Hot & Bothered. Kate Hoffmann

ELECTRIC FAN whirred on Libby’s bedside table but did nothing to dispel the heat in her bedroom. She lay unmoving on the bed, her arms and legs splayed, the sheets tossed aside. She thought about turning on the old air conditioner, but it made so much noise that she’d never get to sleep. And sleep would be her only relief from the thoughts that plagued her mind.

      A tiny breeze fluttered at the curtains and Libby sighed softly, then rolled onto her stomach. She’d been trying to sleep for nearly three hours and was just a few minutes short of giving up completely.

      “Damn him,” she muttered, punching her pillow. “Damn that Trey Marbury.”

      Libby was loath to admit what had been keeping her awake, but that didn’t stop her mind from wandering into inappropriate territory—namely Marburyland. From the moment he’d moved in next door, she’d vowed to maintain her distance. It had taken her years to get over him the first time and she wasn’t going to go through that again.

      She touched her lips as she remembered how it felt to kiss him. There had been times in the past when she’d thought back to the night they spent at the river, the passion they’d shared. But a simple kiss in the here and now was enough to make all those memories pale in comparison.

      A shiver skittered down her spine. If only the moment had been repugnant or disgusting, then maybe she wouldn’t be faced with a long night spent thinking about Trey. But the way he had pulled her into his embrace, the way he’d taken possession of her mouth and shattered her resistance…she wanted to hate him for the power he held over her, but instead, Libby was drawn to him, intrigued by desire she couldn’t control.

      She rolled over again and closed her eyes, but the images wouldn’t go away, and this time, they didn’t stop with just a kiss. Libby imagined his hands on her body, brushing aside her nightgown, searching for bare skin. He’d cup her breast, smooth his thumb over her nipple and tease it to a peak.

      A tiny moan slipped from her throat as desire twisted at her core. His touch wouldn’t be gentle or tentative. He’d know how to make her ache, how to make her shiver and writhe. And when his fingers weren’t enough, he’d use his tongue and his lips to drive her wild.

      Libby rubbed her stomach with her palm, tempted to satisfy the ache herself simply to get Trey Marbury out of her head. It wasn’t him she wanted, Libby rationalized. She’d just been without a man for such a long time…it was about pure desire. It had nothing to do with how he made her feel.

      With a low curse, Libby clenched her fists and pounded them into her pillow. He wasn’t going to make her want him again. Tomorrow morning, she’d wake up and she’d forget he lived next door. She’d go on about her life without reliving the kisses they’d shared, without rewinding their conversations.