Summer Sins

‘You’re the one with no self-control,’ she threw back. ‘You didn’t even use protection.’

His eyes bored into hers. ‘That’s what I want to talk to you about. Are you on the contraceptive pill?’

‘I don’t have to tell you my personal details,’ she said. ‘We’re only going to be together a month. I don’t have to even tell you my shoe size if I don’t want to.’

‘I already know your shoe size. You left your sandals on the beach.’

‘I also left my dignity on the beach,’ she tossed back. ‘Did you happen to pick that up as well?’

It was a full thirty seconds before he spoke, each and every one of them seeming endless as he stood looking down at her with those dark, unfathomable eyes.

‘I’m sorry,’ he said at last, his voice sounding rough and uneven. ‘I probably hurt you.’

Hayley felt her defences ambushed by his change of tone. Her anger melted and she suddenly felt close to tears. ‘It’s all right,’ she mumbled, looking away. ‘I shouldn’t have slapped you. I detest violence of any sort. I’m deeply ashamed of myself.’

He captured her chin and brought her gaze back to his. ‘No, you shouldn’t have slapped me, but then I probably goaded you into it. We do seem to have the strangest effect on each other, don’t we? One minute I want to shake you until your teeth rattle and the next I want to bury myself inside you and explode.’

Hayley felt the sharp tug of desire in her lower body at his gruff confession. ‘I feel like that too,’ she whispered.

‘But therein lies our current problem,’ he said. ‘As you say, I didn’t use protection, which raises a rather important issue.’

‘I’m in a safe time …’ I think, she mentally crossed her fingers.

‘Our situation would become rather complicated if you were t

o fall pregnant,’ he said.

‘I have no intention of falling pregnant.’

‘Are you saying that from the standpoint of pharmaceutical back up or from a totally irrational feminine hunch?’

She forced herself to meet his probing gaze. ‘I’m saying there’s no chance I could fall pregnant right now.’

‘You seem very sure.’

‘I know my own body.’

‘I won’t allow it to happen again,’ he said.

Her face fell before she could stop it. ‘You mean you’re not going to … I mean … we’re not going to …’ Her cheeks flamed with colour at his amused look as she faltered.

‘Have sex?’

‘Um … yes …’

‘I thought you couldn’t stand the thought of me touching you?’ he said. ‘Am I to take it you’ve changed your mind?’

Hayley looked into the depths of dark, tempting gaze and inwardly sighed. How could she tell him she wanted him to feel for her how she felt for him? She couldn’t, but she also knew there was no way she could offer any other answer than the one her body had already given him.

‘It’s only for a month,’ she said, pleased that her voice sounded so relaxed and casual about it all. ‘Why don’t we enjoy this while it lasts?’

‘Are you sure about that?’

She gave him a bright smile even though inside she could feel her heart contracting painfully. ‘I’m a modern girl,’ she assured him. ‘Having a sex buddy is all the rage at the moment. Lucky me to have such an experienced one.’

A small frown pulled at his brow. ‘So you’re happy with no-strings sex?’

‘Of course. Why shouldn’t I be? After all, that’s what you want, isn’t it?’ she asked.