Free Kiss of Fire (St. James Family) by Lavender Parker Page A

wanted to so badly it hurt.
    “ Fuck,” he said, the word hoarse. Then the elevator slowed to a stop and he pushed away from the wall. And her. “Go home, Toni.” But she didn't. She followed him down the hallway to his apartment and stood beside him like a dummy as he unlocked the door. He moved aside and let her pass, into the dark entryway. The apartment was pitch black. No light, not even from the street. Toni slid her hand along the wall, looking for a light switch as O'Donovan slammed the door behind them. In an instant, he was pressed against her, his chest against hers, his hands on her ass in the dark. He let out a slow breath against her cheek, and she jerked against him, her whole body responding to him.
    “ I told you to go home,” he said. Her hand found his chest in the dark, her quest for light abandoned. She couldn't see him, only feel him, and the fact only amplified her arousal. She didn't know what he was going to do next. She craved this closeness. This intimacy. When she felt his mouth on her neck, she gasped and tilted her chin to give him better access. When his teeth nipped at her collarbone, she felt a moan escape from her lips. The lust sliced through her like a knife, and all she wanted was release. He pulled away roughly and she heard a swift rustle of clothes. She groped in the dark for him, wanting him back. Her fingertips found bare skin. She pulled her hand back with a gasp as if burned. His shirt had disappeared and couldn't stop herself from reaching again, drawn to him.
    She ran her hands over the planes of his chest and it was better than she'd imagined —rough skin pulled taut over hard muscle. He was back on her in a flash, all moist lips and a hot tongue. She snaked her arms around his neck as his hands groped under her top. He found her bra immediately, yanking it down and freeing the swell of her left breast while sucking on her bottom lip. He ran his calloused thumb over her nipple and she damn near came out of her skin. She knew he was drunk. She knew that he wouldn't be touching her this way otherwise. But she wanted him. God, she wanted him.
    “ Antoinette,” he murmured her name. “I remember you.” He dipped his tongue into her mouth and she felt a thrill go down her spine. She arched her back into the kiss, bumping her hips against his. He was hard, his big erection straining in his jeans. So much for whiskey dick. “It was dark and I held you in my arms,” he said, kissing her deep.
    “ I'll never forget,” she whispered, feeling breathless. Her fingernails dug into the skin of his shoulders as he sucked and nipped at her mouth. “You saved me.” She found his mouth in the dark and kissed him, deep. When she came up for air, she felt the words flowing again. “I could see the stars,” she whispered. “Did you see them?”
    “ I saw them, lovely. I saw them.” He squeezed her breast and bumped his hips against hers.
    “ Why did you leave me in the hospital?” She wished she could stop the words from pushing to the surface, but she couldn't. “I needed you.” She felt his body tighten around hers, and he dropped his hands. She let out frustrated whimper as he pulled the warm heat of his mouth away. “O'Donovan!” His name passed her lips as a low moan, and then light flooded the room as he flicked the switch. She blinked in the bright light, disoriented. By the time her head was clear, he was already across the room, kicking off his boots as he went.
    “ Toni, get lost,” he said, disappearing down the dark hallway. She pressed her hand to her chest, feeling her heart beating a mile a minute beneath her skin. She knew she should go. She should turn and run from the infuriating man, catch the train back home, and never think of him again. But, dammit, she was hot for him. How dare he get her all worked up with no release? She wanted him to fuck her. Hard. Relentlessly. He could pour all of that anger into her, and she wouldn't mind. Not one