Free Some Like It Hot by Brenda Jackson

words. She let it back out slowly. Leave it to Falcon to always remind her of what came first with them. “You’re right, Falcon,” she said softly. “Nothing else is important.”

Eight
    Raven had just finished tying her shoelaces when there was a knock on her door. She frowned. It was just a little past six in the morning. She wondered who her early-morning visitor could be. She doubted it was Erica, although she had an open invitation to go running with Raven whenever she wanted. Some people weren’t morning people, and Erica fell into that category.
    Upon reaching the door Raven took a quick glance out the peephole.
    Linc!
    She immediately opened the door. Given the fact that she didn’t get any sleep last night and she blamed him for it, Lincoln Corbain was the last person she wanted to see. “Wh-what are you doing here?”
    Raven almost stammered on her words as she looked at the man standing in her doorway. A new kind of awareness pumped furiously through her veins. Oh, she had awakened in a bed with Linc before so she knew all about his sexy-as-sin early-in-the-morning look. And during their week together he had mostly worn tank tops and shorts, so she was well aware of the fact that he had a gorgeous body. But he must have gotten into some bodybuilding program since she’d last seen him. The man looked absolutely stunning in his well-fitted see-how-fine-the-brother-really-is running outfit. Just looking at how he looked made a burning sensation sizzle from the tips of her breasts down to her middle. There it stopped. His body was so taut, so firm, so tight, so unbelievably built. There was not a flabby place anywhere on him. Her gaze automatically went to his midsection. She sucked in a deep breath. Lincoln Corbain was well endowed. As she continued staring, she began remembering one particular morning while they were in bed together, sliding her fingers beneath the waistband of his shorts to feel just how well endowed he was.
    Raven swallowed. That same moan that had threatened to erupt from her throat last night when she’d been in his arms while dancing was threatening now. She returned her gaze to his face and saw that he had been watching her ogle him. She cleared her throat. “I asked what you’re doing here, Linc?”
    His eyes bored into her in a way that seemed to touch every feature on her face. “I thought I’d go running with you.”
    Raven frowned as she searched her mind in response to what he’d just said. Fairly certain she had never mentioned her early-morning weekend activities to him, she asked, “How did you know I go running on Saturday mornings?”
    “Erica mentioned it to Ben, and since Ben knew I also go running early on Saturday mornings he mentioned it to me.”
    She narrowed her gaze on him. “So you just assumed it would be OK to join me?”
    “Yes,” he said, giving her a seductive smile. “That’s about the shape and size of it.”
    Instinctively, when he said those words, her gaze went back to his midsection, remembering another time he’d used those same words. She inhaled sharply as she tried to get her mind back on track. She looked back up at him. “I think you assume too much, Linc.”
    He studied her for a moment. “And what else is it that you think I assume?”
    “That you can pick up where we left off four years ago in Daytona.”
    He cocked his head as if considering her words. He then said, “The only thing that I’m assuming and what I know for a fact, Raven, is that you prefer I left you alone. But I can’t do that.”
    “And why not?”
    Linc smiled. “I’ll tell you some other time. You ready to go running? I promise to be good company.”
    You’ll be more company than I need, she thought to herself. “If you want to tag along you can. Just as long as you keep up.”
    Linc let out a smooth chuckle. “I was going to give you the same advice.”
     
    “How about something to drink?” she offered after they returned to her apartment from