Page 178 of No Headlines Please

I drew in a slow, amused breath. "It sounds to me like you like mustard just fine."

Sounding scandalized, she whispered, "Not on sandwiches, I don't."

"So the stain's what? Ketchup?"

She let out a tiny laugh. "No. It's not a stain at all."

"So, what is it?"

"Sorry, that's classified."

"Oh, yeah? Since when?"

"Since maybe…thirty seconds ago?"

I was still smiling. "So, when do I get clearance?"

Her voice warmed in the darkness. "After."

It sounded like a promise. "After what?"

"For starters, this." And then she kissed me, hard and hungry, like I'd been wanting to kiss her for hours – no, months. My pulse went into overdrive as our lips moved, our tongues touched, and her body pressed tighter against mine.

I slid a hand into her hair, loving the silky feel of it through my fingers and the little noise she made as my other hand skimmed the small of her back where the T-shirt ended.

Between kisses, she whispered, "I almost forgot. I'm supposed to be interrogating you."

"Oh, yeah? At this rate, I'll tell you anything."

Her tone grew teasing. "Anything?"

"Sure," I said. "And then I'll interrogate you."

"But…what do you want to know?"

"The shirt, remember?" I ran a hand leisurely over the fabric. "What exactly are you hiding?"

With something that wasn't quite a giggle, she whispered, "Nothing."

I kissed her again. "You realize, I do have ways of finding out."

Her tone turned smug. "And I have ways of stopping you."

"Do you now?"

"Yup." She pulled back, grabbed the hem of her shirt, yanked it over her head, and tossed it into the darkness. "See? Now you'll never know."

Heat hit me fast and hard. Never was a long time, but suddenly the shirt was the last thing on my mind.

I exhaled slowly. "Well, I guess you showed me."

"No, I didn't show you. That's the whole point."

"Now, you're gonna get it." And with that, I pulled her close and kissed her with more heat than restraint. When she kissed me back – really kissed me back – my pulse kicked hard, and I couldn't think about anything but her.

We were still kissing when we tumbled sideways onto the sheets. Our hands were already roaming as the kiss deepened, and our hips met through the thin barrier of her panties and my boxers.

Her bare torso pressed tight against my chest, and the feel of her curves nearly made me groan as her hands skimmed over my ass through the boxers. I returned the favor, cupping her ass through the silky panties as our hips met and shifted, not quite grinding, but getting damn close.