Page 150 of Wicked Fantasies

He quirked his eyebrows with interest and she cursed her loose tongue. The last thing she needed was to give the man another reason to ridicule her. He already had far too much fun at her expense. A fact, she had to admit, she sort of enjoyed. They seemed to share the same twisted sense of humor. In addition to being too hot for words, Ethan was funny and friendly and it hadn’t exactly been a hardship to volunteer to stay late to accommodate his crazy work schedule.

“Forget it,” she said quickly, hoping to deter his sudden interest.

“Let me see your list. Maybe I can help you with it.” Ethan grabbed her notebook and she swiftly attempted to pull it out of his grasp. They struggled over the book for several seconds before she lost her grip.

“It’s personal,” she said loudly when he won their tug-of-war. Her protest was too late as he read the heading on the page.

“Potential Younger Men for Cougar Challenge?”

Rachel prayed to God he didn’t know what “cougar” meant. She’d only learned of the term while reading her dirty romance novels. She’d been shocked to discover how much the idea of an older woman hooking up with a younger man turned her on, pushed her hot buttons.

“It’s just something silly…something stupid, really. Give me back my notebook and we’ll get started on your exercises.”

Ethan ignored her and she watched as he scanned the list of names. When he closed the book with a snap, she flinched at the unfamiliar look on his face. She’d never seen him look so serious or…angry. “What are you doing, Rachel? What the hell is this list about?”

She took a step back, confused by his reaction. Over the course of the past two months, she’d felt a friendship forming between her and the young cop. As a result, she now found her fears, her anxiety over the challenge falling from her lips uncontrolled.

Even though she was sure she was making a mistake, she told him everything—from meeting her friends at the conference to the Facebook group to the dare to sleep with a younger man. She didn’t leave out a single detail and throughout her entire confession, Ethan was quiet. In the end, it was his silence that unnerved her more than his initial anger.

“So there,” she said at last. “That should keep you busy in the teasing department for months. I’m an insane, horny-as-hell woman who’s actually contemplating throwing herself at a younger man on a dare. And before you say anything, yes, I know…I’m old enough to know better.” She walked away from him as she said the last, too embarrassed to face him.

She’d only made it two steps when he reached out and gripped her forearm, turning her back around. “Old enough to know better?” he asked. “You think you couldn’t land a younger guy?”

“Maybe I could,” she said, surprised to find him taking this conversation so seriously. “I mean, I don’t think I’m unattractive, just sort of out of practice with the whole dating scene.”

Ethan grinned and she spied the usual mischievous sparkle in his gaze that she’d grown accustomed to over the past few weeks. “Wish you’d mentioned this horny problem of yours earlier, Rach.”

“It’s not something a polite woman advertises,” she said.

He continued pulling her toward him until they stood face-to-face, close enough that she could smell his skin, a pleasant combination of fresh shower, soap and—yummy—man. Rather than look up, she stared straight ahead, placing her line of vision at the top of his chest. There was no way she could look at his handsome face and not spend the rest of their session imagining him naked. He wore a tight T-shirt and she could just imagine what his bare pecs would look like. She swallowed heavily, her mouth watering at the thought.

“Isn’t that a shame,” Ethan added. “Advertisements like that sure would take a lot of the guess work out of dating.”

“I haven’t been doing a lot of dating since my divorce from Voldemort.”

“Mm hmm.” She felt certain if she hadn’t been standing so closely, she wouldn’t have heard the small, guttural sound—a growl?—that emanated from him. Did it make him angry to hear her mention her ex? “Look at me, Rachel,” he said as she felt his gaze bore through the top of her head.

“I am,” she said, her eyes remaining locked in place, several inches below his chin.

He reached down and gently forced her head back with firm fingers at her jaw. She took a deep breath and faced him. His head was cocked to the side, his lips painfully close to hers. An impractical woman would lean forward and initiate a kiss. A woman without any common sense would rise up on her tiptoes, close the gap separating them and take a nice, long taste of him. An adventurous woman?—

Her mouth stroked his briefly and her mind struggled to understand how she’d gotten close enough for that touch. Had she moved?

Her lips brushed his again, but rather than move away, she continued to push closer.

Oh shit.

She was kissing Ethan. Her brain kicked into high gear.

Red alert! Abort! Abort!

Her practical side was practically screaming for her body to step away from the hot man. But apparently her body had its own agenda.

His fingers moved from her chin and along her cheek, taking up residence in her hair. His hand pulled her closer and he deepened the kiss, forcing her lips open with his, exploring her mouth with his tongue.

Holy crap. He was kissing her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and struggled not to moan when his other hand traveled up and down her back, rubbing delicious patterns through her shirt that made her want to purr like a kitten.

They continued to kiss, but Rachel’s racing mind kept fighting for the control her body had seized.

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