“Sex isn’t what’s important anyway,” she said loftily. “It’s the relationship that matters, and relationships take work.” He didn’t say anything, so she went on to fill the silence. “I mean, sure, it sounds good to just hand everything over to somebody else, but that’s not how it works in real life.” She felt angry about that, which was totally inappropriate, and she was pretty sure it was the rum and Coke betraying her, but it might have been her life.
“Depends on the version of real life you’re using,” Phin said.
“Well, in my version, you have to be careful all the time and you get nothing for free,” Sophie said waspishly. “Especially orgasms.”
“Then you need another version.”
Sophie lost her breath as the silence stretched out again. Well, if he made a pass, she’d say no. She’d just turn around and look at that great face and better body, and say no. Who did he think he was, anyway? She certainly knew who she was, and she wasn’t the kind of woman who—
“Come here,” Phin said, and Sophie felt his voice in the pit of her stomach.
She shook her head.
“You’ve got nothing to loose,” he told her. “Day after tomorrow you’re gone, and we’ll never see each other again. This is our one shot at being selfish. Let somebody take care of you for a change.” She swallowed as she tried to get her breath, and he said, “Come here and let me give you an orgasm you don’t have to work for.”
The heat spread fast and low in her, and Sophie bit her lip and tried not to feel anything. Don’t be dumb, she told herself. You are not this kind of woman, this is not what you want, but her breath came faster and it was what she wanted, he was what she wanted. She opened her mouth to say no, but what came out was, “Why would you want to do that?”
“So I can touch you,” he said. “I’ve wanted to since the first time I saw you on the porch.”
There definitely wasn’t enough air by the river. The heat was driving it away. If she turned around and looked at him, she’d probably asphyxiate. “You didn’t even know me on the porch. You don’t know me now.”
“That’s the beauty of it,” Phin said. “No guilt. No responsibility. Just pleasure.”
She did turn to look at him then, and he met her eyes coolly. He had propped himself up on one elbow, but there was no tension anywhere in his body—she closed her eyes because he has such a beautiful body—no pressure there on her at all. He could have been offering her dinner and his voice would have sounded the same.
“You wouldn’t care if I said no, would you?” Sophie said, and he looked surprised.
“It wouldn’t ruin my evening.” He sat up slowly. “Okay, not a good idea. I apologize. Let me walk you back to the house, and we’ll forget—”
“I’d have to be depraved to say yes to something like that,” Sophie said, and her voice sounded thick. “I’d have to be...”
She stopped because she couldn’t get the words out, and he watched her for a moment and then he leaned closer. “Wild,” he said softly. “Reckless.” He was so close his lips were almost touching hers, and she knew he was going to kiss her. But then he said, “Satisfied,” and bit her lower lip, and the ache made her moan, and then he did kiss her, tasting her mouth as if she were candy, easing her down onto the dock as she clutched his shirt and arched into him, depraved and abandoned after all.
*Excerpt from Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie.
