Free Light My Fire by Jodi Redford

her before now.
    And would you mind if they did? She bit the inside of her cheek. Shut up, Dana. Angling the door open wider, she flipped her mocking inner voice the bird. “Come in, but I’m timing you.”
    “Can you wait to start the clock until I get back? I need to grab fresh clothes from my duffle.”
    She exhaled heavily. “Fine.”
    His grin was bright enough to power most of southeastern Michigan. “Thanks. I’ll be right back.”
    Waving her hand in dismissal, she returned to the couch. As promised, Aiden returned less than a minute later. He carried a pair of navy blue sweatpants and a small leather bag that she assumed contained his grooming supplies. She started to get up but he held out his hand.
    “Stay. Just point me in the general direction and I’ll find the bathroom on my own.”
    “Follow the hallway and it’s the first door on the right.”
    Aiden nodded and strode toward the hall. She sank into the cushions and crooked an arm over her eyes. “I’ve walked into the freakin’ Twilight Zone.”
    The muffled sound of Jace crabbing about something outside leaked through the window. Rather than get up to investigate, she remained sprawled on the couch. Frankly, she was too exhausted to budge. Plus the cushion beneath her head felt extra cushy tonight. So very…nice…and…smooshy.
    “Uh, Dana?”
    With a jerk, she snapped out of her light doze. Her arm tumbled to her lap and she glanced toward the deep, seductively masculine voice. The air squeezed from her lungs in an embarrassing wheeze. Holy —
    Aiden stood less than two feet away, clutching a hand towel over his groin. The skimpy scrap of white terrycloth did a piss-poor job of covering his gloriously naked body. Sculpted muscles contoured a smooth, bronzed chest. His abs—damn, forget about six, they were more like an eight pack—looked to be chiseled from marble.
    “Any chance you have a bigger towel?”
    Somehow she pried her chin from where it’d dropped to her chest. “Um…yes. Hold on.” Please, please hold on . She most definitely didn’t need him losing his grip on that teensy hand towel.
    “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
    She leapt from the couch and almost tripped on her own feet racing down the hallway to the linen closet. Grabbing a bath towel from the center shelf, she whirled around and smacked into Aiden with an “ Oof .” His hands slid around her upper arms, steadying her. It took five seconds for the ramifications of that to fully register. She gulped. Don’t look down. Don’t look down. Don’t—
    Of course her eyes refused to obey. Her breath stuttered in her throat. Sweet mother of cocks . Seriously, words couldn’t adequately convey the impressive—no, mind-blowing —erection bobbing between Aiden’s muscular thighs. The puppy easily topped the eight-inch marker, and it wasn’t lacking in thickness either. Unconsciously, she licked her lips.
    Aiden groaned. “Dana…” One hand abandoned her shoulder and he brushed his knuckles along her jaw.
    She glanced up and caught the fierce desire flickering across his rugged features. Now would be a really good time to duck beneath his arm and run the hell out of there. So why did her bare feet remain rooted to the carpet? His fingers splayed across her cheek, holding her anchored against the wall as his head descended. Even before his lips brushed hers she knew his kiss would be devastating. Loaded with the kind of full-on ravishment that could detonate a person’s brain.
    He didn’t disappoint.
    His tongue slicked inside her mouth and made itself at home, its hot, sensual glide coaxing a responding moan from her. He re-angled his approach, his tongue thrusting deeper. Aiden’s possessiveness thrilled and terrified her. It unlocked a dark, hidden chamber of her soul that ached to be branded…claimed.
    No, damn it . Jerking her head to the side, she broke the kiss, her ragged breaths puffing fast and hard. “You don’t play fair.”
    His lips skimmed along