Love Lessons by Cathryn Fox

was pressed against his.  Desire twisted inside him, firing his blood.  He brushed her hair from her face as his tension built.  A pink tinge colored her cheeks as he put his mouth close to hers. 
    “What do you say, Gracie?  Should we practice?”
    A strange noise sounded in her throat, but when he wet his lips, he could see something in her give.  In a voice that sounded slightly unstable, she said, “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt.”
    Oh, she was definitely wrong about that, because it was going to hurt all right.  In fact, it already hurt.  He shifted as his cock throbbed against his zipper.
    “So, that’s a yes?”
    “Yeah,” she said, her voice a soft whisper as one hand went to his chest.
    Nate closed his hand over hers, holding it against him as his other hand went to her chin to lift her mouth to his.  Christ, he wanted her so much it was all he could do not to drag her to his place and take her for the rest of the night.  But he knew it was too soon for that. 
    With her mouth poised open, he bent forward and brushed a soft kiss over her lips.  He felt a tremble move through her, and his chest puffed.  Take that, baby brother!  
    “Nate,” she murmured, her fingers curling in his jacket.
    Hearing his name on her lips, nearly sent him over the edge.  Need fueling his blood, his mouth came down hard this time, claiming her, branding her with his heat, letting her know in no uncertain terms that he wanted her to be thinking of him and him only—today, tomorrow…forever.
    She pressed against him and made a sexy bedroom noise as her mouth moved under his, kissing back with the same passion and urgency.   Her hands moved to his hair, and she ran her fingers through it.  His cock thickened, and he called on every ounce of strength to keep it together.   
    When he finally broke the kiss and pulled back, his heart thundered, because as he looked at her, he sensed he was getting to her and that she was actually beginning to see him as something other than a friend.   
    Halle-fucking-luiah!
    She opened her mouth, closed it, and then tried again.  “I…uh….”
    Nate brushed his thumb over her kiss-swollen lips, put his mouth next to her ear, and whispered, “I’ll see you in the morning, Gracie.”
     

 

Chapter Seven
     
    Grace sat at her desk and looked over the messages in her inbox.  Too bad she couldn’t focus on anything in front of her, compliments of a sleepless night.  Cripes, Nate’s kisses were definitely playing havoc with her hormones and her ability to get a good night’s rest.  She was either going to have to put a stop to them or make him finish what he started once and for all. 
    For a moment, she wondered if there really was more going on with him, if his kisses had more to do with wanting her than they did with helping her.  As she considered that possibility, she opened the website for her favorite lingerie shop, considering what she’d wear if she ever found herself in bed with Nate.  But as she looked at the models—the tall, lithe kind of girls he gravitated toward—reality hit like a cold snowball and smacked some sense back in to her.
    “Hey sunshine,” Nate said as he poked his head around the orange partition. “Audrey beckons.”
    “Yeah, I know.  I’m coming.”  She quickly shut down the website and swiveled in her chair. 
    “Everything okay?”  She looked at him and thought she caught a hint of a grin before he wiped it away.  “You look a little flushed,” he said and stepped farther into her pod, his mere presence overwhelming the small space—and her.
    She eyed him, taking in the gleam in his eyes.  Was he messing with her?  Did he kiss her and leave her wanting more on purpose?  Did she dare ask? 
    “I’m fine,” she answered, chickening out, too afraid to cause tension between them if this really was only about helping her.  Trying for casual, she pushed from her chair and smoothed her hand over her pencil