Forever Spring Read Free Page A

it should bother him was baffling. He had grown used to being in the cold and the dark with the opposite sex. His wife Carolyn had kept him there for years. Feeling a chill, Paul tossed down the last of his coffee and stood up. “Ready when you are,” he said in an even tone, plucking his jacket from the back of the chair.
    Following Karen up the wide staircase proved to be a test of endurance for Paul. She had a lovely, graceful stride, shoulders back without being stiff, spine straight without being rigid, and her hips had a gentle, unpracticed sway that profoundly affected every one of his senses. Sweetly erotic images flashed through his mind as he trailed her down the hall, his darkened gaze fixed on the movement of her hips. His mind smoky from the heat of his thoughts, Paul was only vaguely aware of the room she ushered him into. The inflec-tionless sound of her voice pierced the sensuous fog.
    “Of course, if this room doesn’t suit you, you may choose any of the other six guest rooms,” she was
    saying, moving to the long windows to pull the drapes open. “I thought this would be best since it has its own bathroom and looks out over the beach and the ocean.” She swept her arm toward the view as if offering him a gift.
    “This will be fine.” Paul glanced around the room without really seeing it as he dutifully walked to stand beside her at the window. Darkness cloaked the land, and low-hanging clouds obscured the moon and stars. Paul could see very little except for outlines and the curling white of cresting waves. But standing this close to her he could smell her distinct scent, and his body tightened in response to it. Relief shivered through him when she moved away.
    “Well, then,” Karen said briskly. “I’ll get bed linens and towels. It’ll only take a minute to make up the bed.” She was walking from the room before she’d finished speaking.
    Keeping his back squarely to the room, Paul stared into the night, his thoughts just as black. What was wrong with him? he wondered bleakly, clenching his fists as he heard her reenter the room. He was reacting to Karen like a teenager with a hormonal explosion. He wanted to grab her, touch her—everywhere. He wanted to kiss her, bite her, thrust his tongue into her sweet mouth! Oh, God, how he wanted! Paul was shuddering inside when the snapping sound of a sheet being shaken dispelled the erotic thoughts teasing his senses.
    “Is there something I can help you with?” Paul closed his eyes, despairing of the hoarse sound in his voice.
    “No, thank you, I’m just about finished.” Karen’s tone had an edge that tugged at his attention, an edge that held a hint of—what? Trepidation? Outright fear?
    Raising his eyelids fractionally, Paul turned slowly to face her. Moving swiftly, economically, her hands smoothed a candlewick bedspread over two plump pillows. On closer inspection, he thought he detected a slight tremor in her competent hands. Was Karen afraid of him? Paul mused, watching as she carried a stack of towels into the adjoining bathroom. Had she sensed his reaction to her, and was she now regretting renting him the room?
    Avoiding his eyes, Karen walked into the room and directly to the door to the hallway, by her manner convincing Paul his speculations were correct.
    “I’ll leave you to get settled in,” she said, reminding him of a wary doe as she hesitated in the doorway. “Dinner will be ready at 7:30.” Turning abruptly, she strode from the room.
    “Thank you.” A grimace twisted Paul’s mouth as he realized he was speaking to thin air; Karen had fled. A sick despair sank heavily to the pit of his stomach. She was afraid of him, he thought, raking a hand through his hair in frustration. Dammit! The last thing he’d wanted was to frighten her. Sighing, Paul turned to stare into the unwelcoming darkness of a cold night.
    Karen was also staring into the night. Directly across the hall, in a room that was a twin to his, she stood