Combustion by Elia Winters Page A

back, annoyed despite himself. “What are you getting at here?”
    Astrid rested her head on her hand, leaning on the worktable. “Listen, you can deny it all you want, but there’s something here between us. And that pisses me off more than anything else, since you’re prudish and self-righteous and more than a bit sexist, and I’d like nothing more than to keep you at a distance. But since that clearly isn’t going to happen, I figure we might as well fuck and get it out of our systems.”
    He stared at her, his mouth going dry, as he imagined taking her hard against the wall, her head thrown back in ecstasy, her tight pussy clenching around him as she cried out in breathy little moans. Swallowing hard, he tried to gather his composure, tried to think of what to say, but found himself opening and closing his mouth without saying anything.
    For a moment, her flirtatious veneer fell away, and he saw a flash of vulnerability on her face. She looked away. “Well, if you don’t want to, then fine. I thought you were attracted to me.”
    He laughed, a short, incredulous bark of disbelief, getting to his feet. “You think this is because I’m not attracted to you?” And before he could stop himself, before he thought of all the reasons why this was a terrible idea, he pulled her up to her feet and crushed her mouth to his. Oh God, she tasted so sweet, and her hands trembled on his shoulders before wrapping around him. He kissed her soundly, cupping the back of her head with one hand, holding her body firmly against him with one arm wrapped around her waist. Her lips parted and he ran his tongue against hers, angling his head to deepen the kiss. When he cupped her ass, she moaned into his mouth.
    Eli wanted more, now, wanted to take Astrid on the workbench or on the floor, to unfasten her corset and hike up her skirt and have her moaning and gasping and spasming around him. When she pulled him flush against her, he knew she could feel his arousal pressing into her stomach. She arched against him.
    No. He shouldn’t start down this path. Pulling back, breathless, he practically pushed her away from him as he struggled to compose himself. She stared up at him, dazed, blinking heavy-lidded eyes.
    â€œI can’t do this.” He turned away, steadying himself. “I can’t take advantage of you.”
    Whatever response he was expecting, it wasn’t laughter. When he turned, she was giggling behind her hand, mirth twinkling in her eyes.
    â€œIs something funny?” The question came out more sharply than he intended, but she still seemed amused.
    â€œIt’s just that you’re such a prude!”
    â€œWill you stop saying that?” Anger blossomed in his chest as he tried not to think of other times he’d been called the same.
    â€œI’m sorry. You really think you’re taking advantage of me?” Astrid looked skyward, still laughing. “I’ve been trying to seduce you since I walked in the door.”
    None of this made any sense. “But your reputation. You can’t take a strange man home with you.”
    â€œOf course I can. What year do you think this is?” Astrid hopped up on the worktable, legs dangling freely. “Eli, you can hang on to whatever outdated notions of propriety work for you in your world, but I’m not going to deny myself what I want just because I’m worried about what people will think.”
    Taking deep, calming breaths, he studied her. Maybe she had a point. Maybe it wasn’t his responsibility to protect her reputation. Maybe she did want to sleep with him. Damn, he wanted to believe her.
    Seeming to sense his acquiescence, Astrid made him an offer. “Look, I’m only talking about one night. Resolve this tension between us, and then we can get back to work like normal.”
    It was tempting. He hesitated, running through the pros and cons in his mind. She was so damn