Some Like It Hot (7 page)

Raven had just finished tying her shoelaces when there was a knock on her door. She frowned. It was just a little past six in the morning. She wondered who her early-morning visitor could be. She doubted it was Erica, although she had an open invitation to go running with Raven whenever she wanted. Some people weren’t morning people, and Erica fell into that category.

Upon reaching the door Raven took a quick glance out the peephole.

Linc!

She immediately opened the door. Given the fact that she didn’t get any sleep last night and she blamed him for it, Lincoln Corbain was the last person she wanted to see. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

Raven almost stammered on her words as she looked at the man standing in her doorway. A new kind of awareness pumped furiously through her veins. Oh, she had awakened in a bed with Linc before so she knew all about his sexy-as-sin early-in-the-morning look. And during their week together he had mostly worn tank tops and shorts, so she was well aware of the fact that he had a gorgeous body. But he must have gotten into some bodybuilding program since she’d last seen him. The man looked absolutely stunning in his well-fitted see-how-fine-the-brother-really-is running outfit. Just looking at how he looked made a burning sensation sizzle from the tips of her breasts down to her middle. There it stopped. His body was so taut, so firm, so tight, so unbelievably built. There was not a flabby place anywhere on him. Her gaze automatically went to his midsection. She sucked in a deep breath. Lincoln Corbain was well endowed. As she continued staring, she began remembering one particular morning while they were in bed together, sliding her fingers beneath the waistband of his shorts to feel just how well endowed he was.

Raven swallowed. That same moan that had threatened to erupt from her throat last night when she’d been in his arms while dancing was threatening now. She returned her gaze to his face and saw that he had been watching her ogle him. She cleared her throat. “I asked what you’re doing here, Linc?”

His eyes bored into her in a way that seemed to touch every feature on her face. “I thought I’d go running with you.”

Raven frowned as she searched her mind in response to what he’d just said. Fairly certain she had never mentioned her early-morning weekend activities to him, she asked, “How did you know I go running on Saturday mornings?”

“Erica mentioned it to Ben, and since Ben knew I also go running early on Saturday mornings he mentioned it to me.”

She narrowed her gaze on him. “So you just assumed it would be OK to join me?”

“Yes,” he said, giving her a seductive smile. “That’s about the shape and size of it.”

Instinctively, when he said those words, her gaze went back to his midsection, remembering another time he’d used those same words. She inhaled sharply as she tried to get her mind back on track. She looked back up at him. “I think you assume too much, Linc.”

He studied her for a moment. “And what else is it that you think I assume?”

“That you can pick up where we left off four years ago in Daytona.”

He cocked his head as if considering her words. He then said, “The only thing that I’m assuming and what I know for a fact, Raven, is that you prefer I left you alone. But I can’t do that.”

“And why not?”

Linc smiled. “I’ll tell you some other time. You ready to go running? I promise to be good company.”

You’ll be more company than I need,
she thought to herself. “If you want to tag along you can. Just as long as you keep up.”

Linc let out a smooth chuckle. “I was going to give you the same advice.”

“How about something to drink?” she offered after they returned to her apartment from their jog a couple of hours later.

“Water will do fine, thanks.”

Linc followed her into the kitchen and sat down on one of the stools at her breakfast bar. “Nice place.”

“Thanks.” Raven went to the refrigerator to get him a thirty-two-ounce bottle that she always kept on hand full of drinking water. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she had enjoyed Linc’s company while running. He had kept up with her pace, and they’d engaged in steady conversation most of the time without losing a beat.

He had told her that he had gotten into a fitness program right after law school and still went to the gym at least twice a week. He enjoyed keeping his body in shape by working out. She’d been tempted to tell him that in her opinion he was doing a super-nice job of it.

She walked back over to the kitchen counter and handed him the bottled water. She watched, fascinated as well as magnetized, as he uncapped the bottle and, tilting his head back, took a huge swallow of the clear liquid.

Raven’s gaze was drawn to the muscular expanse of his neck, and she watched as the water flowed down his throat, making his Adam’s apple move. Her body ached to go over to him and take her tongue and lap up the water that was missing his mouth and running freely down his neck. She stood there and watched as he consumed all thirty-two ounces of the water without stopping to take a breath. Amazing.

When he finished he licked his lips and smiled at her. “I guess I was thirsty. It’s like that with me sometimes. When I get ahold of something I want bad, I almost become addicted to it.”

She nodded as her heart thumped erratically. She thought of the many times they had made love in Daytona. Had he become addicted to her that week? If so, what had been her excuse? Had she been addicted to him as well?

“What are your plans for the rest of the day?” Linc’s question broke into her meanderings.

“I’m going to edit an article I’m working on about Leo’s.”

Linc’s brow rose. “You’re doing an article on Leo’s?”

“Yes. It’s an article about the revived popularity of supper clubs. I chose Leo’s as my subject since I know the Hardcastles personally.”

Linc nodded. “How about dinner and a movie later?”

Raven had known that sooner or later he would get around to asking her out. And just as she’d been prepared for the question, she should have been prepared to give him an answer of “no.” But for some reason she held back. She told herself that it would just be a movie and dinner. No big deal. She hadn’t been out to a movie in ages, and besides, she would have to eat sometime. As long as she remained in control of the situation there could be no harm in it. She had learned by Falcon’s mistakes. The harm came in falling in love, and she had no intentions of doing that.

“Dinner and a movie sounds nice as long you understand that there’s nothing between us other than friendship, Linc.”

He stared at her quietly. “You want us to go from being former lovers to just being friends? Is that what you really want, Raven?”

“Yes. I won’t go out with you otherwise. It’s a friendship thing or nothing. No more sending me stuff to remind me of our time together in Daytona. What we shared then is in the past and I want to keep it that way.”

After a brief moment he nodded slowly. “If that’s the way you want it, then that’s the way it will be. Will seven o’clock tonight be OK?” he asked as he stood to leave.

“Yes.”

He leaned down and instead of giving her the heated kiss she had come to expect, he tenderly brushed his lips against her cheek. “I’ll see you later, friend.”

She nodded and drew in a deep breath, knowing she was getting just what she’d asked for, a platonic relationship with him.

Somehow she regretted it already.

Raven sat in her office at Augustan Publishers and pounded away at the computer keyboard. Never before in her life had she felt so frustrated, and she had only herself to blame.

It was a day short of being a week since Linc had agreed to her stipulation that they be just friends, and ever since then she’d been a basket case. Not that he ever got out of line, mind you. He was playing the role of friend to the hilt. Just like she had asked him to do, he was treating her like a friend and not a former lover. But she found that although he may not be treating her like a former lover, she felt like one just the same.

And that was the crux of her problem.

As much as she tried, she just couldn’t see him in a whole new light. She kept seeing him in the old one, where his sensuous beam had once rendered her blind. Each and every time she saw him brought forth emotions from within her that she couldn’t explain no matter how many times her mind evoked objective reasoning.

With a frustrated sigh she stopped typing to think about all that had happened during the past week. After dinner Saturday night he had taken her to a movie. It was a romantic comedy that she totally enjoyed. Then he had taken her home, and after walking her to the door and giving her a chaste kiss to her lips he had left. She had lain awake in bed that night hungering for his touch, reliving their last heated kiss, and wondering if she had ruined her chances of ever getting another one.

Linc had evidently reached the conclusion that although she wanted a platonic relationship, he would not be out of sight nor out of mind. He had shown up unexpectedly on Sunday after she had come from early-morning church service, inviting her to brunch at Leo’s. After leaving the club they had gone for a walk in the park; then he had returned her home, saying he would call the next day.

On Monday he had called her at work inviting her to dinner at his place. After showing her around his neatly furnished apartment he had fed her a delicious meal that he had cooked himself. After dinner they had sat around talking about how their day had gone and about current events.

On Tuesday they had met for lunch at a sandwich shop not far from her office, and then on Wednesday he had taken her to Open Mike Night at Leo’s.

Thursday he had come to her house straight from work bringing Chinese food. After they had eaten, he had sat at her breakfast bar silently reviewing a case he was working on, while she sat at her kitchen table editing her article on Leo’s. Although she hated admitting it, she had liked the idea of him being there and hadn’t felt threatened by his presence. She couldn’t remember the last time since college that any one man had dominated so much of her time. Usually when it came to dates, she rarely went for seconds. Going out once with a person was enough. But she had seen Linc each and every night without any thought of feeling crowded or having her style cramped. She didn’t want to dwell on the fact that two people who were trying to have nothing more than a platonic relationship wouldn’t be spending as much time together as they were.

The week she had just finished spending with him was totally different from the week they had spent together in Daytona. Then they had been lovers who hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. Now it appeared that she was the only one suffering from the strong physical attraction she still felt for him, although she was pretending not to be.

And she didn’t like playing the role of a pretender.

She didn’t like pretending that she didn’t notice the way he filled out a pair of jeans like nobody’s business, or that when dressed in a suit he looked like the prime candidate for a magazine cover. She didn’t like pretending that his smile didn’t make her thighs clench, her heart rate increase, or her breath catch. Nor did she like pretending that that morning they had gone running together the scent of his hot sweat and the pure masculinity that clung to him didn’t completely arouse her. And she sure as heck didn’t like pretending that she preferred sitting across from him on a sofa chatting about world news to sitting in his lap while kissing him senseless. Or better yet, him kissing her senseless.

Raven released a frustrated sigh. Her week had gone from bad to worse, and the prospects of it improving weren’t looking too hot. “Something gotta give,” she muttered to herself as she closed down her computer to bring her workweek to an end. It was Friday and she and Linc had another date tonight. And she was going to make sure that when the evening was over he was just as miserable as she.

Linc paced the confines of Raven’s apartment waiting for her to finish dressing. He had arrived a little earlier than planned, and she had come to the door with a towel wrapped around her all-too-seductive body. His tongue would have fallen out of his mouth had it not been attached.

“You’re early,” she’d said breathlessly after rushing to open the door for him. “I just got out of the shower. You’re going to have to wait a few minutes.”

Somehow he’d found his voice to say, “Uh, no problem.”

When she turned around to go back into the bathroom he couldn’t help noticing that the towel barely covered anything.

Linc stopped pacing and lowered himself onto the sofa, wondering how much more torture he could take. Surely Raven could see that their being just friends wasn’t working. The physical attraction they had for each other was too strong.

“I’m ready.”

Linc glanced up. His breath immediately got lodged in his throat. A ripple of pure male appreciation ran up his spine. Dressed in a short, curvy black dress, Raven looked fabulous. She had both the body and the legs for the outfit she had chosen to wear. He forced himself to stand, hoping he didn’t embarrass himself when he did. “You look great, Raven.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you. You look good yourself.” That definitely wasn’t a lie, she thought. He looked handsome in a white dinner jacket and black pants. They were attending a dinner party that his law firm was giving, and she had wanted to look nice.

A moment of silence stretched out between them before Raven cleared her throat. “Ready?” she asked.

“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Taking her arm, Linc led her out of the apartment.

“It was a nice party,” Raven said to Linc as he walked her to her apartment door.

Linc thought his eyes would pop out of their sockets at seeing the way Raven’s dress clung to her body in all the right places with every step she took. He had forgotten just how small her waist was and how curvy her rear end was until tonight. He coughed to clear his throat. “Yeah, it was, wasn’t it? And I think you were the most gorgeous woman there.”

“Thanks.”

“When will your sisters get in tomorrow?”

Raven opened her purse to pull out her door key. “I’m expecting them in the morning.”

When she leaned down to look into her purse for the key, he caught a glimpse of a hefty amount of cleavage. The one thing he had not forgotten was how sexy her bare breasts were. He coughed to clear his throat for a second time. “Well, I hope everything with the birthday party goes as planned.”

“Me, too.” She took a deep breath. “Good night, Linc.”

“Good night.”

He waited for her to open the door and go in, but Raven hesitated. “Your throat sounds dry. Would you like to come in for something to drink?”

He stared at her for a long, thoughtful minute before saying, “Sure.” He followed her inside and to the kitchen, sitting down at the breakfast bar.

“What would you like? I have water, tea, and soda.”

“A glass of water will do.”

Raven nodded as she opened the cabinet to take down a glass. She then began filling it with water from the pitcher in her refrigerator. After handing him the ice-cold glass of water, she leaned against the counter to watch him take a few sips.

“How’s the article you’re doing on Leo’s coming along?”

“It’s almost finished.” As though drawn by a sudden thought, she asked, “Would you like to read what I’ve put together so far?”

“Sure.”

“OK. I’ll be right back.” Like a kid who was eager to show her parent a paper that had been graded with a perfect score, Raven raced out of the kitchen. She didn’t want to think about why it was so important to show Linc what she had written. It just was. Maybe it was because a part of her wanted to prove to him that she was not like the other reporters he had come to detest. That had to be the reason, she inwardly told herself, because she had never shared her work with anyone, especially while it was in the prepublication stages.

Raven returned in no time and handed him the papers. He accepted them and sat back down at her breakfast bar and began reading. She tried not to make out his expression while he was reading, but she couldn’t help but wonder what he thought of what she had written. It seemed it took forever before he had finished.

His eyes met hers. “This is an outstanding piece, Raven. You have a gift with words. You’re a woman with a very special talent.”

“Thank you.” His opinion meant a lot. She didn’t want to question the why of it just yet.

Nor did she want to question why she felt the need to kiss him, especially when he was staring at her with those deep, dark eyes of his. His gaze was seductive and magnetic, drawing her in closer. She suddenly leaned toward him, and bracing her hands on his thigh, she touched her lips to his and accepted that a platonic relationship between them had been doomed from the start. The passion that was always there surrounding them had the ability to consume completely, thoroughly, and burn hot.

Her senses immediately began spinning before she realized that he was not going to help her out with the kiss.
Fine, he can just sit there and be a stone, but I plan on getting my fill,
she thought as she closed her eyes and deepened the kiss. She’d been dying to taste him again. She let her tongue explore the recesses of his mouth as she ravaged it with a hunger that belied her outward calm.

And still he held back his tongue from her.

So she continued to assault his mouth, feeling the shivers racing through him with every stroke of her tongue, giving herself freely to the wantonness she felt and the fiery intimacy she was sharing with him as she feasted on his mouth.

She felt his arms tighten around her. She heard his breathing get heavy, then heavier. And then she felt him easing to his feet, without breaking her hold on his mouth. He pulled her closer to him, and her body felt every hard inch of him. She increased her assault as a sense of urgency drove her on.

She broke off the kiss for mere seconds, just to pull air in, then covered his mouth with hers once more. This time he joined in her attack.

Her senses reeled as if short-circuited when his tongue captured hers, taking over with demanding mastery and savage intensity. Nobody could kiss like Lincoln Corbain, she decided, giving her mouth up to his fiery possession. He took it, sending pleasure radiating through every part of her body.

As he further roused her passion she knew that his own had to be growing just as strong. Her emotions whirled and skidded as to how far she wanted him to go. And then she knew the answer. She wanted him to go all the way. She wanted him to make love to her.

So she relayed that message to him in her kiss.

He got it.

Pulling back, he sucked in a long gulp of air and looked down at her.

She nodded, meeting his unwavering gaze.

His mouth came down on hers at the exact moment he swept her off her feet and into his arms. Carrying her into the bedroom, he gently placed her on the bed. For the hundredth time that night, he thought she looked sexier than any woman had a right to be with the dress she had on. And he knew he hadn’t been the only man at the party who had thought so.

Kneeling on the bed, he reached out for her and brought her close to him. Leaning down, he captured her parted lips. Tonight they would create new memories. That thought overwhelmed him. He had never felt such uncontrollable desire before. The other times they had come together, he had claimed her body. Tonight he wanted her heart and soul.

He pulled away long enough to undress her. When that was done he stood back and looked down at her as a growl of need erupted from deep within his throat. He quickly began removing his own clothing. Fumbling with his wallet, he took out a foil packet and ripped it open. Moments later, he went back to her. Driven by want and need, he ran his hands over her body, reacquainting himself with her soft flesh.

Raven whimpered under his touch. It had been four years since she had been touched this way. It seemed all the heat and passion of her body had lain dormant until Linc had reentered her life. She felt him sliding his hand up and down her stomach, then back up again to her breasts to give them special attention.

Need suddenly tore into her like the rush of a mighty wind when she felt the warmth of his tongue replace his hands on her breasts. Moans escaped her lips as he lavished attention from one tip to the other. Her breath came out in short puffs and her fingers gripped his shoulders as he continued his assault.

“Linc…”

He heard the passionate plea in her voice. He wanted to delay everything and drag it out until the end but knew that would not be possible. Their desire, passion, and need for each other were too strong and too hot. But still he refused to be rushed. Slowly and completely, he continued his assault over every inch of her body, remembering the areas he could touch that would drive her nearly out of her mind.

Finally, when his need became just as great as hers, he placed his body over hers. “Raven.” He groaned out her name like a dying man who was about to take his last breath.

Wanting what was about to come, Raven parted her lips and eagerly accepted the invasion of his tongue at the same time the hardness of him entered her. When he found her body tight, too tight, he tore his mouth away from hers and looked down into her eyes. The look in his gaze was questioning, confused.

She was torn between her desire to have him get on with it and finish what he had started and his need for her to explain why her body felt just as tight as it had the first time they’d made love. When she saw he was dead set on not moving…not even another delicious inch, she met his gaze and, drawing in a slow breath, said, “I haven’t done this since that time in Daytona with you, Linc.”