Free Bid Me Now by Rebecca Gilise Page A

and kissed her.  
    Miri gasped. Right into his mouth. She swore she could feel a soft chuckle rumbling up from deep in his throat, but his mouth was so delicious, her eyes fell closed and she let herself sink into the taste of him.  
    Not a long or deep kiss by any means, but when he drew back, Miri felt the loss of him so acutely it was an effort to open her eyes and focus on her surroundings. The car. The street.  
    Nick looking at her.  
    “Um…you’re very good at kissing,” she whispered rather formally, her hand still gripping the door handle, her lightheadedness climbing to dangerous levels.  
    When Nick brushed a strand of hair away from her face, she started, making him laugh. He had to think her an unsophisticated idiot.  
    “Well, you’re very kissable.” Easing his weight further toward her, Nick kissed her again, this time claiming her mouth so completely, Miri couldn’t prevent a low moan of pleasure escaping from her own throat. The first kiss had sharpened her senses. This one made everything spin. Curling a hand around his neck, Miri held on to him for dear life.  
    By the time Nick had lifted his head, she was on fire. Nothing in her meager sex résumé had prepared her for this. But then, she might as well have had twenty lovers or none at all, as no amount of experience could have prepared her for the ferocious ache that had settled between her legs.  
    “You okay?” he asked, his tone softly teasing, the warmth of his breath grazing her cheek. “You look pretty flushed.”  
    Flushed? She hadn’t stopped flushing since she’d met him. The man was practically a health hazard. “I seem to be doing a lot of that lately. Must be the warm weather.” She blushed harder at her silly remark.
    “Mmm, and how very sexy you look.” His mouth found hers again and his fingers speared into her hair, releasing it from the comb.  
    Miri sighed softly against his mouth, loving the way his tongue sought hers and the way his beard bristles prickled her cheeks. But she really ought to say goodnight after this kiss and stumble along the street to her house. Then all of this would be just a pleasant memory, and her pre-Nick or post-Nick or whatever it was life would be back to normal.  
    But Miri knew she was a lost cause. She knew it even before Nick’s mouth found the hollow in her throat and the unrelenting throb between her legs built to just short of unbearable. The intoxicating effect of his incredibly skilled mouth, fueled by her sexual starvation, gave her a sudden, overwhelming, what-the-hell moment of recklessness. Barely able to believe her own boldness, she spread her fingers wide and worked slowly across his chest, checking his build. Thoroughly, like any accomplished sculptor would appraise a form. He was so sexy and warm and inviting. And there was a button undone.  
    Miri paused, unsure. She ached to explore him. Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained , she reasoned through her lust. Working her fingers inside his shirt, she pressed her fingertips against the hard muscle she knew would be there.  
    “An artist’s nude,” she murmured softly, her fingers tracing around each sharply defined abdominal. She’d built a fairly accurate mental picture of what Nick’s body would look like, but her fingers told her so much more.  
    Definitely a work of art.
    He lifted his head in surprise. “What?” he growled, looking down at her hand buried inside his shirt. “What are you talking about?”  
    Miri pulled her hand out in embarrassment. “Oh, an artist’s nude.” Oh, hell. “What I mean is, you’d be perfect.” Why on earth had she just said that?  
      Nick stared at her as if confused. “Are you saying you want me to get naked? Only too happy to oblige, but we’ll need to find somewhere more private.”  
    “Actually, I mean in an art class.” Oh, Lord, this was worse.  
    He caught her hand in his big grip, making her heart skip beats as he kissed along each of her