One-Click Buy: February 2010 Harlequin Blaze

by Betina Krahn

  Her wicked smile darkened to something that got him hard. “Then come on.” She took two steps up the stairs then halted abruptly when she realized he hadn’t moved. “Is there a problem?”

  Say no. Just follow her upstairs and have the time of your life. Forget decency. Forget—

  “Kitty, we need to be clear,” he blurted, shutting off his inner caveman voice. “I’m not a relationship kind of guy.”

  He expected a sorry look of disappointment, but instead Kitty simply smiled. “I’m not asking for one.”

  “You aren’t?”

  Turning, she stepped down two stairs so that her eyes were level with his and that pretty turned-up nose was mere inches from his lips. It took every ounce of restraint to keep from leaning out and kissing it. That was, until he glanced down and noticed how close her breasts were to his hands.

  There was more of them than he’d given her credit for, most likely because she’d always buttoned them up under her white cotton blouses and cardigan sweaters. But today she wore a simple V-neck sweater, not low enough to show off cleavage but definitely tight enough to show she was packing some goods.

  His hands itched to take hold of them, to cup them in his palms and listen to her breath hitch when he gave them a squeeze. He wondered what she looked like naked. Would her skin be lightly freckled or would it be smooth as satin? His cock twitched as he thought about it.

  “I’ll get my relationship from Howard,” she said, jerking him from his fantasy.

  Howard?

  “But before I go down that road, I’d really like one night of pure, unadulterated fun.”

  He caught the smoky look of sex in her eyes and knew without a doubt that he could provide her with that—especially the unadulterated part.

  But who the hell is Howard?

  He had opened his mouth to ask when she turned away and headed back up the stairs, that shapely ass of hers pulling his mind off Howard and back to that thing she said about not expecting a relationship and just wanting fun.

  Josh liked fun. And he had no doubt that if he followed her up those stairs, he’d find lots of it. So, not needing to be asked twice, he took them two by two, anxious to see how many more surprises this strange day was going to bring.

  4

  WITH TREMBLING FINGERS, Kitty opened the door to her apartment, stunned by disbelief that she’d actually propositioned Josh—and more shockingly—that he was still behind her, apparently interested in what she’d offered.

  Did she have any idea what she was doing?

  Not a lick.

  In fact, she’d officially stepped so far out of her element she was walking in uncharted territory. Without a map. Or a compass. Or a tank of badly needed oxygen.

  She and Josh were supposed to have gone out for coffee after she closed her shop, but when he’d shown up and they’d started talking, everything had gone off course and hadn’t steered back yet. He’d started rattling off ideas for transforming her store as though he’d given it serious thought, which she’d found not only impressive but adorably sweet. He’d gotten her excited, had her not only buying into his ideas but had pointed her straight to the place where she needed to start. Her worries and fears for her business had begun to dissipate. Hope and promise had taken their place.

  And then she’d turned to see him looking at her as if she was the most desirable creature he’d ever laid eyes on.

  A little voice in the corner of her conscience had screamed to take a chance. A sure and comfortable future for Howard and her would still be there next week. But before she opened that door, she should grab one wild fantasy night with the man she’d been lusting over for half the year.

  To her shock she’d opened her mouth and suggested it. To her thrill—and mortification—Josh Beeker was actually here ready to provide it.

  Pushing the door open, she stepped into her apartment and glanced over her shoulder. “Come on in. I’ve had chicken stewing in the slow cooker all day.”

  Not that eating sounded very appealing at the moment. She’d made the comment only to keep her mouth moving, sure that if she didn’t she’d freeze up completely.

  “It’s a recipe that comes out similar to a coq au vin but with half the effort. I hope you like it.”

  Josh closed the door and raised a brow in intrigue. “You sound like a cook.”

  “I’m no graduate of the CIA, but I hold my own.” She set her keys on the kitchen counter and reached for two glasses. “Would you like a glass of wine?”

  “I’d love one.”

  He leaned against the counter as she pulled a bottle of chardonnay from the refrigerator, poured two glasses and handed him one. “This is a treat,” he said. “I don’t get cooked for very often.”

  “No?”

  “Most people are intimidated.”

  “Why? Are you picky?”

  He laughed. “Not in the least, but people assume I am because I’m a chef. I can sometimes talk my mom into making me her meat loaf, but even that’s been ages now that they’re retired and on the go all the time.”

  “How awful.”

  “It is.” Taking a generous sip of his wine, he set it down and moved in close, entering her space and setting all her nerves on alert. “I lead a very sad and tortured life.”

  The edge of his mouth turned up into a teasing smile as his gaze roamed over her face, upping the heat in the room and stifling the air between them. That look had come back to his eyes, the hungry, appreciative glance he’d taunted her with downstairs. Except now it was up close, magnified and packing twice the punch.

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” she managed to utter.

  He feigned disappointment. “You don’t believe me?”

  “I live across the street, remember? You seem to be having a good time of it.”

  Tracing a light finger along the edge of her jaw, he shook his head. “Ah, but I can think of a couple of things that would greatly improve my disposition.”

  She swallowed. “Like?”

  “For starters, this.”

  He bent in and touched his mouth to hers, just a simple brush of the lips, a tentative taste that from anyone else might be mistaken for a sweet friendly peck. But this was Josh. Her late-night fantasy man whose touch sizzled all the way to her toes.

  She sighed and eased into him, flattening her palms against his chest, feeling the beat of his heart as he moved closer and added pressure. A moan slipped up his throat, a sound that spoke of surprise and unexpected pleasure, and for a moment, he kept it simple, kissing gently then easing back to study her eyes, her face, her lips.

  Then those green eyes darkened.

  With a curse, he pulled her against him, closing his mouth over hers and devouring her as if she were one of his sumptuous desserts. One by one, her muscles lost their strength. Her brain went fuzzy, seduced by his strong arms and drugged by his taste, the heady mix of oak and berries and something uniquely male. It stole her breath and teased her senses, leaving her hot and wet and aching for more.

  “What are you doing to me?” he whispered, but he didn’t seem to want an answer. Instead, he backed her against the counter and moved his attention down her neck, smoothing his tongue in light circles toward the sensitive spot under her ear. He nudged his hips against her and she gasped when the sharp bulge of his erection pressed against her waist. She wanted to feel it unimpeded, experience the solid length of it filling her and stroking her wild. Her body yearned for it so badly she nearly sobbed.

  This was everything she’d dreamed of, exactly the image that had filled all those fantasies over so many nights. She’d known Josh was a passionate man. He couldn’t whip up food so sensuous without living and breathing emotion, and forever, she’d ached to see if that same level of heat followed him into the bedroom.

  Finally, tonight she’d find out.

  “This thing you’re doing,” she urged. “Please don’t stop.”

  “Darlin’, I couldn’t if I tried.”

  Then in one
swift move, he grabbed the hem of her sweater and yanked it over her head, unclipping her bra and sending it to the floor right after.

  “Oh, help me,” he said, his voice low and hoarse and full of need.

  The sudden surprise of baring herself to him gave her the fleeting urge to cross her arms over her chest, but it was lost the moment those big warm hands slid over her breasts and gently squeezed.

  He bent low and touched his tongue to one sensitive nipple, lighting a fire deep in her belly that had her squirming for release even though they’d barely gotten started. Would it be an embarrassment to come to orgasm fast or was it a compliment to the chef? Kitty didn’t know. Before now, it had never been an issue. But as he began sucking and caressing her senseless, she came within inches of finding out.

  She tried to stay focused, gliding her fingers over the spiky strands of his hair, listening to his gentle whispers of pleasure and appreciation. But just as she thought she might have found her groove, he muttered, “I need more,” and slid her slacks off her hips as well.

  “Take this off,” he said, pulling her panties down to her knees and tugging off one heel.

  “But—” she started, and the rest of the sentence stuck in her throat when he gripped her butt and pressed his mouth straight between her legs.

  She heard something low and appreciative, realized it had come from her, and clasped the cool tile for support. If he wanted this to be over, he’d chosen the quickest and most direct path. But just as she felt the first surge come over her, he tempered his activities and moved his focus down her thighs.

  “It’s too much,” she managed to say.

  He only grinned, flashing that sly wicked smile she’d seen in her dreams so many nights. “There’s no such thing as too much.”

  Gripping her waist with his hands, he hoisted her onto the counter, the frigid tile on her butt doing nothing to chill the heat pooling around her. Then he parted her legs and smoothed his thumbs over her clit.

  He hissed in a breath and groaned. “You’re so wet.”

  “Do that again and I’ll come,” she warned. But instead of fending him off, it seemed to act as an invitation.

  “I’d like that very much.” He slipped a finger up her core and swallowed hard when her muscles gripped him.

  “I don’t think that’s such a—Ohhh…” A second finger followed, halting her protest as pure pleasure rolled through her.

  He resumed the light kisses, pushing his fingers in and out and stealing her will to fight it. The feeling was too glorious, the man too talented. So she lolled her head back and let go.

  “That’s it,” he said, upping the pressure as her breath shortened and her toes curled. “Come for me, babe.”

  With every touch of his lips another surge ran through her, running deeper and lingering longer as he moved in closer. He lightly bit at her sex, sucking a gasp from her lungs that quickly morphed into a moan. And then, as if she could handle more, he parted her folds and swept his tongue directly across her clit.

  She climaxed instantly, her heels striking the cabinets as the blinding energy took hold and didn’t let go. Pulse after pulse ripped through her, an orgasm so endless she feared something was wrong, until she realized her lover was still in control, lapping, stroking and torturing every final wave out of her. From somewhere in the distance she heard his pleasured whispers, each thrust of her climax echoing back with his sounds of ecstasy until it drowned out with a final sigh.

  Sliding back onto her elbows, she closed her eyes and calmed her breath as Josh’s groans eased to kisses and his kisses eased to a light feathery touch.

  “Have I mentioned how beautiful you are?” he asked.

  She opened her eyes to see him studying her with that dark and sensual look in his eyes.

  She smiled and lazily nodded.

  “Then I can say you’re even more beautiful naked and flushed.”

  The fog cleared and she blinked, sitting back up and suddenly very aware of her sprawled legs and vulnerable state. “Oh, my word,” she began. “This wasn’t supposed to—You haven’t even—” But Josh simply laughed.

  Wrapping an arm around her waist and the other under her knees, he lifted her from the counter and stepped to the edge of the kitchen.

  “Darlin’, that was just an appetizer.” He eyed the only hallway off the main living area and started off in that direction. “Point me to your bedroom and we’ll get to the main course.”

  5

  WITH KITTY IN HIS arms, Josh stepped down the hallway horny and hard and wondering how things had gotten so hot so fast. He’d never let a kiss get so immediately out of hand. He could only imagine what Kitty must be thinking.

  Ask The Beek to come in for dinner and in ten minutes you’re naked and crying out your first orgasm.

  Classy, Josh. Real classy.

  He’d only intended to go for a kiss. He’d wanted to find out if these sparks he’d felt between them were just a product of his fantasies, set to fizzle the moment he had the real thing in his hands. He’d half expected it to turn out that way, had attributed his interest in his neighbor to the forbidden-fruit syndrome—the appeal of taking something he shouldn’t have as opposed to real desire for the woman herself.

  Only, when he’d held her in his arms and locked lips with hers the sparks didn’t fizzle, they exploded. And now he was caught in a bonfire, not sure where this night might end.

  “That one,” Kitty said, pointing to the last room on the right. He’d thought for sure he’d walk in and find a frilly bedroom stuffed with silk flowers and antique dolls. Instead he found a four-poster bed dressed with a quilt and packed with so many sinful ideas he nearly turned around in search of the couch.

  He was going to need more than one night.

  He set her on the bed and began unbuttoning his shirt as Kitty went to work on his jeans, her eyes growing wide when she pulled down the fabric and his stiff cock sprang out before her.

  She gaped. “It’s so…big.”

  He looked at himself then at her. “Darlin’, you definitely know how to stroke a man’s ego.”

  “But it is,” she said plainly.

  He started to spout out something about merely being average but the words froze in his throat when she palmed him and took the tip into her mouth. What felt like a speeding freight train swept through him, jerking his hips and lunging a curse from his mouth.

  “Oh, babe, you better not—”

  “Mmm, I like it,” she said, positioning herself square in front of him then using her other hand to cup his balls. “Besides, I think it’s your turn.”

  He stood rooted in amazement as he watched his sweet humble neighbor take him into her mouth and lick him. This, the woman who’d tripped over her words practically every time they’d exchanged greetings, the one who worried over her pearls, who wore cute embroidered chinos and sold little porcelain farm animals to old ladies in mom jeans. His sweet Miss Kitty was now sucking him off like a seasoned pro. If that wasn’t the ultimate wet dream he didn’t know what was.

  His heart pounding in his chest, he touched his fingers to her soft silky hair. “Oh, babe, that’s incredible.”

  “You’re so hard.” She pressed her lips to the base of his shaft and began kissing a path to the tip.

  Each touch pumped a burst of pleasure straight through him, pushing him further toward the edge and sounding off alarms when she circled her tongue around his cock and gave it a long slow stroke. He had to close his eyes to keep from exploding, and when she added a soft massage to those sensual kisses, he had to pull from her grasp and take a step back.

  “I’m hard enough,” he said, his voice strangled as he worked to hold on. His jeans still hanging from his waist, he reached into his back pocket and took out a condom. “Let’s move the party.”

  And then he was on top of her, sheathed and stiff and aching for the sweet taste of her smooth curvy body in its entirety.

  Slowly, he eased inside, giving her tight space t
ime to adjust while he tried not to notice the sexy flush to her cheeks or the way those dark-chocolate eyes had turned all naughty on him. But his traitorous brain made him peek, and what he saw nearly broke him in half.

  Oh, help him, she was beautiful, aroused and relaxed and sprawled across her bed like an angel with wings. He pushed in the rest of the way and began a steady stroke, watching as her breath hitched, as a shimmery glow coated her beaming face, as she ground and begged and bucked and finally came apart around him. And when she did she took him with her, flailing him into a climax so sharp he literally cried out for mercy.

  The whole experience shook him, leaving him dazed and wondrous and not quite sure of himself. Josh liked sex. And he’d had plenty of it in his adult life. But this time had been different. Different how, he didn’t know, but when he collapsed on the bed and cradled her in his arms, he couldn’t deny the feeling that he’d just wandered into something deep.

  She lazily stretched her arm over his chest and sighed. “That was amazing.” Then she gave him a sleepy smile. “Promise me we can do that again before you leave.”

  He forced a smile, his gut instinct alternating between the urge to flee and the desire to stay. But when he opened his mouth, he heard himself say, “Anything your heart desires, babe.”

  “THIS IS DELICIOUS,” Josh said, and not just to be nice. As he sat at Kitty’s table digging into his second helping of slow-cooker coq au vin, he tried to remember the last time he’d been treated to a simple home-cooked meal. Probably not since he moved to California, for sure.

  “I’m glad you like it,” Kitty said. “It’s a recipe I stole from my mother’s card file.”

  Using perfect table manners, she cut off a small slice of chicken and took a dainty bite. With her clothes back on she’d returned to the prim and polite woman who’d sweetly greeted him in Auntie Bea’s, only now her nervous edge was gone, and more enticingly, Josh was well aware of the sinful sex kitten that lurked underneath that proper facade.

  Which made her an even hotter turn-on, aided by the fact that though she’d dressed and combed her hair, that pretty face still revealed the glow of a woman well-sexed and satisfied.