Superb and Sexy (Sky High Air #3)(81)

“Oh, well, isn’t that nice,” she said with obvious sarcasm. “It’s nice to know you’re checking to make sure kissing me is as revolting as necessary.”

“I’m not…I didn’t…” He growled. “Can we just do this, please?”

“Twenty seconds and you’ll go away?”

“Yes.”

“Forever?”

“Absolutely.”

“Fine. Just get it over with quickly. I have a lot of work to do. And the fact you’re breathing my air annoys me beyond reason.”

Wanting this over as badly as she did, Van marched up to her, slipped his arm around her waist, and yanked her close against him. They stared at each other for a long moment and then he kissed her. Just like he had Athana earlier. Only Athana had been warm and willing in his arms. Not brittle and cold like a block of ice. Irene didn’t even open her mouth.

Nope. Nothing, he thought with overwhelming relief. This had all been a horrible mistake. He could—and would—walk away from the honorable and brilliant Irene Conridge, PhD, and never look back. Van almost smiled.

Until she moved slightly in his arms and her head tilted barely a centimeter to the left. Like a raging wind, lust swept through him. Overwhelming, all-consuming. He’d never felt anything like it. Suddenly he needed to taste her more than he needed to take his next breath. He dragged his tongue against her lips, coaxing her to open to him. To his eternal surprise she did, and he plunged deep inside. Her body jerked, her hand reaching up and clutching his shoulder. Probably moments from pushing him away. But he wouldn’t let her. Not if she felt even a modicum of what he was feeling. So he held her tighter, kissed her deeper, let her feel his steel-hard erection held back by his jeans against her stomach.

The hand clutching his shoulder loosened a bit and then slid into his hair. Her other hand grabbed the back of his neck. And suddenly the cold, brittle block of ice in his arms turned into a raging inferno of lust. Her tongue tangled with his and she groaned into his mouth.

Before Van realized it, he was walking her back toward her stairs. He didn’t stop kissing her, he wouldn’t. The last thing he wanted was for her to change her mind. He managed to get her to the upstairs hallway before she pulled her mouth away.

“What are you doing?” she panted out.

“Taking you to your bed.”

“Forget it.” And Van, if he were a crying man, would be sobbing. Until uptight Irene Conridge added, “The wall. Use the wall.”

Keep an eye out for Karen Kelley’s,

THE BAD BOYS GUIDE

TO THE GALAXY,

coming next month from Brava…

“W here’s your dress…” He waved a finger around. “Thingy…robe whatchamacallit?” He finally pointed toward her.

She raised an eyebrow. He didn’t seem to notice the clean floor. Disappointment filled her. She’d hoped for more. Silly, she knew. After all, he was an earthman and she shouldn’t have cared what he thought.

“My robe was getting dirty along the hem so I removed it.”

Her gaze traveled slowly over him, noting the bulge below his waist. It was quite large. Odd. She mentally shook her head.

“Your clothes are quite dirty. Once again, I’ve proven that I’m superior in my way of thinking,” she told him.

“You’re naked.”

She glanced down. “You’re very observant,” she said, using his earlier words. “Did you know there’s a slight breeze outside? It made my nipples tingle and felt quite pleasant. Not that I would be tempted to stay on earth because of a breeze.”

“You…you…can’t…”

She frowned, “There’s something wrong with your speech. Are you ill? If you’d like, I can retrieve my diagnostic tool and examine you.” He was sweating. Not good. She only hoped she didn’t catch what he had.

“You can’t go around without clothes,” he sputtered. “And I’m not sick.”

“Then what are you?”

“Horny!” He marched to the other room, returning in a few minutes with her robe. “You can’t go around naked.”

“Why not?” She slipped her arms into the robe and belted it.

“It causes a certain reaction in men.”

“What kind of a reaction?”

What an interesting topic. She wanted to know more. Maybe they would be able to have a scientific conversation.

Kia had only talked about battles and Mala had talked about exploration of other planets, but Sam was actually speaking about something to do with the body. It was a very stimulating discussion.

He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to kill Nick,” he grumbled. “No one said anything about having to explain the birds and bees.”

“And what’s so important about these birds and bees?”

He drew in a deep breath. “When a man sees a naked woman, it causes certain reactions inside him.”

“Like the bulge in your pants? It wasn’t there before.”

“Ah, Lord.”

“Did my nakedness do that?”

“You’re very beautiful.”

“But I’m not supposed to think so.”

“No, we’re not talking about that right now.”