Page 63 of Nightfire

She nodded jerkily.

He pulled at the tab, a slow long glide down her back, opening the two panels. Cooler air washed over her bare back. She was watching him carefully and noted the exact instant he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Her breasts weren’t large or heavy. She didn’t really need a bra. In the winter she wore silk camisoles and in the summer nothing, liking the feel of silk or cotton or linen against her bare skin.

His skin tightened over his high cheekbones as the back of his fingers ran down her without encountering anything but skin. His hand rested on the bare skin of the small of her back, a hot, exciting weight.

Head radiated from his hand throughout her body, banishing cold and even the thought of cold. Chloe was essentially in his embrace. She stood quietly, relishing every single sensation, simply soaking it up. The expectant hush, the soft sound of his breath, the heat of his hand, the aura of strength and sex that pulsed around his person.

Mike had studiously refrained from touching her these past six months, so this massive sense of power and heat was new. Welcome, disconcerting, exciting.

They were standing chest to chest, Mike’s hand on her lower back in the quiet bathroom, almost an embrace. He reached out without looking and turned a tap. The rush of steaming water broke the silence. He kept his hand under the stream, never breaking his gaze.

“How hot do you want it?”

“Hot, but not boiling.”

He turned the tap, then swiveled a lever that sent the water through the showerhead.

Both his hands were on her now. He gently brought the panels forward, sliding them off her arms, being particularly careful with her bandaged arm. Holding her gaze, he swiped at the dress and it fell to her feet.

She was dressed in panties and sandals.

Face tight, Mike stepped back a little and looked her over. Everywhere he looked her skin heated, as if he’d touched her with his hands.

Bringing his gaze back up, he whispered, “You’re so beautiful, Chloe.”

The way he was looking at her, she could have been Nicole Kidman and Angelina Jolie and even Nicole all rolled into one, only shorter.

“Thank you.” She lowered her voice as he did, as if they were exchanging confidences.

He stepped even closer. Then, without warning, dropped to one knee, as a knight would to his queen.

Startled, Chloe looked down at the top of his head. He had beautiful, glossy, thick chestnut hair that he kept fairly short. But from here she could see that it would be unruly if it weren’t cropped.

The bathroom light picked up a few blond highlights and some white hairs along the temple.

Her hand lifted, hovered over his head, unsure. Then—to hell with it—she placed the palm of her hand on his hair, ran her fingers through his scalp. The hair was warm and soft. A minty shampoo smell wafted up.

Something came out of Mike’s throat, a sound like a big cat purring and he moved his head under her hand, the invitation clear. He liked it when she touched his hair. She spread her fingers, curled them, letting the short strands tickle them.

Mike let out a whoosh of air. “I like that.” His voice was deep, almost guttural.

“I’m glad,” Chloe said simply.

He stayed kneeling before her another minute while she ran her hand through his hair then reached up and slid her panties down her legs, lifting first one foot, then the other.

Chloe moved her hand from his head to his shoulder, for balance. His hair had felt pleasant under her fingers, but his shoulder…well pleasant wasn’t the word for it.

She’d held him in her arms six long months ago, and it had been wonderful. But it had been so fleeting, so brief. She barely remembered kissing him, except in her dreams.

But now—ah, bliss. Steely muscle, pure male power flowed up through her fingertips, almost like a transferal of force.

Mike slipped her sandals off, but didn’t rise. Instead, he brought his head forward and nuzzled her belly. His face was warm against her belly. He had just a little beard stubble and it tickled against her skin.

He licked her, right next to her belly button and the tickling sensation morphed into a rush of heat so intense it was like a door opening onto a bonfire. He licked again, opened his mouth against her skin and bit, just a little.

Chloe shuddered. Heat was blazing inside her. He nipped again, just a little bite that sent electric sparks through her. When he licked the tiny bite mark, her vagina pulled, muscles clenching around an invisible penis. The pull was so strong her stomach muscles moved.