“Thats right.” She wiggled out of the jeans, tossed back her hair. “Got any problem scratching it?”
“Cant seem to think of one.” He shrugged outofthe coat, threw it aside.
He got rid of his shoes, his shirt, while she pulled down the covers. Hed been off about her mood, he realized. Shed already worked herself up to a good mad and was looking for a handy place to put it.
When she reached up to unclasp her bra, he stepped over, gripped her hands, trapping them—for one erotic moment—behind her. Then he released her to trail his fingers down her spine. “Leave something for me, will you?” She shrugged, then fisting a hand in his hair, yanked his mouth to hers.
She used her teeth, her nails, setting the mood for fast, hot sex with just a hint of mean. She wasnt looking for fancy touches or soft flourishes but for sweat and speed.
She felt his bodys instant response, the hard hammer blow of his heart, the lightning strike of heat that punched out of him and straight through her. His mouth fed off hers, and his hands began to take, fingers digging in to brand and bruise.
She was already wet and ready when she shoved him back on the bed.
She would have straddled him and made quick work of it, but he flipped her over, trapped her body under his. Set his teeth on her breast. Her hips jerked, her hands clamped on his, and she ground herself against him in frantic, furious demand.
His vision hazed with red as the fierce bite of need tore through his system. He yanked her bra down to her waist, filled his mouth with her even as he shoved his hand between them, drove his fingers into the heat of her and shot her brutally over the edge.
She exploded under him, her body writhing, straining, then gathering itself for another leap. Her nails bit into him, her hipspistoned until he was as wild as she.
They rolled, grappling for more in a slippery, mindless battle that had thrill ramming into thrill. Her mouth was fevered and ravenous, her hands greedy and swift.
He knew hed rather die warring with her than live in peace with anyone else.
With her breath sobbing, she rose over him and took him inside her with one hard thrust.
The dark glory of it gushed through her, flooded her until the anger and doubts drowned.
This was real, she told herself. This was enough.
And she watched him watch her take him.
Fast and hot, focused on those twin goals of pleasure and release. She rode him with a ruthless energy that turned her own body into a morass of greed. For speed, for passion. For more.
When she felt his fingers vise her hips, when she saw those brilliant blue eyes go blind, she threw her head back and flew off the end of the world with him.
She was still shuddering as she slid down to him. Her breath was as ragged as his when her head fell heavy on his shoulder. He managed to hook an arm around her and decided he would probably regain feeling in his extremities at some point.
For now, it was just fine to lie there bruised, battered, and blissful.
“Feel better?” he asked her.
“Considerably. You?” “No complaints. When my ears stop ringing, you might want to tell me what set you off today.”
“No one thing.” She lifted her head just enough to sweep her hair aside so she could feel her cheek against his flesh. “I just feel like Im fumbling at most everything, but then I remembered this is one thi
ng I do really well.”
“You wont hear any argument from me on the last part. Whats the fumble?”
“You want the list? I feel like Im so close to finding the key, then I dont. Then I feel like Im miles away from it, and the whole business is going to crash and burn. I spent most of the day painting because I exhibited very little, if any, aptitude for hand tools.”
“Then you probably dont want me to mention youve got some paint in your hair.”
She heaved a sigh. “I know it. Even Malorys better with a screwdriver than I am, and shes a total girl. AndZoe ? Shes a regular Bob Vila with breasts. Did you know shes got her belly button pierced?”
“Really?” There was a long pause. “Really,” he repeated with enough male interest to make her laugh.
“Anyway.” She flopped over on her back. “There was all that, then I started doing some mental number crunching and got depressed realizing how close to the edge financially all this stuff is taking me. All the output, no income—and without the output therell never be an income. And even when the income comes, its going to be a serious juggling act for the foreseeable future.”