Free Between by Lisa Swallow Page B

going to kiss you," he says.
    "I don’t think so!" But the image flies into my mind, igniting heat into my weak body. A body telling me what a great idea it would be to feel those full lips I've stared at more than I should pressed against mine.
    Alek rakes a hand through his hair. "But I don’t want to."
    "Wow, thanks. I’ll give it a miss then." Heat of embarrassment replaces the desire, and I turn away.
    "But I should. I’m not going to force myself on you, but I’m trying to help you."
    "Help me what? Understand how unbelievably arrogant you are because you think I want to kiss you?" I snap, spinning back to him.
    "No, to help you stay here." There's an earnestness at odds with the usual Alek.
    "Honestly, when I wake up tomorrow, I’m gone."
    "No!"
    I jump in alarm at his vehemence, eyeing the front door. "Jeez, you’re weird."
    Alek rubs his nose and fixes his eyes on my mouth. He inhales and tenses, as if preparing to do something stupid and dangerous, like jump off a cliff. This strikes me as odd. I mean, a lot about tonight is beyond odd, but the Alek I’ve got to know doesn’t seem the type who would deliberate these things.
    "Okay, I’m going to do this. If you want me to stop, just push me away."
    Before I can respond, Alek takes hold of my shoulders. His lips tentatively touch mine and static arcs across my face. The lightning-struck feeling spreads as he takes advantage of my parted-mouthed surprise and crushes his mouth to mine. I try to pull away, the intensity of the charge spreading into my body frightening me, but Alek has one hand in the small of my back and another at the nape of my neck, holding me steady. At every point our bodies are in contact, heat of a kind I've never experienced flows; with each passing second, the stronger the urge to have Alek hold and kiss me like this until I can't breathe overpowers. I close my eyes; in my mind’s eye, white light blinds my thoughts, tripping the switch on a desire so strong I fight against pulling my clothes off, and then starting on his.
    I grab Alek’s head in return, digging my hands into his scalp, and delve my tongue into his mouth. I want this. Him. Touching, kissing, tasting, everything. All I can focus on is the powerful energy flowing from his lips to mine, drawing away the exhaustion and filling me with vigour. Alek loosens his grip on my head then disentangles my fingers from his hair.
    I stagger backward as he moves away and rest against the wall. "What the hell was that?"
    "Do you feel better now?"
    I do, but Alek is pale. Not only has he lost his luminescence, but his skin and eyes are dull. My body feels as if somebody injected me with a drug like the ones used for pain when I was in hospital, the world a brighter place in my eyes and in my mind. "What did you do?"
    "I’m just doing what I do. But in reverse."
    His words make no sense, but the energy flooding every cell in my body can’t be a dream. The intense arousal for him, the one that turns my brain off and my physical lust on, can’t be imagined. I’ve gone from not wanting him to kiss me to asking him to take me upstairs and into his bed. In fact, if he gives me the slightest hint he wants to screw me I won’t say no. The thought horrifies me; I don't do this kind of thing. The sex I have is in loving relationships with normal guys.
    "What do you mean?" I whisper, battling against the desire.
    "Sit down again." He slumps onto the sofa as if he swapped my exhaustion for his.
    Alek shares the physical reaction with me; I can tell from the intensity of his gaze and shallowness of his breathing. His arousal was evident when he gripped me close, the effect I have on him clear. He can’t go back to keeping his distance now. Heart hammering in my ears, I do as Alek asks and approach him. I would say warily, but all I want to do is climb on top of him and kiss him until he does what I want. My body and mind are more alive than ever before in my life, even before the