Free Seduced by the Night by Robin T. Popp Page B

wasn't their usual gentle exchange. She wondered if he was trying to overwhelm her with the intensity of his passion. Whatever his intentions, the kiss smacked of desperation and was almost painful in its forcefulness. Only because she understood how threatened he felt by Dirk's presence did she manage to endure his "show of affection" and not push him away. Finally, the kiss ended and  she took a step back. Not knowing what to say, she mumbled a simple "Good night, Miles," and walked back into the lab.
    As she returned to her workstation, she felt Dirk watching her. Setting the cup of coffee on the counter, she glanced up and saw the dark expression on his face.
    "What?" she asked irritably.
    "So that guy really does it for you?"
    "Brings me coffee? Yes, on occasion, when he knows I'm working late."
    Dirk narrowed his eyes. "That's not what I meant Does he rev your engine? Get your juices flowing?"
    She turned to gape at him. "I beg your pardon. That is disgusting."
    "Yeah, I think so, too, but I'm not the one kissing a man old enough to be my father."
    "He's not old. He's"—she searched for the right word—"mature."
    Dirk gave a bark of laughter. "Is that what you call it? Out of curiosity, what's the age difference? Twenty? Thirty years?"
    She gave an exasperated sigh. "Twenty years, and that's not that big of a difference."
    Dirk shrugged. "So, again, what's the attraction?"
    Bethany forced herself to get back to work. "I don't expect someone like you to understand."
    "Someone like me?"
    "Yes. Someone who thinks that sweaty bodies, rolling around in bed, having marathon sex is the signpost of a strong relationship."
    He got off his stool and Bethany hoped he was leaving her alone to work. She didn't even bother to watch him go, focusing her attention instead on pouring the exact amount of reagent into the flask before her. That is, until she felt him come up to stand behind her, the heat from his body warming her back. His hands came up to caress her shoulders and his touch rattled her so much that she had to set the beaker of reagent back on the counter before she dropped it.
    She knew she should step away from him, yet he held her trapped between his body and the table and his hands on her shoulders felt strong and his soothing strokes rendered her incapable of moving. He closed the last small distance between them until their bodies touched and her heart pounded with anticipation. Then he lowered his head so that his cheek brushed Bethany 's ear.
    His breath fanned across her neck in warm moist puffs of air. "When you're with
him
, " he said, his voice rumbling low in his chest, "is
he
all you think about? Does he fill you with a need so great you're afraid that if he touches you, you'll explode, but if he doesn't, you'll die?" His lips grazed her neck as he spoke, sending shivers down her spine. "Do his kisses rob you of every thought?" His hand slipped around her waist and he roughly pulled her tightly against him. "Can you feel the longing for him all the way down to that sweet spot between your legs?"
    Bethany couldn't have responded if her life depended on it. His words, his touch, had reduced her to a mass of quivering emotions. She closed her eyes, lost in the sensations he stirred deep inside her; feelings that scared and tempted her at the same time. She knew he should stop, but prayed that he wouldn't.
    Abruptly he released her and stepped away. Her body chilled in the sudden absence of his heat and as she tried  to pull herself together, he crossed the room, only to stop when he reached the door. She dared to look at him and his hungry, burning gaze raked over her body before meeting her eyes. "You wouldn't be so quick to dismiss the physical aspect of a relationship if you'd ever experienced it done right. Maybe Miles isn't the right man for you, Beth. Not if he can't unlock that passionate nature you try to keep hidden inside. What you need… is a real man."
    Like me
. The unspoken words echoed in her