A Shot of Red by Tracy March Page A

physical right now, and the promise it held had him tense with desire.
    Mia took off her boots, then unbuttoned her coat and laid it across a chair. He silently did the same. Taking hold of his hand, she led him beyond the open living area, down the hall and into her large bedroom. A lone accent light cast a gauzy haze on the king-size bed strewn with decorative pillows, giving it a dreamlike quality. Everything else in the room was of little interest to him right now, except her.
    He pulled her toward him, unable to wait a second longer to kiss her again. His need for her was urgent, but he wanted to make this last. She kissed him as if she did, too—slow and sensuous, and simmering with secrets she was about to reveal.
    Mia drew away from him. He stood mesmerized as she unbuttoned his plaid shirt with her long, delicate fingers and took it off of him. Being undressed by a woman like her was a rush that went straight to his cock. She sensuously smoothed her hands down his black T-shirt. Tensing his pecs beneath her touch, he was thankful for every stolen second he’d spent at the boxing gym, punching the bag and pressing the weights.
    She untucked his shirt from his jeans, peeling it upward until he took over and pulled it over his head, tossing it aside. Her sultry, curious gaze wandered up his torso, and she met his eyes, a small, satisfied smile showing that she approved. She traced her fingers down from the V-neck of her sweater, lifted it at the bottom, and deftly unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, revealing a swatch of bright-blue lace.
    Gio clenched his teeth, his already-hard cock becoming more rigid. If he were younger, that move might’ve been it for him.
    “Take these off?” she asked.
    Blood surged through him in waves. He clutched her narrow waist, her skin satiny to his touch, and eased her jeans down her long, shapely legs until she gracefully stepped out of them. Compelled to see all of her, he pulled her sweater over her head. Her golden hair cascaded beyond her shoulders and over the supple curve of her breasts, which peeked from her lacy bright-blue bra.
    He swept her hair behind her ear, leaned in, and kissed his way up her neck, catching a tinge of that orange blossom scent. He gently nipped at her earlobe. “You’re stunning,” he whispered huskily. And he was spellbound.
    Mia tipped her head back, her lips slightly parted. He pulled her to him, unable to resist the urge to feel her body against his, and kissed her hungrily. She tugged him toward the bed where she sat facing him and unbuttoned his jeans. “Now yours,” she said. “Take them off for me.”
    Gio nudged them past his hips and sat next to her on the bed, certain he couldn’t step out of his as gracefully as she had hers. As soon as they were off, he stood and tossed them aside, his gray boxer briefs stretched tight with his erection.
    Mia’s eyes widened and she absently licked her lips. He leaned down, lifted her, and laid her across the bed, nestling himself between her legs. His mouth was on hers within seconds, tasting, testing, taunting. She arched against him and he reached around and unclasped her bra, peeling it off of her as the spark in their kiss caught fire. He pressed her close, the soft curves of her breasts meeting his pecs. Her breath quickened as her hips rose to meet his.
    She cupped his face with one hand and combed her fingers through his hair with the other. Beneath hooded eyes, she leveled her gaze on his. “This is—”

“Real,” Gio said, catching his first glimpse of her perfect breasts and moaning with approval. He smoothed his fingers down her side and slipped his hand beneath the delicate lace of her panties. “Before I leave, you’ll have no doubt about that.”

Chapter Five
    The director of the Centers for Disease Control had finished his remarks and turned over the press conference to Matthew, who came across as overconfident as he stood at the lectern. He’d been after his fifteen minutes