LITMIR.BIZ

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her mouth to him. His tongue darted inside, tasting her, touching her. He couldn’t control his desire. She was irresistible. But while his own lack of control surprised him she surprised him more when she kissed him back. His hands slid down her back and over the bow of her bikini top. With one flick of his fingers he could untie that bow and he would be able to feel the swell of her breasts pressed against him, skin to skin. But this time he did resist. He moved his hands lower until they cupped her buttocks instead. Firm and round, they fitted perfectly into his palms.

      He pulled her into him, pressing her against him as he deepened the kiss. Her mouth was warm, soft and inviting. Her body was cool and soft under his hands.

      His body was hard and firm and he held himself back. He didn’t want to overpower her.

      He felt her hands on his chest. They were cool over his racing heart.

      She pushed gently against him, pulling away.

      She looked up at him. Her blue-grey eyes were enormous, her pupils dilated. She was panting softly. She was out of breath, they both were.

      They stood in silence, looking at each other, waiting for someone to say something. He wasn’t going to apologise for kissing her. It had been the right time and the right place and she certainly hadn’t resisted. But now she looked unsure. Albeit thoroughly kissed.

      Her lips were dark pink now, almost red. She didn’t look upset. Just uncertain.

      He didn’t think she wanted an apology. She hadn’t objected but now she looked wary.

      ‘Should I stop?’ he asked.

      She didn’t reply immediately. She just stood, wrapped in his arms, staring up at him, and he could almost see her thoughts spinning in her brain, swirling behind her eyes.

      ‘I don’t know what you should do. I don’t know what I should do,’ she replied. ‘I can’t think.’

      ‘Did I make you uncomfortable?’ He wasn’t going to apologise for kissing her. He wasn’t sorry and he didn’t think she was either.

      ‘It’s not that.’ She paused and stepped away. ‘But I wasn’t expecting it.’

      ‘The kiss?’ he asked. He was pretty sure she’d seen it coming.

      She shook her head. ‘No. How it felt.’

      He thought it had been amazing but his heart stopped for a second as he wondered if perhaps she hadn’t been quite so astounded. ‘And how was that?’ he couldn’t stop himself from asking. He had to know.

      ‘Different.’

      ‘Good different?’ He had never fished for compliments before but he had to know if the kiss had rocked her world in the same way it had his.

      ‘Good and different. I don’t know if there’s such a thing as “good different”. I’m not used to different. I think that’s the unexpected thing. I’m not used to kissing a man I’ve just met. I’m not used to kissing anyone except my ex-husband.’

      ‘Really?’ That was it? She’d had one relationship?

      ‘Ben and I were together since I was fifteen. I’ve only been divorced six months.’

      In that sentence lay the answers to several of his questions, the first being how long she had been divorced, but the second answer was even more telling. If she’d been ready to move on from her marriage then six months was a reasonable length of time, but if the end of her marriage hadn’t been something she’d chosen then a period of readjustment was only normal. She’d said her husband had met someone else. Seb guessed she wasn’t ready to do the same. But that didn’t preclude them from having some fun. Not if she wanted to. It was all up to her.

      ‘I get it. You need time.’

      ‘Don’t get me wrong. It felt good but I don’t know if it felt right. I’m not sure what I should be doing. I don’t know if I need more time but part of me feels like I should be a bit cautious and the other part is saying just close your eyes and jump.’

      ‘Only you can make that decision,’ he said. He wanted her to jump, he desperately wanted her to jump, but he knew that wasn’t his call. ‘Let me know what you decide. I’m not going to put any pressure on you but I will say this—you’re only here for a few weeks. We can enjoy each other’s company, no strings attached, no commitment, and then say goodbye. But it’s up to you. Think about it. You know where to find me.’

      He dropped his arms from around her waist and leaned back to open the gate, allowing them to step into the boat.

      They spent the rest of the afternoon talking. Conversation flowed easily, there were no awkward pauses, but the awareness was always there. He could feel the tension in the air around them, crackling and sparking, but they both ignored it. They talked about work, about places he’d visited and her home town; they talked about everything but the kiss they’d shared and where they were going to go from there.

      He was serious about his suggestion, though. He was pretty sure she wasn’t the one for him long term, it was obvious she wanted to settle down and have a family, something that was definitely not on his agenda, but she was only in town for eight weeks and he was only committed to Sydney for six weeks. There was no reason they couldn’t have some fun together. They could enjoy each other’s company and then say goodbye. But he would give her space. For now. This had to be her decision.

      * * *

      Luci towelled herself dry and slipped her sundress over her head. She’d had enough time in the sun but the extra layer wasn’t to prevent sunburn, it was to provide her with a bit of a barrier. Not that it afforded much protection but she needed all help she could get to ensure she didn’t just throw herself back into Seb’s arms.

      She should be having doubts and reservations. She had known him for less than three days and she had never kissed a man she barely knew before. She’d never properly kissed anyone other than her ex-husband.

      She should be having doubts and reservations about kissing him, full stop, but that wasn’t the issue. It wasn’t Seb who was making her nervous but the consequences of her actions.

      She didn’t want to make a mistake or do anything that might jeopardise her time in Sydney. There were more important things than kissing a handsome stranger. They had to live together and work together. There were a whole lot of reasons why she should keep her distance and only one thing, her hormones, was telling her differently.

      She was a single adult, there was no rule saying she couldn’t take this further, but she really wasn’t sure if she was ready. She needed some ground rules. She’d never done ‘no strings attached’ and she wasn’t sure if she could. Until she had processed the idea she felt it would be wise to keep her distance.

      The kiss had been amazing. She’d seen it coming and she hadn’t stopped him. She hadn’t wanted to. She’d wanted to touch him, to taste him, but she hadn’t realised how hard it would make it to deny herself more. It was going to be difficult. She would have to find other ways of keeping busy. If she was busy she wouldn’t have time to think about him.

      Seb had pulled some more food out of the ice box and assembled a picnic lunch. Luci was starving and she was more than happy to sample the selection. While she was eating she couldn’t talk but when they did talk Seb kept the conversation neutral. They talked about inconsequential things, a polite conversation between two virtual strangers, skirting around the issue that she couldn’t stop thinking about.

      But not talking about the kiss didn’t stop her from thinking about it.

      * * *

      Seb shoved the crowbar behind the last of the kitchen cabinets in the galley of his boat. He had spent most of his spare time for the past week hunkered down, removing the shower and the kitchen cabinetry. The carpenter had told him not to expect the new fittings to be ready for installation for another fortnight but he needed to dismantle the old fixtures and he needed to keep himself occupied.

      The

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