Free Make it Hot by Gwyneth Bolton

with those beautiful eyes of hers. He tried to brush off the sudden pounding in his chest and the urge to lean forward and just taste those luscious, berry-glossed lips. He tried, but he was only human. Before he could think or say a prayer that she wouldn’t slap him into next week, his mouth covered hers and took over for his brain and the rest of his body.
    The mouth wanted what the mouth wanted. And the way her lips automatically opened and her tongue trailed out to tangle with his told him he wasn’t the only one who wanted this kiss.
    He’d never tasted anything as sweet as her mouth. He groaned from deep in his gut when she pulled away.
    She opened her mouth and closed it again. Before she got into her small coupe, she gave him one of those inquisitive looks, and it appeared as if she was thinking of saying something. She let out a breath and gave a half smile instead.
    “I appreciate your helping me carry my packages to the car, and I guess I owe you one. Although, we may be able to say you just collected your payment…See you on Monday for your session.”
    He watched her get into her car and drive away, as he headed back to the frozen-food aisle he didn’t even question why he was placing Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey in his basket along with his own favorite flavors.
    After an amazing kiss like that however, he did wonder how long it was going to take him to get Samantha Dash into his home to have her ice cream. He had a couple of weeks to take care of Little Miss Spitfire, but this was one fire he wanted to let burn.
     
    He had kissed her darn near speechless.
    Samantha wanted to kick herself as she drove away from Joel. She had considered inviting him to go with her to Jenny and Walt’s cookout. But then she imagined the know-it-all, I-told-you-so expression that would have crossed her friend’s face, and Samantha’s desire to put a smile on Mr. Surly’s face was overruled by common sense.
    Common sense sucked, especially when it got in the way of her spending more time with a man as fine as Joel Hightower; a man who kissed so divinely. But that was the way it had to be. If she wanted to keep her professional distance, she had to make sure she kept all desire at bay.
    But the way he’d kissed her made her want to throw caution to the wind. If only he wasn’t a fireman….
    When she showed up at Jenny’s house, she still had Joel on the brain. Trying to focus on anything else seemed impossible.
    “And, so I’ve decided I’m leaving Walt to have a steamy ménage à trios with Denzel Washington and Eminem, which probably won’t last because I’m desperately in love with Madonna.”
    “That’s nice,” Samantha responded absently to Jenny as she replayed the way Joel’s eyes seemed to soak up every inch of her body, how much she liked the way his gaze made her feel, how good his lips felt on hers.
    She was in trouble.
    “Now see, girl, you ain’t even listening to a word I’ve said! What’s got your attention in another world?” The irritated tone of Jenny’s voice broke her reverie.
    Samantha turned to her friend. “I’m listening to you. Nothing has my attention.”
    “Oh, really, then I guess you really do think it’s a good idea for me to quit my job, take the kids and join the circus?”
    “Huh?”
    “And I suppose I really should buy that purple muu-muu with the matching turban and wear it to Walt’s Omega Psi Phi ball?”
    “Purple moo-moo? What the…No.”
    “Oh, but you just told me I should go on ahead and leave Walt to hook up with Denzel and Eminem even though Madonna has caught my eye.”
    Samantha rolled her eyes.
    Okay, so maybe she hadn’t been paying attention the past half hour. That didn’t mean Jenny had to get all crazy.
    They had finished eating and had gone inside the house to Jenny’s den to chat while the kids played outside with Walt.
    She loved Jenny and Walt’s home on the border of Totowa and Paterson. The three-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath home