Free One-Two Punch by Katie Allen

fogging the glossy surface. Wrapping his hands around her lower ribs, he gently pulled her away from the island and set her carefully on her feet, keeping his hands against her until he was sure she was steady.
    He dropped a kiss on her shoulder and Beth turned to look at him, smiling at him a little shakily. This man could be dangerous to my peace of mind , she thought, and her smile faltered. Watching her seriously, Harry leaned over to kiss her so softly, so gently, that it almost made her cry.

    “I’ll be fine. I just live a few blocks from here,” she explained for the fiftieth time.
    She wasn’t sure if she should be charmed or exasperated by the stubborn set of Harry’s mouth.
    “I’ll walk you. Charlie opened the gym this morning, so I’m free.”
    Beth shrugged, giving in. When she thought about it, she was happy that their night together didn’t have to end quite yet. Glancing down at herself, she made a face. She wasn’t quite as excited about her outfit. She had pieced together the remains of her workout clothes and topped them off with an enormous hoodie borrowed from Harry to block the morning chill.
    “I look like I don’t have any shorts on,” she commented, tucking the sweatshirt around her hips, only to have it slide toward her knees again. With a sigh, she let it go.
    “You’ll have to bring some clothes over next time,” Harry told her. Beth gave him a sideways look, her heart leaping at the “next time”. I’m such a dork , she thought.
    Shouldn’t a twenty-four-year-old have enough experience to know a one-night stand from a…what? Longer stand?
    “That was too fast, wasn’t it?” Harry’s words yanked her out of her contemplations.
    She tilted her head at him curiously and he continued. “I know we’ve just been out once—actually, we haven’t been out at all—” He shook his head. “Whatever. I shouldn’t have mentioned you bringing stuff over, should I?”
    Beth blushed. “No, I…umm…it was…” Nice , she thought in exasperation. Way to be coherent.
    Scowling, Harry crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m supposed to wait a couple days and then call you—I know that. And then I ask you out for next weekend or whenever and you tell me you’re busy so I don’t think you like me too much and then we end up going out two weekends from now—well, fuck that.”
    Dropping his arms, he stalked toward her, backing a wide-eyed Beth into the wall by his front door. “I want to see you tonight,” he growled, bracing his hands against the wall and trapping her in the cage of his arms. “I already want you again and if you make me wait two fucking weeks before I can be inside you, I’m going to go insane.” He dropped his head and kissed her hard.
    When he finally pulled his head back, Beth sucked in a shaky breath. “Okay.”
    “Okay what?” he asked, the blue heat of his eyes burning into hers.
    She swallowed. “I’ll bring clothes with me the next time I come over.”
    “Tonight?” It was more of an order than a question but Beth didn’t mind.
    “Tonight,” she agreed.
    With a pacified grunt, Harry kissed her again and stepped back. He opened the door for Beth and she stepped out into the gym on shaky legs. God, he’s hot when he’s bossy , she thought. She gave a slow smile, starting down the stairs as Harry locked the door. Hot, bossy and very eager to see her again, she mused, her grin growing.
    Harry caught up with her, tossing his arm around her shoulders as they weaved their way through the equipment and the early morning crowd.
    “Morning, Charlie,” Harry greeted him. “Everything okay?”
    Charlie looked at the two of them, surprised, and then grinned. “Everything’s great, boss. Hey, Beth. How’re things?”
    Blushing, Beth gave him an awkward wave. “Umm…fine?” she muttered and Harry laughed. She elbowed him in the stomach.
    “Oof,” he grunted, although he didn’t lose his smirk. “Remind me to quit teaching you how to