Sterling's Reasons Read Online Free PDF Page B

heard his groan but ran down the steps anyway. Mr. Ramsburg would throttle her if anything happened to this guy before she had time to help him.
    “What the hell do you think you’re doing? It’s the middle of the night, you’re not dressed, and you’re with a stranger at the edge of nowhere.”
    “Oh, yes, well, it’s dark. I get restless sometimes, too, you know. Besides, you might be a stranger, but I don’t consider you dangerous.”

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    Joey Light
    In one quick movement he had her in his arms. “Consider me dangerous.”
    Her breath was jerked from her. In the age-old movement, he lowered his mouth to hers in a crushing kiss. She didn’t flinch. She didn’t want to. His mouth was warm and demanding and taking without asking. She had never been kissed like that before. She could have struggled. She could have tried to stop him. She could have. But she didn’t. She leaned into him and, pulling her trapped arms free, wrapped them around his neck.
    It was all flash and color. The bones left her body and she gave in to the dizzying effect his lips had on hers. There was no sound, no ocean, no breeze.
    Only him. She felt so fragile in his strong arms, then powerful and then weak. He tasted of salt and tobacco, and too much vodka. Only the touch of his lips did this to her? Only the play of his mouth on hers? The moan she heard was her own as he broke the kiss.
    “Damn you.” He didn’t usually act like this. What was she doing to him? It was her fault, he decided. “It’s only because I’ve wondered what it would be like to do that since you burst into my living room. I didn’t ask you to come here.
    Now get back up those steps and go to bed before I take you to mine. And about tomorrow. Forget it.” He pointed with the fingers that held the cigarette. “Stay away from me.” He didn’t need to know who she was or what she was up to. He didn’t need her around to make him feel worse than he already did.
    He disappeared into the night and she heard the soft creak of the wood as he jogged up the stairs.
    A sudden wind came off the ocean and chilled her thoroughly. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself and headed for the warmth of her cottage.
    Her mind was whirling and her heart felt strangely empty. She couldn’t sort out her feelings. She wanted to follow him and tell him to do it again so she could analyze this. But she knew he wasn’t to be played with so lightly. He was alone.
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    Sterling’s Reasons
    He was a virile man. She was a woman, and he had needs. This wasn’t exactly the type of thing she had envisioned happening, but now she had to admit, she, too, had wondered what it would be like to be in his arms. Now that she knew, she wasn’t at all sure she should have found out.
    Maybe she was going about this all wrong. She shouldn’t let her emotions wander. Of course that was easier said than done when it had been a habit all her life to go with what pleased her the most. She had figured it would get her into trouble now and again. She looked out to sea, brushing the long hair up off her neck to let the breeze play on her skin. She was cold but had no desire to go indoors. Sometimes she thought best on her feet, and it was so quiet here and yet so loud. The noise of the ocean was in stark contrast to the silence on the beach. It played around her ears.
    She had to get him to relax, to trust her. He had to open up with his feelings and his desires for her to inform Mr. Ramsburg what would be the best thing for him. She let her hair float down around her shoulders. It would be morning soon, and she wanted to watch the sunrise. She had to get some sleep. Turning to go back up the stairs to her deck, she thought she saw the faintest glow of a cigarette from his deck. She looked again but saw nothing.
    In the short time she knew Joe MacDaniels, she didn’t figure him for the type that would stand in the darkness and watch a