How about that? The fearless Mia Appleby, scared spitless by a silly little emotion which she couldn't even begin to name. Because that irritated her, she surged up, snatched the condom away from him, and tore it open. With her teeth. She knew he was watching her, felt him reining himself in. With a sexy smile, she pushed him flat to the mattress, straddled him, and protected them both. 'This'll have to be quick-
She was flat on her back.
Pinned by his big, tough body.
Unable to move an inch.
'I know you're in a damn hurry.' He danced his fingers up her side, then down. 'Always are.'
'Seriously. We have like three minutes left.'
His fingers glided over her hips, between her legs, and she jumped as if shot.
'I can make you come in three,' he murmured.
Damn it, that was true, but she didn't like that he knew it. 'Prove it, big guy.'
'Hang on then.'
She slid her hands down the sleek, hard, contoured muscles of his back and cupped his ass. Squeezed. 'I'm hanging on.'
'Good.' He nipped at her chin, her lip, and when she opened to him, he slid his tongue possessively to hers at the same moment he plunged inside her, filled her.
'Oh, my God,' she panted in tune to his roughly uttered 'Oh, yeah.' His hands fastened on her hips as he rode her just the way she wanted, hard and fast and well, his eyes locked on hers; and in that beat of time something happened, something deep and unexplainable, and when she came, exploded really, his name tumbled from her lips as she fell.
And fell.
She felt him tremble as he pressed his face into her hair and followed her over, and for the first time in recent memory, for the first time maybe ever, she clung to him hard, not in a hurry to do anything but be right here where she was.
With him.
Kevin was happily floating, his toes slowly uncurling, when he felt Mia sat up beside him.
'Yeah,' she said. 'Sorry. But you're still no good at that.'
Sprawled facedown on her bed, he didn't bother to move a single muscle. 'You are such a little liar.'
'Get up.'
'Already was,' he muttered into her pillow. It smelled like her, which he liked. Too much. 'But give me a minute and maybe-'
'I meant up off the bed.' She added a playful slap on his ass.
He cracked open an eye and leveled it on her. 'You're playing with trouble, woman.'
She laughed, and in one smooth motion he sat up, snagged her around the waist, then put her over his knees, smiling down at the view.
'You wouldn't dare,' she said with a shocked laugh, struggling to get up, wriggling all over the place, giving him more of the enticing, tantalizing peep show every time she scissored her legs.
He clamped his hand down over her bare ass and squeezed.
'Let me up,' she said on a laugh. 'Right this minute.'
'Or…?'
'Or I'm going to kick your ass-'
He brought his hand down, not exactly lightly, then traced the outline of his nice red handprint while she squirmed. 'You're going to kick my ass? Really?'
'Yes, I'm-' This broke off on a moan when he took his fingers on a tour between her thighs now.
'Oh, my God,' she gasped and opened her legs farther.
He dipped in, played for a moment, then sighed. 'We don't have time.'
She sat up. 'I knew that.'
He watched as she slipped her amazing body into her robe. 'You know what I think? You're crazy about me.'
She snorted, and he grinned.
'Yeah, that's right,' he continued. 'You're so crazy about me you need me to get the hell out of here before you admit the rest-that not only am I
Tossing back her head, she laughed, a full-belly gut laugh that stopped his heart.
She bent to pick up his clothes. Reflexes a bit slow from the mind-blowing orgasm, he didn't manage to catch his shirt before it hit him in the face. He was still pulling the material from his mouth when his pants hit him next.
'Hurry,' she said, belting her robe. She tossed back her hair and smoothed it down with her fingers, the mass obediently falling into place as if she'd spent hours on it. She slid one foot into a high-heeled mule, then looked around for the other.
Kevin slid his legs into his pants and kept watching her. He couldn't help himself: she moved in quick, economical movements, always the fastest, bestest way from point A to point B-even in bed.
It fascinated him, but he wanted to see what happened when she let go of that amazing control. He wanted to cause it.
Clearly, he was insane.
He'd promised himself he wouldn't do this again with her, and here he was. 'Hallway,' he said.
She had bent over to see beneath the bed, giving him a very fine view of her very fine ass. He wondered if his handprint was still on it. 'Excuse me?'
'Your shoe. Hallway. We left it there when-'
'Oh, yeah.' When she would have brushed past him, he caught her arm, pulled her back around. 'So,' he said. 'That was pretty nice back there-'
'Yeah, yeah. It was nice. It was great. Now we don't have time for the cuddle stuff, move it!'
He laughed. What else could he do? 'There's always time for the cuddle stuff,' he murmured and took the time to pull her in closer and kiss her softly. He could feel her jolt of surprise at the tender touch, the way her breath hitched.
She kissed him back, then stepped clear, licking her lips as if wanting to get every last taste. 'You have to go,' she said and shoved his shoes against his chest. 'They can't catch us-it'll give them ideas.'
He dropped his boots and stepped into them without bothering to lace them up. 'I think they've already got ideas.'
She went still and stared at him. 'You think they're having sex? My God, why didn't you tell me? We have to stop them.'
'I just meant that they're thinking about it. It's what teenagers do. At least teenage males. They wake up thinking about it, they eat thinking about it, they sleep thinking about it.'
'Don't tell me this. I don't want to have to kill that Adam kid.'
'Yeah. I just wish it was a different guy. Maybe Cole, who's a little screwed up in the parental department, but a really great kid.'
'No one's good enough for Hope.'
Again he stepped close, putting his hand on the bedroom door when she might have shoved him out of it. 'That, Mia Appleby, is the sweetest thing I've ever heard you say. I think she's growing on you.'
'Maybe,' she admitted. 'Damn it.'
'You're amazing to let her stay.'
'What was I going to do, throw her out into the street?' Again, she tried to get past him.
But he held on. 'Was there anyone there for you? When you ran away?'
'I didn't-' She broke off and looked away. 'Look, I realize that what we've done might have given you the idea
