Running From Fate (36 page)

In a last ditch effort to
regain control of the situation, she
pushed backward hard, hoping to
unbalance him, but she had forgotten that her heels made them the same height.
The thick ridge of his arousal pressed again
st the notch between her thighs and
moisture spread, soaking her panties.
She hung her head and fought not to move.
She was not
this person, she told herself desperately.
The cool, composed
Mira Anders
did not rip the clothes
off a man and have sweaty, mind-blowing sex with him on her kitchen floor
.  Unfortunately,
that wa
s exactly what she wanted to do, but h
e
had to know who she was first
or he might not forgive her deception.
“Stop,” she ground out thickly.  “There’s something
I have to tell you.”

“
God,
darlin
,” James groaned
as he pushed one of his muscled thighs between hers, easing them apart.
“Please don’t stop me.
I’m dying here.”
He hadn’t felt this desperate since he was a teenager and, if he didn’t get into her soon he was going to explode.
“Whatever it is
,
we can talk about it later
.  Just let me have you now.”

With a rough sound
he ran his hands up her torso
and shaped her sensitive breasts in his
hungry
hands.
He squeezed almost roughly, pulling an agonized moan from Mira.
She instinctively arc
hed back, rubbing her
body against his in a dance as old as time.

At the desperate
sound James
felt his
control
snap
and
spun her around
, fitting his achin
g body to hers
.
“Shit,” he muttered darkly
as he felt her soft breasts rub against his chest
.
I
t wasn’t enough.

Mira felt James’ hands move up her bare thighs, but she was way past protesting.
When his fingers locked in the waistband of her panties and pulled, she wiggled her hips, helping him dislodge the damp fabric.
The piece of black lace pooled at her feet and she quickly stepped out of it, kicking it away with a heeled foot.

She could hear James swearing softly as he struggled with his zipper
and, finally, tugged his pants down.
His naked
length
pressed upward against her stomach.
She cried out and locked her arms around his neck, trying
desperately
to climb
his body
.
Suddenly, his arms were supporting her, her
legs were wrapped around his
waist, and the
thick
head of his
erection
was pushing slowly into her. 
She
moved
slightly, trying to ease the throbbing pressure
.

Mira wasn’t aware that she was moaning and clawing at his back, but James was and it was driving him crazy.
He adjusted his stance and, with a low
growl of male triumph
,
plunged into her welcoming heat.

Her
body was moist and ready, but she felt full, stretched almost to the point of pain.
She shifted uncomfortably and tried to pull back.
“It will be better soon
baby
,” James promised her
in a voice thick with desire
.
He pushed her against the counter,
holding her still, and reached
between her legs.

At the touch of his fingers,
scorching pleasure shot through Mira
’s nerve endings
.  H
er body tightened urgently
.

Unbearably aroused by the rhythmic clenching of her body,
James
lifted her, pulling his entire length out, and slammed int
o her so fast
and deep
that she climaxed almost immediately,
her scream of pleasure muffled against his shoulder
.
His own body shudder
ed
heavily and he
came seconds later
, pumping into her as he felt his body splinter.

For a long time the only sound in the kitchen was their harsh panting while they both relearned how to breathe.
Finally, Mira laid her head down on James’ shoulder and let her legs relax their grip.
Before her feet could hit the floor, however, James kicked his discarded pants away and swung her into his arms.
With a slightly unsteady gait
, he crossed the living room and
slowly
climbed the stairs.

**********************************************
************

“Are you
awake
James?” Mira asked as she slowly sat up in the night darkened bedroom.
With what little light came through the windows, she could just make out the outline of his body as he sprawled on the bed next to her.

He mumbled something unintelligible and rolled o
ver, pulling the blanket off
her.

“You have to wake up,” she continued.
“There’s something that I really need to tell you.”
She reached out a hand, intendi
ng to prod him in the shoulder. 
His skin was too
appealing
and she
ended up running her fingers down his sleekly muscled back
instead
.
He grabbed her hand and tugged
, pulling her down next to him.

“Are you married?” he growled.

“No.”

“Then it can wait until morning.”
He yawned widely and rolled over, plastering her against his chest.

Slightly stung by his attitude, she scooted backward and yanked
the blankets out from under him
.
He moved suddenly and
she found herself
lying flat on her back
with
an
enticingly muscled
man
looming over her.

“I don’t know about you,”
he
said
in a sleep roughened voice
as he stared down at
her,
“
b
ut I’m exhausted
,
however
,” he continued as his gaze drifted from her face to her soft, full breasts, “if you don’t stop squirming around
I can’t guaranteed that I’ll let you get any sleep tonight.”

“Are you sure you have
enough
strength?”
she
purred
, completely sidetracked now by the renewed tingling that was spreading through her body.
After several energetic hours spent in
bed with James
she had been sure that her body was too exhausted for anything except sleep
.  Apparently
she had been wrong.

“I can’t promise anything,” he murmured as he slowly lowered his
head
, “but I’ll do my best.”

Mira
awoke
to bright sunlight flooding into her room and immediately squeezed her eyes shut.
Automatically, she
reached her arm out, searching
for
James
.  Her
hand encountered only cool sheets.
The prospect of getting out of bed and facing the consequences of her loss of control was not
exactly
appealing and
she
seriously contemplated snuggling under the blankets and staying there until James left.
Unfortunately, she would still have to face him at some point, especially since she worked with him.  Maybe
with memories of the passio
n
-
filled night still lingering
he would be
a bit
more willing to listen to her.
It was worth a try anyway
. 
Heaving a sigh, s
he
threw off
the blankets and climbed out of bed.

After using the bathroom and brushing her teeth,
she
contemplated the clothing in her closet and tried to decide what outfit would help her the most.
Should she dress in the attire of a confident, controlled woman or should she play up her youth
ful looks and go for innocence?
 

She was standing in nothing but a pair of lacy underwear when her gaze fell on James’ discarded t-shirt and an idea began to form.
Thinking q
uickly, she grabbed
it
off the chair
and pulled it over her head. 
The shirt was plain white and
, once on, it
barely
skimmed the top of her thighs.
When she moved, it clung to her breasts, maki
ng it obvious that she was wore nothing
underneath.
Considering the intensely sexual night they had shared, the attire would hopefully help distract his attention from the revelation that she was about to make.
Generally,
she
didn’t like using manipulative tactics, but this time she would make an exception.
The future of their relationship
and, she was coming to realize, her own
happiness
hung in the balance.

When she finally ventured down
stairs
she found the kitchen cleaned up
with no evidence left of their late night snack of cold lasagna.
A fresh pot of coffee sat on the
warmer
and she grabbed a cup before going in search of James.
She finally located him sitting at the wrought iron table
that she had recently purchased for her
patio.
The bright sunlight glinted off his bare back, showcasing his sleekly muscled strength and distracting Mira from her purpose.
Saliva b
uilt up in her mouth and she found herself drawn forward, her bare feet making little sound as she crossed the living room
.
She was almost at the sliding doors when she noticed that Jam
es held something in his hands.  He turned whateve
r it was and light bounced
, bringing it into sharp relief
.  It
was the locket that he had given her many years ago.
When her hand started to shake she bent down and set her cup on the floor.