Free Underneath It All (Storm Series) by Cassandra Carr

granted, like going to his high school prom, he could respect her attitude.
    Their tongues circled each other briefly before she retreated and allowed him to take over the kiss. With a moan, he align ed their bodies, sliding his other arm around her waist. After several moments, his lungs screaming for oxygen, he pulled back.
    Her eyes were wide. “Wow. Do that again.”
    His laugh sounded almost maniacal to his own ears. “With pleasure.”
    Leaning over her more, he p ressed her into the couch, and the cushions groaned under their combined weight. Rob put as much weight as he could on his forearms so he wouldn’t crush Alaina as he laid open-mouthed kisses along her jaw to her ear. She moved restlessly beneath him, breathy moans escaping her open mouth, and he felt his self-control crumbling. He hadn’t come in his jeans in years and didn’t relish the thought now.
    But he couldn’t stop kissing her. Like an addict, he had to have more.
    Even so, Rob was determined not to go further, though the gentle swells of her breasts tempted him.
    “Holy hell, honey,” he panted after she dragged his head up and plunged her tongue into his mouth before suck ing on it. He wanted her mouth somewhere else at that point, but again forced himself not to rush. Alaina was no puck bunny. They had plenty of time to explore further as they got to know each other better. Rob couldn’t even put a finger on what was different about her, but taking this slow was important.
    His cell phone beeped , and with regret, he climbed off Alaina, attempting to discreetly adjust himself inside his far-too-tight jeans.
    “Everything okay?” She peered at him, her eyes glazed with lust, and he considered saying screw it and standing up his friends.
    “Um, yeah. I set the alarm so if we got, um …,” Spit it out, dude, “carried away, we wouldn’t be late. A great bakery is just a few blocks from here.”
    “Oh, I’m glad you remembered. Someone scrambled my brain.” Alaina stood, straightening her clothing, and he was relieved to see he wasn’t the only one who’d been affected by their impromptu make-out session.
    He chuckled. “No idea who that could be.”
    “Right…” Alaina took both their now-empty water bottles into the kitchen. “Do you have a recycle bin?”
    “But of course. I’m very environmentally conscious. The Storm actually has its own ‘Green Team’ who plants trees and stuff. And every year the guys each make a donation to an organization that helps people below the poverty line. The amount we donate is equal to or above the amount needed to offset our carbon footprint from flying and stuff.” Why he’d told her that he had no idea. He walked into the kitchen and opened the door to the small walk-in pantry. “Right here.” Thankfully she didn’t respond to his unplanned environmental public service announcement.
    Rob locked up , and then they climbed into his truck. Making a pit stop at the bakery on the way to Sebastian and Sarah’s house, Alaina picked out a gorgeous fruit tart and wouldn’t let him pay when he tried. Afterward, they continued to his friends’ huge Victorian.
    Alaina’s mouth fell open when he turned into the driveway. “Oh my God, this is stunning!”
    “S arah and Seb did some work on the place over the summer. You should’ve seen Seb when he was trying to hack off some of the ivy from the side of the house and disturbed a wasps’ nest. I’ve never seen him move so fast, even on the ice. Good thing he wasn’t that far off the ground. I really think he would’ve risked jumping.”
    Alaina shuddered. “Wasps are nasty. I’ve never actually been stung by a bee or a wasp, but they give me the willies.” She glanced nervously toward the ivy that still covered one side of the house. “What did they do with the nest?”
    “It was a big one, so they got a pest control dude to remove the stupid thing.”
    “Oh, good.”
    “I promise I won’t let you get attacked by a band of