Worlds Apart Read Free Page A

never convince me otherwise.” He
pointed his fork at her in mock sternness. “You're missing out on
all the clubs in the city.”
    She sipped her coffee, glad he
could see that part of her. She wondered how long he would be in
town. “You've only seen part of the picture. I do like a good
time.” She reached across the table to brush a soft caress on his
arm. “But this town is a great place to live.”
    She squeezed his hand and nabbed
another piece of toast as she continued. “Portland's not far.
Things get too dry around here, I like to spend a couple days up
there.”
    It was too bad they hadn’t had a
chance to try some of the things she went to Portland for. Tina had
a feeling Clive would be good at them.
    “Okay.” He sounded a little
relieved at her explanation. “So I didn't rob you of your grocery
money when I barged into your game last night? You seemed so
anxious to win it back, I was a little concerned.”
    “Oh, brother.” She laughed. “Not my grocery money. Mike's.”
    He looked confused. “But he got
his money. That was the deal.”
    “That's the problem,” Tina said.
“Mike's a good guy. He would never have hit me, not in a million
years. He loves his family, and he’s a hard worker. But he likes to
gamble. Has a real hard time controlling it. He tries, but every
couple of weeks, he's back downstairs losing his paycheck. So the
regulars have a sort of system. Whatever we win from him, we turn
over to his wife.” She shrugged. “Not everybody turns it over. They
figure they won fair and square, they should keep it. But some of
us give it back.” She grinned at Clive over her cup.
    He slapped his forehead. “So when
I gave him his money back, he proceeded to lose it
again?”
    She nodded. “I can practically
guarantee it. So I wanted to win some extra, to cover
it.”
    “That's a very kind thing to
do.”
    “It's a small-town thing. Which is
a big part of the reason I like living here. That, and the fact
that it's far enough from my mother that she rarely
visits.”
    That made him laugh. “Oh, come on.
I bet your mother adores you.”
    She grinned and took a moment to
look him over. The first couple of buttons on his flannel shirt
were undone and dark hair peeked out above them. Her gaze dropped
to his belt and she licked her lips. He probably would be
good at it. She felt sure she could trust him with it.
    He shifted in his seat, and her
smile widened as she brought her eyes back to his face. Was he blushing ?
    “My mother loves me,” she
admitted. “But I embarrass her with my wanton ways. Mom's Bible
Belt, through and through.” She glanced at the rumpled bed, then
hiked a shoulder as she sent Clive a teasing look. “I actually like
the belt part . ”
    Interest lit his face as he looked
at the bed and at the clock beyond it. “Not enough time to put that
to the test, is there?”
    Her own face flushed hot and she
licked her lips again. Maybe … But
she looked at the clock and shook her head. “I don’t think so. I
need to get going.”
    He looked so disappointed she
stood up and went around the table. He watched her come, pushing
his chair back as she squeezed between him and the table. She sat,
straddling his lap, her hands resting on his shoulders. Dare she
suggest he stay for the weekend? How would he respond?
    He cupped her breasts, sliding the
material of the sweater over her nipples. Heat flowed over her as
she bent her head to kiss him.
    He gave a sudden twist to her
nipples, making her gasp. “A few minutes.” He whispered against her
lips. “You want it. I can give it to you. I’ll make you feel it all
day.”
    Her whole body buzzed at his
words. She deepened the kiss while her hands moved to his buttons.
He let go of her tits to unbuckle his belt, pulling it off in one
quick sweep. She watched him, anticipation surging through her. He
snapped the belt once, bringing its end cracking against her. She
hardly felt it, though, and sat straight, staring at him