Some Like It Hot

by Brenda Jackson

  “That should do it,” he said softly, close to her ear.

  She blinked and noticed his computer was now on and several pictures were on the screen, all of Lewis. One showed him walking into the hotel, the other of him at the check-in desk with the receptionist handing him a passkey. Then there was the one of him walking out of the gift shop with a bouquet of flowers in his hand, and the last frame showed him getting out of the elevator minus the flowers with a huge smile on his face.

  Mallory frowned, disappointed, and leaned back in her chair. “So, what do you think?”

  “Umm, what I think doesn’t matter. What do you think?” Hunter asked her.

  She glanced back at the pictures. “I would say it looks like he’s involved in an affair.”

  Hunter raised his eyes to the ceiling. “You need more evidence than this, Mallory. There still may be a plausible reason behind what he’s doing.”

  She rubbed her upper arms as if to ward off a chill when in essence the room felt hot, especially with Hunter’s close proximity. And it didn’t help matters that her heart was pumping hard. He hadn’t moved an inch and was still standing next to the chair. “Come on, Hunter, the hotel, the flowers, the smile. What other proof do I need?” she asked, tipping her head back to look at him.

  “The identity of the woman would be nice.” He moved to sit down on the edge of the desk. “Look, Mallory, I know those photos look pretty damaging, but until you actually see him and this alleged woman together you really don’t have a case. If he’s involved in an affair it’s apparent this female is in a hotel room waiting when he arrives. And it seems he’s not using the same hotel, maybe for fear of being seen or recognized. That will make it hard to set any kind of trap for him beforehand since I have no idea what hotel he may be using next or when he’ll be using it.”

  Mallory nodded, knowing Hunter was right. She needed a female’s face to go along with her accusations, otherwise it would continue to be sheer speculation on her part. “I want to be there when it’s discovered who she is, Hunter.”

  He lifted a brow and looked surprised. “Why?”

  “Because it might be someone Barbara knows—a neighbor, a coworker, a person she considers a friend.”

  Hunter wondered if her request had anything to do with what her father had done to her mother. She had shared with him one night that the woman her father had had an affair with had been a coworker, a person who had befriended her mother. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea, Mallory.”

  She frowned. “Why?”

  “Things could get messy.”

  Mallory’s eyes narrowed. “The way I see it, things are going to get messy anyway when I tell Barbara what I’ve found out.”

  “Which at the moment is nothing,” Hunter reminded her.

  Anger fired through her. “I happen to think it’s something.”

  He leaned toward her, so close their lips almost touched. “Are you willing to destroy your sister’s happiness on these few pictures, Mallory? What if there’s a good reason for what he’s doing and it has nothing to do with being unfaithful to your sister? There’re too many what-ifs until you have more proof,” he said angling his mouth a little closer to hers. His hand fell to her nape and his fingers skimmed softly through her hair.

  “I know how much finding out the truth means to you and you’ve hired me to find out what you need to know. I think doing things my way is best,” he murmured softly.

  Mallory inhaled deep and found herself saying. “All right, I will.” His touch was electric and her mind was more on what he was doing than what he was saying. Her brain was becoming muddled as heat skittered up her spine. At that moment she became keenly aware of just how close their faces were. They were so close she could feel the tantalizing sweetness of his breath fan across her lips. He slowly inched a little closer and she couldn’t help herself when her lips parted and he slipped his tongue inside her mouth.

  He immediately went after her tongue, tasting it, gently sucking, taking control of it and sending desire all through her body. Hunter was an ace at doing wicked things with his tongue and he was doing them now. He was proving a point. He hadn’t gotten over her yet. It was there in the way he was kissing her, making a combination of pleasure and heat rip into her. And when he stood and pulled her up from the chair, her eyes fluttered close and she wrapped her arms around his waist. He began exploring her body as his hands moved over the lower part of her back, her hips, and her behind. His arousal was huge and pressed hard against her middle and when she moved her hips against him and felt the heat continue to build in intensity between her legs, she realized he was proving another point.

  She hadn’t gotten over him either.

  The kiss was destined to last forever, and when she began whimpering in need, he let go of her mouth and moved his lips to her ear. “I want you. I need you, Mallory,” he whispered. His words, as well as his hot breath, made her shiver in his arms.

  Mallory sighed deeply and tipped her head back to gaze into his eyes. She might regret her decision in the morning but at that moment, she needed him like she had never needed him before. She wanted to touch him, run her hands all over him, especially along the hard erection that was pressing against her belly. She wanted him on top of her, inside of her, thrusting in and out. She needed the degree of ecstasy she could find only with him. When his hips moved deliberately against her, letting her feel what she was doing to him, she knew she had to have him the same way he had to have her. Total and complete.

  Her pulse quickened and she groaned inwardly. Tonight, for a few brief hours, she longed to be the woman to tame the untamable Hunter.

  Deciding to be daring and handle him the same way she’d always done, which was to meet him on his turbulent and oftentimes naughty level, she reached up and cupped his face in her palms and began teasing at his lips with her tongue. She felt his erection get harder, bigger, and took some satisfaction in knowing she was driving him as crazy as he was driving her.

  Her hands moved from his face and slowly grazed over his shoulders. As she continued licking his lips, she was surrounded by his scent. It was a scent she had missed, a scent that was pushing her off the edge by sending shivers through her and turning her on even more.

  Then suddenly, as if his restraint broke, he took things over and kissed her, putting an end to her teasing. He kissed her like doing so was his top priority, the only thing he wanted in life. The feeling was great, intoxicating, and she began trembling with anticipation. When he suddenly pulled back, the deep chocolate-colored eyes that met hers made her shudder that much more.

  “Stay with me tonight,” he whispered in a voice so sexy, more heat began flowing around in her belly. “Please, say you’ll stay.”

  She swallowed hard, her decision made. Leaning up on tiptoes she met his gaze and whispered, “Yes, Hunter, I’ll stay.”

  Six

  Upon hearing Mallory’s words, Hunter released a low, throaty groan and swept her off her feet and up into his arms, wasting no time carrying her to his bedroom. Not wanting to place her on the bed just yet, he placed her back on her feet, loving the feel of her body sliding down his.

  He reached down and grabbed her thigh, pulling her body closer to him, wanting her to again feel his need for her. He had never wanted a woman with this much intensity in his life, and a part of him wanted her to know that. He wanted to do more than just seduce her, or satisfy his desires with her, he wanted to take her, heart to heart, body to body, and soul to soul, and as mad as it sounded for him, Hunter Sloan, a man known to take what he wanted and not look back, it was a revelation he didn’t understand. He was beginning to realize that when it came to Mallory Standish he had a crazy streak. And the craziest thing at the moment was his need to see the color of her panties.

  He leaned down and began kissing her, as his hand got busy raising her skirt up her hips. He then slid his hand underneath and pulled her backside to him as his hand touched her lacy panties.

  A
growl erupted in his throat when his fingers came into contact with the scrap of lace and when she began moving against him, heat began building at the tip of his erection and going all the way to the bottom of his feet. In a desperate need, his fingers tugged at the lace at her hip and when he dragged his mouth from hers he took a step back.

  She was wearing a pair of mint-green panties.

  His breath caught. “You are so beautiful,” he said, barely able to breathe as he got down on his knees to remove her skirt and then her panties. He was aching to touch her, was desperate to taste her. After she was completely bare below the waist, he leaned forward and rested his forehead against her stomach and inhaled deeply, needing the scent of her in his nostrils.

  He heard the tiny sigh that slipped from her lips when he began dragging his mouth across her stomach, tasting her with the tip of his tongue. His mouth moved lower, to the very essence of her and he kissed her there as if the taste of her could somehow satisfy the hunger that was raging within him.

  It seemed that his brain shut down to the sounds she was making—her groans, her whimpers. The only thing he could concentrate on was ravishing her over and over again as his hand, tight and firm on her legs, held her to him greedily devouring all of her. He wanted Mallory to feel everything he was feeling. By the time their bodies joined he wanted her to know how much he had missed this, had missed her.

  When he heard her scream out her orgasm he tightened his hold on her, his kiss plunging deeper, harder, and more intense. Only when he felt she was too weak to stand did he pull back, taking his mouth away and tilting his head back to meet her gaze.

  “Now I want to get inside of you,” he whispered, slowly standing. “And I want to stay there all night. My body has been starving for you, Mallory, and it wants to be fed.”

  He reached down and touched the area between her legs where he had kissed. “You’re wet and hot and we haven’t even gotten started yet,” he said as he began removing her blouse to reveal, not surprisingly, a mint-green lace bra. Without wasting any time he removed that as well and smiled when he saw how the tips of her breasts were firm and ready for him to devour. He leaned forward, opened his mouth, and captured one nipple in his grasp, making provocative sounds of enjoyment while he did so, determined to get his fill.

  “Hunter.” The sound from her lips was soft; it trembled with a need he totally recognized and had definitely missed hearing.

  He stopped his torment and met her gaze. “Let me make love to you all night long, Mallory. Let me give you pleasure by loving you in every way known to man, in ways man hasn’t discovered yet.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I want you bad, Mallory. Feel me.”

  He heard her soft gasp when he leaned forward and his erection pressed against her naked body as if seeking a way out of his jeans and inside of her. Satisfied she’d gotten a good idea of the degree of his desire, he stepped back and they stared at each other for a long moment.

  “It’s not fair,” Mallory finally said, leaning closer to him, her bare breast brushing against his arm. “You still have on clothes.”

  He smiled, giving her a slow once-over. “You look good naked.”

  She returned his smile. “If I remember correctly, so do you.” She reached up and ran her hand beneath his tank top, letting her fingers skim across his hairy chest. He released a sharp intake of breath with her touch. Talk about not playing fair.

  Deciding not to waste time he took a step back and whipped the shirt over his head. The only things left were his jeans and boxer shorts, and he planned on dispensing with both quickly. However, it seemed that Mallory had other ideas when she slowly unzipped his pants and eased her hand inside.

  It took every ounce of restraint he possessed not to come right then and there the moment she touched him. It had been a long time since any woman had touched him and no woman could touch him the way Mallory could. Her fingers were soft on his hardness, and each time she stroked him, she increased the risk of pushing him over the edge. When he did he wanted to be inside of her.

  Heat began simmering through his veins and he briefly closed his eyes when he felt her push back the opening to his jeans to pull his shaft out. He reopened his eyes, aware of the shallowness of his own breathing as Mallory’s capable hands continued on the path of total destruction, unrequited pleasure, sliding her fingers over him, pulling on him, letting the tips of her fingernails gently scrape along his hypersensitive skin.

  He tipped his head back and gloried in how her touch was making him feel, wanting to get inside of her with a force that had him nearly gasping for breath. He had to stop her since he was less than a heartbeat away from climaxing just where he stood. “Now who isn’t playing fair?” he said in a throaty whisper, taking a step back out of her reach and quickly removing his jeans and boxers.

  He watched as she licked her bottom lip. “Umm, I feel extremely naughty.”

  He gazed into her beautiful face while standing before her stark naked. “And I feel extremely horny and I know of a way to take care of both.”

  He watched her eyes darken and knew she was dying to find out what he had in mind. The one thing he’d always liked and enjoyed about Mallory was her willingness to trust him on all levels when it came to giving her pleasure. Whenever they shared a bed, making love had always been an adventure, and they had enjoyed the activity with wild abandonment each and every time. Just thinking about some of the things they’d done made his blood boil.

  He reached out, picked her up in his arms, walked over to the bed, and placed her in the center of it. Desire, the likes he’d never experienced before, suddenly overwhelmed him and some unnamed emotion that was new to him took control. For a brief moment he thought of how good she looked in his bed, and he admitted that she had always looked like she belonged there.

  Suddenly, a part of his brain hurled the question at him as to why he had ever let her leave in the first place, and he knew the answer. Fear. He had gotten scared when she had begun getting under his skin. His heart thundered at the memory of how he had turned possessive and how the thought of seeing her each day would send shivers of excitement up his spine.

  “Hunter.”

  The sound of her calling his name made his chest tightened and he marveled at how she could still affect him. Mallory Standish was the most fascinating woman he had ever met as well as the sexiest.

  And he wanted her and was driven by a need to have her.

  He made a small sound in his throat as he slowly joined her on the bed. And as he gently reached for her he realized that he had her back where she belonged, in his bed, and that he wouldn’t ever let her go again. Hunter caught his breath at the depths of his thoughts. He wasn’t exactly sure why that revelation had come to him at this particular time; all he knew was that it had, and he meant it.

  Instead of teetering precariously on the edge, he had definitely fallen over.

  Mallory’s heart began pounding deep within her chest as Hunter’s predatory gaze slammed into her, making her feel things she had never felt before. Her sexual appetite was high, and from the look in his deep brown, she knew his was, too.

  They had not made any promises to each other; the notion of anything beyond this night hadn’t even been discussed, yet she was willing to go all the way with him, sleep with him again, in a way that made her breathing ragged.

  “You’re hot, Mallory.”

  His observation brought a heated smile to her face. She was more than hot, she was burning to a sexual crisp.

  “I can tell by your scent,” Hunter said further, leaning over her and whispering the words in her ear. “You’re hot for me, aren’t you?” he asked, positioning his body over her in way that kept their middle parts from touching.

  “Yes” was the only response she was able to give before he slanted his mouth over hers, tasting her with the skillful stroke of his tongue. He was kissing her in a way that made flames race through every part of her body, especially between her legs, making her we
tter.

  “Ahh,” she whispered moments later when he finally released her mouth. She could actually hear the thumping of her heart as his tongue feasted on her breasts. Moments later he moved his mouth to the center of her chest to lick off the beads of moisture that had gathered there.

  “Hunter…”

  He then pressed his forehead against hers, holding her gaze hostage, demanding her full attention, which was hard to do when his fingers had made their way between her legs, intent on stroking her sensitive flesh.

  “Are you still on the Pill?” he whispered the question against her ear.

  Mallory grasped his shoulders thinking if she didn’t hold on to something she would surely pass out from the feelings he was evoking within her. “Yes.” She could barely get the single word out.

  “Good. And I meant what I said, Mallory, I haven’t made love to another woman since, so you don’t have to worry about me not being safe, okay?”

  “Okay.” Again the word was forced from her lips. “And I haven’t been with anyone else either.”

  Her words touched him, pleased him tremendously. “Then lead me home,” he whispered, in what sounded like a strained voice. “Take me inside of you, Mallory. Please.”

  Mallory’s breath caught as she squeezed her fingers around Hunter’s hard arousal. His flesh felt hot to the touch and the moment the tip of him touched her opening, he threw his head back and released a deep-in-the-gut groan that could be heard throughout the room.

  She tried ignoring the sound as she continued to take him into her, almost losing it the moment his shaft touched her womanly core. Her muscles greedily clenched him, tightened, while he pushed forward, filling her to the hilt. She reached up and wiped the sweat from his brow as she fought to catch her own breath.

  “This is what I’ve been wanting the past six months, so much so that I haven’t been able to think straight,” he whispered through clenched teeth as he slowly began thrusting in and out, withdrawing then surging back inside of her again as if he could not get enough, at least not in this lifetime.