Page 80 of Heating Up (Nugget)
“That night at our party, it hit me that I wasn’t going to make it.” He ran his hand down her arm. “I know it complicates things.”
She kissed him. “A little bit.”
“Dana?”
“Hmm?”
“Off with the clothes, okay?”
She unsnapped her shorts, pulled them down, and wiggled out of them, leaving on just a pair of see-through panties. He put his hand there and found the lace wet. Dana pulled up his shirt and tugged it over his head, touching his chest and his abdomen until he hissed in a breath. Once her T-shirt came off, he couldn’t get enough of her, touching and licking and sucking until her body bowed.
“Pants,” she said in a breathy voice that made Aidan wild.
“You want them off?”
She answered by grabbing for his belt, trying desperately to unclasp the buckle. He shooed her hand away and undid it himself, sliding jeans and shorts down his legs. With one foot he kicked them off.
“Shit . . . condom.” He rolled off the bed, sprinted to his bedroom, and returned as quickly as he’d left. “We’re good.”
Aidan looked down at her lying on the bed and almost lost his mind. He’d never seen a woman look at him like he was everything, the sun and the moon and the stars. Not Sue. Not anyone. And it humbled him, made him afraid that he’d disappoint her. Not in bed. He knew he had that covered, but in everything else.
She reached for him. And he came down on top of her, using his hands to balance his weight, and kissed her. Slender arms came around his neck, and he had the crazy sensation that this was what home felt like.
With one hand, and his teeth, he managed to open one of the foil packets and rolled the condom on. She arched her back in a wordless plea to take her, which he did. Thoroughly.
* * *
“I could grill us some burgers,” he said, lying next to her in a postcoital haze.
“There are salad fixings in the fridge and a bag of chips left from the party. You do realize I keep breaking my no-eating-after-six rule with you?”
He chuckled. “I never met a woman who had more rules than you.”
She nestled her head next to his shoulder. “Without them life would be chaos.”
“I like chaos.” He swung his feet over the bed, walked to her dresser, and opened the first drawer.
“What are you doing?”
“Checking something.” He turned around, dangling a pair of her underwear. “Just as I suspected; you organized them by color.”
“And type,” she said, completely serious. “The thongs are next to the bikinis, which are next to the hipsters, and the boy shorts are at the far end. That way I don’t have to search for what I need.” Her eyes moved over him. “You’re the best-looking naked man I’ve ever seen.”
“Yeah?” Aidan cocked a brow. “How many have you seen?”
“Enough.” She winked at him. Dana Calloway had a flirtatious streak.
“Want to share a shower . . . you know, for the drought?”
“How civic-minded of you.” She laughed, letting her eyes linger on his erection. “Impressive. I’ll meet you in there.”
Aidan grabbed his clothes off the floor and started for the door. “Don’t make me wait too long. We wouldn’t want to waste water.”
After their shower, they sat on the back porch and ate. The temperature had cooled and Aidan got lost in the blues, pinks, and reds that streaked the sky.
“You have any luck on your case today?”
“Nah,” Aidan said. “Between you and me, I don’t have a damn thing.”
