Touch of Fire

by J. E. Taylor

  I am so completely screwed! I leaned back in the chair and pressed my hand to my forehead. Instead of just satisfying my curiosity, that kiss set the small fire in my abdomen to a blazing, all-consuming inferno. “Oh man.”

  His expression fell, but before he could speak, I piped up. “No, I’m...I’m not upset. I’m just so, so screwed because...because that was so much better than I imagined.” I stuttered through, trying to voice the flurry of thoughts in my head. A nervous laugh escaped. “You weren’t kidding when you said you were a good kisser.”

  The smile was back. “Neither were you.”

  I shrugged, shook my head and dropped my hand back to the armrest. The Billy Idol song “Rebel Yell” popped into my head... I want more, more, more! “At least my curiosity’s satisfied, but I’m not sure what good that’ll do me now.” I joked to lighten up the profound, overwhelming current between us.

  “Yeah, but mine wasn’t.”

  Ah yes, the conversation from last fall flooded back: he was a breast man and wanted a feel. I nodded my consent. Might as well get another taste of his lips while he satisfied his curiosity. Sweet again, and his hand was tender, lightly caressing through my shirt, enough to fuel my imagination and crave his hands on my naked flesh. Neither of us attempted to move closer, knowing that if one or both breached the space between the chairs, clothing would start to come off and an office cubicle was not the place for that.

  When he pulled back, his smile was reward enough.

  We stared, silent, and I wondered what thoughts were going through his mind. Me, I just wanted to jump the distance and say screw the consequences while Jake just smiled in that holy-crap-sizzling way he had.

  “Do you...” He swallowed and started again. “Do you think this will change things?” Only when he finished the question did his gaze find mine.

  “God, I hope not.” I sat back. His friendship meant a great deal to me, which was why I backed off last fall, letting him be the one to take the lead into the hotter topics most of the time. I didn’t always adhere to that, but I tried, because, although I was more than willing to take the chance, he wasn’t.

  Until today.

  And for the briefest of moments, I thought I shot myself in the foot. All I could imagine was him running for the hills and my heart actually stopped beating for a second.

  He rolled his bright eyes and twirled his finger, meaning the room. “No, I meant do you think they’ll figure it out?”

  My heart resumed, lighter than a moment ago, relieved. I shook my head. “As long as we don’t stop behaving like normal, I don’t think anyone will be the wiser.” And normal for us was always on the side of politically incorrect.

  He glanced at the ceiling. “Think there are cameras?”

  That made me laugh. “No, just the damn air-conditioning vent blowing arctic air on my desk.” I tilted my head. “You know, this is the first time I haven’t been freezing at my desk. I’m kind of grateful for that cold flow right now.”

  The slow grin formed again and smoothed out the worry lines in his forehead.

  “You know what else I’d actually like?”

  “What’s that?”

  “A hug.” Yes, a very sappy request, but I wanted to know what it felt like to be in his arms. I stood, breaching the distance, and leaned in to hug him. When his arms wrapped around me, damn, it felt like coming home and at the same time, I was acutely aware of the extra weight I gained over the holidays hovering on my hips and ass. I sighed and straightened, almost at eye level with him; my arms still rested on his broad shoulders. His hands slid down and gave my ass a squeeze. I felt the hot rush in my cheeks and I rolled my eyes. Grudgingly, I stepped away, back to my chair.

  “I should go.” He glanced at the clock on the wall.

  “Yes, you should.”

  A slight rosy hue crept into his cheeks accompanied by a crooked playful smile as his eyes went from the clock to me. “I should go,” he repeated.

  “You don’t really want to, do you?”

  The shrug and full bloom of blush confirmed it without the almost imperceptible shake of his head. “You know, with our luck someone would walk in.”

  “Probably.” He trembled just as much as me to contain the wild urge for ripping fabric and skin against skin. My eyes drifted to the nape of his neck and I bit back the need to run my tongue up the strong line to his ear. If I did that, there would be no stopping us, cubicle or not.

  Instead, I reached for the bottle of water behind me on the desk, cracked it and took a sip. “So, you really should go.” Unless, of course, you want to rent a hotel room downtown and I’ll skip the meeting. The thought didn’t make it past my lips; they closed around the words and presented a hint of a smile as I sipped the water again.

  He smiled and picked up his notebook, but did not move. I started stammering again, something about how much his friendship meant to me. I was painfully aware of the driveling but helpless to stop it. The alternative would leave us naked and panting in a nine-by-nine fabric box.

  Shut up!

  The command from my mind was ignored by my mouth, just like a little child ignores their parent. He, of course, had all the perfect responses to every benign piece of nonsense that fell from my lips.

  God, would I ever shut up?

  Dimples creased his cheeks and his lips curved into a suppressed smile. “I know what you mean.” His eyes drifted to the clock. “I really should go.” This time he stood.

  Damn it. Just ask him if he wants to take this somewhere else! You’re such an idiot! “Yeah, you probably should.” BECAUSE I’m a driveling fucking idiot!

  The Cheshire cat grin appeared and I pointed at it.

  “We’re both gonna be smiling like that for hours and you know the people I’m meeting will be wondering why I’ve got a shit-eating grin on my face.”

  His rich laughter filled the room. “Don’t smile like that.”

  “Like I can help it. I’ll catch you on Monday.”

  He nodded and gave me one last look. His chest rose as he pulled in the air and slowly lowered as he exhaled. “Have a good weekend.” And he was gone, taking the heat between us with him.

  The second the door to the hallway latched, the cold air chilled me to the point my teeth chattered. I wasn’t sure whether the quakes were from the air-conditioning vent, or whether they were the reaction to the sudden release of sexual tension.

  On impulse, I reached for the phone, but stopped before I touched the smooth plastic.

  I didn’t know if he’d be at his desk. I didn’t know if he’d agree to a hotel room and I didn’t stay long enough to find out.

  EMAIL BECAME OUR LIFELINE for conversations we couldn’t broach at work—triple x discussions. The ones that left me glad I wasn’t anywhere in the vicinity of where Jake was because I’m not sure common sense would prevail.

  Of course, he wasn’t quite as gifted with words as I am, but he made a valiant attempt. He explained everything he wanted to do to me with his hands, his mouth, his body, and left me hot and wanting even from thirty miles away. And I—I painted the fantasy in words, just enough to leave him wanting more. He always wanted more and for the life of me, I couldn’t figure out why.

  Why me?

  Why did he want me?

  I’m nothing special. Sure, I can write a romantic scene that leaves the reader breathless, but I’m not beautiful. I’m not super model quality. I’m more like the frumpy girl next door, the mousy one with dark hair and glasses, one step away from a lonely librarian with one exception: my nice, solid C-cup rack.

  So why?

  The answer surprised me.

  “You know when you first meet someone—there’s a spark, a connection there that you can’t ignore,” he said.

  “Like an electrical current?”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

  “Like two magnets pulling toward each other.”

  “Yes.”

  So he had felt the jolt, the inst
ant da-yem that overcame me when we first met. More directly, when our eyes first locked and created this irresistible attraction.

  IT WAS ANOTHER THREE months before the stars aligned again in the empty office space entombed by marble, and this time, the meeting was his idea.

  We stared at each other, me in perpetual motion, swinging the chair side to side to contain the sexual tension, and Jake—he certainly wasn’t looking at my face.

  “Is it rude to stare?” His eyes locked on the curve of my cleavage revealed in the low-cut dress I wore.

  “No.” I laughed. His gaze flicked to mine and then back at their objective. The dimples in his cheek deepened along with the blush.

  “I’d like to see more.” He met my gaze with a tilt of his head.

  I backpedaled; after all, we were still in the office and it definitely wasn’t after hours like last time. “Not here.”

  He swiveled toward the open door and then back to me. “If we closed the door...” He trailed off.

  I stood and closed the door before I returned to the chair. I took the seat again with a half-smile. I exposed my tan line, which didn’t involve moving the fabric of my bra. He looked at the contrast between the bronze skin and the stark white patch my bra strap bordered and then cocked his head further. “That’s not quite what I was thinking.”

  “I know. But we’re in the office and it’ll have to do.”

  His eyebrow rose and he stood. I followed suit and stepped closer to him. His height offered him a better view of my ample bosom, but it wasn’t quite enough. His fingers traced my skin at the edge of the fabric; he leaned over and planted his lips on mine.

  That sweet peppermint kiss claimed my breath, my body, my heart, and fanned my burning need into a raging fire. When the kiss broke, I stared into his bright blue eyes and sighed. My hand lightly traced his shoulder and arm and I could feel the nervous energy jumping in his muscles.

  “We’re in trouble, aren’t we?” It wasn’t so much of a question as an observation and his nod of acknowledgment did nothing to quell the desire. I pulled my hand away, breaking the physical contact, breaking the electrical connection before it swept common sense out the door.

  We stepped apart and stared at each other, remembering where we were.

  SLEEP HAD BEEN IMPOSSIBLE, and I thanked God I was working from home today. The office would have been excruciating, especially if we ran into each other. I wasn’t ready to see him yet; afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep the poker face or my hands in place.

  The drone of the people on the teleconference acted as white noise; my mind still honed in on his kiss. Memorable? Ha—that was an understatement. The doorbell interrupted the pleasant daydream.

  I carried the muted phone with me as I slid off the stool in the kitchen. When I swung open the door, all conversation was lost on me; their words became faint, foreign murmurs in the wake of who stood before me.

  Jake smiled at the sheer surprise on my face. “Hi.”

  I stared into his bright, humor filled eyes as detached voices called my name. I pressed the phone to my ear. “Um, uh, I’m sorry, but I, I have to go.” I didn’t wait for an acknowledgment; I just pressed the off button and stepped aside. The door swung open so he could enter. My eyes never left his.

  Taking in the two-story foyer, he stepped into the house and glanced back at me.

  I swung the door shut and finally found my damn voice. “Jake, what—”

  That’s as far as I got. He pushed me against the closed door and crushed the words with his lips. This time the kiss carried the urgency we felt yesterday in the office—hard, delicious, insistent—and his hands tugged on my sweater. Thank God I shaved my legs. The wayward thought brought a laugh to my lips. My hunger matched his, and I reached my arms around his broad shoulders.

  The kiss broke. His lips blazed a path to my neck. “Surprised?” The whisper of his breath tickled my ear and his teeth bit down on the soft flesh of my earlobe. I winced from the sudden sting, so different from the tenderness of his hand as it slid up under my sweater and molded to my breast. He chuckled at my reaction. He discarded his coat on the floor and navigated me toward the stairwell. His lips never left my skin for more than a second.

  He paused long enough to peel my sweater off.

  “Yes, very surprised.” I stepped onto the first stair as he tossed my sweater casually over his shoulder. The playful man I teased in the office was gone. This one—he had one goal in mind and I could see it in his eyes. And God, it thrilled me more than any of the less than innocent office banter.

  “Good.” He pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket and dangled them in front of me with a grin.

  Oh my. I answered with a grin of my own and took another stair. My fingers traced the dangling metal before I brought my gaze back to him. “Are those for me?”

  He shrugged and slipped his shoes off before taking the first step. “Perhaps.”

  Before he could move them out of my reach, I plucked the handcuffs out of his grasp and headed up the stairs. “You first.” I smiled over my shoulder, meeting his predatory gaze, and I led him into the master bedroom.

  He smiled at the four-poster bed.

  “Where are the keys?” I tossed the handcuffs onto the nightstand.

  He pulled them out of his pocket and swung them slowly in front of my eyes. A small chuckle came from his chest just before his arm snapped out, clasped my waist and yanked me to his chest. “Not so fast,” he teased, kissing me again.

  I almost sank to the ground; this was the slow, seductive kiss that took my breath away, and left my legs rubbery appendages. I was mesmerized to the point where I’d do anything for him. But I wanted to control this; I wanted to make it last, so I resisted.

  “Take off your shirt,” I whispered and pushed him away. I put my hand out for the keys and put them on the bureau after he dropped them into my outstretched palm. He stripped the midnight blue Oxford over his head and dropped it on the ground.

  The lines of his chest met my eye level and I ran my hands over his bare flesh. Skin on skin.

  “Anything else?” he asked.

  My fingertips throbbed in time with his heartbeat and I closed my eyes. I blew the air out between my lips in an effort to regain control. I stepped away long enough to yank the bedspread away. “Lie down.” I flashed him an innocent smile, picked up the handcuffs and dangled them from my forefinger. “On your back.”

  He chuckled and did exactly that.

  I knelt over him and snapped the handcuffs on his right wrist, threading it through the bar connecting the posts before attaching the other end to his left wrist. “My, oh my.” I ran my fingertips on the inside of each arm and tickled him lightly. Glee enveloped me, along with the power I now held over him. I could do anything I wanted. Anything. I laughed. “I could just leave you here, you know,” I teased, barely grazing his lips.

  He let out a soft laugh, but there was a moment of doubt, a shadow cast over his sapphire eyes that asked She wouldn’t dare, would she? He was at my mercy and suddenly wasn’t sure about letting me have this much control.

  “What? You don’t trust me?” I sat up on my heels and straddled his stomach.

  He shrugged. “I let you chain me to the bed.”

  “And now I’ve got all the control. Lucky me.” I found the sweet curve of his lips, before I slipped off the bed. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Where are you going?”

  I turned at the doorway and met his gaze. “I’ll be right back, I promise.”

  The deep emerald satin slip felt good on my hot, aching skin. I grabbed a satin slash off one of the bathrobes hanging in my closet and crossed the threshold, dangling it in a grand spectacle as I entered the room. “Blind fold,” I said to his questioning eyes.

  He raised his eyebrows. “You’re kidding.”

  “Does that bother you?”

  His eyes darted from me to the fabric in my hand, undecided on how to answer. “Kinky as hell, but honestly
, the practical application makes me nervous.”

  “I promise I won’t bite.”

  The smile betrayed him. Kinky won out.

  I folded the sash in half, knelt over him again and quickly tied it in place to blind him. I had to take a deep breath to keep my hands from shaking with anticipation as I slid them down his chest. My fingers traced his skin from nipple to belly button and sank lower until I reached his belt buckle. He inhaled as I ran my finger along the waistband, teasing, playing him like a concert violin.

  The jeans peeled off along with his underwear and I took a moment to relish him. My heart pumped in my chest and brought heat to every crevice of my skin. I ran my hands up his legs. “What exactly do you want me to do?”

  “You already know what I want.”

  I straddled him; the satin of my slip grazed his skin as I leaned over and flicked his lips with my tongue. An idea shot into my head, one that would turn the kink up a notch. “Hot or cold?” I whispered in his ear. I slid my tongue along the line of his neck I craved. The move I didn’t do in the office elicited the response I thought it would.

  “Jesus.” He whispered and his chest and arms broke out in vague bumps—the result of the chills I sent through him.

  “Hot or cold?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Do you want hot or cold?” I moved down to kiss his chest.

  “Hot.”

  “Hot it is. I’ll be right back.” I hopped off the bed, leaving him tied and blind.

  He let out an exasperated laugh. “Hey, where you going?” he called as I descended the stairs. “Kara?”

  It only took a couple of seconds to heat up the bottle I grabbed out of the refrigerator. The floor creaked when I stepped into the room and I couldn’t help the evil chuckle that escaped. I was going to have so much fun with him!

  “What do you have?”

  “Something sweet.” I crawled onto the bed next to him, tipped the container over his chest, and squeezed a drop.

  He winced when the heated liquid hit his skin and the sweet smell overpowered the room. “That’s hot.”