Free Ripped! by Jennifer LaBrecque

sounded hot. Really hot. He was a man used to being in charge. If he wanted to take the lead now, she was good with that.
    His breath fanned against her cheek, her mouth and then finally his lips found hers. He tasted like a combination of sweet and spicy, sweet tea and peppery barbeque sauce. It was a sampling kiss, followed by another, then another. She sighed into him. This was even better than this morning.
    He kissed her harder and she kissed him back with equal intensity. She lost track of everything except the mingling of his breath with hers, the sweep of his tongue caressing hers, the rasp of his calloused fingers against her skin.
    An ache, hot and sweet and wet, blossomed inside her. His groan echoed into her mouth and she sent it back to him.
    His breath was gratifyingly uneven when he pulled away. In a surprisingly tender gesture, he rested his forehead against hers.
    “So, do I stay or go?”
    “You’re not much of a reconnaissance man, soldier, if you have to ask.”
     
    N EITHER ONE OF THEM SPOKE as they crossed the lobby to the elevators. When the doors closed behind them, enclosing them in the elevator’s confines, the sexual tension in the air was almost tangible.
    “What floor?”
    “Five.”
    Mitch pushed the button and stood at parade rest. He didn’t dare touch her again until they were in her room. Just kissing her, the press of her hand against his neck, the softness of her skin beneath his fingertips had him trembling.
    That had never happened before—the feeling that he was teetering on the brink of moving beyond himself, not quite in control. And the smart thing to do would’ve been to drop her at the front door and get the hell home. But he simply couldn’t walk away from her, which was all the more reason to. But he couldn’t.
    He wanted to know what it felt like to be sheathed inside her, to be buried in her warmth and exuberance. And it wasn’t just about getting laid—that could happen on any given night at pretty much any bar in town. He was a decent-looking guy and the ladies seemed to like him. No. This was about her. And him. About the fact that he’d wanted to be inside her since she’d journeyed up his body in that sensuous slide this morning. And that the thought of McElhaney touching her left him wanting to break something—preferably McElhaney’s face.
    Eden fished her key card out of her purse.
    The elevator dinged open. “It’s this way,” she said,turning left down the hallway, leading the way. The crazy thought flitted through his head that right now, he’d follow her to Hell and back. She was a frantic need inside him. All the more reason to retreat…all the more reason he couldn’t.
    “Seems nice enough,” Mitch said, glancing around the hallway, noting the layout and the exit.
    “It is. I stay in a lot of hotels and this is one of the nicer ones I’ve seen. It doesn’t have that funky smell some of them do.”
    “You travel a lot?”
    “Enough that I’m always glad to get back home.” She slid the card into the door and the green light lit up. Pushing open the door, she quipped, “Here it is. Home sweet home, at least for the next few days.”
    He automatically scanned the room.
    To the right, the suite offered a full-size refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher and as much counter space as someone with limited culinary capabilities might require. To the left sat a dining table with two chairs. The rest of the room offered a desk, a sleeper sofa, a television and a fireplace angled into one wall. The bedroom lay through a doorway to the right of the fireplace.
    Mitch hung the Do Not Disturb sign on the outside, closed the door, clicked the dead bolt into place and turned to face Eden. “We’ll take this as slow…or as fast…as you want to take it.”
    “We might want to slow it down a bit.” For all that she’d been forward and bold, she looked a little unsureof herself. Obviously, she didn’t do this type of thing often, if ever. He might