Hidden Heat

by Amy Valenti

  I couldn’t see what he was so mesmerised by, and rolled my eyes. “Then could you get me a book to read? I think I’m gonna get bored pretty quickly.”

  Scott enfolded me in his arms, tangling his legs with mine. “Didn’t say I was going to—just that I could.”

  “So what are you going to do?”

  He kissed my forehead, and then said softly, “Something new.”

  Next, he brushed a kiss over the tip of my nose, then found my lips. He lingered there for long moments, flicking his tongue against mine gently, but pulled back when I tried to deepen the kiss. “Not yet.”

  I bit back the urge to ask him what he was up to and lay back dreamily as he kissed his way softly down my neck, punctuating the slow brushes of his lips with his tongue every now and then.

  As he continued south, turning his attention to each of my breasts in turn, my mind began to skip ahead. I got the picture pretty quickly at that, and wriggled a little with anticipation as he nipped each nipple, then soothed it with his tongue.

  He continued a gradual path down my stomach, past my navel, trailing horizontal lines of kisses back and forth over my abdomen. I closed my eyes as he kissed the spot over my pubic bone, just above my pussy.

  Scott stopped and I felt his breath against my labia. Nothing else came, though, and I looked down at him impatiently. “What…?”

  He gave me a quick, irresistible grin, then dipped his head between my thighs to trail his tongue slowly and lightly over the entire area. I sighed, spreading my legs wider for him, and he took the hint to move on. Holding my labia apart, he licked from my perineum all the way up to my clit, his tongue firm and warm and divine.

  I made appreciative noises as he continued, letting him know where all my hot-spots were. His warm breath tickled against my skin as he licked and kissed, concentrating on my clit, changing techniques every few seconds to keep me on edge.

  “More,” I whispered, twisting my fingers in the sheets to brace myself against the pleasurable onslaught. “More, more, m— Oh, God, right there!”

  He eased a finger inside me, curling it just right, and I ground my clit against his tongue with a moan. He continued relentlessly, his laughter tickling my skin as I squirmed and pleaded, unsure whether I wanted him to carry on or back off to let me recover. I bucked against him as I came, almost sobbing at the strength of my climax, and he withdrew his fingers slowly, looking subtly pleased with himself.

  I reached for him and, though he leant down to return my lazy kisses, he soon drew away. “I’m not done. Turn over.”

  I did, and Scott positioned a pillow under my cheek, then got up from the bed. Stretching my limbs to the four corners of the bed, relishing the sensation of the cool sheets against my overheated body, I watched him move over to a chest of drawers in the corner and crouch, his back to me.

  Nice ass… I was too lazy to speak, but I enjoyed the show as he rummaged around in the bottom drawer, then returned holding a bottle of something. He caught my objectifying gaze on his underwear-covered erection and rolled his eyes. “I’ve never met anyone who loves sex the way you do.”

  Again, the thought flitted through my mind that maybe I should be worried about my insatiable urges. Already, I ached to feel him inside me again, as if the dam I’d built to hide my unsuppressed state had cracked last night and now I couldn’t do anything but think about sex. If that was the case, I’d get caught for sure.

  I shoved my anxiety to the back of my mind, chiding myself for the fatalistic thoughts. I didn’t need to worry about it until I left this safe space. Scott trailed kisses over my shoulder blades and uncapped the bottle of vanilla-scented massage lotion, and I resolved to enjoy the luxury of the present moment.

  He started at my shoulders, warming up the lotion between his palms before getting started. His hands moved over muscles that had been perpetually tense since my first suppression procedure had failed, working out the slightly painful knots with a skill that made me groan appreciatively. “Where did you learn how to do that?”

  “Practice.”

  I felt a slight tug of jealousy, imagining his hands on other women, but rolled my eyes at myself. I wasn’t exactly virginal, either. “Practice on me as much as you want.”

  Scott laughed softly. “I plan to—don’t worry about that.”

  I drifted on daydreams, letting him relax every muscle in my shoulders, then work his way down my spine. Once he’d finished massaging me, he just caressed my skin, smoothing residual lotion into it until I was completely relaxed and content.

  “Not asleep, are you?” he asked finally.

  “No…but if I don’t move soon, I will be.”

  He lay down beside me and kissed the tip of my nose, putting a hand on my shoulder to stop me as I tried to roll over to hug him. “Stay there as long as you want. Sleep if you need to.”

  I wasn’t sure whether to smile or frown, but smiling was more in keeping with my overall mood right then. “Why are you being so considerate and selfless? I know you wanted to get off after you made me come, and I would have been happy to help…”

  “Because you’ve been alone and scared for so long. I can’t even imagine that.” He stroked my hair gently. There was a light dusting of freckles across his nose that I hadn’t noticed before. They were only visible close up. When he smiled, they crinkled in a way that was kind of adorable…not that I’d ever say it aloud. “But don’t worry… I have a selfish streak that I’d be more than happy to show you later.”

  “Looking forward to it.” I really was, which was another change since my three-strikes treatment. I used to think of sex as a give-and-take thing, and what was the point of giving without any take? But now I’d happily devote my attention to pleasing Scott for hours, without getting anything in return. Maybe I was just more mature these days.

  Maybe you’re in love.

  The thought made me laugh inwardly, though I kept it from Scott. There was no way I could have fallen for the guy in less than a week.

  * * * *

  We spent the next twenty-four hours in Scott’s room, cuddled up together under the blankets, talking and eating and watching netcasts in between sexscapades. Even when we were exhausted and on the verge of sleep, I still felt a primal urge deep within me, and the anxious part of my brain continued to worry, though I locked it out of my conscious thoughts.

  When the time came for me to head over to my parents’ place for lunch, I pulled on my clothing with a heavy heart. I’d tasted a piece of my perfect life, and facing the real world wasn’t something I ever wanted to do again.

  In my ideal fantasy existence, I could stay in bed with Scott for as long as I wanted, taking trips to the bathroom and maybe downstairs to the soundproofed kitchen or living room to liven things up a little. Food would be magically provided, and we wouldn’t need money or to worry about people finding us out.

  Being a doctor would factor in there somewhere, too, but thinking about the university just scared me today. It was too much of a reminder of the lies I had to tell on a daily basis.

  And speaking of lies, I should really get going.

  “See you at the hospital tomorrow, then?”

  Interpreting the glum look on my face correctly, Scott wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. “You look like you’re stepping outside to get shot.”

  “Maybe not shot. Vanished off the face of the earth, maybe?” Thinking of my Aunt Leah’s disappearance, I shuddered. “If I don’t come back…thank you for this weekend. It’s meant a lot to me.”

  “You’re gonna be fine. Go and see your family, talk about the course, your roommates, the latest news…and then go home and call me. After the anatomy practical tomorrow, we’ll go see Beth, let her quiz you a bit.”

  “I’d rather come back here and submit to your questioning.” I tried to buoy my own spirits with the teasing, and it worked—a little, anyway. Scott gave me an evil grin, and I kissed him, unable to help myself.

  He curled his fingers around
my waist as he responded, and I couldn’t help but kiss harder, driven by the demands of my constantly lustful body. I’d thought that actually having sex would take the edge off my craving, but it only seemed to have intensified the situation, and every tiny thing about him made my head swim with desire.

  Scott drew back before I did, breathless, and cupped a hand to my cheek. “How is it possible that you’re still horny?” Beneath the amusement, I could sense unease. I obviously wasn’t the only one scared by my out of control hormones.

  “Will it pass, do you think?” I needed to calm down, so I pulled out of his arms and wandered across the room. A fine drizzle was falling outside the window, and I knew I’d be frizzy-haired and bad-tempered when I arrived at my parents’ place.

  “Hope so.” He sighed, ran his hand through his hair. “Not that I’m complaining on one level, but it’s going to make your training rough.”

  Even that sounded sexy to me. “Okay, I’m gonna go. Maybe when I get back out into the world, I’ll remember my self-control.”

  Together, we went downstairs and towards the front door. Grant heard our approach and appeared in the living room doorway. “Leaving us so soon?”

  “I wish I didn’t have to,” I said, chancing a look at him. Grant was good-looking, but the urge to do entirely inappropriate things to him was only a tenth as strong as what I felt for Scott. What kind of a screwed-up situation was I in that made me relieved by that?

  “You’ll be back, then?” He grinned. “I figured as much, the way we barely saw you all weekend.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at the gentle teasing. There was something about Grant that put me at ease, and I was grateful for it. “Sorry. It’s been a while.”

  “Wounded!” Scott staggered, as if hit by a bullet to the heart. “It didn’t have anything to do with me, personally… Any piece of male meat would have done…”

  Something about his overly aggrieved tone told me he was in a better mood than his words suggested. Turning, I kissed him, meaning to just brush his lips with mine then reassure him he was the only one in my heart. Once the kiss had begun, though, I lost track of everything except how good he felt—his hand at the back of my neck, his warm chest against my breasts, his tongue just briefly flicking against mine…

  “Get a room, you guys,” Grant said after a few seconds, and I tore free of Scott’s arms before I could get too carried away, blinking back tears of frustration.

  “God damn it!”

  “Uhhh…” Grant’s voice was confused. “I was kidding.”

  “It’s not you,” Scott told him, his voice low. “She has nymphitis.”

  Chapter Seven

  Something about the way he’d said it told me I wasn’t the first case of this fictional disease he’d seen. “Nymphitis? Is this another committee thing no one has bothered to tell me about?”

  Scott put his hands on my shoulders, sighing. “Relax, Holly. I didn’t want you to go out there freaked out. I knew it wouldn’t help you.”

  I wrenched out of his grip, hurt. “So I’m not the first to go through this? Why aren’t you being honest with me?”

  “Chill, Holly.” Grant’s voice brought my spiral of irrationality to a temporary halt. “Let him explain, okay? He’s a good guy.”

  I believed that, deep down, but my brain was filled with images that sickened me: Scott, taking advantage of my vulnerable state to get laid all weekend, knowing that there was something really wrong with me. “Have you slept with other nympho girls? Am I the latest in a long line?”

  Both Scott and Grant shook their heads, glancing at each other. “Come on. Let’s sit down,” Scott said, holding a hand out towards me.

  Brushing the tears from my eyes, I hesitated, then took his hand. His fingers folded around mine, warm and reassuring and somehow sensual at the same time, and I allowed him to guide me into the living room and onto the couch.

  “There was another girl who slipped through the net. A doctor helped her fake it, the same way your aunt did. She was going to be a lawyer. And no, I never met her.”

  My mind raced, confused by this new information. Had Aunt Leah helped her out? “What was her name?”

  “Theresa Mason.” It was Grant who answered, his voice quiet. “I was around when Beth brought her in. By that point, she was hitting on any guy in the vicinity, so I had to leave pretty quickly.”

  I stared at him, fear overcoming everything else. “I’m going to get worse?”

  Scott put a hand on my arm, and even through the encroaching panic, I had to fight the urge to climb into his lap. “I didn’t think you had the same condition until you couldn’t calm down just now, Holly, I swear.”

  “What happened to her?” I didn’t want to know, but I needed to.

  “Beth gave her meds to counteract the hormone imbalance, but it shifted too quickly. She was taken into clinic custody a couple of days later,” Grant said. “We never saw or heard anything about her after that, but one of the committee in the corporate sector hacked into her governmental record. She’s listed as deceased.”

  The words hit me like a physical blow. Would I share Theresa’s fate? How long would I have until I went completely crazy?

  “Can you cancel things with your parents today? Tell them you’re sick? I wanna get Beth to take a look at you.” Scott’s voice grounded me, and I nodded, glad to have something to focus on.

  “I’ll call Beth.” Grant got up and left the room, and I dug my phone out of my purse.

  While I spoke to my mother, who could hear the distress in my voice and took it for physical discomfort, Scott paced the room, getting tenser by the moment. By the time I hung up, his hands were balled into fists.

  “Scott?” I said quietly.

  He looked over at me, and I saw the helplessness in his face. “I don’t know what to do. How to help. I don’t even know if I should touch you, or whether that would be taking advantage—”

  I acted on instinct, getting to my feet and crossing to put my arms around him. He hugged me back, some of the tension draining from him as I tried to reassure him.

  “I believe you when you say you didn’t know. Don’t distance yourself from me…please?”

  He sighed, then pressed his lips gently against my forehead. “You’re only in the early stages. By the time Theresa got to Beth, she was too far gone, but she should be able to help you.”

  I hope.

  His unspoken words rang loud in my ears, no matter how hard I tried not to hear them.

  * * * *

  Beth arrived an hour later, carrying a bag full of diagnostic equipment. “Hello, Holly. How are you feeling?”

  “Scared,” I said honestly.

  She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I can understand that. But I’m here to help you, if I can.”

  Something about her was immediately calming. I understood a little better why she was the head of the medical section of the committee. “What do I need to do?”

  Beth shot a glance at Scott and Grant. “First we need to get some privacy. Honestly, you’re both medical students and you’ve never heard of doctor-patient confidentiality?”

  While they protested their innocence, Beth beckoned me towards the door. “Come on, Holly. The kitchen will have better lighting.”

  It did—fluorescent lighting, to be precise. At Beth’s urging, I sat down at the kitchen table and tried to relax, watching her close the blinds in case anyone should glance in from out on the street. “They told me about Theresa.”

  Beth tutted, opening her medical bag. “Theresa has become a committee ghost story since it all happened. Don’t believe what you hear, because a lot of it is over-embellished.”

  “I’ll try to keep that in mind,” I murmured, holding out my arm so she could take my blood pressure.

  Compared to a lot of the medical instruments we used nowadays, the blood pressure gauge was pretty archaic—unchanged from how it used to be over a hundred years ago. Apparently, there was no more reliable way of
measuring BP. I slipped my arm into the fabric sleeve and let it squeeze tight around my biceps, while Beth watched the readout connected to the in-sleeve sensors.

  “Normal,” she said, and I let out a sigh of relief. At least that word applied to one thing about my life right now.

  Beth continued to work her way through the basics, shooing me off to the bathroom to obtain a urine sample, then drawing enough of my blood to feed an army of vampires for a year. While she worked, I told her how I’d come to slip through the net, the same way I’d told Scott a couple of days before. She listened without comment, nodding every now and then and looking thoughtful.

  “I’ll look into your records a little deeper when I get back to the university. The information you’ve given me should help shed some light.”

  She became immersed in her task and as I watched her test my bodily fluids my mind drifted back to how things had been that morning, before it had all gone so wrong.

  Beth must have noticed me mentally swooning, because she laughed. “I take it you had a good weekend.”

  I nodded, a little embarrassed. Sex was never really mentioned in Focused social conversation, so to freely admit that I’d had it was still strange to me. The committee members all seemed very sexually liberated. I guessed it came from knowing that the main factor that had brought them all together was the desire to keep their sex drives.

  If I did have this ‘nymphitis’, as Scott and Grant thought, I was going to get a lot more relaxed talking about sex. And not in a healthy way.

  “Until today, yeah…it was a good weekend.”

  Studying the readout on her portable blood-testing kit, Beth frowned and I tensed up, terrified again. “You’ve found something.”

  “I have. Nothing to get too worked up over, don’t worry. Just higher than usual hormone levels. Testosterone, oestrogen, dopamine, endorphins—the whole lust cocktail.”