further?”
Chris chuckled softly. “All the way, just as soon as we get to the room.”
“Until then, go stand over there.” She pushed him with a lighthearted shove.
He did as she asked, crossing his arms and resting his back against the wall, but his green eyes glowed with mischief. She felt his stare practically burning holes in her clothing as he swept his gaze up and down her body. The look was thrilling and not without challenge.
Chris grinned and dropped one hand to the waistband of his jeans. He held her gaze then looked down as he leisurely slid his hand lower. She followed the movement then caught her breath. Her eyes widened at the sight of his large hand cupping his zipper even as her belly clenched in pure lust.
But two could play that game. Rei’s usual pre-sex anxiety had been stifled by the bravado of her new persona. Feeling bold, she parted her mouth and deliberately traced her index finger across her lower lip. Watching his expression, she glided her fingers along her chest and beneath the edge of her sweater to circle the side of her breast. Her nipple hardened at the touch and as she watched his lips part, she longed to feel his mouth on her flesh.
His eyes darkened and her pulse fluttered in primal recognition. She tensed, awaiting the momentwhen he claimed her and suddenly liking the idea of going at it right on the carpet. If she was going to be daring, she might as well find out how far she could go. Chris seemed to have the same idea. He’d just pushed away from the wall when the elevator dinged. They had reached their floor.
“Saved by the bell, lady.”
The sigh that escaped her was more frustration than relief. “I thought it signaled the beginning of the first round.”
Chris laughed and took her hand as they counted room numbers along the corridor. “The first one, huh? Your confidence will either inspire me or kill me.”
“Don’t worry.” She slid him a flirtatious glance. “I know how to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”
“Want to test your skills, just to make sure?”
Chris tugged her to a stop in front of their room, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. His lips pressed down on hers then his tongue slipped between them. She kissed him deeply, desperately, wordlessly expressing how much she wanted him.
Her whole body was throbbing when she finally managed to shove the electronic card in the slot and open the door. Chris stumbled inside with her, his mouth still sealed to hers, then lifted her against the wall and held her there while they kissed some more. Oh man.
The need for him was so great she trembled as she pushed at his shoulders and gasped for breath. He set her down and backed away, stripping off hisjacket as he moved into the room. Rei followed, tossing her coat and purse into the closet and kicking off her shoes.
By the time they stood together in the center of the room, she had stepped out of her satin pants and he was barefoot as well as gloriously bare-chested. The faint golden light from the doorway illuminated the ridges of muscle along his torso as he held out his arms.
In the time it took for her heart to beat, she was back in Chris’s embrace. Giving in to a tactile impulse, she stroked both across his broad chest then up over his wide shoulders. Hot velvet skin stretched over hard lean muscle, the kind that spoke of active fitness instead of a gym membership.
He devoured her lips. His kiss was hungry, deliberate and thorough. Rei melted against him, letting him take whatever he wanted. She wanted him to be in control, to make her experience sex like she’d never had before and love every second of it.
Her hands slid around to the smooth skin of his lower back while his roamed underneath her sweater to fondle her left breast. She’d never been happier that her small size had allowed her to go braless. The difference in their heights hindered them, though, so without breaking contact, Chris guided them toward the end of the bed.
He
Dean Wesley Smith, Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Martin A. Lee, Bruce Shlain