Passionate Heat

by Rachel Kenley

  Her release was intoxicating to watch. She held nothing back, the pleasure in her face matching the joy he could sense running through her. Never had he experienced a woman so willing to fully give herself over to her own release. He continued for as long as her body would allow, and when he became aware her climax was waning, he slowed his movements to match and listened to the sweet sounds of her catching her breath.

  When several minutes of aftershocks had passed, he kissed his way up her body, savoring the heat of her skin. “You are amazing,” he said.

  “Funny, I was going to say the same about you,” she replied.

  When he finally kissed her lips, she wrapped her legs around him and held him close. He arrived feeling more shaken and unsure then he would have liked to admit. Less than two hours later, he was feeling content and confident, all because of the woman his arms.

  “I want more,” she said, against his lips.

  “Damn, I have no protection with me,” he said.

  “There are other ways I can give you pleasure and release, lover,” she said. She kissed him passionately, then slid out from under him standing and stood up. Her boldness and nudity combined was intoxicating. “Time for you to lie back on the couch.”

  Now it was his turn to moan.

  Chapter Seven

  Jillian had gotten good at giving oral pleasure during her marriage because she discovered if she offered that to Rob, she could avoid having intercourse with him. Tonight, however, she was excited to realize she wanted to do this for Miles and was thrilled she had the power to excite him this way.

  It had been arousing to be naked when he was fully dressed, but now she was ready to have his body against hers. She pulled his shirt over his head and licked at his skin, blowing softly to heighten the sensations he was experiencing. She loved the hair on his chest, decidedly more abundant than when he was a teenager. She decided to find out if his taut nipples were as sensitive as hers were. She alternated between sucking and biting gently and was rewarded with his moans of pleasure and encouragement. Emboldened by his reaction, she ran her short nails over the other nipple, raising gooseflesh on his skin.

  She pulled out her ponytail, wrapping the elastic on her wrist, and allowed her hair to cascade around her, adding to the sensations of her hands. Kissing and licking her way down his chest to his flat abdomen, she marveled at the visible signs of his strength. Defined muscles and two small scars were a new part of his torso. Tracing one scar, she asked, “What is this from?”

  “Barbed wire. Thought my uniform was thicker than it was.”

  She winced at the thought of him being hurt and licked at the skin there, a reminder of what he had been through during the time she wasn’t in his life. Reaching the top of his pants, she took her cue from him and teased the skin at the edge, trailing her tongue along the line of hair pointing the way to where she wanted to be.

  “So this is what it feels like to be driven crazy,” he said.

  She laughed and said, “Lift your ass.” When he did, she pulled off everything he was wearing and had her first chance to see his well-lit naked body. “Damn, you’re sexy.”

  “And you are good for my ego,” he said.

  “I’m going to be good for more than that.” She parted his legs, allowing one to rest on the floor, then leaned over and took the tip of his cock into her mouth. Breathing in deeply as she ran her tongue down the shaft, she found herself aroused by his unique masculine scent. He was thicker and longer than Rob, and while she’d heard size wasn’t supposed to make a difference, having been to bed with Miles the night before, she knew how wonderful he was when buried deep inside of her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said unexpectedly.

  “You are? For what?” she said, looking at him uncertainly.

  “For teasing you, because this is torture.”

  She smiled and licked at the head of his cock. “Isn’t it, though?” She returned to finding ways to torment him with her tongue and touch, including running her fingers very lightly over his balls when she took more of him into her mouth, which he clearly enjoyed.

  Hearing his moans gave her an erotic idea. Letting go of his cock, she looked at him and said, “Put one of the pillows behind your head.” He raised an eyebrow, but did as she said. She took the elastic off her wrist and pulled her hair back again. If he wanted to see her when she was excited, then perhaps he would want to see her when she was exciting him.

  As she took his cock back into her mouth, she was pleased to hear his, “Oh my God” of pleasure. She stole a glace at him out of the corner of her eye and saw him staring at her with hunger. It was wonderful to see him so turned on, since she had never been certain of her own sexual allure or abilities.

  Relaxing the muscles of her throat, she took him deeper into his mouth, continuing to swirl her tongue around his shaft as she did. Remembering how she thrilled to the combination of his mouth and hands, she did the same, wrapping her hands around the base of his erection as she continued to caress his balls.

  Now it was his turn to grip mindlessly at the couch beneath him. She saw him clenching his hands and knew his climax was rushing in, as hers had done. Increasing the speed of her movements, she concentrated on giving him as much pleasure as she could.

  “I’m going to…If you want to stop...” he warned.

  She didn’t. She experienced a flood of her own wetness as he yelled out her name and came in her mouth. She swallowed the salty sweetness of him and eased her suction to a gentler caress.

  “Be in my arms,” he said, and she gave his cock a final lick, before settling herself on his chest and between his legs. “Now, this is more like the times I held you while in my twin bed,” he said after a while.

  “I don’t recall ever having done that for you before tonight.”

  “No, I’d definitely remember, lover. You are incredible.”

  “I would happily say the same thing about you,” she said.

  They lay together for a few more minutes until he said, “If we don’t leave soon, people are going to notice ours are the only two cars in the parking lot.”

  “As much as I hate to move, you’re right. I’m certain we’ve given this town enough to talk about for one night simply by being seen together in the gym. I don’t suppose we should, pardon the expression, add fuel to the fire.”

  They put their clothes back on while continuing to kiss and tease each other. It took longer than necessary that way, but she didn’t care. Let everyone know. She was too happy to be concerned.

  The evening chill had set in and since she had dressed for the warmer daytime, she shivered as they stepped out. Miles rubbed his hands up and down her bare arms. “I’ll follow you home and make certain you get in the building safely.”

  “That’s not necessary,” she said automatically.

  “I know, and before you can say anything else, I am not doing this because I don’t think you can manage on your own. I know you can. This is solely for my peace of mind.”

  She kissed him, thanking him with her lips for understanding what she needed as well as what she wanted. They headed to their cars and it wasn’t long before they pulled into the parking lot of her condo complex. She wanted to ask him to come in, stay the night, but she sensed it was too early for that, so she settled for blowing him a kiss and going inside. He didn’t leave until he saw the lights in her apartment go on.

  * * * *

  Miles drove home thinking about her, smelling her on his skin, already aching for her touch. It was like tasting chocolate for the first time: once he knew what it was like, there was no way to have enough. They had given their virginities to each other years ago, but that night was sweet and tender. It was about love and innocence, and couldn’t compare with what they were able to share now. The last two nights were about a hunger and a passion a teenager could never understand, and the wonder of finding something which had been lost.

  What had started as the need to drum out the voices of the past ha
d become the desire to create something new with her. He smiled, thinking about she did to him. As wonderful as she made him feel with her talented mouth, he made a mental note to carry condoms with him at all times while he was here.

  As he got into bed, he thought about the wasted time when he and Jillian had been apart. Their lives would have been so different if he hadn’t left in anger. She might still be dancing. They could be married. And maybe divorced, he thought, because his wanderlust and anger at both the attitude of the community and the world wouldn’t have had time to go away. It was hard to admit that maybe it was better things turned out this way. Not when it came to her dancing, of course, but the time apart was necessary to become the adults they were today.

  Although as much as he was enjoying their new romance, he wasn’t positive he was ready to settle down, let alone in Glenway. He did know he couldn’t even have considered it ten years ago. However, he had been through enough during his time in the Army and as a civilian to understand the meaning and value of a second chance, both being given one and giving it to others. He couldn’t change the past, but he could certainly enjoy the present, which he had every intention of doing.

  * * * *

  The next day Miles woke wondering if sex was a good form of physical therapy. His dreams had been filled with images of Jillian, and when he stretched and got out of bed, his leg definitely ached less then most mornings. Maybe it was having sex with the physical therapist that did the trick. Or maybe it was simply Jillian.

  Miles’s meeting with Rob was scheduled for eleven thirty, and he planned to meet Charlie at the diner for lunch after. Unfortunately, a second tour of the three fire sites and trying to interview a few of the people listed as witnesses had left him frustrated. No one offered any helpful information. He wasn’t certain they had any, but if they did, they weren’t telling him. They were more interested in talking to him about his Army tour, his work, and what they remembered of him and his brothers growing up.

  After more than two hours of work, Miles had no more to go on than he did when he’d started. Even the tenants he could locate, whose offices had been destroyed by the third blaze, were reluctant to talk once they realized arson and Norman Wagner could be involved. That man still had more of a stranglehold on the community than he deserved.

  By the time Miles got to Rob’s workplace, which was considerably less spectacular than Norman’s, he was gunning for a fight. It wasn’t the right attitude to have, but he couldn’t help himself. He was ready to take his aggravation out on the first person who crossed him, and Rob was as good as – better than – anybody. He took a deep breath, counted to ten, and entered the office.

  “Just to make things completely clear, there’s nothing I can do to help you,” Rob said before Miles had even made it to a chair.

  Oh yeah, Miles thought, this was going to go very well. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, do you mean nothing you can do or nothing you will do?” he said, sitting without being asked, as he had with Norman. “I know you have a connection to these fires, and I want to know if this connection is the reason these buildings are being destroyed.”

  “Why would I want to destroy the old Tamworth barn? I pulled my bid on the building months ago because I decided on a different investment.”

  Finally, some news. “I wasn’t aware of your interest in the barn.”

  Rob paled. Miles wanted to grin. Give men like Rob enough rope and there was only going to be one result. “But now that you’ve brought it up,” Miles said, “why don’t you tell me more?”

  “There isn’t anything to tell,” Rob said slowly, clearly trying to decide what to say. “There was talk of the owner selling the land, and I was considering buying it to demolish the barn and build something new. I thought it was a good venture, but then I looked over the details and changed my mind.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Yes.”

  “So who else do you imagine would want to hurt Jillian and Norman?”

  “You think they are the targets? Why?”

  “Because their properties were hit next. The three of you and the sites are definitely connected, so if it’s not one of you, it’s likely someone who has something against you.”

  “Jillian’s building was new. Anything could have gone wrong there. As for someone who might harbor ill feelings towards Mr. Wagner, all I can say is there are always people who resent the success of others.”

  Including you, Miles wondered, but managed to stay quiet. “So you have no idea who might be behind these fires.”

  “I’m not convinced there’s anything suspicious for you to be concerned about.”

  “Well, since I’m the expert in that field, why don’t you let me decide?”

  A knock at the door had both men turning to find a woman of medium build with short blond hair. She entered before she was invited. Something about her looked familiar, but Miles couldn’t place her. All he could think was her smile appeared fake and forced.

  “Hi. Rob. I just came by to review some of the properties I’m planning to show…Oh, I didn’t know you were in a meeting.”

  Miles couldn’t explain why, but didn’t believe it for a moment.

  “Tanya, you may remember Miles Anderson.”

  “Of course I do. You’d remember me as Tanya Russo.”

  “Oh yes, hello, Tanya,” Miles said, shaking her extended hand. She was the woman who had seen him with Jillian yesterday, a friend.

  “I’ll leave these for you and come back for them later, Rob,” she said, putting a file on his desk and turning to go. “Nice to see you again, Miles.”

  “Likewise,” he said automatically. Nothing she said struck Miles as truthful, but he couldn’t say why. He also could have sworn he saw something pass between her and Rob, but it didn’t concern him. If Rob was seeing someone else, it was better for Jillian.

  “Well, since there’s no other information for me to gain here,” Miles said, “I guess I’ll be going too. Unless there’s something you’ve forgotten to tell me.”

  “You know, Anderson, you were a menace when you lived here before. I would think you wouldn’t want to go down that road again.”

  “A threat, Boxford?”

  “A statement,” Rob said.

  Miles started for the door, wanting nothing more than to be gone, but Rob called him back. “One more thing. Stay away from her.”

  He had an immediate sense of déjà vu. He had no more intention of listening to Rob’s command than he did Norman’s. Miles turned and looked at the man who’d made Jillian feel less desirable, less strong, and all he wanted to do was punch him. Of course, it would only prove Rob’s point about him being a troublemaker. He wasn’t worth it. Instead he answered simply, “You should know better than to say anything like that to me. After all, the Andersons brothers never do as they’re told.”

  * * * *

  Charlie was already at the diner when Miles arrived a few minutes later. One of the good things about a small town was it never took long to get from where you were to where you wanted to be. He waved to Fanny who came over with a soda almost as soon as he sat in his booth.

  “Twice in one day,” she said. “Now aren’t I the lucky one?”

  “No, beautiful, I am,” Miles answered. “What’s the special?”

  “Beef stew and…”

  “Your homemade biscuits?”

  “Absolutely, darlin’. One big bowl coming up.”

  “Better make it two,” Charlie said. She nodded and headed into the kitchen. “Twice?”

  “I stop here on the way to the station for coffee and whatever confection Fanny’s baked each morning.”

  “Nice way to start the day. Could become a habit.”

  “What are you suggesting?”

  “You should stay in Glenway,” Charlie said.

  Miles blinked. “That was more forthcoming then I expected.”

  “I considered hinting and beating around the bush, but it seemed like a
waste of time.”

  “I appreciate it, and the thought. It has occurred to me, I admit it, but if you tell Paula, I will deny it completely.”

  Charlie smiled in understanding. “It will be our secret as long as you keep me posted on your thought process and any concerns you have.”

  “Deal. Speaking of concerns, do you have any idea how hard it is to get information out of people around here?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I think my reputation still precedes me. No one will talk to me about Norman, Rob, or anything they saw before or during the fires.”

  “It’s not your reputation, son, that’s causing you problems,” Charlie said. “Believe it or not, you’re new to most people here, but Norm and Rob make people nervous. Wagner still has a fair amount of power and controls a lot of jobs. Rob is his henchman and therefore equally feared. It’s one of the reasons I brought you in for this. Once I realized all three properties had a connection to one or both of those men, I knew an outsider would have more success uncovering truths than I would.”

  “But I’m not a complete stranger.”

  “Which makes you even more appropriate for the job. You have a reason to care about the results. Maybe more than one.”

  “I won’t lie to you, Charlie. You know I would love to pin this on one of them.”

  “Yes, your objectivity is a little clouded, but I know you will do the right thing, and if it’s Norm or Rob, not only will you find the truth, but you’ll make it stick.”

  “That’s a promise I can give you,” Miles said.

  Their lunch arrived, and they talked less and ate more until they were interrupted. “Hello, Charlie, nice to see you about again.”

  “Thanks, John. Good to be out, at least that what Paula tells me. I think I may be driving her crazy. Taking a break from cafeteria food?”

  “Once a week at least. In addition to the better menu, it’s nice to eat without being interrupted.”