Free Songbird by Syrie James

locking with hers. She read there his admiration, his desire, and his intent.
    Desiree’s heart seemed first to stop, then beat double time. She shouldn’t kiss him. She should step back and deliver her friends-only smile. But just as moths are drawn to flame, she boldly followed the dictates of her instinct. She stood on her tiptoes, moved her hands to the back of his neck, threaded her fingers through his short silky hair, and offered her lips to him. Dazed by the fire of need blazing through her veins, she whispered, “Kiss me.”
    He didn’t need a second invitation. His mouth came down on hers in a single expedient motion, the force of his lips matching the depth of passion in her voice. A moment later, they took a simultaneous, ragged breath, their eyes locked, glimmering with delight in the newness of what they’d just found. She felt his body tremble slightly against hers, as if he were struggling to contain the same impulses raging within her.
    “ Desiree...” he whispered.
    It was the first time she’d heard him say her name. He whispered it reverently, with the throaty, sensual French inflection for which it was intended. It sounded like a prayer.
    When his lips met hers again, it was with gentle persuasion. His mouth moved slowly, teasingly, as if savoring her warm softness. She felt her knees weaken beneath the feather-light contact, and he slid his hands tenderly up and down the length of her back, then pulled her more tightly against him. His tongue flicked back and forth across her lips, then delved into her moist mouth, hot and insistent. She arched against him, unsure if the rapid thudding she felt against his hard chest was the beating of his heart or her own.
    Kyle drew back slightly, then trailed fiery kisses across her cheek and buried his face in her hair at the side of her neck. He heaved an uneven sigh, still holding her against him possessively.
    “ You are Desiree. Desired. Wanted. Longed for.” He pulled his head back and brought his wide, firm hands up to cradle her face. “I’ve wanted to kiss you from the first moment I saw you, standing there like some enchanted sprite in your studio. And when I had you in my arms last night, before we said goodnight...” He paused, taking a deep breath as if to steady himself. “I could see you weren’t ready, that I was going too fast. I can’t tell you how hard it’s been to wait, to force myself to keep my hands off you.”
    “ You didn’t have to wait long,” she whispered.
    “ Wrong.” His lips nuzzled her ear. “We met on the air, at three-forty-five yesterday afternoon. That was—let’s see...” He raised his head, eyes squinting as he made the mental calculation. “Thirty-one hours ago. Believe me, it’s been long enough.” He kissed her again, harder this time, then drew back and moved his eyes lingeringly over her face, as if trying to memorize every detail.
    A sudden rush of icy water raced up the sand and swirled about their ankles. Desiree squealed as the wave splashed their bare legs with cold salty spray and foam. Kyle grabbed her hand, and they made a dash for higher land.
    “ Let’s go home.” He said the word home as if it was his too, a place they both shared. For some reason, she didn’t mind. They retraced their steps to his car and drove back to her house, their feet still bare and sandy.
    When they arrived, she opened the car door and gestured toward the house with a nod of her head. “Come on in and get cleaned up. I’ll make you a mug of Mexican coffee, my own special recipe.”
    “ Who could refuse an invitation like that?”
    They dusted off most of the sand from their feet, then went inside. His eyes widened when they passed through her sparkling-clean living room.
    “ What happened here in the past twenty-four hours? Did the maid get back from vacation?”
    “ Spring cleaning,” she retorted, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the hall. “Out of season.”
    “ Well, the place looks