Free Earth Bound by Emma Barry & Genevieve Turner Page B

maybe it didn’t have to be a memory.
    All the times she’d catch him glaring, or when she’d wanted to rub his nose in her work, they’d been building to this.
    Charlie licked her lips. Every inch of her was charged to capacity, ready to throw off a terrific spark, at least if he responded in the affirmative.
    She whispered, “What do you want me for?”
    Oh stupid, impetuous words. She wanted them back the moment she’d spoken them. They were undeniably suggestive. That she’d said them, and how she’d said them, was going to make it hard to play off—if they wanted to play them off.
    But then Parsons wet his lips and looked at her. His eyes were dilated behind his glasses and glazed, if she wasn’t mistaken, with lust.
    No, she didn’t want the words back at all. She wanted… well, she wanted .
    This was terrifically ill thought out. He was the only man in the place who treated her decently—at least the only one with any power who did. He’d been flattering her, and she wanted to what? Get sweaty and naked with him?
    Yes, to begin with at least.
    She could feel her pulse between her legs as Parsons watched her, weighing how he ought to respond. She realized how long it had been since she’d been in bed with a man. It had been a long time. Too long.
    This was a bad idea. But it was also a very good one.
    “I want your skills,” he said at last. Then he swallowed. Hard.
    “Mm.” She leaned onto his desk. “Just at the office?”
    He smiled. It was sheepish and titillating and surprised and it made him look twenty. Then it was over. The door he’d opened with the smile slammed closed.
    Was he rejecting her?
    He swung his feet onto floor and snapped up before she could decide. “We can’t talk about this here.”
    “We’re not talking about anything.”
    He began buttoning his shirt. “Where are you parked?”
    Oh. That sounded promising. “Near the north gate.”
    He stood, pivoted toward the wall, and shoved his shirt into his pants. Without turning, he asked, “Do you want to get out of here?”
    Since he wasn’t looking, she didn’t hide her smile as she said, “I’ll get my purse.”
    This might be improvised, but she didn’t care. She didn’t allow herself to think or question as she dashed back to the computing department to collect her purse and close up.
    Three minutes later, she found him in the parking lot beside his car. It was a balmy autumn night. The humidity was beginning to leach from the air, and the light was lavender and gold as twilight flamed out.
    She pointed to her Dodge. “This is mine.”
    “Follow me.”
    She did. He left ASD and took one left and another. He pulled off onto an access road. They were building a new wind tunnel over here, but the gates of the base hadn’t been extended yet.
    Parsons pulled off into a field and parked. The workmen were long gone. Directly across from them was a field. In it, an oil derrick pumped away and a single longhorn steer stood chewing his cud.
    She pulled alongside his car and watched as Parsons walked around and opened her door.
    She left the keys in the ignition. He couldn’t be serious. She raised a brow at him.
    He was as silent and inscrutable as ever. His hands were braced on her car, but he hadn’t moved beyond that. He seemed to be weighing some difficult decision.
    She should probably offer to help. Instead she teased, “Come here often?”
    He didn’t answer with words. But he did lean in and unbuckle her seat belt. Then he reached to the floor and pulled the lever between her legs. The entire front seat slid back six inches with a firm click .
    She drew a sharp breath and watched as he wrapped his fingers around her ankle. He tugged gently, turning her toward him.
    “We never talk this about at work,” he said.
    His face was in shadow. What little light there was shone off his glasses, made it impossible to read his eyes.
    “Talk about what?” Lord, her voice was breathy.
    Instead of telling her, he showed