New and…Improved? & Andrew in Excess by Jill Shalvis Page B

to run his hands up her arms, over her shoulders, to her throat, until he cupped that now serious face in his palms.
    And it felt even more right to smile down at her and gently, lightly, glide his mouth over hers. Again.
    Then again.
    When he pulled back, her eyelids fluttered open and she drew a deep, unsteady breath. “What was that for?” she whispered.
    He hadn’t an earthly clue. He couldn’t even remember the thought process he’d used to go from reminding her they were just friends to kissing her. His mind was mush, complete mush.
    There should be some sort of back-up process for when this happened. After all, he couldn’t be the only man on earth to lose all the blood in his brain over one little embrace. “It was our goodnight kiss,” he improvised.
    â€œWe haven’t gone out yet.”
    â€œOh yeah.” He cleared his throat. “We’d better hurry then.”
    â€œWell,” was all she said. She gripped her hands together and smiled shyly, but there was a good amount of mischief in that smile as well. “So youwere only planning on giving me one goodnight kiss?”
    His pulse leaped. “I didn’t want to seem too forward.”
    â€œNot at all,’ she whispered, her lips parting as he slid his fingers in her hair to better angle her head for another kiss. “And if you wanted to give me another one, too…you know, while you’re at it, I wouldn’t mind.”
    They were laughing when their mouths connected again, and Kent had time to think that he’d never felt like laughing and kissing at the same time before, that it was the most lovely, joyful feeling in the world, but then he couldn’t think at all because the touch of her, the taste of her, closed off his brain to everything but sensation.
    Immediately their sizzling connection spiraled out of control. There were other sensations; the sounds of the street behind him, the wind rippling the pines, the soft music playing from inside her condo, but it all faded away. Everything was gone except for this woman in his arms.
    She felt it too, he could hear it in her sigh of shock, surprise, need. It was the last that made him groan and pull her closer, deepening the kiss because he had to have more, just a little more.
    She gave it. Wrapping her arms around his neck,she pressed tight and opened to him. More sensations burst in his head, white-hot passion and an unquenchable desire.
    He turned and pressed her against the door, holding her body captive, only it wasn’t necessary, she was willing and able and making small, needy little murmurs in her throat as she tried to get even closer to him.
    This had never happened, came his vague thought. Never. In another two seconds, they were going to be clawing at their clothes, dropping each other to the floor to ravish, and…
    â€œHoly smoke.”
    At the sound of Summer’s voice, Becca jerked and moved back, but it took Kent longer to blink himself into awareness and remove his arms from around her.
    She stood behind them, in Becca’s condo, her mouth open, her eyes wide. “Wow. Just wow.” She was tall, willowy and stunning. Her long blond hair was perfectly groomed, not a one out of place. She wore a snug, short black dress, thigh-high boots and looked so glossy and finished, Kent could easily imagine her walking down any model runway in the world.
    By contrast, he was standing there with his shirt untucked and half-unbuttoned—when had thathappened? He supposed he should consider himself lucky his pants were fastened over an uncomfortably hard erection.
    Her very red lips smiled as if she could read his mind.
    â€œI thought you were gone already,” Becca said shakily, running a hand through her hair. Her lips were wet and swollen. Her lipstick was long gone, he’d chewed it off and could still taste the strawberry flavor.
    â€œNope,” Summer said, grinning.
    Becca let out a long breath