Free In the Eye of the Storm by Samantha Chase

kitchen before following her there.
    He almost laughed out loud.  Holly was sitting at the table, unwrapping a piece of chocolate!  He stood in the doorway watching her.  She wore a white t-shirt of his.  It was huge on her, hitting her mid-thigh when she was standing, he was sure.  But now?  While sitting at the table?  It hugged her bottom and rode high up her thighs which looked amazing.  His mouth actually watered.  His hands twitched.  He had to find a way to let her know of his presence without scaring her and to find a way of making light of the situation so that he didn’t pounce on her. 
    Treading lightly in to the kitchen, Stephen noticed that Holly was watching the storm as he had earlier.  It was a flash of lighting that brought his reflection in to the window that made her scream out.  To try and calm her, he said, “I guess I don’t have a big future in the hotel business.  I forgot the chocolates again.”  His tone was light but quiet and he hoped that she wasn’t too badly startled.
    “Stephen!  You scared me half to death!  I thought you were back in the office.”
    “Nope, I’m done for the night just like you said I should be.  I’m trying to take your advice and relax a little bit more.”  He came and sat across from her at the table – a spot that was somehow never going to be the same after she left.  “Unfortunately, I have no idea what to do with myself so I’ve been wandering around in the dark.” 
    Holly noticed the glass in his hand and nodded towards it.  “What are you having?”
    “Brandy.  I was hoping it would help me to fall asleep.”
    “Any luck?”
    “Not yet.” 
    Silence.  Holly nibbled on the dark chocolate square and sighed.  “I can’t even believe that I came down here for this.  I mean, I ate a ton of food today and yet all I could do was lie in that continent of a bed thinking that I didn’t have any chocolate.  How insane is that?”
    “Continent of a bed?”
    She gave a wicked smile and Stephen’s blood stirred.  “Silly, I know, but that bed is so darn huge that it reminds me of a small continent.  A family of four could sleep in that thing without touching each other!”
    An image of Holly sprawled naked across the bed flashed in Stephen’s mind with the same brightness as the lightning outside.  In his mind, however, it was his bed that she was sprawled across and he was touching her all over those silky thighs he was trying not to stare at.
    Holly finished her chocolate quickly and stood up.  “Well, I think that should do it.”  Looking at the bag, she reached down and grabbed one more piece.  “Just in case.”
    “Sure.”  He stood and went to stand directly in front of her so that he could see her more clearly in the darkened room as he looked down at her face.  Her eyes looked huge and even in the dark he could clearly see how the t-shirt did little to hide what was underneath – which promised to be a spectacular body.  Her nipples had hardened to tight peaks and he had to fight the urge to lean forward so that they would actually be touching. 
    Holly cleared her throat but couldn’t make her feet move.  “I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”  Looking up at him, she waited for his response.  His eyes were intently on hers and while she should look away, she couldn’t.
    “I promised myself that I wouldn’t ask you this,” he began.  His voice was low and deep timbered.  “But I have to know…have you given any more thought to our work situation and what’s going to happen come Monday?”
    It was mild disappointment, she told herself, that he was asking her about work and not about anything of a more…personal nature.  “I…I haven’t really thought too much more about it.  I still think it would be best for me to leave.  I don’t want to be the topic of office gossip.”  She nervously chewed on her bottom lip, willing him to stop staring.  His eyes were drawing her in, making