Good Girl Gone Wild: When Lust Turns to Passion... (Good and Wild) Read Online Free PDF Page A

nodded, toying with his wine glass. His mind was clearly
on something else, and Christine wondered miserably if he was regretting asking
her out. He was looking at her, but there was a hooded quality to his gaze, as
if he didn’t want her knowing what he was thinking. It was unnerving, and she
started nibbling on a piece of toast with salmon mousse for something to do.
Soft music was being piped in and it soothed her frazzled nerves. She had been
so looking forward to this evening, and it seemed doomed from the word go. She
sipped her wine, found it delicious, and emptied it.  As she put down the
glass, Nick seemed to come to a decision. He leaned across the table, his hand
outstretched. “Dance?”
    Christine
hesitated a moment, but the temptation to have him close overcame her doubts.
She put her hand in his, and felt his smooth palm warming her suddenly cold
ones, his fingers long and well-manicured. Christine felt an impulse to check
her own nails, which were unpolished and clipped short as usual. Inwardly she
grimaced, thinking that Lisa was right after all.  As he pulled her up, his
fingers curled around her own, and suddenly she felt warm and protected. She
placed her free hand on his shoulder, and she felt his other arm go around her
waist, pulling her closer.  Sighing softly, she relaxed against him, placing
her head on his chest as they swayed to the music.
    Nick
wanted to touch her; it was an all-encompassing need that was impeding his
thought processes. Dancing seemed to be a safe alternative to what he really
wanted to do, and hopefully would help clear his head. Now with an armful of
Christine, he closed his eyes in pleasure, drinking in her smell and the feel
of her body molding into his. The inevitable soon happened, and as he felt the
stirring in his groin, he made a move to step away, afraid that she would feel his
arousal.
    Christine
felt the sudden withdrawal, and without thinking pulled her hand free and
twined both hands around his neck, tilting her head to look up at him. “Don’t,”
she whispered, softly stroking the hair on his nape with her thumbs. She felt
him shudder and he tensed as if to move away again. She loosened her hold a
little, suddenly doubtful. Maybe I smell funny she thought in dismay.
    Nick
saw the way her eyes, dreamy as she looked up sharpen in anxiety when he made
to pull away, and then cloud over. He saw how she might get the wrong idea
about why he needed to move away, and saw no way of explaining it without sounding
like an idiot, or a goat, or both. He tried anyway. “Christine, I—“
    At
that moment, there was a discreet knock on the door, and two waiters came in
with their soup and salad. Christine moved out from the circle of his arm,
smiling slightly.
    “Smells
good,” she quipped with determined cheerfulness, taking her seat in front of a
steaming bowl of French onion soup. Nick joined her slowly, feeling bereft,
scolding himself for pulling away.
    Christine
was miserable, and she masked it by talking far more than she usually did. She
was all praises for the dishes that came out, although they all tasted like
ashes in her mouth. She downed glass after glass of wine, but it didn’t seem to
help her feelings of inadequacy. She couldn’t wait for the evening to end so
that she could indulge her misery in peace.
    Nick
listened to her chatter, smiling at all the right places, responding when
necessary, and feeling her withdrawing further and further away from him. Over
a delicate lemon gelato, Christine looked up to see Nick watching her intently
and suddenly felt that it was just too much to bear. She placed her dessert
spoon carefully on the table.
    “I’m
really very tired, could you take me home now,” she said in a small voice, not
looking at him. Tears were very near the surface, and she blamed the wine she
had consumed for her weakness. They threatened to spill over when she felt him
drop down on one knee beside her chair and take her hand. She tried to