Page 26 of A Second Chance for Love

“Juss?”

“Hmm?” He rubbed the top of his foot, grateful his toes were too frozen to feel much pain.

“Are you comfortable down there?”

“Very droll, Oona.”

“There is room enough for two in this bed.”

Juss froze and then said, “I beg your pardon.”

She sighed. “Come up here. It’s foolish to stay on the floor when there is all this room.”

“Are you sure?” His cock was certainly sure.

“Yes, of course.”

There was no of course about it, but Juss didn’t have the decency to turn her down. He stood and spread the blanket he’d been using over the bed and then hesitated. “Which side do you want?”

“Oh. Well, I don’t know. Do you prefer a side?”

He’d not slept in the same bed with a woman since Clara, preferring to visit his lovers and leave once they’d finished their business. He couldn’t recall what side of the bed he’d slept on. Hell, he could barely remember Clara’s face after so long.

“I’ll take the right side,” he said, just because he was on the right side.

He heard movement followed by a silence that seemed to pulse, and then lifted the covers and climbed into the warm, fragrant spot where she’d been lying.

Juss lay on his back, the blankets pulled up to his chin, as he tried to ignore the insistent erection that would not let him sleep, even if he had been tired.

∞∞∞

Oona was experiencing difficulty controlling her breathing, which was coming in rapid, shallow bursts. The truth was, she already regretted her impulsive offer. Not that she believed he would do anything untoward, but her body was reacting to his—even though it was motionless—in a most disturbing way.

“Regretting being a Good Samaritan?” His voice was rich with amusement.

“No, of course not.”

He chuckled. “Will you be able to sleep?”

Oona smiled in the darkness; it was an amusing situation. “Oh, eventually. I think. I don’t normally go to bed so early.” That was the truth, but not the whole truth.

“No, I can’t recall a time when I’ve been tucked in by eight o’clock, either.”

Oona felt the bed shift and he must have turned on his side because the next time he spoke, his voice was much louder, even though he was speaking softly. “Are you tired, Oona?”

Her brain seemed to melt a little at the low, sensual heat in his voice. “Uh.”

“You’re uh?”

“I’m not tired,” she managed in a hoarse voice.

“I have a question for you.”

Oh God. She knew what—

“You mentioned that you were a fallen woman. What did you mean? Did the men you mentioned—your employer and his son—impose upon—”

“No, it wasn’t that,” she said hastily. “It was another man—I believed him when he said he would marry me.” Saying the words was like pouring salt over a wound she’d believed scabbed over a long, long time ago. “But it turned out that all he wanted—” Oona bit her lip.