Rory: Hope City, Book 7 by Maryann Jordan (uplifting books for women txt) 📕

It did not escape his notice that the thoughts racing through his mind were foreign. He’d never experienced emotion with a woman other than giving and taking pleasure. But with Sandy, he didn’t want to leave her bed. As his cock slid from her body, he grimaced. Except for taking care of business. Rolling to the side, he settled her gently on the bed and mumbled, “Be right back.”

After a quick trip to the bathroom to get rid of the condom, he walked back into the bedroom to find that she’d slid underneath the covers. The multi-colored quilt barely covered her breasts and she looked tantalizing with her head resting on the pillows. She jerked the sheet down and patted the space next to her and he joined her willingly.

Cuddling was not part of his sexual repertoire. Nor was staying. Nor was sleeping with a woman. But wild horses couldn’t have dragged him from her bed. He deftly slid next to her, curling her into his arms again. They lay facing each other, and he pressed his lips against her forehead. Placing soft kisses over her eyelids and down her nose, he found her lips and it only took a few seconds for his cock to leap again. The fact that she was pressing her breasts against his chest and her hot core against his hips made all thoughts of rest fly out of his mind.

She lifted her leg and he just managed to remember to grab another condom and roll it on. Still side-by-side, facing each other, his cock thrust deeply into her sex. He meant for this coupling to move slower, but just like before, with her body pressed against his, his movements increased. His hand drifted over her breasts again, and with only a little difficult maneuvering, he managed to slide down enough to pull a nipple into his mouth. As she moaned and squirmed, he suckled, nipped, and licked. Her fingers dug into his back again as her core squeezed his cock tighter and her moans rang out in the room.

He quickly followed, planting himself deep within her body, his orgasm rushing from him. Once more, they clung to each other until his cock slid from her and he knew he had to leave the warm cocoon of her bed to deal with the condom.

Grumbling, he repeated his trip to the bathroom, joining her under the covers as soon as he could.

They lay in the darkness, arms around each other, her head on his chest, silent and comfortable. Just when he thought she might drift off to sleep, she spoke, her words so soft, but they cut through the hazy after-sex euphoria.

“I was once roofied.”

18

“I was once roofied.”

Sandy hadn’t planned on revealing her secret. Certainly not right after the most wonderful sex of her life. But somehow, Rory made her feel special… cherished… and safe. Particularly safe. But now that the words were out, she felt his body tighten and wished she could haul them back in.

He was silent for a moment, and she had no idea what to do. “A lady never blurts out her thoughts. She carefully plans what to say.” Swallowing deeply, she wished her grandmother’s words had come to her a few minutes earlier.

Before she had a chance to retreat, his arms banded tighter around her. “Roofied?”

Sucking in a deep breath, she decided to plunge ahead. “Yes. That’s why I reacted so strongly to the woman in the bar. It was a shock to come face to face with the aftereffects again.”

“When did… it happen?”

She heard the hesitation in his voice and could only imagine he had no idea how to react to her bizarre post-first-time-coital bliss. “I shouldn’t have said anything—”

He shifted her slightly so that her head was no longer on his chest but now on the pillow next to him so they were staring into each other’s eyes. “Sandy, I want to know everything about you. Please. Tell me what you feel like you can.”

His gaze penetrated the cold that had begun to creep in, sending slivers of warmth deep into the memories she held close. She remembered his words: When you trust me again, you’ll be able to tell me anything.

She swallowed, plunging ahead. “It was right after college graduation. The family had left, and Harper and I were out partying. It was weird to think that all the times we went out as stupid freshmen to frat parties and nothing like that ever happened. But on this night, we went to a nice bar. Looking back, we felt grown up but were still so young and stupid. A few men bought us drinks and we felt so adult… newly graduated, soon to join the business world.” Her mind cast back to that night, the soft lights of the bar, the music in the background, the low murmur of voices. Uncertainty filled her, but the desire to unburden herself was overwhelming.

“Harper had met someone and was dancing near the back. There were two men still at our table, and I never noticed when it happened. But I felt weird. Woozy. A lot like I feel when I’m about to faint. So, after the first stupid move of sitting by myself with men I didn’t know, I did another stupid thing. I was embarrassed that I felt ill, so I excused myself to go to the ladies’ room by myself. One of them followed me.”

“Fucking hell, Sandy.”

His hand was smoothing over her back, but with the light coming from the streetlamp shining through the blinds, she could see the spark of anger in his eyes.

“He tried to get me to go out the back door to the alley, and I was almost there. If it wasn’t for Harper, I would have gone. I must not have drunk enough because I still remember the wooziness, the feeling that my arms and legs didn’t belong to me. I found out later that