Free Night Whispers by Leslie Kelly Page A

from somewhere deep in her throat, and he pressed harder, urging her lips farther apart and sweeping his tongue against hers. She hesitated for not more than a second, then he felt her arms circle his neck as she pulled him hard against her body. Her sweet mouth welcomed him, beckoned him as he tasted her.
    Kissing Kelsey was sweet and agonizing and arousing and fulfilling, all at the same time. Mitch moved his hands up her neck and cupped her face, stroking her temples and letting his fingers tangle in her loose hair. He felt her hands press into his back, pulling his body against hers. She fit against him as he’d imagined she would, as if they were made for each other.
    Kelsey clung to Mitch like a drowning woman to a life raft. He filled her senses—his smell, the feel of him. In his arms, with his hot mouth on her own, she could admit that when she’d spoken of sensuous pleasures, the most rapturous one she could have imagined was the feel of this man’s kiss.
    And then he pulled away.
    There was cold where there had been warmth. A chill touched her face and Kelsey shivered. She reached for him, wanting to draw him back, but he jerked away from her touch as if she burned him.
    “I’m sorry, that should never have happened,” Mitch insisted. “I was angry, and wanted to shut you up.”
    “It’s all right,” Kelsey replied, still adrift in sensation. “You didn’t do anything I haven’t been wanting you to do.”
    She smiled at him and raised a shaky finger, intending to trace the outline of his lips. He grabbed her hand, stopping her before she could touch him, and gripped it tightly.
    “No, Kelsey, this was a mistake. We were both angry. It won’t happen again.”
    He didn’t want her. She bit her lip, watching the self-recrimination cross his features. He already regretted kissing her. She knew he’d been as affected by the kiss as she had, but for some reason, Mitch was not about to admit it.
    “I shouldn’t have ambushed you like this.” He raked his hands through his hair in angry, jerky movements. “I should have waited and spoken to you in the morning, when we could both be rational about it. Let’s do that, all right? We’ll talk tomorrow.”
    He was talking about the show again, she could tell, and Kelsey’s stomach tightened into a hard knot. “No, Mitch, we won’t talk tomorrow. There’s nothing to talk about.”
    “I mean,” he explained, “we’ll talk about the show, not about…well, what just happened.”
    “I know exactly what you meant.” Kelsey crossed her arms firmly in front of her chest. “And, as I said, we have nothing further to discuss. It’s none of your business what I do for a living. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. So I’ll thank you to back off.”
    “Oh, right,” he said, his voice silky and dangerous. “Like you took care of yourself a minute ago when I kissed you? You didn’t fight too hard, Kelsey. What if I’d been one of Lady Love’s overamorous fans?”
    Kelsey narrowed her eyes and leaned forward to whisper, “Then you’d be bent over, talking in a real high-pitched voice right about now.”
    A light flicked on upstairs, and Kelsey jerked her head at the sound of footsteps. Fred and Celia’s anxious faces peered over the rail, and she realized they must have woken them with their shouting.
    “Is everything all right?” Fred asked.
    “Everything’s fine,” Kelsey replied. “Mitch and I were just saying good-night.” She stared coldly at him. “Good night, Mitch.”
    Not waiting for his response, Kelsey rushed up the stairs. Her feet hadn’t hit the top step when she heard his door slam shut below. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, and for the life of her she could not make her key fit into the lock.
    Kelsey heard Celia’s and Fred’s low voices. She didn’t protest when Celia approached, gently took the keys out of her hand, opened the door and led her inside.
    “Thank you,” she said, as Celia steered her