No Boundaries Read Online Free

was sure this betrayal by her body was because it had been so long since she had been touched in any way. Now the simplest connection with another person was sensory overload. The woman froze, her eyes locked onto Andi’s, and a faint smile began at the corners of her mouth. “Sorry. I guess I got a little carried away.” She took a deep breath and shifted to stand. She put out her hand to help Andi up. “I’m Gwen Palmer and that lug is my dog, Zeek.”
    “Nice to meet you both.” Andi took the offered hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet. A sudden stinging in her right hip told her she had a nasty scrape from hitting the asphalt when she fell. She hissed a little as the pain registered, distracting her from the warmth of Gwen’s fingers gripping her hand. Andi pulled away reluctantly and dusted herself off. In the process she noticed a nasty abrasion on her left palm as well. Turning up her hand to inspect the injury, she saw tiny bits of dirt and rocks embedded in her skin, the wound angry and red. The sight of the injury made her wince again.
    Gwen stepped close and took Andi’s hand in her own, then turned the palm up to assess the damage.
    At the intimate touch, Andi’s heart began to race. She was stunned by the proximity of their bodies and the soothing, gentle caress of Gwen’s hand. Andi swallowed the lump in her throat and stared up at Gwen, not sure what she was supposed to do.
    Gwen met her gaze and Andi was surprised by the warmth and compassion in Gwen’s eyes. Andi’s breath caught at the sight of such unguarded emotion.
    “We’ll need to get this cleaned up. You have some small pieces of gravel under the skin there. Come inside and let me have a better look.”
    Andi was suddenly very aware of the warmth spreading through her body. The tingling sensation in her skin beneath Gwen’s touch was beginning to make her uneasy. She didn’t like to be touched by strangers, but there was something oddly alluring about Gwen that Andi couldn’t quite shake. She couldn’t take her eyes off her face and struggled to put together a coherent thought. When Gwen looked up from her inspection of Andi’s hand, Andi took an involuntary step back. She was afraid Gwen would hike up the leg of her shorts and begin a close examination there like she had done with her hand.
    “No. It really isn’t a big deal. I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll take care of it when I get home,” Andi stammered.
    “I insist. Please. It’s the least I can do to make up for you being flattened by my dog.”
    Andi studied Gwen’s face and took in the feel of the soft fingers against her palm and was once again speechless as Gwen stroked the edges of the cut, trying to free the stones from the torn skin on her hand. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been touched so tenderly, and the loneliness that had been haunting her for the past few weeks became a dull ache, punctuating the longing she had denied for years. She knew she should pull her hand away, but something kept her frozen in place. She couldn’t bring herself to separate from even this minor connection.
    Finally finding her voice Andi spoke. “I’m pleased to meet you, Gwen. I’m Andrea Massey. Most people just call me Andi.”
    Gwen smiled. The smile transformed her features from alluring to arresting, and Andi found herself captivated by the contrast of uncertainty and unguarded pleasure. Gwen gave Andi’s hand a gentle tug. “Well, Andi, let’s get you patched up. Come on, I insist.”
    Andi followed Gwen into the house. She was surprised when Gwen took her hand again and led her to the kitchen sink.
    “Sorry about the mess, I only arrived last night, and as you can see I haven’t managed to get much done yet,” Gwen said as she ran cool water over Andi’s hand, gently massaging the tattered red skin. She blotted the area with a towel, then turned and opened a box on the floor and retrieved a first-aid kit. She returned with peroxide,