A Lick of Flame by Cathryn Fox Page A

“I’ve missed you, Ally.”
    She opened her mouth to speak, but what could she say. She’d missed him too.
    As lust overrode common sense and desire sang through her veins, she found herself melting into him.
    His warm hand slid under her blouse and brushed over her stomach. His touch sent shock waves through her and unleashed her need. As she took pleasure in the feel of his strong hands on her body, and felt his hard arousal press against her back, some small coherent part of her brain warned that she was crossing a line, one that might not be so easy to come back from and would undoubtedly result in heartache.
    Allison gulped. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”
    Carter spun her to face him. He wet his mouth as dark eyes full of passion searched her face. “Do you want me to stop?”
    Her womb clenched as moisture pooled between her legs. “Yes. No. I don’t know.”
    Carter brushed the soft pad of his thumb over her lips. “That bad feeling again?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Okay, tell you what, sweetheart. Let’s not overthink this. Instead, let’s just do what feels good.”
    She opened her mouth, but her words of protest were lost on a moan when his lips crashed down on hers. Warm need pulsed through her blood as he kissed her long and hard until her body throbbed with pent-up passion. When he deepened the kiss and she tasted the beer on his tongue, she knew she was utterly trumped.
    God, it’s been too long since I’ve been kissed like this.
    He abandoned her mouth and pressed his lips to that sensitive area on her neck as he pushed a knee between her legs to widen them. His lips felt like fire on her skin, and there was nothing she could do to stop herself from grinding her pussy against his hard thigh. Pleasure coursed through her, hot and heavy in her veins. She couldn’t deny that she wanted this, wanted him so much she ached. Her hands raced over him with aroused eagerness, tugging at his T-shirt.
    God, I need…
    When she whimpered, Carter looked at her. His voice was so intimate, so soft and full of emotions when he asked, “Did that feel good, Ally?”
    She gave a slow nod, her breath labored, unsteady. With that, Carter tore off his shirt and pulled her close. She ran her hands over his hard back muscles, reacquainting herself with his strong, athletic body. His fingers found the buttons on her blouse, and he opened them one by one, until her hard nipples were exposed through her lace bra.
    A low sound crawled out of his throat as he brushed his thumb over one distended bud. “How about this, sweetheart? Does this feel good?”
    Instead of answering she let her lids fall shut, her body basking in the erotic sensations rolling through her.
    Allison ran her tongue over her kiss-swollen lips as want burned a lazy path through her body. Carter pulled her bra cup to the side and lowered his mouth to her breast. That first, sweet flick of his tongue over her sensitive nipple had her arching into him and moaning in sensual bliss.
    “Oh God, yes,” she cried out, and that seemed to be all the encouragement Carter needed.
    He quickly removed her sweater, blouse and bra, leaving her standing there in nothing but her jeans. He took a long moment to look at her near nakedness, the heat in his eyes intensifying and warming her all over.
    He stepped close, lightly caressing her arms as he dipped his head, his hair brushing her cheek. “You’re beautiful, Ally.”
    Her gaze slid over him, need pumping through her veins. “So are you.”
    He packaged her in his strong arms, and she could feel his cock press into her stomach. His eyes were dark, his gaze tormented. “Tell me you want this.”
    As his primal essence completely overwhelmed her, she struggled to think, to rationalize. But her brain didn’t want to work, and her body only wanted to feel. In that instant she made the quick decision that tonight was too perfect to pass up. The combination of the full moon, the sand and surf, not to mention the