Free Fueling Her Fire by Piper Trace

her with a genuine smile. “This is delicious, Kip. Do you
mind if I get more? I’m starving.”
    “No, please, have all you want!” she said, embarrassed at
her lack of hostessing skills. “It’s my grandmother’s recipe. Sorry, I should
have offered to get you more.”
    “No, no, it’s just so good!” he said, jumping up to go back
to the kitchen.
    She watched him go. He was wearing a red plaid flannel shirt
and worn jeans. The outfit was perfect for Christmas and he looked gut-achingly
masculine in it. None of the guys she worked with at the law firm looked like
that. His shoulders were broad and though she was sure the shirt was strictly
work-wear, it was exactly the look those expensive outdoorsman catalogs went
for, only better because it was authentically worn in a way their machines
couldn’t duplicate. And his jeans…
    Wow, does he have a nice butt.
    He turned to the stove and ladled chili into his bowl.
Moving her eyes up to admire his profile, she found him looking back at her and
her stomach twisted. Had he caught her staring at his butt? She looked away,
but not so fast that she missed the pleased smile that spread across his face. Damn.
    She spoke quickly, trying to hide her embarrassment and
cover up the moment. “Sorry the meal’s so simple. I wasn’t expecting company.”
    “Sorry? It’s perfect! Best meal I’ve had in a long time. I
don’t cook much for myself.” He sat back down and concentrated on stirring his
chili to release the heat, adding softly, “Having a home-cooked meal sure feels
like Christmas to me.” He looked up and caught her eye. “Thanks, Kip, really,
for the food and the company,” he said sincerely. She felt herself blush.
    He nodded toward her. “I figured you weren’t expecting
company, considering the outfit.” She looked down and realized her sweater was
open again, her obviously braless breasts leaving little to the imagination
under the thin tank. She pulled the sweater back across her chest, cursing its
modern style with no buttons or belt. It would be too embarrassing to go put a
bra on now, like admitting she’d known her breasts had been on show.
    He was silent until she looked up. His eyes were on hers and
then they travelled slowly and deliberately down to her breasts, now more fully
covered, and then along the length of her bare legs and back up to her eyes.
Her breath caught. He had raked his eyes so blatantly over her that she felt as
though he’d just touched her in all those places…and she had let him. She felt
a warming between her legs that had nothing to do with the chili in her lap and
she looked away, stifling a strong urge to look down at his jeans to see if
she’d had the same effect on him. But she was not going to risk him
catching her looking at his crotch too. That would be too embarrassing.
    He spoke and his voice sounded a little husky. “I never
thought this would be how I’d be spending Christmas Eve this year, but I’m glad
to be here.”
    She was desperate to find something to talk about to clear
the tension. She thought about his original plans to have dinner at his
friend’s house. “Is your dad not around anymore?”
    “No, he passed away last year. His heart,” Dylan said,
looking at his food. “I don’t have any other family in the area. I have some
cousins in Pennsylvania, but I don’t know them real well.”
    “I’m sorry.” She had liked his dad. “So you never married?”
She asked the question out of sheer curiosity and was instantly sorry she’d
asked. Why did she care?
    He answered quietly, “Nah, just…I guess I just haven’t
gotten it right yet.” He looked at her and she felt as if his vivid blue eyes
went right through her.
    “I always figured you’d marry Jackie,” she said, referring
to his on-again, off-again cheerleader girlfriend. The one Kip had been so
jealous of…
    “No.” He laughed derisively but offered no further
explanation. They sat in awkward silence for a