Feel the Heat: A Contemporary Romance Anthology

Harper’s jaw clicked audibly. “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. She turned back to him and drilled her finger into his chest. “You do not come in here and undermine—”

Deacon leaned down and covered her mouth. She jammed her fist into his gut, but he held on and was rewarded with her hot mouth devouring his. He smoothed his hand down her braid and cupped the back of her neck until she went up on her toes and allowed him to gentle the kiss.

She was strung tight and frustration radiated off of her like heat. He felt her shoulders ease, her spine melt, and then her sigh fill his mouth. Then he allowed himself to ease back and cup her face.

Her eyelids fluttered open and her wild blue eyes sparked with dampened temper. “You think you’re so smart.”

He shrugged and kissed the tip of her nose. “Normally I enjoy your temper, but we’re getting on a plane.”

She braceleted his wrists. “I can’t—I’ve got so much…” She looked around the room.

“Annie’s got it.”

“It’s not Annie’s responsibility. It’s mine.”

“Baby, you hired Annie on because she’s capable and can practically read your mind. If we don’t go now, she’s going to put you in the trunk and drive you off the bi-coastal.”

Her blonde brows snapped down. “She wouldn’t—” At his raised eyebrow, she shut up. “I haven’t been that bad.”

He kissed her forehead. “A week of recharging sex by the ocean. This is something we both need. Do you realize I haven’t been inside you in four days?”

“No, we…” she trailed off. “Wow, has it been that long? No wonder I’ve been a bitch,” she muttered.

Deacon laughed. “We’ve both been stressed and tired.”

She moved into him, looping her arms around his back. “I got a call to do a job.”

He stiffened. She really couldn’t turn jobs down unless she was already booked, but fuck. He juggled plans in his mind. Not that he’d made that many. He pretty much wanted Harper and a hammock for eight straight days.

She pulled back and looked up at him. Her lips bending into the brilliant smile that never stopped stealing his breath. “I turned it down.”

“I—”

Harper reached up and pressed a finger to his lips. “The fact that you were going to rearrange our honeymoon for me to work is pretty much all I could ever ask for. We need this, big guy. After Christmas it’s going to be insane with the studio and my schedule booked out through Valentine’s.”

“I don’t want you to ever feel like I’m putting my shit first again.”

She hooked her arm around his neck and dragged him down to cover his mouth with hers. The kiss was blazing hot and hard. The kind of kiss that usually left him naked in about three minutes flat.

Most of the time he could tell when she wanted comfort, when she wanted the long and slow burn of romance, and when she was placating him. But this kind of kiss usually came when they were alone. And it felt like it had been forever since he’d gotten a taste of this side of her.

He gripped a handful of her ass and pulled her tighter to him, hooking her knee up on his hip. They stumbled back against the wide island counter. It was enough to bring him back to the moment and the completely inappropriate timing. This was her freaking job. He tried to pull back, but she boosted herself up. Her strong thighs gripped his hips as she fisted his hair.

Surprise and lust tangled inside his chest and kicked hard. His fingers twisted into the apron strings at her back as he held onto her. His other hand supported her butt as she writhed against him. Eyes crossed and blood humming, he tore his mouth from hers. “Harper.”

Heavy lids lifted, leaving her blue eyes barely a sliver against the wide pupils. Her mouth was slick and berry red from their kisses. Instead of hopping down she leaned into him, her mouth hovering over his again.

“Lawless,” he whispered against her mouth. Chocolate and mint fanned along his lips. Already, her lids were lowering to take his mouth. “I’m going to kick myself from here to Texas for saying this,” he mumbled.

Her full lower lip went white from the pressure of her teeth.

“To hell and back,” he said again as her tongue swiped over the swollen flesh.

Harper tightened her legs around him. “There’s a pantry. Just five minutes.” She scraped her nails along the nape of his neck. Her breath came in a near pant. “Okay, seven. Ten tops.”

He wasn’t sure what had gotten into her, but he wanted every minute of those ten. Hell, he’d take the five. His cock was going show off the imprint of his zipper for the rest of the night. Things between them were always intense, but the light in her eyes was a little…more. He couldn’t explain it.

The reminder alert from his phone trilled. A moan traveled from her lips to his as she tried to drag him under once more. He rested his cheek against hers and hauled in a ragged breath. When she undulated against his belly, he had to gentle his grip on her ass. Fuck, he was going to leave bruises. She had him so goddamn wound.

Evelyn Adams, Christine Bell, Rhian Cahill, Mari Carr, Margo Bond Collins, Jennifer Dawson, Cathryn Fox, Allison Gatta, Molly McLain, Cari Quinn's books