Susan Mallory - Sizzling

Reid looked at the clock. "That's a long time from now."

"Four whole hours."

"You still wearing a thong?"

There was something in his voice. Something low and throaty that made her thighs twitch.

"Uh-huh."

He groaned. "Ask my grandmother if you can leave work early."

LORI WAS BOTH excited and nervous as she climbed the stairs. She was pretty sure she knew what Reid had in mind- the concept if not the details. While she was thrilled at the thought of being with him again, she wondered how this time would be different from the last. Before she'd been totally swept away by the moment. Now she was not only aware of what they were going to do, but she had her own growing feelings to contend with.

Making love now would probably send her into a female frenzy of bonding. Did she want to take the chance of connecting more? Did she have a choice?

She reached Reid's room before she'd decided. The door stood partially open and she stepped inside.

She was met by soft, seductive music, lit candles everywhere and the man of her dreams walking toward her. As he took her in his arms and kissed her, she knew the answer to the question was no, she didn't have the strength or the will to walk away from him. She was going to play this to the end. If she got hurt, she would deal with the pain.

"I didn't think you'd ever get here," he said as he kissed his way down the side of her neck.

She wore a long-sleeved shirt. He unfastened the first couple of buttons, then pushed the fabric off her shoulder so he could kiss her there.

"I have chocolate wine and chocolate-dipped strawberries," he murmured against her skin. "Prepare to be seduced."

"Chocolate wine?"

"You'll love it," he said. "Trust me."

Her mind and her body fought for her attention. On the one hand, it was impressive that the original Mr. "I take a woman who is willing and does the asking" had put himself out there. On the other, the warm brush of his lips made her not really care about anything else.

He straightened and pulled her into his arms. They began to sway to the music, a sexy, sultry Norah Jones song that had a beat built in desire.

Reid kept one hand on the small of her back and slipped the other through her hair, then he kissed her.

His mouth was warm and demanding. She parted for him. He slipped inside, his tongue brushing hers in a way designed to excite her. His body was hard and unyielding, already aroused. The feel of his erection against her belly sent heat and need spiraling through her.

He wanted her. He wanted her. Impossibility battled with reality and reality won. She threw both arms around him and abandoned herself to the moment.

She kissed him with all she had, meeting him stroke for stroke, then closing her lips around his tongue and sucking. He stiffened, his arousal pulsed, then he nipped her bottom lip and pulled back.

"How about the chocolate wine?" he asked.

She opened her eyes. "Not necessary."

"But I have the whole seduction planned. Especially the chocolate part."

Which was sweet. He'd obviously gone to a lot of trouble. She appreciated the gesture. "Seriously, later, I'll be all over that chocolate wine. But not right now."

She stepped back and toed off her shoes. After pulling off her socks, she dropped her jeans, then tossed them onto the sofa. She moved up against him, took his hands in hers and put them on her butt…the very butt left bare by the thong she was wearing.

His breath caught. He squeezed her curves, then eased one hand around to her hip. He pushed the scrap of silk down her legs and she stepped out of it. Then he slipped his fingers between her thighs and began to touch her with an expertise that took her breath away.

He found her center and began to tease it, moving slowly around the heart of her desire, but not quite touching it. He did that again and again, until she was close to begging. She stood, her legs parted, her hands on his shoulders, needing him to keep her balanced and at the same time wanting him to rock her world. Just when she was about to give in and shove his hand into place, he slipped a single finger inside of her and pressed his thumb exactly where she needed him most.

Sensations rippled through her. Tension rose as muscles tensed and her breathing increased. He knew exactly how to do that, how to circle and rub and excite. It was as if he had been hard-wired into her brain and could feel what she was feeling.

With each second he touched her, she moved closer to her orgasm. There was no ebb and flow, no reaching and hoping. It was just a steep, slick, wet, downhill slide to paradise. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and prayed her trembling legs continued to support her. She supposed she could have suggested they move things to the sofa, but she didn't want to break the mood of the moment. Not when she was already so close.

"Look at me," he whispered.

Startled, she did as he requested, opening her eyes and staring into his.

Fire lurked there. Bright, hot need that excited her more.

"I like doing this," he said, his voice low and heavy with his own need. "I like touching you, arousing you. I like how wet you are and how I can feel you shaking. I like everything about your body. The softness of your skin, the way you start to contract even before you're totally over the edge. I want you, Lori. I want you bad."

His erotic words quickened her breathing. She started to close her eyes, but then forced them to stay open.

"Come for me."

It was more of a request than a command, but it was enough. She crashed over the edge, her body convulsing in perfect pleasure. He kept his thumb on her even as he mimicked the act of love and thrust two fingers inside of her, in and out. Contractions shuddered through her and she groaned out her surrender.

She had barely come back to reality when he leaned in and kissed her. She kissed him back and savored the feel of his body against hers. This was only the beginning, she thought happily as he unfastened the last few buttons on her shirt, unhooked her bra and tossed both on the floor. Then his hands were on her breasts.

He cupped her curves before touching the very tip of her tight nipples. After a couple of seconds, he broke the kiss and bent his head so he could take her right breast in his mouth.

He sucked deeply, pulling at her skin while his fingers caressed her other breast. The connection between her sensitive breasts and her still throbbing center strengthened. She felt each stroke, each lick, each circle of his tongue deep inside. Despite the extraordinary orgasm of a minute or two ago, she found herself getting aroused.

Suddenly she wanted him naked. She wanted their bodies pressed together, joining and staying that way until they were both exhausted. She tugged at his sweater.

"Get your clothes off," she insisted. "Now."

"I like it when you're bossy," he said with a grin, then obliged her request. His feet were already bare so all that was required was for him to pull off his sweater, jeans and briefs. Then she could see all of him.

He had a perfect body, she thought as she walked around him, touching whatever interested her most. His shoulder, his back, the curve of his butt.

She did what he had done that first time they'd made love. She snuggled up behind him, pressing her body against his and began to touch him everywhere.

He was too tall for her to see over him, so she closed her eyes and imagined what he looked like. She explored his chest, paying particular attention to his nipples. She stroked them, then squeezed them. He groaned softly. At the same time she trailed kisses across his back, punctuating them with little, soft nips.

She moved her fingers lower, down his flat belly, then out to his narrow hips. She brushed across his muscled thighs, before taking him in both hands.

He was hard- that always unexpected male combination of impossibly rigid flesh encased in the softest of skin. She explored his length, then circled the head, running her fingers along the sensitive underside before returning to the base and dipping her fingers to explore his testicles.

She wanted him as much as she'd ever wanted anyone. Okay, if she was going to be honest, she wanted him more. She wanted him inside of her, taking her, claiming her.

There it was- her secret truth. She wanted to be claimed by this man. Nothing between them but naked flesh and desire. And hearts, she thought, emotions welling up inside of her. She wanted him to care with a desperation that took his breath away.

The longing, deeper and more powerful than any she'd ever known, threatened her arousal. So she pushed it away to be dealt with another time. She dropped her hands, moved around to stand in front of him and kissed him.

He responded like a starving man. He kissed her hard and hot, touching her everywhere. He also began nudging her backward, toward the bedroom.

His hands were on her breasts, between her legs. Frantic, urging and she soon found herself just as eager. Then she was on the bed. There was a second's delay as he slipped on a condom, then he was inside of her, filling her, taking her with an intensity that gave her no choice except to give herself to him and enjoy the ride.

* * *

"DISASTER," Dani said as she sank into the chair opposite Gary's at The Daily Grind. "It was a total disaster. I loved everything about the place. Valerie was great, her staff was charming and happy. Martina, the chef, is someone I would love to work with."

"So how was it a disaster?"

Dani glanced around, wanting to make sure no one from Valerie's Garden happened to be lurking in the area, then spoke in a low voice.

"The food was hideous. Seriously awful. I hated everything. Even the iced tea. Apparently I don't have an upscale vegan palate. If only they'd given me a regular cheese quesadilla, I would have signed up in a heartbeat. Or if it had been nearly any other kind of food. Even if I'd only sort of liked it, I probably would have tried to make the job work, but I'm telling you. What they served bordered on nasty."

Gary chuckled. "They probably won't want you in their ads."

"Probably not. I'm seriously bummed. Why did it have to be like this? I feel like Goldilocks. So far, nothing is exactly right."

Gary reached across the tiny table and patted the back of her hand. "You'll find something. I know you will."

"I hope so," she grumbled, even as she tried to figure out what she felt about him touching her.

"I'll keep looking," she said. "I'm determined to further my career. I'm getting calls, so that's good. I just have to be patient."

"That's the attitude," he said. "Did you talk to the private investigator?"

"Yes. Thanks for giving me her name. She's great and we got along, but she said without some more information, she can't help me."

Dani wasn't surprised. She knew absolutely nothing about her father except for the fact that at one time he'd existed.

"I haven't got a clue about him," Dani said. "No name, no address, not even a description. I've asked my oldest brother Cal if he remembers anything but he doesn't. He was pretty young and I'm sure my mother was careful to keep him away from the man she was having an affair with."

Gary pulled back his hand and took a sip of his coffee. "What about papers from your mother? Letters? Notes? A date book?"

All good ideas, she thought. "I don't know of anything like that. I'll ask my brothers, but I don't hold out too much hope. There's only one person who might know something and getting her to talk would take a miracle."

"They happen."

"Not in my world."

Gloria? Help her? Her brothers swore the old woman had changed, but was it enough? Gloria had made it clear she loathed Dani.

"I don't want to give her the pleasure of going to her and asking," Dani said flatly. "She doesn't deserve it."

"What do you deserve?" he asked. "If there's a chance of getting what you want, isn't that worth an awkward conversation?"

She smiled. "Oh, sure. Be rational."

"I'm a math teacher. What did you expect?"

She sighed. "I know you're right. I just can't stand the thought of going begging, which means you're going to say then I obviously don't care enough about finding my father."

She drank more of her coffee. "Maybe I'll talk to Reid. He's living in Gloria's house and spending the most time with her. If he says she's really willing to help, then I'll ask."

"Now you have a plan."

She looked at him. "You think I should go face the dragon."