Passionate Heat

by Rachel Kenley

  The breath left his body. Looking into her eyes, seeing her below him, trusting and eager was more exciting than he ever anticipated. No fantasy of the last ten years could compare. Bending his head, he took her mouth with his and slid himself deep within her.

  He thought she might have moaned, but he couldn’t hear her above his own. She was hot, tight, and fit him beautifully. He was surrounded by her and the feeling was electrifying. He stayed as he was for a little longer, allowing her body to adjust to him, and then he began to move inside her.

  “Oh God, Miles. I can’t believe how wonderful you feel. How right.”

  “You are perfect to me,” he said, and bowed his head to suckle her breasts, earning him a gasp of delight and the arching of her back, which only drove him more fully within in her. Clearly it gave her as much pleasure as it gave him, because she wrapped her legs around him, allowing him to get deeper still.

  “I want all of you,” she said huskily.

  “If you keep moving against me the way you are, I won’t last long.”

  “Then don’t. Don’t hold back. Allow me to give you the pleasure you brought me,” she said and lifted her hips to take every inch of him. Her eagerness – not to mention her flexibility – was driving him to distraction.

  This was something he had wanted, ached for, for so long, there was no way he was going to be able to take his time. Deciding to give in to all she was doing to him, he picked up his pace, plunging into her and relishing every moan that escaped her lips.

  “Jillian,” he groaned. “My Jillian.” And his climax was upon him, ripping through his body, coursing through his muscles, enveloping him in a passion he never thought possible. He crushed her lips in a bruising kiss as she met his every thrust, taking his cock to the hilt, wetting him with her excitement and pleasure. He knew without a doubt nothing had ever felt this good.

  When he was able to breathe again, he rolled to the side and pulled her close, continuing to kiss her as his heart rate returned to normal. If anyone had told him that only a day after his arrival in town he would be in bed with the only woman he had ever loved, he would have told them they were delusional. Yet, here he was naked and wrapped around Jillian as if no time had passed since the last and only time they had made love. True, neither one of them was as sure about their feelings now as they had been then, but he couldn’t ignore all she was stirring up in him, emotionally as well as physically.

  She kissed his neck and pressed herself closer to him. “God, you feel good,” she said.

  “At the moment I feel great, thank you very much.”

  She laughed softly. “Me, too. This really wasn’t what I was planning on when I came over tonight.”

  “No? Now I’m hurt. I thought you came over with the intention of seducing me.”

  She swatted at his chest, and then pushed herself up to look at him. “I got in my car intending to go home. I was halfway here before I realized it, and when I did, I considered turning back.”

  He pulled her in for a kiss. “I’m glad you didn’t.”

  “Me, too,” she said snuggling against him. “This is wonderful. No curfew. No one to worry about finding out. Just us.”

  She was right. This was the first time they had been together without any sort of concern or threat hanging over their heads. As great as it was, however, it was still very new, and neither the past nor the reason for his return to Glenway could be completely ignored.

  “I need to tell you something about the fires,” he eventually said, “and I need you to be okay with it.”

  “I’ll do what I can, but I’ve learned not to make promises first.”

  “Smart girl,” he said. He sat up in bed and kept her close. “From what I have been able to determine in the last day, the fires currently only have three people in common: you, Rob and your father.”

  “What did they have to do with the old barn?”

  “Not a lot, although Rob did put in a bid on the land not long before you filed for divorce.”

  “I had no idea,” she said, then added, “Of course, neither Rob nor my father talked business with me. It wasn’t a woman’s place to be involved with that.”

  “Sarcasm duly noted.”

  “You don’t think I had anything to do with the fires, do you?” She sat up and away from him.

  “No, I don’t. As much as I know you might want to hurt Rob or your father, you wouldn’t do something like this. Besides, my gut is telling me your business was the key fire, the one the arsonist intended all along. Neither your father nor Rob wanted you to have the place because it was part of your independence from them.”

  “I’d like to say I can’t imagine either of them doing such a thing, but the truth is, I can imagine it all too well.”

  “If you’re the target, you need to be careful. Is your current home safe?”

  “It’s in one of the condo buildings near the ski slopes. Everything is new and up to code.”

  “I may check it out at some point.”

  “I have no problem with that,” she said playfully. “What’s your next step?”

  “I’ve scheduled meetings with both your father and Rob.”

  “That should be so much fun. You could interrogate me if you want. Who knows? I could crack under pleasure.”

  “Now, that’s an intriguing offer. I wonder how I could get the information out of you.”

  All he got out of her for the next two hours was another orgasm.

  * * * *

  Miles knew Norman was going to make him wait. He brought coffee and a sweet roll from Fanny along with him and made himself comfortable with the local paper in the sparse waiting area. Not surprisingly, he was done with the baked good and halfway through his coffee when the secretary told him Norman would see him now.

  He walked into an office designed to impress and intimidate. There was a time in his life when it would have had an effect on Miles, but after being in the company of generals and other men who deserved respect instead of demanding it, he wasn’t fazed.

  “Good morning, Mr. Wagner. Thank you for taking the time to see me.”

  “Cut the crap, Anderson,” Norman said, placing both hands on the oversized desk in front of him and knitting them together. “You’re here about the fires. I don’t want to see any more of my properties destroyed, so I’m cooperating.”

  Miles sat in the chair across from Norman and got a perverse kick out of seeing the man’s nostril flare at the liberty. He knew he’d never get an invitation, and decided to make himself comfortable for what would likely be a short meeting. “There is reason to suspect the three recent fires were set intentionally.”

  “You saying we’ve got an arsonist in Glenway?”

  He nodded. “It’s what both Charlie Monroe and I believe. You owned the building destroyed by the most recent fire, correct.”

  “You know damn well I did, boy. Everyone around here does, including, I assume, the asshole who did it. If there’s someone out there doing this, you’d better find them.”

  “That’s my intention. Did you have any connection to the other two fires besides the fact Jillian owned the property destroyed by the second one?”

  “You think me and mine are the targets?”

  Miles didn’t, but he knew the man in front of him had few allies and few friends in this town. “It could be, but it is only one theory. I’m working on getting proof. Were you connected to her business or the barn?”

  “No.”

  Miles waited in case Wagner wanted to elaborate. He didn’t. “As much as you know I hate saying this, Mr. Wagner, one of the reasons Chief Monroe began to suspect arson was because your buildings are well maintained, and on the rare occasions when there has been a fire, he’s never seen one spread as quickly through any of your properties.”

  Norman looked momentarily flustered by the compliment, then shook it off. “I take care of what’s mine.”

  Miles knew there was a double meaning in there. “The third fire wa
s so complete in its destruction that the Chief thought it must have been set deliberately, which was when he began to review the previous fires. Is there anyone you can think of who might want to hurt you or Jillian?”

  “I know there are some people who don’t like the success I’ve had or some of the changes my buildings have caused.”

  “Any names come to mind?”

  “No,” Norman answered quickly.

  “I’d appreciate it if you take the time to consider my question, Mr. Wagner.”

  “And I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t take up my time at all, but we can’t always have what we want.”

  “Very well. If another one of your properties is hit, you can explain to your insurance carriers how you didn’t cooperate with the investigation when you were given the opportunity.”

  Miles thought he heard Norman growl. “Very well, I’ll make up a list and have it sent over to the fire station.” He broke eye contact with Miles and began to sift through some papers. Clearly, the meeting was over.

  The sound of Charlie telling him to be the better man rang in his head, so he offered a polite, “Thanks again for your time.” There was no answer. Miles got up and headed for the exit.

  “One other thing, Anderson,” Norman said when he was almost at the door.

  As he turned, Miles braced himself. He knew what was coming. “Yes?”

  “Stay away from my daughter.”

  “I appreciate the warning, Mr. Wagner, but Jillian’s a grown woman and free to make her own decisions.”

  “She is not free. She’s married.”

  “From what she told me, that status changed three weeks ago.”

  Norman slammed a fist and bellowed, “What?”

  “Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but I saw Jillian yesterday. She’s an excellent physical therapist, by the way,” he said. And great in bed, he thought. “We got to talking, and she mentioned her divorce was final.”

  Norman said nothing. Maybe it was petty, but Miles felt good to be the one to give the man this information. “You’ll need to talk to her or your ex-son-in-law for any more details. Certainly, it’s none of my business.”

  “You may leave now.”

  Miles gave a brief nod and did.

  * * * *

  Jillian felt as though she were gliding through her day on a high of sexual energy. Rob had never spent the kind of time Miles did touching and pleasing her, not even in the early days of their marriage. She never imagined she could be so turned on or experience an orgasm like the one she had last night. Orgasms. There had been more than one, she reminded herself with a smile.

  “Knock knock,” Tanya Ellsworth said as she entered Jillian’s office without really knocking. “Free for lunch?”

  Jillian looked up and smiled at her friend. There weren’t many people in her life she saw regularly, but she and Tanya got to know each other through the men in their lives and their friendship had lasted longer then their respective marriages.

  “I’m free and starving,” Jillian said, closing the file on her desk and shutting off her computer. She wondered if great sex was part of the reason she was this hungry. “How about the Japanese place over on Maple Street? I’m in the mood for one of their noodle soups.”

  “Sounds good and warm. You’d think I’d be used to cool days in April since I’ve lived her all my life, but I still find myself shivering on days like today.”

  “Must be from too many years on top of a cheerleading pyramid and wearing a short skirt in the cold.” Tanya had been captain of the varsity squad and her future ex-husband was a star player alongside quarterback Rob. Jillian remembered envying Tanya’s popularity and ease with people back then. At times she was surprised they were friends now, when they spoke very little in high school. “You just haven’t warmed up yet.”

  Tanya smiled and said, “Could be. Maybe I should be selling vacation homes in Florida.” Tanya was in residential real estate and Jillian knew she worked with Rob on sites Wagner Properties owned.

  “Oh, you’d miss the snow and skiing.”

  “Probably. Still,” she continued as they walked out of Maximum Results and into the brisk afternoon, “there are days when I think about those times in high school, and I wonder how I ended up leading this life.”

  “I don’t know if anyone ever ends up doing what she imagined.”

  Tanya put her hand on Jillian’s shoulder. “Oh, honey, I’m sorry. That was stupid of me. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “It’s all right,” Jillian said as they continued walking. She gave Tanya a reassuring smile. “I’ve thought the same thing more times than I can count, and I still don’t have answer.”

  “I’ll tell you one thing, though, once Mom is settled in the assisted living home, I am seriously going to consider a change. Then someone can find me a vacation place here for a few weeks a year.”

  “What about your sister and her daughter? Won’t you miss them?”

  Tanya shrugged. “Stacy and I both need to find new lives. We can’t rely on each other forever. Besides, you’re closer to Courtney than I am.” Tanya’s twelve-year-old niece was studying with Jillian on a near-daily basis to become a dancer. “It may sound selfish,” Tanya continued, “but I’m tired of having to be Patty’s responsible daughter and Stacy’s big sister. When is it my turn?”

  Jillian wished she didn’t understand how Tanya was feeling, but she did, and the feeling of empathy left her speechless. She was finally gaining some independence when her business was nearly built and her divorce final. But the fire had delayed one part of her plan, and Miles being back in town put her emotions on a roller coaster she was helpless to stop. Not that she wasn’t happy about reconnecting with him – in so many ways – but it was still scary in its newness and uncertainty.

  Tanya broke into her thoughts. “Doesn’t wishing things could be different ever drive you crazy?”

  These were the moments missed the solitude of her office lunches. Even though Tanya had apologized only moments before for bringing up difficult memories, she continued to plow deeper into thoughts Jillian worked hard not allow into her mind. It was the only way to move forward or even get out of bed on some days. As much as she wanted to ask Tanya to change the subject, Jillian knew it wasn’t meant to be about her, so she simply said, “Sometimes it does, but it sounds like you have a plan to change things.”

  “I do, and it’s definitely coming together, but patience isn’t one of my virtues. I just want to feel on top again.”

  “Then I’m sure you will,” Jillian said with a smile as she opened the door to one of Glenway’s newest restaurants. She didn’t like all the changes the town had made to accommodate tourists, but the increased selection of places to eat was one she enjoyed and tried to take advantage of.

  They were greeted by a petite Asian woman with a traditional Japanese up-do and the warm smells of soups and tempura batter. Jillian’s mouth watered. “Do you have shumai today?” she asked the waitress, who came over immediately with water and green tea. She had a sudden craving for the tiny steamed seafood dumplings.

  “Yes, Ms. Jillian, I shall bring you some right away. On the house. It would be a pleasure.”

  “What was that about?” Tanya asked with a raised eyebrow as she opened her menu.

  “She’s the owner’s daughter. Her grandmother had a fall this winter and needed physical therapy.”

  “You’re so helpful. If you ever left, what would this town do?”

  Uncertain of the tone she heard in Tanya’s voice, she didn’t answer and stared at her menu instead.

  “Of course,” Tanya said, ignoring the silence, “with your divorce final and needing to practically rebuild your business from scratch, this could be the perfect time to consider a fresh start somewhere else. No more old memories to hold you down.”

  Jillian stared at Tanya wordlessly. Truthfully, she had thought about it, but hadn’t said anything to anyone. She was saved from having to answer when
the shumai arrived. The women placed their orders; Jillian for a soup with udon noodles, vegetables and chicken, and Tanya for a tempura bento box.

  As she sipped her tea, Tanya said, “So, I saw you with Miles Anderson yesterday. You two looked pretty cozy. Tell me, anything new happening there?”

  It was going to be a long lunch.

  * * * *

  Jillian got back to the gym as quickly as she could. She didn’t have a client until three, but an hour of dodge-the-questions with Tanya had been exhausting. Normally, the two women talked about books, movies, and other people. Today’s conversation had been too intimate for Jillian, especially coming so soon after spending time in Miles’s bed.

  She changed into her dance clothes and slipped into the studio to warm up. Her thoughts were clearest when she was moving. Plugging her iPod into the speaker set, she put on the renaissance music of Blackmore’s Night and began to warm up.

  As she was stretching, sore muscles in her thighs reminded her of what she and Miles shared the night before, and she couldn’t stop a smile. For years she lived by other people’s rules, schedules, and expectations of her. She was tired of depending on others for her happiness and well being. She was ready to take responsibility for herself.

  Although a small part of her rebelled at the thought of starting a relationship while she was striving so hard to stand on her own, she couldn’t deny how wonderfully right it was to be in Miles’s arms – and his bed. His tenderness and passion watered a long dry part of her soul, and the pleasure she experienced with him was more than any she had enjoyed before. Last night was easily one of the best of her life, and she couldn’t deny she wanted to be with him again.

  And when he leaves? a voice said in Jillian’s mind. What then?

  She stopped dancing, focusing on the thought as she closed her eyes and listened for an answer. None came.