THE UNSUITABLE BRIDE

CHAPTER FOUR

Roseanne trembled as Lisa slid her fingers beneath the straps of Roseanne's bra – such a serviceable, simple bra, just plain white cotton with no embellishments or detailing. "You're cold."

Roseanne's eyes were hooded when they collided with Lisa's. "Not at all."

Lisa frowned. So why was Roseanne shaking? Shock? Guilt punched Lisa in the side. Lisa shouldn't be doing this. Not after the ordeal Roseanne'd been through today. But Roseanne's plaintive statement rang inside Lisa's mind – if you're not interested in me... There'd been such uncertainty in that pronouncement, even when Roseanne'd shrouded it in obvious bravado. Lisa'd felt it reverberating off Roseanne, as though Roseanne truly believed Lisa might not have been fighting a war with her own desires since Roseanne'd stripped out of her dress and stood before Lisa in just her underwear, so achingly vulnerable for a reason Lisa couldn't exactly pinpoint.

It wasn't that Lisa disapproved of casual sex. Since Lisa'd realized how she'd felt for Jennie, her best friend's wife, Lisa'd only allowed herself to engage in brief, meaningless affairs, just like this. It was the safest way to avoid giving any woman false hope – and that was something Lisa'd never do. Having known the sting of unrequited love, Lisa never intended for a woman to suffer that feeling because of her actions. One day Lisa'd marry, but that would be a marriage of convenience and her bride would understand those terms.

Lisa had no issue with meaningless sex and yet there was something about Roseanne that frustrated her– the ease with which Roseanne did this, the fact Roseanne thought it was good enough, for her.

The sentiment brought a frown to Lisa's lips even as she slid the straps of Roseanne's bra down her arms, tiny goosebumps forming on Roseanne's flesh as Lisa stripped her of the garment to reveal two perfect, generous breasts. Lisa feasted her eyes on them, pale and creamy with dusky aureoles, the nipples erect and begging for Lisa's touch.

"Not cold?" Lisa murmured, lifting a finger and flicking one so Roseanne gasped, the plea in Roseanne's eyes tormenting Lisa with white-hot need.

"No."

Lisa's smile was laced with mockery. "Then what?" Lisa moved her free hand to Roseanne's other breast, cupping it, feeling the weight of it in her palm, rubbing her calloused thumb over Roseanne's sensitive nipple, watching the play of emotions dance across Roseanne's face. Roseanne's responsiveness was a heady aphrodisiac and Lisa felt some of her legendary control slipping.

"Hot," Roseanne murmured in response, her eyes sweeping shut as she moaned softly, swaying her hips forward so her flat belly connected with Lisa's arousal. Roseanne blinked up at Lisa, pink in Roseanne's cheeks as her awareness of Lisa's length became obvious.

"Yes, Roseanne," Lisa said quiet, dropping her head to nuzzle Roseanne's neck. "I want you."

Roseanne moaned.

"Can you feel it?" Lisa pushed forward at the same time she clamped a hand around Roseanne's back, holding her with vice-like strength against her, so Roseanne could be in no doubt as to how hard Lisa was for her.

Roseanne's answer was a little trill in her throat.

Roseanne'd said she wanted to feel alive after what had happened to them, and Lisa felt that too. There was a sense of triumph flaring in Lisa's veins at having survived the explosions today, and at having brought Roseanne to safety. A primal, animalistic sense of achievement that made Lisa want to rush headlong into this act, regardless of how Lisa might feel when the sun rose.

Lisa ran her hand lower then, into the dip at the small of Roseanne's back and beneath the elastic of her underpants, cupping Roseanne's bottom so Roseanne gasped and writhed at the simple touch, as though Roseanne hadn't been expecting the intimacy even after pushing them towards this edge.