Baby, It's Cold Outside. Cathy Yardley
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to her bones. Wholesome values, dedication to her community. Tall Pines to the core.
And you’re not.
Her seductive smile slipped, revealing an expression of concern. “You’re worried because I turned you down before, aren’t you?” she said softly. “I hurt you. I’m sorry.”
“No, no,” he reassured her, unconsciously moving closer. “It’s not that. In fact, I think you were right. We probably shouldn’t sleep together.”
Her eyes snapped, a luminescent blue, fierce as a welding arc. “Why don’t you think we should?”
Now she was the one who sounded hurt. He stroked her hair, trying to take the sting out of his statement. “The same reasons you had. I’m not quite out-of-town enough…and the good people of Tall Pines would have a field day if they found out.”
“Who were you planning on telling?”
“What?” he asked, startled. “I wouldn’t tell anybody.”
“Neither would I,” she said, and he watched, hypnotized, as her hand trailed down and untied her robe. It fell open to reveal a deep-cherry-red silk teddy edged in white lace. “It’s nobody’s business but ours, Colin. Nobody else needs to know.”
His body went hard in a rush. No Christmas morning had ever held more promise than this moment, with this beautiful woman offering herself up as if she were every toy that he’d ever wanted in his entire life.
But she’s not a toy. And he couldn’t treat her like one.
“I’m leaving in the morning, Emily,” Colin said carefully, even though his voice was rough with desire.
“I know,” she answered. Was he imagining it or was there a thread of regret in her voice? “But we still have tonight.”
His body was clamoring for her, his heart beating double time, his cock harder than a steel girder. Were it any other woman, he’d have bridged the distance between them five minutes ago. If she were any other woman, they’d be well on their way to making it a very memorable night indeed.
Of course, if it were any other woman, he’d wake up in the morning and leave without a second thought. But it was Emily—and for whatever reason, he sensed that leaving her would cause a lot more repercussions than that. She deserved better than to be a one-night stand, one on a list of fond memories.
On the other hand, he had the sinking feeling that Emily Stanfield was not the type of woman he’d forget easily. And that caused a whole different kind of problem.
He sat on the couch, frozen in indecision.
She made a small sigh of irritation and then scooted closer, shrugging out of the robe. Emily had freckles on her shoulders, he noticed—a pale sprinkling. She leaned forward. “What time do you have to leave?” she whispered, her breath tickling the sensitive spot just below his ear.
“N-nine,” he stammered, struggling against another tidal wave of lust.
“That gives us hours,” she breathed, brushing a tiny kiss against his collarbone. He groaned. “Let’s not waste any more time.”
Colin couldn’t help himself. His hands moved forward, his fingertips caressing her long, swanlike neck, then smoothing down the petal-soft skin of her shoulders. His mouth consumed hers in a sensual assault, teasing her for only the briefest of moments before simply devouring her. He could hear her muffled cries of longing, feel the way her hands bunched in the fabric of his shirt, clutching him as if she couldn’t bear to let him go.
Did he position himself on top of her or did she pull him? He felt drunk on the taste of her, dizzy with it. He hazily registered the length of her body beneath his…the way her breasts crushed against his chest, the heat from between her thighs warming his jean-clad erection. Her quick fingers tugged his shirt out of his waistband, then found the naked skin beneath. With a low, unbelievably sexy growl, her hands rubbed up against his bare back, then with gentle insistence she drew her oval nails down his bare skin, causing him to shudder with need. He tore his mouth from hers for a second, gasping for air, fighting for control.
“Oh, Colin,” she panted. “No matter what happens after this, I want you.”
In that second, her statement pierced his desire-soaked consciousness long enough to force him to pause. With superhuman effort he rolled off her, practically falling to the rug. “Damn it,” he said, rubbing his hand over his face. “Damn it!”
“What?” she asked, her eyes wide, her voice breathless. “What’s wrong?”
“This. Us.” He closed his eyes, and a litany of curses rolled through his mind. “You said no matter what happens after this. You know this is going to be complicated.”
She huffed. “Maybe. But if anything did happen, I’d deal with it.” She sent him a shaky grin. “So far, you’re more than worth any consequences.”
While the compliment only threw more fuel on the fire of lust snaking through his system, he grimaced. “In other words, you don’t care what the fallout winds up being if this leaks out.”
“Basically.”
He frowned. “Wouldn’t you resent me for just leaving you holding the bag?”
“Colin, not to be callous,” she said, rolling her eyes, “but even if I hated you for it…honestly, what difference would it make? You wouldn’t be here to see it. And what are the odds we’re going to see each other again so you’d have to deal with them or me?”
Now, of all the things she’d said, that stopped him cold. She was offering every man’s dream—no-strings-attached, smokin’ hot sex without the need for so much as a phone call after. And he wouldn’t make it back to Tall Pines until next Thanksgiving at the earliest, so he would miss any repercussions.
So why did it feel so damned wrong?
“I know you think you mean this, Emily,” he said as neutrally as possible. “But you’ve admitted you haven’t had sex in a while. And I’ll bet you haven’t had sex with all that many people in your life, period. Am I right?”
She didn’t say anything, just drew her full, pouty lips into a tight line.
He was right. He knew he was right.
“I just think,” he continued reluctantly, “that when this is all over, you’re going to regret saying yes. Maybe for a long, long time.”
There. He’d done it. He was listening to his conscience rather than his body, for once in his life.
Emily stared at him, studying him. She seemed to almost crackle with an aura of frustration and need. Then she stood up, stalking back to her bedroom and shutting the door.
He swallowed the rest of his champagne without tasting it. Despite his various love affairs, sex wasn’t something he took lightly—and anything related to Tall Pines was a time bomb. He still felt guilty over the stupid stuff he’d done when he was a kid. He wasn’t about to compound it by doing stupid stuff as an adult.
He’d probably done the wise thing, although he couldn’t help but…
Suddenly the door swung open.
Emily stepped out, totally, gloriously naked.
He stared at her in wonder. Her lithe limbs stretched gracefully from her perfectly proportioned torso. Her waist nipped in before curving out into gently flared hips, and her full breasts were tipped by luscious raspberry-hued nipples that puckered appetizingly with arousal. She stroked one hand over the flat planes of her stomach, stopping just short of the thatch of auburn curls at the juncture of her thighs.
“I do want you,” she said quietly. “I do know what I want. And I can make my own decisions, thanks very much.”
He was taut as a bowstring, barely registering her words. She looked like an avenging goddess—one that, even