Her gaze locked with his. She couldn’t look away as he thrust into her. He gripped her bottom and tilted her hips to receive him fully. He stretched and filled her and her flesh gripped him hard.
“Isabel.” Sean said her name with awe. Reverence.
His voice was like a caress and she shivered. Isabel tightened her legs around his waist and splayed her hands in his hair. Sean appeared mesmerized as he softly chanted her name with each thrust.
Isabel felt as wildly powerful as a goddess and yet she was equally caught under Sean’s spell. This man was hers but she was also his. The affection that shone in his eyes mirrored the love that was in hers. She hadn’t felt this close to him before.
Sean’s face grew taut as his fingers dug into her bottom. He squeezed his eyes shut as he fought for restraint. His deep and smooth thrusts grew faster. Isabel clutched his hair in her fists and dragged his head down. Her mouth collided with his and she poured everything she had to offer, all the love she had for him, into that kiss.
Sean gave a hoarse cry against her mouth as he found his release. He tumbled onto her and she fell back on her desk as his final thrust triggered her own climax. Colors exploded in her head and she clasped Sean against her as the pleasure rippled violently through her.
She didn’t want this moment to end, Isabel decided as her lungs burned and she gulped for her next breath. She wanted to hold on to this love, hold on to Sean, forever.
* * *
“ISABEL?” SYDNEY ASKED. “I tried to catch you at the library but they said you were on your lunch break. Are you at the diner?”
“I’m walking over to my father’s house,” she explained as a loud truck zoomed by and she held the cell phone closer to her ear. “He’s usually at home on Saturdays. What do you need?”
Sydney gave an exasperated sigh. “It’s Laura. She’s already trying to get out of hosting the next book club meeting.”
“Are you sure?” Isabel asked as she turned into the alley behind her father’s house. “It’s not for another two weeks. Do you think she’s read the book?”
“She’d better have read it! I got through the book she chose.”
“Think about it. Laura Dawson reading a cookbook.”
“I know,” Sydney said gleefully. Isabel could imagine she was wringing her hands like a comic book villain. “What about Sean?”
Isabel slowed down her pace. “What about him?”
“Laura and I hope he’s going to be a permanent member of the book club. Is he going to show up for the next meeting? Tell him he has to cook one recipe from the book.”
“That will get him to quit for sure,” she muttered.
“I doubt it,” Sydney said in a singsong tone. “The only reason he was there was to learn more about you.”
Isabel still had no idea why Sean had joined the book club, but she was pretty sure Sydney was wrong. “He doesn’t need to investigate me. I’ve known Sean for years.”
“And how long have you been sleeping with him?”
Isabel tripped on a crack in the alley. “I— What?”
“Yeah, don’t try to deny it. Laura and I saw the sparks flying between you two at the book club meeting. He’s the one-night stand that changed your life.”
Isabel felt flustered as she looked around the deserted alley. “Let’s keep that between us. Sean wants it to be a secret.”
“Are you sure?” Sydney asked. “He hasn’t tried to hide that he’s interested in you.”
“Yes, I’m sure,” she replied quietly. “He made it clear that this is just a fling.”
“Oh.” Disappointment and concern echoed in Sydney’s voice.
“I don’t want to talk about it. But I will call Laura later and convince her to cook a recipe from the book.”
“If you feel like talking, call me, okay?”
“Thanks, I will.” She ended the call and realized she had meant it. Eventually she’d discuss her fling to her friends. Not now, though, not when her feelings were so raw, but soon. She really was learning how to reveal herself in so many ways.
Isabel strode across her father’s backyard and opened the screen door to the kitchen. It was quiet, indicating that the housekeeper wasn’t around. Good, because she didn’t want an audience when she explained to her father that she couldn’t attend their traditional Sunday dinner tomorrow. It was not going to go over well, but if Sean was there she wouldn’t be able to hide her love for him from her father.
Isabel walked through the dining room and into the hallway. She was about to call out when she heard familiar voices coming from the study.