This Just In.... Jennifer McKenzie

sweaty yard work. She ran a hand down his arm, feeling the pull and bunch of his muscles. She’d go out and personally shake the leaves off the trees for him to rake if she had to. Followed by a lovely pasta dinner, which Noah would relish instead of looking at her with horror and ask if she was trying to make him fat.

      That he sat on the porch in the bits of dirt that still clung to the wood slats wasn’t lost on her, either. Sabrina was used to the urbanites who complained if dust gathered on their leather car seats. Not a single one of her friends in Vancouver would ever have jumped in to help clean up the mess of crushed blooms and broken pots. And they never would have sat down on the porch, not even if it had been freshly scrubbed.

      She curled against him. His hand rested on the nape of her neck, his thumb drawing slow, easy circles. Although the night was warm, she shivered. She thought they should stay here for a while. A very long while.

      Sabrina could forget while she was out here, wrapped up in his arms, in his taste and smell. Everything in her life that hadn’t been so great seemed less important.

      Noah trailed light kisses from one corner of her mouth to the other. So sweet, so careful, so unlike what she was used to. But when she urged him for more, pressing her mouth more firmly against his, trying to take the wheel, he simply continued at the slow, sweet pace.

      And to her surprise, she burned all the hotter for it. More than if he’d shoved his tongue in her mouth and tugged at her neckline.

      His cheek was stubbly. So different from the smooth, baby softness of her last boyfriend. And the way he smelled. Just fresh air and pine tree. Sabrina inhaled deeply, feeling the heat pool in her body.

      She turned her torso, trying to press against him, wanting to throw her legs around him, but unable to do so without breaking their lip lock. Oh, the tragedy of choice. Her fingers curled around his hard biceps, appreciating the strength hidden beneath the clean-cut shirts and tidy persona.

      Noah’s tongue darted out to touch hers, just a flick, a recon mission to determine if this was acceptable. Sabrina sighed. More than acceptable. Her body softened, molded itself to his while he stroked her face, her neck, her arms and shoulders, all while keeping up an uninterrupted appreciation of her mouth. He was barely touching her, nothing under the clothes, no intense grabs or grips and she’d practically melted into his lap.

      But it was like a tickle, creating a delightful itch beneath her skin, and this wasn’t enough to soothe it.

      A tingle skittered down her spine when he stroked down her neck and along her arm, stopping to play with the soft skin on the inside of her elbow. He caught her wrist and pressed a kiss to the same spot. Sabrina had never thought of the area as being particularly sensitive, but the shudders coursing through her said maybe she should pay a little more attention.

      Her breath escaped and she shivered against him, but not because the air cooled as the evening slipped fully into night. She didn’t notice.

      For her, there was only Noah. His hands holding her close, large and strong enough to wield manly man tools but treating her like her mother’s fine crystal; his voice whispering in her ears and across her skin; his lips brushing along her neck, the shoulder he’d bared and her lips.

      Her worries about her job, her home, her city life slipped away as easily as the sun.

      Sabrina rose, straddled him, then pressed a hot kiss to his neck. Noah’s fingers tightened on her hips as he pulled her closer and he groaned when she ran her tongue from his collarbone to his ear. She knew how he felt.

      But he didn’t grab her, didn’t thrust himself against her and grind their bodies together. Still so thoughtful, so controlled. Each movement a precise, choreographed scene created for maximum enjoyment. She wanted him to let go. She bit the tendon that connected his neck and shoulder. He inhaled sharply and stilled.

      Sabrina’s breath caught. Too far? Was he going to pull back, gather his thoughts and realize that they were outside and anyone might wander up the driveway?

      But then Noah’s fingers curved into her hips again, hard this time, and his body surged against hers. Definitely not too far. He gripped the back of her head, dragging her mouth to him.

      And the soft, slow pace changed, becoming harder and faster. Sabrina could feel just how much he liked it. Their mouths connected, teeth clicked, tongues tangled. He yanked the hem of her T-shirt up, exposing her torso to the night and cupped her breast. Her entire body seemed to scream yes and she couldn’t hold back a wild moan when he rubbed her nipple, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. She arched her back, no longer thinking about some random neighbor walking over.

      For all she cared, they could enjoy the show.

      She raked her hands through Noah’s hair, mussing up the precise part. The wood steps were digging into her knees, but she didn’t mind. Not when Noah was sucking on the side of her neck, his stubble raking her sensitized skin.

      So Mr. Mayor wasn’t really this calm and perfect persona he displayed to the world. Behind that cool blue gaze he was all pent-up emotion and hunger. She smiled.

      “Just so you know,” he said between love bites, “I was going to agree to the interview anyway.”

      “Hmm?” Sabrina heard the pop of stitches when he pulled the neck of her T-shirt farther away from her body. Why was he talking? She had a neck that needed kissing.

      “The interview.” His teeth scraped her skin. “This week.”

      She shuddered, letting her head loll backward. His hands held her hips firmly in place so she had no fear of falling, even if she stretched back fully. Noah was a man who wouldn’t let a woman fall.

      His kisses weren’t gentle any longer. They were bossy and demanding. She gripped the bottom of his golf shirt and tugged it off. Oh, he was just delightful under that preppy exterior. All hard muscles and cut abs. She let her fingers trace the ridges while she kept kissing him. His skin burned under her as though the outside temperature wasn’t even a concern. Sabrina pressed closer, wanting nothing between them.

      “Did you hear me?” he asked between hot, hard kisses.

      “Yes. Interview. This week. You and me. More kissing, please.” She didn’t care about the job right now. Just the man. This man.

      His body was warm against hers. She wanted to melt into him. To forget about everything but them for just tonight. And then his phone rang.