CHAPTER NINE
SABRINA COULDN’T SLEEP. She lay in the big bed and thought of the man lying in another bed nearby. Was he also tossing and turning? Was he thinking of that kiss—that very chaste, very proper kiss—and burning because of it?
Because she was on fire. She’d thought of nothing else since his mouth touched hers. He was hot and handsome and he wanted her. Hell, she wanted him—and she shouldn’t, because what kind of woman got dumped at the altar yesterday and wanted another man today?
It was insane. Completely insane.
And yet it was how she felt.
Acting on it… that was another matter entirely. If she acted on it, was that an impulsive decision that would burn her later? Or was it simply enjoying her freedom and moving past everything that had happened with Brian?
Brian… oddly enough, she felt nothing when she thought of him. Well, anger, certainly. Not loss. Not regret for what might have been.
There was relief that she’d escaped before it was too late.
Yes, it was a relief, and that worried her too, because what if she was putting too much thought into Mal Hughes? Stepping from the frying pan into the fire was no way to live, that’s for sure. She’d watched her ex-roommate do it way too often for comfort. Jennifer always fell head over heels for some guy, and then when he dumped her, she fell for another one right away.
In fact, Jennifer had moved out of their apartment last month when she’d met her latest love. She’d apologized for leaving Sabrina with the rent but blissfully assured her she’d find another renter to share.
Sabrina hadn’t done so because she’d been caught up in her own romance and planning to move in with Brian. She’d packed boxes but hadn’t moved them yet because Brian was always too busy to help her. He kept telling her they’d take care of it once they were married.
She’d tried to put the brakes on. She’d told him maybe they should live together for a while first, but he’d gotten down on his knees and told her they were meant to be together. She’d let him convince her, even when her gut churned with doubt.
Turned out her gut had been right.
Sabrina shoved the covers off and got out of bed. She was wearing the slinky little nightie she’d packed because she had nothing else. She tugged on the robe she’d been using and walked out to the kitchen in search of something to drink. And maybe a snack. She was a stress eater, and a few potato chips would go down really well right now, the consequences to her ass be damned.
She found a bottle of water and went rummaging in the pantry. “Yessss.”
Sabrina grabbed the bag of chips with glee. She’d take these back to her room and eat her way into a carbohydrate coma. And she really, really wouldn’t think about Mal Hughes and his gorgeous body while she did it.
“What’s got you so excited?”
Sabrina squeaked, whirling and jumping. The robe slipped off one shoulder as she clutched the chips and faced Mal.
And, oh dear heaven, his chest was naked. His body was naked too, except for a pair of fitted boxer briefs that managed to outline every delicious part of him. Every big, hard, delicious part.
He took a step closer, the moonlight caressing him as he stepped into a beam.
“I… uh…”
“Midnight snacking, Sabrina? That’s what this is all about?”
“Um, yes.” Her brain had turned off. Just turned off.
Her body was turned on. Totally and completely. Her pussy tingled and wetness flooded her core.
The robe slipped another fraction, revealing a slinky strap and quite possibly some lace trim. It hit her that she wasn’t wearing underwear. Because why should she? She hadn’t meant to wear much of anything this week, and she therefore hadn’t packed a whole helluva lot.
Mal’s eyes dropped to her shoulder. The muscles in his big body grew taut as the situation changed and the air between them became charged.
“I’d like to do some snacking,” he said quietly, and a thrill of excitement slipped over her skin.
She held out the chips. “Some of these?”
He stared for a long moment, and then his eyes met hers. They gleamed with hot need, and her stomach bottomed out.
“Not what I had in mind, sweet Sabrina.”
Her heart thundered. “I… I can’t, Mal. I want to, b…but I can’t.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
Sabrina dropped her gaze. “You scare me. Everything about you scares me.”
Her stomach squeezed when she looked up at him. His expression was stark, maybe a little shocked and concerned. He took a step backward, and it hit her that he’d misunderstood her. That he thought she was intimidated by his size and strength. She rushed to explain.
“You scare me because I like you too much. I don’t even know you, and I like you. I like you more than I should.”
Relief crossed his features. “Nothing about this thing between us is normal. Maybe normal is overrated.”
She laughed. It didn’t feel humorous at all. “I don’t think I’m capable of normal. You picked me up on the side of the road while I was wearing a wedding dress. Doesn’t that worry you just a little bit?”
“Only if you’re still hung up on the guy. Are you?”
“No, I’m not. And I probably should be, shouldn’t I? I was going to marry him—what’s it say about me that I thought I was in love with a man two days ago, and now all I can think about is having sex with you?”
“I think it says you weren’t in love with him at all. That somewhere, deep down, you knew something wasn’t right.”
“You’ve never been in love. How would you know the difference?”
“I don’t know that I would. But I’m pretty sure being in love with someone means you can’t let them go so easily. I know people in love. They don’t have to ask themselves if it’s true or not. They just know.”
Sabrina snorted. “God, I wish it was that easy. I’m not sure it is.”
“Maybe it’s not.” He took a step toward her, tugged the robe up to cover her shoulder with gentle movements. “Maybe neither one of us knows a damn thing about it and never will. But I know this much, Sabrina. I know we’d have amazing sex.”
Her heart felt like it stopped beating before it lurched painfully forward again. “You can’t know that,” she whispered.
“There’s two kinds of sex, sugar. The kind you have when you’re looking for a release, and the kind you have when you feel some sort of emotional connection with someone. We weren’t looking for it, but we have a connection. That kind of sex is always amazing.”
A little spike of jealousy reared its head inside her. “Make connections often, do you?”
“No. That’s why I know it’ll be good.”
Sabrina fixed her gaze on the rippling muscles of his abdomen. You could bounce a quarter off those things. She wanted to run her tongue along the ridges, taste him.
He tipped her chin up with a finger, and her throat tightened at the intense look on his face. “When you’re ready, I’ll be waiting.”
“What if I’m never ready?”
His gaze slipped over her, stopped on her mouth. Her lips burned. “Then I guess we’ll never know how good it could have been, will we?”