Her skin was fire under my touch. I laid her down softly on the blankets and hovered over her for a moment, taking in her beauty. Her breasts strained against her top with every breath, her perfect tits stretching the fabric, seeking release.
With deft movements, I flicked each button open and released her breasts to the cool evening air. Her nipples pebbled into hard peaks I could no longer resist. A murmur of appreciation slipped from my lips as I bent my mouth to one nipple and swirled my tongue around it while my free hand cupped and kneaded the other, drawing moans from her luscious lips.
Even in the dim light, I could see the hunger in her eyes as she arched her back and wriggled beneath me. Her hips thrust up against me.
She needed more, and I would happily give her everything she needed.
“I need you.”
The words were hardly more than a whisper on her breath, yet my body responded to every single one. In my jeans, my cock thickened painfully, demanding release. But not yet.
“Oh, baby. I need you too.” I dragged my lips down her sweet skin between her breasts, and to her stomach. “But I’m not anywhere near done with you yet.”
She groaned a sound that sparked something primal inside me. That only fueled me as I rucked up the fabric of her skirt to expose her luscious thighs, which I easily spread, giving me delicious access to her core.
I hooked my thumbs under the elastic of her panties and tugged them down and off her legs before nestling myself between her legs.
“Oh!” She jolted at the gentlest touch of my tongue on her sweet center. With one hand on her hip, and the other underneath her, splayed over her ass cheek, I held her tight as I licked ever so slowly down her pussy, taking time to savor every sensation. The intoxicating scent of her was only exceeded by the sweet taste of her on my lips.
I licked and lapped until she squirmed, oh so close to release. I relaxed my hold on her long enough to tease her clit with my finger before slipping it deep inside her heat. She cried out as the climax crashed into her, but I didn’t relent on my attentions until she finally shuddered beneath me.
When I emerged from between her legs, the juices of her pleasure on my lips, my cock pulsed and twitched, desperate now for a different kind of release. “God, you’re gorgeous.” Her eyes fluttered open to lazily look at me, hovering above her. Her skin glistened with a slight sheen, her breath still coming hard as I leaned down and pressed my mouth to hers.
“I’m not done with you yet,” she murmured. Her lips moved to my neck while her hands slipped to the zipper of my jeans.
With my help, we made short work of pulling my pants down to my ankles, and when her hand slipped into my boxer briefs to wrap around my thick, hard cock, I groaned and bit down on my bottom lip.
As much as I loved her touch on my skin, there was only so much a man could take before all self-control was lost completely. I shifted my body so I was poised at her entrance and looked directly into her eyes.
“I need you,” she repeated. Her hands wrapped around me, clenching around my ass cheeks, urging me down toward her. “Now,” she added as she lifted her hips to meet me. “I need you inside—”
The sharp ring of my phone startled me. I jerked up and…opened my eyes.
Fuck.
It had been a dream? No. There was no—
Again, the ring of my phone broke through my fog. I looked around. I was in my living room, on the huge overstuffed couch where I’d been since returning from my date with Darla. She wasn’t there. On the floor next to me were the half-crunched pages of the script I’d been reading before nodding off.
I picked it up and skimmed the words. A sex scene in a thriller Sheila thought I would be perfect for.
Fuck.
It had felt so real.
When the phone rang again, I snatched it up and answered it without looking at the caller ID.
“What?” I realized a moment too late that whoever was calling didn’t deserve my anger.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?”
Sheila. And she didn’t sound impressed. But dammit, she had caught me at a bad time. I was about to…fuck. It was only a dream. I scrubbed a hand over my face and sat up on the couch, remembering the reality.
We’d shared one kiss. An amazing kiss. But that had been it. Even when I dropped her off, Darla had snuck off before I had the opportunity to kiss her again. And that had been okay, because everything else had gone so well. It had been an amazing date that wasn’t really a date, and that kiss…
“I was just reading through a script, and I must have fallen asleep.”
“Wait?” Sheila didn’t even try to hide the laughter in her voice. “You were actually reading one of the scripts I gave you?”
I rolled my eyes.
“So, you’re entertaining the idea of other roles? Which one did you gravitate to?”
With a sigh, I reached for the discarded script and flipped back the pages to reveal the working title. “You Can Run.” My eyes instinctively fell to the words I’d been reading immediately before drifting to sleep. Damn. No wonder my dreams had been so intense. And, Darla…hmmm. My subconscious was definitely on the right track with that one. Now if only—
“Interesting choice.”
Sheila was saying something about shooting schedules and timelines, but I was only half listening. It was late and with the promise of more erotic dreams, it was definitely past my bedtime.
“Is that why you called?” I interrupted her. “Because it’s…” I pulled my phone away from my ear to check the time. “It’s after midnight.” A knot of worry formed in my gut. Sheila knew better than to call me after midnight unless it was really important. Generally, I valued my sleep and despite the teasing I usually took for it, I liked to be in bed early, for a full eight hours. “What’s going on?”
“I got a tip that Amelia is going to release a statement.”
“A statement? Why do I care?”
“There was an implication that it had something to do with you.”
“That’s probably why she called earlier.”
“She called?”
I instantly regretted mentioning it.
“What did she say?”
I shrugged, even though Sheila couldn’t see me. “I didn’t answer,” I said. “I was busy.” I didn’t add that I was on a date with a truly remarkable woman who was the complete opposite of Amelia. “And I don’t plan on calling her back, either,” I continued. “I really thought we were done with this. She has a new boyfriend. Isn’t he giving her enough publicity?”
“You know how it is with women like this,” Sheila said, not bothering to hide her feelings for my ex. Not that she had before. From the very beginning, Sheila tried to warn me against Amelia. “As long as she thinks she can benefit from you in some way, you’ll always be on the hook. Unless you shut it down.”
With the script abandoned on the couch, I shut off some lights and made my way as Sheila continued to talk in my ear with suggestions of appropriate ways to handle a situation that, in my opinion, wasn’t a situation at all.
“Sheila.” I stopped her as she started going through scenarios where the situation could turn into a media frenzy. “I’m not going to say anything at all. I really don’t care. In fact, the only thing I care about right now is getting to bed.” And back to my dream.
She relented with a sigh. “Okay, but I want to hear some real feedback on that script first thing in the morning.”
I hung up, turned my phone on silent, and tossed it on the nightstand before falling into bed. The only feedback I wanted was some insight on how I might be able to turn my dreams into reality when it came to Darla. But in the meantime…sleep.
It had been three days, and I still couldn’t get that kiss out of my head. And that was ridiculous, because it wasn’t as if I’d never been kissed before. I’d shared dozens, maybe hundreds of kisses with men. I shouldn’t be feeling so twisted up about one.
What was it about Blaze that was so damn different?
He’s untouchable.
That stupid voice in the back of my head again. But I refused to listen to it. I wasn’t some young, twenty-something kid. I was a grown-ass woman. This was not a case of you want him because you can’t have him.
No.
It wasn’t.
Was it?
Shit.
I needed to stop thinking so much and clear my head, but my usual methods hadn’t been working. I’d doubled up on yoga classes and I felt as though I’d spent more time meditating than actually doing anything. At least, I’d been trying to meditate. I couldn’t clear my mind long enough to properly drop in.
Ironically, the only thing that helped me forget about my connection with Blaze for a few minutes at a time was working on the addiction program. With almost no office space at the shelter, I’d gotten down to work in my home office, making calls and researching similar programs in neighboring communities. Blaze and I had communicated mostly through email, with the occasional short phone call from time to time, but so far, we hadn’t actually seen each other since our…date? I didn’t want to call it that, but at the same time, I wasn’t totally ignorant of what had happened during our picnic on the ridge—and it was a whole lot more than just a kiss. Although, that kiss…
He’d opened up to me. It was even more special because I knew he hadn’t told many people the truth about his brother. To confirm, I’d done my best to dig through the internet and tabloid websites to see whether there was any information at all about what had happened to Blaze’s older brother. Remarkably, there was nothing except for a brief mention of an older brother who had died many years earlier.
Knowing he’d trusted me with that information drew me to him more than just the intense physical attraction I was already experiencing.
Which was exactly why it was easier if we worked on this project remotely.
I picked up my phone to type him a quick text with the names of some rehab counselors I’d researched who would be perfect for our facility. I’d only barely hit Send when there was a knock on my door.
As I made my way to the front door, I did a quick inspection of my appearance in the hall mirror. I was still wearing my yoga leggings and sports bra with the crisscross back and my hair was in a pile on top of my head. It wasn’t unusual for one of the girls to stop by for an afternoon tea, and it would be a welcome distraction to catch up with my friends. I flung the front door open without looking out the window first and immediately froze.
My mouth went dry at the sight of Blaze in a form-fitting T-shirt and jeans that hugged all kinds of tight muscles.
In one hand, he held a tray with what looked like iced tea and in the other, a brown paper bag with the mouth-watering scent of fresh waffles wafting from it.
“Hi.” He grinned and tilted his head, which had the effect of breaking me out of whatever spell he’d just put me under. “Am I interrupting—”
“No,” I said quickly. “No. I was just…well, I actually just texted you.”
He shrugged. “I thought I felt my pocket vibrate.”
There was nothing dirty about what he’d said, but dammit if my brain didn’t immediately go there. Oh yes, it went there.
“Can I…I brought brunch.”
Again, the sound of his voice snapped me back into the moment. Aware on some level that I must look just as stunned as I felt, I shook my head clear and put a bright smile on my face. “Of course.” I stepped to the side to let him in. “It smells amazing.”
I led the way through my small house to the back deck, where I purposely sat across from him. “So, is this your thing?” I asked with a wink when he started pulling food out of the paper bag.
“Spending time with a smart, funny, insanely attractive woman?” He looked up at me through the fringe of his eyelashes. “Absolutely it’s my thing. I’ve missed you.”
The blush hit me hard and fast. What was it about this man? “You missed me? But we’ve emailed and—”
“Not the same, and I think you agree.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“But yes,” he continued. “This is my thing.” He passed me a paper box. “Bringing delicious takeout food to a woman’s house is definitely my smoothest move. Is it working?”
I inhaled the sweet scent of cinnamon and syrup and nodded. “Well, I don’t know what you’re after, but yes, it’s definitely working.”
We both laughed and, for the next twenty minutes, ate delicious waffles and went over the progress we’d been making with the program. With the funding already completely in place, everything could come together quickly. And it was.
“I think we should have the start of the education and support program set up within a few weeks,” I told him as I finished the last bite of my waffle. “And then from there, we can get the counselors in place for the treatment component, maybe some group support, although that might take a bit longer to build. And then, we can start focusing on finding a separate building to house the program, which maybe one day soon could even include the inpatient treatment.” It was one of the first things Blaze had told me about his vision for the program. He wanted people of all socioeconomic statuses to be able to access the care, and for some, that would include a place to stay. It was a lofty goal, but based on only the last few days of working on the project, I was one hundred percent confident that we’d get there.
“This is all so incredible. Especially how fast it’s coming together.” Blaze wiped his lips with a napkin and tossed it into the paper bag on the floor. “You’re incredible. Did you know that?”
“Are we still talking about the treatment program?”
His lips quirked up into a sly grin. “We’re talking about you.”
“And my work on the program?”
I swallowed hard.
“Just you.” His voice took on a huskier tone. “All the things about you. You’re incredible, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
My stomach flipped and a rush of heat flowed through me when I met his intense gaze with my own. Damn. This man did things to me.
“You know, you never did tell me why it is you’re playing so hard to get with me,” Blaze said. “And before you try to brush it off,” he added quickly as he held up one finger. “I’m not blind, Darla. I see the way you’re holding me off. And for the life of me, I just can’t seem to figure out why. I really like you. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that I think you like me, too.”
He wasn’t wrong. He was so very, very right.
I liked him a lot.
He was funny and charming and had a huge heart. Whenever he was around, I couldn’t help but smile. Blaze just made me feel good. Never mind the fact that he was sexy as hell, and my body went into some sort of state of total combustion when he was near.
The problem was, I had absolutely zero experience in this area because there had never been a man who’d made me feel anything remotely like this.
I’d been fighting so hard to stop feeling any of those things and at the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder why I was fighting. Because of a pact? Which was, in essence, a bet? It was ridiculous. I was way too old to play such stupid games. Especially when I had actual feelings for a—
My own thoughts stopped me in my tracks. I froze and squeezed my eyes shut.
Had I just admitted to myself that I had feelings for a man?
What the actual…
It wasn’t like that, though. Was it?
Dammit. Why couldn’t I think clearly?
I knew why. This whole pact thing had me all mixed up, and not in a good way. It was messing with my vibe and natural flow of life, and that was bullshit and it needed to end. Now.
“Darla?”
Blaze was now sitting next to me. He didn’t touch me, but he might as well have. Every nerve ending in my body was firing.
“Am I wrong? Did I read the situation wrong? Because I—”
“No.” I pressed a hand to his forearm, which instantly I recognized as a mistake. Oh my. My breath caught in my throat, and I swallowed hard to regain my composure. “You didn’t read it wrong. I do like you, Blaze. It’s just…”
“What?” He shifted so he faced me; his free hand reached out and cupped my cheek so gently that I almost closed my eyes to lean into his touch. “You like me. I like you. What could possibly be wrong with that?”
There was nothing wrong with that. That was the problem. How was I supposed to explain to this amazing man that I, a grown woman, was holding back from expressing myself with him because of some childishly immature pact I’d made with my friends? It was ridiculous. And I knew as soon as I said it out loud that it would sound even more ridiculous.
His finger started to brush lazy circles on my cheek. A simple touch that sent all kinds of thrills through me. I could feel my resolve failing me. It would be so easy to press up against him, kiss him until we were both vibrating with need, and lay on the rug with him on top of me. Oh yes, that would be so easy. And so very, very satisfying.
He leaned in closer, and I closed my eyes. When his lips pressed against mine, I was ready. I melted into his kiss. A low moan escaped my throat as I moved my body up against his and tangled a hand in his thick locks.
“I’ve been thinking about this, about you…about being with you…” he murmured into my ear. “Darla, you are phenomenal and so fucking sexy. All I can think about is laying you down and kissing every single inch of your body.”
He kissed me again, and this time there was an increased intensity and need behind it. A need I felt deep in my bones. Never had I wanted a man the way I wanted Blaze and— “Go for it, Darla. Don’t sleep with him. Get to know him.”
My girlfriends’ voices all echoed in my head until it was all I could hear and focus on.
“Dammit.”
I pulled away and scooted backward on the cushions to put distance between us.
“Dammit?” he repeated. “Is there a problem? Did I say something—”
“No! You said everything right.” I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment. “Oh, you said everything right, and I…well, I would very much like you to…well, it’s just…”
I might as well just say it. There was no point in making this more painful than it already was. I swallowed hard and tried not to roll my eyes when I explained the pact.