Good Deed Bad Deed, Marcia Morgan [summer beach reads TXT] 📗

She gently put her hands on the sides of his face then kissed him again, aggressively. He broke away from her lips, took hold of her arms, closed his eyes and spoke through clenched teeth. “Why do there have to be complications messing up the natural order of things?”

“There are complications… and, so it seems, a mystery to solve. But should we completely put our lives on hold?” Her mind raced with thoughts, each valid reason to wait countered immediately by her lust for Ben. Finally the words tumbled from her mouth, and she said, “You aren’t the only one who’s anxious.”

“Your last kiss confirmed that.” Ben slipped his hands inside her vest, sliding them over her ribcage and around to her back.

He found the edge of her shirt and slid his hands underneath, beginning to stroke the smooth skin on her back. Her head fell back as she sighed with pleasure. He leaned forward and kissed her neck like a man yearning for much more than kisses. They dropped to their knees, hidden in the golden Rapeseed, removed from the world around them and oblivious to the damp ground. In an instant they were once again in a tight embrace, exchanging deep kisses accompanied by the soft throaty sounds of arousal.

Ana leaned away from him and said, “Ben, if we go any further, there’ll be no stopping—regardless of the mud—and I speak for myself.”

Ben looked up at the sky and then at Ana. “You’re right. And it’s been a very long time since I’ve been with anyone. Another kiss and I could be like a runaway train.”

As he pulled her to her feet Ana looked at him intently and said, “Neither have I, so all aboard… that train’s about to leave the station.”

Ben realized what she meant, and his eager body responded. He flattened and smashed the stalks where they had been kneeling, using his boot-clad feet. Returning his attention to Ana, he slid the vest from her shoulders and tossed it to the ground. His hands skimmed her torso and waist, ending where the old sweatpants were tied.

“Wait,” she said, and then bent to remove the boots. She stepped gingerly onto the crushed stalks without thinking once about her damp socks and cold feet. There was fire in her eyes, but her voice was soft and sensual. “Now, get back to what you were doing.”

Both were breathing faster as he slid her sweats and panties down and off. He laid them aside then removed his jacket, dropping it onto the vest as a cushion for their bodies. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt, exposing the torso Ana had admired when nursing his shoulder that first night. She lay down on the padded makeshift bed of leather and flowers then watched him undo his jeans, which he let fall to his ankles. His boxers followed.

Ben dropped to his knees, hovered over her, and met her lustful gaze. He eased the black jewel-encrusted tee shirt above her breasts and did the same with her wispy lace bra. He paused to admire what he saw then kissed each one softly before returning to her lips. He lowered his chest onto hers, and as flesh met flesh Ana gasped, while Ben let out a long sigh of pleasure. His kisses became more demanding, and soon he placed one knee between her legs, edging them open without resistance. Moved by the swirling wind, stalks of yellow danced in concert with the rhythm of their urgent lovemaking. Gusts whooshed and whined through the field, rising in crescendo with the lovers’ moans of passion.

Ben collapsed onto Ana. She could feel his heart pounding against her chest. He rolled to the side, pulling her on top of him. They lay in silence, listening to nature’s orchestra. Birds circled overhead, riding the wind currents and squawking their delight to the world— to Ben and Ana’s private world in the middle of a field, where they were safe and alone.

After a while Ben stirred then said quietly, “We have to go.” Yet in his reluctance to return to dealing with the family’s predicament, he didn’t move from her side.

“Right now I hate those words.” Ana said, kissing him just under his chin, then added, “I want to stay here—make time stand still.”

“I can’t be alone with you anymore or history is going to repeat itself.”

Ana would have liked nothing better, but she sighed and rolled away from his arms. After giving Ana’s clothes a good shaking, he helped her dress, steadying her as she pulled on the Wellies. As he dressed himself, Ben heard her snicker and asked what was funny. She said she was thankful that Sir Freddie had decided to go home and hadn’t come bounding into their private space at the wrong moment.

Ben laughed and said the dog was due for a special treat. Then he turned serious. ”We’re expected to leave for London before noon. Mum and Dad are bound to wonder where we are. I don’t want them to worry.”

He slid his hand into her mass of tangled hair, holding it tightly while he kissed her cheek. They made their way back to the road, crossed, and started back across the lawns hand in hand. They stopped for a moment to embrace beside the giant Chestnut tree. When she backed away to look up at him, her face was still flushed with the glow of satisfaction. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth to speak, yet hesitated.

“What is it? If you have something to say, just say it,” Ben told her, his tone uneasy.

“Ben, every minute since the night we met you’ve done nothing but show concern for me—for my safety more than your own.” She looked down at her feet before continuing, obviously self-conscious about what she was going to say. “I don’t trust easily, but I believe I can trust you—in every way that’s important.” She then looked directly into