Free Hearts on Fire by Alison Packard Page B

wearing a wig for
most of the day, it was a necessity.
    The knock on the door
forestalled any further thoughts of changing into another outfit. She
took a steadying breath, smoothed the palms of her hands down the
fabric of her green jersey, halter dress, and left the bathroom. By
the time she reached the door, her nerve endings had shifted into
high-alert mode, and when she opened the door and saw Drew, she
couldn’t ignore the thrill of happiness that fluttered in her
heart.
    On any other guy, a
white button down chambray shirt with the sleeves carelessly rolled
up, and a pair of faded blue jeans would look ordinary. But not on
Drew. Someday, when he got famous—and she was sure he would—she
wouldn’t be the only woman appreciating his understated, yet sexy
good looks.
    “Hey.” His gaze
slid casually down her body then up again. “You look…amazing.”
    “Thank you.” She
motioned him inside. As he brushed past her she caught his scent.
Clean, fresh, and masculine, it sent her senses into overdrive. She
closed the door, locked it, and then took a breath to calm her
thundering heart. They hadn’t even had dinner and she was already
yearning for what she hoped would come afterward.
    Jessie turned and
sucked in a surprised breath to find Drew standing right behind her.
Before she could speak, he slipped his hand around her waist, pulled
her roughly against his body, and claimed her lips in a searing kiss
that drove all coherent thought from her mind.
    As their mouths fused,
he pushed her against the door and trailed his mouth along her jaw
until he reached her throat. “Gotta stop,” he murmured, his warm
breath heating her skin.
    “Why?” she asked,
as she skimmed her hands up his shoulders. Her nipples pebbled
against the silky fabric of her dress. Right now, choosing to go
without a bra seemed like the best decision she’d made all day.
    “Dinner,” he said,
then pressed his lips to the sensitive curve between her neck and
shoulder. “We’re supposed to have dinner.”
    “They have…” She
gasped as he pinned her against the door and his erection pressed
into her lower abdomen. “Twenty-four hour room service,” she
said, acutely aware of the slow burn of desire spiraling through her.
“We can eat later.”
    Drew lifted his head.
“So it wasn’t presumptuous of me to buy more condoms?”
    “No more so than it
was for me to not wear underwear.”
    Surprise flickered in
his eyes. “On second thought, I want to eat now.”
    “But...” Her
stomach did a somersault. “Wait. Are you…? Do you mean…?”
    A slow, wicked grin
tilted his mouth. “You’re cute when you’re flustered.”
    “I’m not
flustered.” To her mortification, hot blood rushed to her cheeks.
“I’m not,” she insisted as the corner of his mouth kicked up
with amusement. She blew out a frustrated breath. “Oh, just shut up
and kiss me.”
    He obliged, and this
time the kiss was hotter. His tongue plunged into her mouth and mated
with hers, arousing her even more as he rocked his hips against hers.
    Oblivious to everything
except the all-consuming need clawing at her insides, it barely
registered that he’d slipped his hands around her waist and lifted
her up off of the floor just enough to carry her to the cream color
sofa a few feet away.
    “I’ve been thinking
about this all day,” he said, after breaking the kiss and urging
her to sit on the firm cushions. He sank to his knees in front of
her. “I need to see you.” His roughened voice sent a delicious
thrill up her spine and then another as he pushed her dress up to her
hips. “Lie back.”
    Jessie’s heart
pounded as she complied with his command. Drew rested his hands on
her knees, his palms searing into her skin like a branding iron. He
moved his thumbs back and forth against the delicate skin of her
inner knees. Her body trembled as he slowly parted her thighs. She’d
never felt more exposed or more
turned on.
    “You’re so fucking
sweet. I can’t