Absolute Zero (31 page)

A huge sigh escaped as she settled back in the chair, her eyes firmly attached to the stars above as the words and the melody and the music poured through her like no other band, no other album could. It truly was a masterpiece and it had always spoken to her on such a personal level.

Uninvited thoughts overtook her mind as she searched through the sky, finding unnaturally bright orbs settled in with much smaller, dimmer points. Satellites. Man-made stars.  She watched one in particular as it flickered repeatedly, almost hypnotically. Her mind wandered back to McClellan.

She could send him a text. Of which he would surely ignore.

She drew in a long breath and let it out through closed lips. An unflattering sound accompanied Roger’s singing in the background.

She failed. Everyone seemed to be depending on her to convince him. Even Rand had alluded to the fact that he might listen to
her
. Obviously he was wrong. Despite whatever previous attempts he made to woo her, he backed off. It was what she said she wanted, after all. Why did he have to listen to her? Wait.
Are you drunk?
She asked herself. Why on earth would she think that? Her hands gripped the course wood of the chair’s armrests and squeezed.

“
Screw it
,” she ground out as she pushed her body up and out of the chair.

*****

The car’s pace was practically at a crawl as she searched for a small paved road she assumed must be the beginning of the driveway to the house on the hill. She had passed it every day on her way to work or into town. It shot straight through a cornfield and curved through the trees before disappearing around a bend. It almost
had
to be his driveway, seeing as there were no other roads for at least a quarter mile in either direction.

She quickly turned right as soon as it came into view, her foot pressing the gas pedal a bit harder as she drove through the cornfield and began her curving ascent into the thick forest surrounding her. A few more curves and it was apparent at least from the amount of lights she could see through the trees, that she had indeed reached her intended destination. A soft gasp followed by a muttered ‘holy shit’ spewed from her mouth as she took in the sight before her. It was huge. Old by modern standards, the brick façade boasted arched windows, an elegantly curved stairway leading up to a front porch that was backed by a huge recessed entry way. It too was arched and framed the gleaming double doors crafted from a dark stained wood. The light embedded into the arch was shining down on the front stoop. It was intimidating and inviting all at the same time, she thought as she stopped in the circular driveway and put the car into park.

You can do this.

She quickly unfolded her frame from her vehicle and walked on suddenly weakened legs up the steps and on to the brick porch.

Her arm rose and she gave a few timid raps on the door. There was no way he could have possibly heard that, she thought as she considered the sheer size of the house. She made a fist and pounded the door with a bit more force and almost laughed at the absurdity. Apparently her brain was rattled enough that she hadn’t put forth much effort to search for a door bell.  It was located on the right side of the door and she gave it a firm push before stepping back and waiting impatiently.

Nothing. Maybe it was a few seconds, but it certainly felt like hours to her. She pressed it again, listening intently for any sound of movement beyond the doors. The faint strains of the melodic sound of the bell lingered then stopped. Her weight shifted from one foot to the other as her frustration began to increase.  Was there a camera imbedded somewhere?

She pressed the button again and added a few hard pounds to the door for good measure.
What if he wasn’t alone?
She would be mortified. There were no other cars visible from her vantage point, so it was unlikely. Unless of course he drove them to the house…

She turned and pounded again, before trying the bell. He was definitely home. Light was showing through several of the many windows in the front of the home and she definitely saw a car drive up earlier.

He was probably standing on the other side of the door, watching through the peep hole trying not to laugh out loud at her.

“Stubborn, Stupid, A…”

The door swung inward without warning as her mouth hung open on the last word.

“Stupid what?” he asked.

“Wha…ahh…” she uttered as she took in the sight of him. He was naked, well no. Technically there was a white towel wrapped around his waist, but the rest of his body was open to her perusal and
what a body it was
.

He was definitely ripped. Lean, but muscled in all the right places. Broad shoulders and chest tapering down to a trim waist to the towel that hung low on his hips. His hair was mussed and wet, sticking up at odd angles and her eyes had to stop themselves from running the length of his body again. Instead she focused on his eyes. Eyes that seemed to assess and then dismiss her just as quickly, it seemed.

“You’re naked,” she blurted nervously.

“Yeah well, I just got out of the shower and heard this awful racket. Thought maybe my house was on fire. What are you doing here, Anne?” he asked as one hand raised and rested on the door frame. It gave her a better view of his corded arm, which she tried to keep from staring at.

“Umm…you’re leaving tomorrow,” she stated as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

“I’m well aware of that, yes,” he stated in a serious tone.

“Right, so…I couldn’t get any time with you…this week…to go over that…list,” she finally achieved her sentence although it was difficult getting her brain to reboot.

“So you want to go over it now?” he asked with a serious expression to match his tone.

“Ah, sure?”

“With me dripping and freezing my baws off at my front door?” One of his eyebrows rose as he spoke.

“You could invite me in,” she responded as adrenalin seemed to fuel her.

“No. Go home, Anne.” He was closing the door.

Her hand shot out and her palm splayed against the smooth lacquered surface of the wood.

“Ian! Dammit. Five
fucking
minutes,” she grated out and instantly regretted the profanity.

“Listen to you, mouth.” At least it stopped him from further closing the door on her.  He blew out a breath, hung his head for a moment and gazed back up at her. “Look, I have an obscenely early flight. I need to pack and I need to get some sleep. I don’t want to talk about your list. I’m a bit of a crabbit, right now.” he admitted.

Actually, the reason for his dour mood was standing in front of him. It was all he could do to keep his hands to himself as she stood fidgeting nervously on his front stoop. She looked so damn kissable…

“So, you can’t even spare me five whole minutes just to plead my case?”

“No.”

“How about four?” she asked feebly.

“How about none,” he stated with finality. She could feel the pressure of the door pushing her hand back.

“What the hell kind of game are you playing?” she grated out as she pushed the door but it didn’t budge.

“It’s not a game. It’s just business. Nothing personal, Anne,” he lied smoothly.

“Bullshit. It
is
a game. I’m here to tell you, you won’t win.” She crossed her arms over her chest and shot him a narrow eyed glare. He could go right ahead and slam the door. She was through with him. He was being a complete dick anyway.

“Bullshit,” he mimicked her. “If it
was
a game? I already won,” he stated with cool confidence. “Hence the fact that you’re standing on
my
front porch.”

Her mouth opened then shut immediately before opening again but nothing came out. He was right. Wait.
Was
this a game?
Was
he playing with her?

They stood and stared at each other for an indeterminate amount of time, neither speaking, but his eyes went from cool and calculating to hot in a split second. His intense gaze swept her up and down before settling on her face once again.

“So what do you want to do, Anne?” he asked in a course whisper.

She didn’t respond although her arms uncrossed and hung next to her torso. She should take a step back, turn and stomp to her car. Maybe she should flip him off and
then
turn…or…

“Get yer arse in here,” he growled before grabbing her wrist and yanking her through the door. Instantly, his hands were jammed in her hair, her body was pressed against his and his lips were on hers, his tongue just as quickly filling her mouth as she held on. The door slammed and she was being lifted. Something hard hit her back as she matched the movement of his mouth with her own, her hands snaking up his back, to his neck, pressing his head closer to hers if that was even possible.

She was up against the wall, her leg lifting and instinctively wrapping around him as he grabbed under her thigh and ground into her, never letting his mouth stray from hers. A momentary lapse in the pressure from his lips allowed a small gasp to burst from her throat before their tongues met and tangled once again. Her body was being lifted, his arms clamped around her back and she immediately folded both legs around his waist. He was carrying her somewhere and quite frankly, she didn’t care. As long as his mouth was on hers, he could pretty much take her wherever he wanted. Her mind was completely fogged by him as she angled her head to deepen the kiss.

“Hang on,” he whispered attaching his lips to her neck, caressing the soft skin and causing tingles to pass through every nerve in her body. Slight jerking motions up and down caused her eyes to pop open as he ascended the stairs. One arm was firmly holding her torso to his; his other hand was firmly planted on her backside, kneading the tender flesh as he continued to climb for what seemed like
forever
.

“Damn,
long
staircase,” he muttered, matching her thoughts and almost causing a nervous giggle to erupt from her before his mouth was on hers again. The jerking stopped and his pace seemed to quicken. She was vaguely aware of her surroundings, seeing, but not really concentrating on the interior if the home.

Suddenly she was on her feet and the warmth of his body was removed from hers.

“Arms up”, he commanded as he grabbed the bottom of her pullover. Her arms started to rise but stopped when she noticed one distressing detail.

“Lights off,” she demanded.

“What? No! I want to see the body I’ve been fantasizing about, love,” he growled out in mild frustration.

“Lights off,” she stated again with a bit more force. “I’m…shy,” she added in a softer tone. Hopefully he didn’t notice her apprehension.

“Shy…that’s…pish,” he muttered but quickly turned and complied, plunging the room in muted darkness.

She raised her arms as soon as he was back, allowing him to pull the fabric up and over her head before his lips sought hers once again almost frantically. His fingers maneuvered between her skin and the waistband of her yoga pants, pulling the fabric down before his mouth trailed down her neck, between her breasts, her stomach. He was kneeling before her, holding the bunched fabric. “Leg up,” he stated before he removed the fabric, she immediately raised the other leg without being told to.

As soon as she was divested of her clothing, she felt his strong hands encircle around her hips, planting on her ass and holding tightly. The jolt of heat between her thighs from his warm breath shocked her. Immediately, something warm and moist touched between her folds as his tongue gave a firm lapping. A sharp intake of breath sounded in the room as her hands immediately gripped his head to steady herself.

“Mmm,” he moaned, causing a slight vibration, arousing her even more as his mouth covered her mound and sucked. Her head fell back and small pants escaped her throat as he continued to assault her with the most tantalizing torture. It almost tickled but then he would change tactics and suck again, soothing and arousing in a completely different way.

“I’m sorry, love,” he groaned as his mouth moved from her. He was standing, the towel definitely gone as his erection prodded her stomach. He pulled her close to him, the hard length of him firmly pressed between their bodies as he walked her backward. She felt the bed behind her legs as the rest of her body laid back on the soft surface.

“I have to tell you, I usually have a bit more finesse, but I want to you so badly, Anne,” he admitted as his hands gripped beneath her knees and folded her legs up before spreading them wide. “God, I wish I could see you,” he muttered before sweeping a finger up and entering her. Anne’s back arched and she gripped the sheets on either side of her as his finger circled. He added another finger causing her to gasp out as her head raised and she watched him. Light from the hallway beyond afforded a glimpse of extreme concentration on his face as he continued to touch her, using one thumb to apply delicious pressure in a swirling motion on the top and the other hand to gently push in and out.

“You’re so wet,” he breathed out. “I can’t wait…”

“Condom?” she choked out.