Not a Second Chance by Laura Jardine

she wanted to smile at his words. Hopefully they would stop talking about this now, but she was afraid if she expressed that wish, he’d just tell her more things she didn’t want to hear.
    To her surprise, he sighed and said, “Let’s forget about that.”
    Sidney let go of her other hand and spread both of his hands under her ass. He lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist, her arms around his neck. He walked to her bedroom and set her down on the bed. His eyes never left her body as he stripped off her clothes. She didn’t usually like being naked—it made her uncomfortable. But with Sidney, she’d never been uncomfortable like this, not even the first time.
    “You’re beautiful,” he murmured.
    “So are you.”
    They always used to do that: he’d tell her she was beautiful or pretty, and she’d say, “So are you.” She wished she hadn’t said it now, but she hadn’t been able to help it; it was instinctive, even after all these years.
    He climbed on top of her and slid his hand down from her neck, achingly slow. Well, it probably wasn’t all that slow, but it felt like it to her.
    Finally he pushed a finger inside her; she clutched his shoulders.
    “Now this is about where we were when your friends interrupted us,” he said.
    “Not quite. We—”
    “I said about where we were. Not exactly .” He paused. “Tell me what you want.”
    “No. Because then you’ll do the opposite.”
    His lopsided grin did dangerous things to her. Not fair that he’d become so attractive. Every inch of her body needed him to be closer. He could be damn infuriating, but that didn’t matter right now.
    “I promise I won’t,” he said. “Not this time. Unless you request something ridiculous.”
    She briefly considered doing that, but she was unable to come up with something completely ridiculous when she wanted him so badly. “Let’s do it now. As soon as you get your clothes off.”
    He undressed in a hurry, and her mouth went dry at the sight of his naked body. It had been far too long since she’d done this. She followed the trail of hair down to his navel, then lower. His cock was erect and ready to take her, and oh, she needed to have him inside her. Needed him.
    He rolled on a condom and lay on top of her, rubbing the head of his cock against her clit, then around her entrance.
    “I was thinking about this all through dinner.” He dropped his head to hers and kissed her mouth. “Couldn’t stop thinking about what I was going to do when I got you alone.”
    Sidney lifted himself up slightly. And there was something about the look in his eyes, the desire written all over his face…
    Allison didn’t want to see his expression while he fucked her. It would be too intimate.
    Before he could plunge inside, she rolled onto her stomach.
    “Yeah?” He chuckled. “Raise yourself up on your knees so I can touch you properly.”
    She did, and he pushed into her at last. She grabbed onto the sheets as he filled her body, as he reached between her legs and stroked her.
    “Good?” he said.
    “Of course it’s…good.”
    He started slowly, and every time he thrust inside her, she gasped.
    “Better get used to it,” he said. “You’re going to take a lot of me this weekend.”
    Yes. God, yes. That sounded like the perfect weekend.
    She screamed for him, and she kept shuddering as he shoved into her hard. It didn’t take long for him to finish, grunting her name as he came.
    Afterward, he rolled Allison onto her back and kissed her softly on the mouth. Neither of them said anything; they just kissed, but without the urgency they’d had earlier.
    So much for her attempt to avoid intimacy.
    * * * *
    Twenty minutes later, Allison was still in a state of postcoital bliss. She lay on her stomach, the covers pulled up to her waist. Sidney was on his side, idly stroking her back. Although it was pleasant, the peacefulness that had descended upon them was sort of disturbing. She shouldn’t feel