Page 53 of Conspiracies and Chemistry

Then I leaned across the divide and kissed him.

I’d kissed him before, in Vegas and again in the supply closet, when it had been a desperate attempt to smother the sexual tension that glowed like a Bunsen burner’s flame whenever I was near him. But this was different. Gentle. Exploratory. Like we were mapping a new territory. His lips pressed against mine, firm but soft at the same time, moving like he was speaking lazily against my mouth. What was this kiss saying?I want you. I need you. But let’s take it slow.

It wasn’t enough for me. It was one thing to observe and another to act as a catalyst. I slid my hand up the side of his neck and tunneled my fingers into his hair. Then I pressed with my fingertips, pulling him closer into me.

He let out a quiet gasp, and I licked across his lips. His hands landed on my lower back and slipped lower to my ass, gathering me against him until I felt the press of his erection against my stomach.

Now we were getting somewhere.

I widened my stance, and as if he’d read my mind, he moved his thigh between my legs. I clenched his leg with mine until I had pressure right where I needed it.

Flinging my head back, I groaned at the pleasure that sizzled up my spine. He kissed along my neck, up to the tip of my chin, then across to my ear. His breath roared against it, making me shiver everywhere. I ground harder against his leg.

“You like that, huh?” He slid his hand inside my blazer and palmed my left breast over my shirt. As I pressed against his thigh, he scissored his fingers against my nipple, plucking it to a needy peak. It wasn’t enough, not with two layers of fabric separating his fingers from my skin, and I let out a frustrated grunt.

“Fuck, Tessa,” he whispered in my ear, “you think you can get there like this?”

“No,” I whined. “Too…many…clothes.”

“I think you’re wrong.” His words shocked me—I wasneverwrong, and certainly not about my own damned body—but what shocked me more was when he bit down on my earlobe. Simultaneously, he pinched my nipple hard enough that the sting radiated down my body and set off an earthquake between my legs. I let out a choking gasp.

“Let go, Tessa,” he rumbled as he kissed the spot under my earlobe.

And I did. My breath stuttered as my control detonated. Everything narrowed to that spot where I met his thigh until elation exploded through my body. He held me up, murmuring words I didn’t have the brain cells to understand into my skin. I sank into it, letting the climax ripple through me like raindrops into a pond.

When the waves stilled, I was in his arms, pressed against him from my thighs to my chest. He cradled my head against his shoulder, twining his fingers into my hair while his lips rested on my temple. I got the sense he’d been purring soft words the whole time, but I caught the phrase,good girl.

I was no one’s good girl. I was a woman, ten years older than the man who’d rocked my world with his thigh and a goddamn kiss.But damn me if my blackened heart didn’t give a silly flutter at his words.

I was sticky between my legs, so I dismounted his thigh, hoping my release hadn’t soaked into his trousers. I brushed against his hard-on, and he hissed. I’d show him I wasn’t a good girl. I set my hands on his belt and started to tug it free.

His hand landed on mine. “What are you doing?”

“Returning the favor.” I tried to shake off his hand, but he kept it there, stilling me.

“This isn’t that. Besides, we’re not having sex in my office.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll just blow you.” I tugged the end of his belt out of the loops.

“A blowjob is still sex.” He stepped back, out of reach.

“A handjob, then,” I said.

“No.”

I had to respect the line he’d drawn. But I didn’t have to like it. “You got me off in your office.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

He ran his hand through his hair. His glasses had started to fog where they met his cheeks. “It just is.”

“Fine. Good luck with that.” I tipped my chin toward the bulge in his flat-front pants.

“I’ll survive,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Then let’s go join the celebration in the lab. We’ll see if there’s any bubbly left.” I tossed my head, hoping I didn’t have sex hair.

---