Her Perfect Stranger

'Now, wait a minute-'

'In fact, I like that about you. You know what you want, you're not afraid to go get it, with the exception being, of course…me.'

She just stared at him. 'I think you inhaled too much oxygen on that last SIM.'

'And you know what else?' he asked her cheerfully. 'I even like that you're higher ranked than me.'

'You're a sick man, Mike.'

'Look, if you're worried about the people here, and what they think, this mission will be over soon enough, and then we'll both be reassigned for other missions.'

'What are you saying?' she cried, wide-eyed. 'My God, Mike, what are you saying?'

'That we should give in to what we feel for each other.'

She shook her head, so sidetracked she'd forgotten he still held her. 'But I don't know what I feel.'

'Then let's explore that.' Nibbling at one corner of her mouth, then the other, he slowly pulled back. Her eyes were half-closed, sleepy and sexy. Her mouth, wet from his, pulled into a pout when he didn't kiss her again, making him let out a laugh that turned into a groan when he looked down and saw her hardened nipples pressing against the fabric of her blouse. 'Cold, Corrine?'

'No.' Her voice was low. Almost harsh. 'Damn you, I'd almost stopped dreaming about you, almost stopped waking up hot and bothered.'

'Really?'

'No,' she said miserably.

Now he did grin, and when she saw it, she pushed him back, walking away. 'I need…air,' she said over her shoulder.

Needing some himself, he followed, but she stopped in the hallway in front of her office.

She stared at the door and he stared at her slim back, wondering if she could possibly be feeling half of what he was.

Turning only her head, she looked at him, and there was no mistaking her need, her hunger. Slowly she opened the door. Flicked off the light. Stepped inside the darkened room and turned to face him. 'I've obviously lost my head, but… would you care to come in?'

He moved so fast, coming in, shutting and then locking the door, fumbling with his jacket, that she let out a low laugh that was unbearably erotic in its sudden confidence. 'We're really going to do this?'

'Yes.' He came forward in the dim light shining through her slated blinds, to haul her close. 'Now kiss me like you did in my dreams last night.'

'It will help, right?' she asked. 'If we appease this…this heat now? Then maybe we won't implode on our mission, when we're locked in space together for ten long days.'

He didn't know how to tell her that he was beginning to suspect they'd always be this desperate for each other.

Always.

That word was a doozy. It went along with others, like forever.

And love.

Oh God. He needed to sit down.

'Mike?' Corrine nervously licked her lips in an innocent, artless way that went straight to his gut. And then his heart. And suddenly he felt strong, so very, very strong.

'Is this crazy?' she whispered, covering her face. 'What are we doing?'

'What we were born to do.' He took her hands and pinned them behind her, which left her body thrust against his. His voice was far thicker than it had been. 'Let's make love.'

'And get it out of our system.'

'Hmm,' he murmured noncommittally.

Corrine was beginning to wonder if that was even possible, but she couldn't think effectively with her attention so drawn to his wonderful, firm, masculine mouth. 'We really shouldn't. You know that.'

He drew her closer, but didn't kiss her, just held her until her entire body was throbbing with need.

'Love that,' he murmured. 'The connection. Can you feel it?'

'What is it, exactly?' she asked, needing to know. But instead of answering, he unbuttoned her blouse, unhooked her bra, pulling the material away from her body. Then he just looked at her for a long, long moment before slowly shaking his head in wonder. Touching a nipple with his finger, he watched intently as it puckered and darkened for him. 'So pretty.'

Silly, really, how just a few words from him could make her lose her head. 'Here, Mike?'

He smiled against her throat. 'Oh yeah, here. And everywhere.'

'What if someone comes?'

'Everyone is gone.'

Turning, she swept everything on her desk to the floor with one swipe, watching as the piles of paper hit with a thunk. 'I've always wanted to do that.'

Laughing, Mike helped her up, then stepped between her thighs. He undid her slacks and slipped his hands inside her panties, holding her bottom, pulling her close to a most impressive erection.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her face into his neck and breathed deeply of the masculine scent that had haunted her for months. With his big, warm hands he squeezed her bottom, then cupped her breasts, plumping them up, dipping his mouth down to taste, using his tongue and then his teeth until her hips jerked in reaction. 'Mike.'

'I know.'

'Hurry.'

'Take everything off, then,' he said in a rough whisper, and lent his own hands to the cause. In two seconds flat they were both stripped. Corrine had barely straightened up before Mike slipped his hands between her thighs, opening them wide. 'Mmm, you're wet.'

Yes. Wet and hot, and she'd made his fingers that way, too, the fingers that were softly stroking, over and over again, until she was arching up into him, helplessly thrusting against that hand. 'Mike!'

'Tell me.'

'Don't stop.' To make sure he wouldn't, that he couldn't, she closed her legs around him and that hand, shamelessly rubbing and writhing, desperate for more, for the touch that would send her reeling. 'I need to-'

'Then do it,' he urged, leaning down and drawing one nipple into his mouth, sucking it as he slid a finger inside her.

She would have fallen backward if he hadn't brought one hand to her waist to support her. Now that finger withdrew slowly-so slowly she thought she'd scream-only to dance over and over her with infinite, thorough patience. At every pass she cried out his name.

'Come for me,' he coaxed, his mouth full of breast, his fingers diving back into her. 'Come for me, baby.'

And she did. She exploded. Imploded. Burst out of herself. All of that and more, and when she could hear again, see again, she realized she had him in a death grip and was still chanting his name.

Mike was breathing every bit as harshly as she. Lifting his head, he looked at her, his eyes hot and dark, so very dark.

Cupping his face, she kissed him. 'We're not done.'

He smiled and sighed reverently, pulling a little packet out of his wallet.

Boldly she took the condom and put it on, not as easy a feat as she'd have imagined. By the time she was done, he was trembling and she couldn't get him inside her fast enough.

'No,' he said when she tried to pull him onto the desk with her. 'It won't hold us.'

The desk was old and rickety, and making loud, creaking, protesting noises, but with Mike stroking her halfway back to bliss, she couldn't think. He craned his neck and looked toward the shelving unit, making her laugh breathlessly. 'Not the shelves.'

Scooping her up, he started toward them anyway, and she wasn't so far gone that she couldn't imagine them collapsing to the floor in a loud heap that would bring the custodian running. 'Mike, no.'

He turned abruptly, and before she could say another word, he had her against the office door. She'd barely