Free Hidden Fire, Kobo by Terry Odell Page B

balls, feeling them grow taut beneath her fingers.
    His teeth scraped along her nipple as he
broke contact. "Sweet God in heaven, Sarah, let me inside you. Now.
Please."
    She rose above him, his erection standing
proud beneath her, tall and stately as one of Hugh's creations. She opened
herself to him, lowered herself a fraction, then rose again. Down, this time
allowing a little more of him inside. His grip on her breasts tightened. She
took in another inch, each time sliding him over her core, until she perched on
the brink of release.
    His hips bucked, seating him to the hilt
and she moved with him. The tempo built like one of his Chopin Preludes. Faster
and faster. His gasps signaled his impending climax. Higher and higher until he
shouted her name and her world shattered like a delicate crystal vase.
    Dizzy, faint, she sank to his
sweat-filmed chest. "Wow."
    "Way past wow." He traced his
fingers along her spine.
    After a time, his strokes grew slower,
then stopped. He softened inside her and she rolled away in search of the small
towels in his nightstand drawer. After cleaning herself, she wiped his
semen-coated belly. He mumbled something incoherent and turned onto his side.
    "Good night. Again." She
checked the clock and set her internal alarm for six. This time of year, it
would be getting light by then and she'd be able to get home, dressed and to
work in time to meet Jennifer at eight. Closing her eyes, she spooned herself
behind Randy and let his even breathing put her to sleep.
     
    * * * * *
     
    "Phone for you, Sarah."
Jennifer poked her head out of the shop's small office where she'd been taking
a well-deserved break. "Randy. You want me to take over while you talk to
him?"
    Sarah glanced at her watch. One. She'd
been too busy to notice he hadn't called, but what was becoming a too-familiar
irritation slammed into her gut. "Please."
    "Hugh's pottery's been an amazing
draw," Jennifer said as she slid past Sarah in the office doorway. "I
can't remember being this busy since last Christmas."
    Neither had Sarah. So busy, in fact, she'd
had to abandon her backup paper receipt system. She'd download everything from
the sales receipts later and use that for her marketing spreadsheet. No matter.
It wouldn't kill her to work in the store instead of at home a couple of nights
to catch up.
    She grinned. "What I like is that
they're buying everything, not just his stuff. It's good business for all the
artists." The chimes jingled. Sarah glanced at the customer coming through
the door. "Think you can deal with Mrs. Gromley?"
    "I can handle her. Go."
    "Call me if she starts whining."
Sarah wiped her hands on her skirt as she stepped to her desk. She took a
cleansing breath and picked up the handset. "Hello, Randy."
    "Hi. Why didn't wake me when you
left?"
    "I didn't want to disturb you. You
needed sleep."
    "I got it." His voice was
husky.
    "Are you just waking up?"
    "Not exactly. Showered and had
breakfast. Or lunch."
    Both of which were more important than
calling her? She chastised herself. Give him a break . He hadn't eaten
the night before and they'd worked up a sweat. She almost forgave him. Almost. "They
figure out who the dead guy is? Catch the killer? We've been swamped and I
haven't had a second to catch any news updates. The gossip mills are quiet,
which surprises me."
    "I know as little as you do."
    "Don't you have to go in?" she
asked.
    "No, I'm off today." There was
an unusual testiness in his tone. "Can we have dinner?"
    She paused, considering. "I guess
so. I'm going to stay open until five, though. Things are going great and I don't
want to close at two."
    "Right. Hugh Garrigue's pottery
exclusive. Opening day."
    Warmth crept through her like a summer
morning. "You remembered."
    "Of course I did. Sarah, I was
running on less than fumes and work threw me some nasty curves. If I did or
said anything to upset you, please forgive me."
    She bit back the automatic agreement. "We'll
talk."
    There was a brief silence.