Free Feel the Heat by Desiree Holt Page B

Faith well. He’s only met them a couple of times, and he’s trying to play parents and big brother at the same time.”
    He shifted and his hand came up to cup her chin, turning her face toward him. “And you, Lauren? How do you feel? Am I making you uncomfortable by being here? Are you nervous?”
    She smiled at him. “No. At least not now. I admit I was a little at first when you walked in yesterday.” She wet her lips. “Part of it was because I felt such an unexpected connection to you.” She dropped her gaze. “I haven’t had the best luck with men in my life. My family keeps telling me it’s because I make poor choices. That a lot of them are just curious about my gifts.” She made a rude noise. “They come on so nicely, then like to brag about how they…slept with the crazy woman.”
    She felt the tension race through his body at her words then slowly relax. “I hope you don’t put me in that category.”
    “Oh Troy, no. I haven’t known you long at all but I told you I feel that connection, my inner senses telling me you’re different than all the others. Besides, you said you’d worked with healers before and you know I’m not nuts.”
    “It’s a lot more than that, Lauren. Forty-eight hours ago, neither of us even knew the other existed. Now I feel as if we’ve been together forever.” His gaze darkened. “Am I wrong in thinking you feel the same way?”
    She shook her head. “I told you. People say danger escalates things, and I think they’re right.”
    He threaded his fingers through her hair, eyes searching her face. “It’s a little calmer right now. Dan’s had a security guard parked down the block all day and I think that kind of keeps the lid on things. All the security sensors are set and the phone’s set for the answering machine. Let’s say we enjoy a little downtime while we can. Sound good to you?”
    Lauren smiled. “Sounds great to me.”
    He lifted her in his arms and carried her up the stairs, his mouth pressing softly to hers as he walked. Late afternoon sunlight slanted in through the windows, giving the air an amber glow. He set her on her feet while he drew back the covers of the bed then proceeded very slowly to undress her. He drew her t-shirt slowly over her head and tossed it to the side. Then came her slacks, followed by her bra and panties. His eyes drank her in, memorizing every inch of her naked skin. At last he leaned toward her and brushed his lips over hers. His mouth traced kisses along her jawline and her neck, on the upper swell of her breasts.
    Shivers skated over her as his tongue traced little circles at the hollow of her throat and his hands palmed the cheeks of her ass. Desperate to feel him, touch him, she tugged up his t-shirt and smoothed her hands over the hard plane of his abs, up, up to feel the soft mat of hair on his chest. His heart beat beneath her fingers, accelerating as she dragged her fingernails back and forth over his nipples.
    When he unhooked her bra and bent to take a nipple into his mouth, she let her head fall back and arched into him, letting the sensations race through her straight to her cunt. Little whimpers drifted from her mouth as he sucked and pulled on first one nipple then the other. Harder, she wanted to tell him. Suck harder. His teeth nipped lightly at the pebbled flesh and the pulse in her womb ratcheted up.
    “Off,” she said, desperately pulling at his t-shirt.
    He yanked it over his head and pulled her against him, crushing her breasts against his solid chest. She lifted her face and he took her mouth in a hot, searing kiss. His tongue in her mouth moved over every surface, gliding over hers and teasing it to dance with his. She clutched his biceps, trying to anchor herself as the kiss went on and on and his hands moved over her shoulders, her arms, then up to cup her breasts.
    He lifted his mouth from her, drew a line with his tongue to her navel and then knelt before her. “Sit,” he whispered, and