Holden didn’t miss a beat, quickly moving his arm to hold her securely in place. He even turned his head and nuzzled into her hair. “Well what do you know?” A short pause punctuated his cryptic comment before he added, “It was you all along. Every damn time I came here that scent drew me in, and it was you. You smell delicious.”
Mary Allison wasn’t often speechless but Holden had caught her off guard. She wondered if the crazy feeling in her chest was her heart thumping, but as soon as the man next to her rested his head against hers and gave her a little peck on the side of her forehead, she had confirmation. Her knees quivered and her heart swelled—what was a tiny kiss like that was supposed to mean? Such a gesture wasn’t very sexual but it certainly wasn’t professional either. She sat still and waited but Holden didn’t move in to kiss her again.
About the time that Jubel Early was uttering the famous last line of the series, Mary Allison’s tummy was turning in knots and a pins and needles lifting of hair on her arms had her bucking to enter the runway. Holden hadn’t loosened his grip on her but being stuck in a holding pattern was worse than being flat out rejected. If he had said he wasn’t interested, she could have started an argument, kicked him out, and taken care of business herself. Now she was pressed against his hard body like glue, with his body heat mingling with hers as his chaste touches drove her wild and turned the damp area between her legs into a tingling, throbbing torture chamber.
Mary Allison moved to stand up, but Holden held her in place, tightened his hold on her as he put his free hand on her knee. Her jaw dropped, and at that particular moment, the thing she was most thankful for in the whole wide world was form-fitting yoga pants and their ability to act as a conduit for pleasurable, tactile warmth. Mary Allison relaxed, allowing her body to melt into his.
“You mustn’t get up. The movie is starting,” Holden admonished while still working her leg from knee to mid-thigh.
Mary Allison’s lips parted. She struggled to think of something cute or clever to retort but only managed, “Uh-huh.” Everywhere he touched her tingled, and her heart pounded all the way up into her ears. This is crazy!
Until a few hours ago, she never dreamed she had a chance with Holden, and now he was less than an inch away, touching her and sending her hot and bothered libido into shock. She invited him over with sex in mind, but she hadn’t expected him to tell her how good she smelled or to be so easy to talk to when they weren’t focusing on work. She had imagined watching some TV, jumping the guy, and enjoying the one-time shot, consequences be damned. The idea of her fantasy giving way to reality seemed too good to be true.
Mary Allison hadn’t dated since she broke up with her ex nearly nine months ago, so naturally, she wanted to quench her thirst, but her body quivered and her rationality faded as Holden’s slipped his palm over the leg. As her stomach turned somersaults, Holden boldly slid his hand farther up her thigh.
Warmth filled Mary Allison’s loins as Holden’s touch lingered in the curve where her thigh met her pelvis, caressing her over the thin, black fabric covering her flesh and teasing the crevice created by the joining of her body parts. After realizing she had been holding her breath, she blew a long puff of air from her nose. Like a dream come true, Holden’s fingers fluttered over the triangle of cloth covering the rapidly dampening juncture between her legs. She whimpered as he applied some pressure against the soft, hidden folds, palming the area back and forth. She shook and shivered beneath his touch.
Her pale skin turned a warm pink as she stared straight forward at the television, vaguely aware she had been watching a movie but with her mind unable to wrap around any conceivable plot. She’d been too engrossed in what Holden was doing to her. His touch made her mind hazy. He used his middle finger, pressing downward, burrowing into the narrow crevice created by her two plump, fleshy lips and stroking her toward absolute delight.
The man’s dominant finger settled on her clit and nudged before swirling around over the throbbing button. Her breath caught in her throat before she pushed the air out on a groan. Mews and purrs followed even as she struggled to suppress the sounds escaping from her mouth. Holden’s talented touch had her squirming as her heart quicken. Forced out of her senses, she yearned for him to snatch down her pants so she could get some skin-on-skin action.
Under the blanket, Mary Allison moved her left leg to spread her thighs, sending Holden an unspoken invitation. She turned and pressed her forehead against his shoulder and he took the hint, inching his hand up to her waistband. His nimble fingers breached the elastic and slid down over her wet folds.
Holden repeated his teasing actions over her bare skin, drawing a loud moan from her lips. Impressed by his skill, Mary Allison rewarded him by murmuring his name while his touch sent a tingling quiver throughout her body. She had never noticed how large and smooth his hands were until they worked her flesh the way a gifted sculptor worked clay.
Leaving no virgin territory, he spread out to cover more flesh while
