bodies still pulsing as one, she realised that emotionally they were as different as chalk and cheese. Laura accepted that at this point in time all she wanted from Ryan was more great sex. But she suspected that if she kept up this level of physical intimacy for too long she would probably fall in love with him. For that was how she was made.
Life was very cruel, Laura decided ruefully, always to make her attracted to men who would never give her what she wanted.
But at least this time she knew the nature of the beast in advance. Ryan wasn’t trying to fool her in any way, shape or form. All he was offering her was a strictly sexual relationship, without caring or commitment of any kind. And, whilst Laura still could not understand why he was so adverse to love and marriage, she had to accept that that was how he was made. There was no point in becoming upset over it. If she wanted to keep experiencing what she’d just experienced, she would have to accept him on his terms, without hoping for anything more.
Of course, it meant risking her heart again and her happiness. But it was impossible to walk away from what Ryan was offering. Already she was addicted to the excitement he engendered in her, the wild pleasures he gave her, not to mention the fabulous orgasms which seemed to last for ever. Her body was still throbbing. And so was his.
She sighed a deliciously sensual sigh.
‘I’ll be back in a moment, Laura,’ he murmured at last before gently disengaging her arms and legs from his back and waist.
She groaned, her limbs going to jelly as they flopped back onto the bed. A languor had suddenly taken hold of her whole body. Her brain too. She didn’t want to fall asleep, didn’t want this night to end. But as soon as Ryan left the bed Laura rolled over onto her side and fell fast asleep.
Ryan smiled wryly when he returned to the bed and found Laura out like a light. So much for his erotic plans for the rest of the night.
Though perhaps it was just as well. He too was weary. It had been a long day. A strange day. Who would have believed that it would end with his sleeping with Laura? Even more strange that he would enjoy it so damned much. Ryan pulled some bedclothes over her before getting back into bed, careful not to disturb her. He didn’t want to wake her now. He wanted to think, a much easier process when he wasn’t aroused. Or, worse, frustrated.
It didn’t take Ryan long to figure out that he’d probably made a big mistake tonight. Not only was Laura a work colleague, but she was nothing like the hard-hearted career woman he’d always believed her to be. If she had been, he’d have no worries about continuing his affair with her. Unfortunately, underneath the tough-girl façade she wore seemingly with ease, Laura was actually a sweetie. And a softie. And sexy as hell!
Which was where the real problem lay: Laura’s sexiness was different from the kind of sexiness Ryan usually went for. He liked his women a little wild and wanton. Very experienced, too. Liked them to know their way around a man’s body. He never went for the shy, retiring types who needed seducing on every level. And he never, God forbid, took a virgin to bed.
Not that Laura was a virgin. But she might as well have been, from what he’d seen tonight. Perversely, he’d loved that about her, loved it that she was so inexperienced. Her responses to the things he’d done were wonderfully fresh, full of surprise and the most enchanting gratitude—not to mention passion. Her orgasms had been very intense.
It irked Ryan considerably that Laura had loved not one but two total bastards in her life. But then, that was the nature of love, wasn’t it? It didn’t make sense. It was both irrational and sometimes self-destructive, in his opinion, especially where women were concerned.
Which brought him to his major problem where Laura was concerned.
What if she fell in love with him?
There was no use pretending that it couldn’t happen, just because Laura didn’t overly like him. Women fell in love with men they didn’t like all the time.
Ryan didn’t want to hurt her. Hell, he’d spent most of his life trying not to hurt women. Not that he’d always succeeded. But he had never deliberately set out to hurt any of them.
Would he hurt Laura if he continued sleeping with her?
That was the question he had to answer before morning came. Which meant before he surrendered to his own tiredness and dropped off to sleep.
Ryan frowned. Maybe he would hurt her more if he stopped. Clearly, she’d loved the sex tonight. Loved it all. If he called it quits tomorrow morning she might think she’d done something wrong, or that he’d already grown bored with her. She would take it as a personal rejection. Women were quick to blame themselves when a man dumped them. To do so after just one night together would be cruel.
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