Far From Heaven by Cherrie Lynn

question, not at all. She didn’t need to get in any deeper with this guy, because the day of weirdness she’d spent unable to exorcise him from her every thought had unnerved her. Her intense reaction to his mere presence now scared the hell out of her. Already, she was wet, clenching her thighs together against the emptiness burning at their apex. Her breasts felt heavy and needy beneath her bra, her nipples chafing against the simple cotton.
    She should be mourning a lost relationship, but she hadn’t given it much thought at all until she’d walked into the restaurant tonight. She should still be upset, numb—and maybe she was—but she wanted to drag Ash into her Jeep and fuck him raw right here.
    God, he was so good. It was knowledge of that goodness that kept her from stopping him when he suddenly slammed her back against her car with a kiss that scrambled the last of her coherent thoughts into mush. “Shit,” she gasped against his lips, and he chuckled. His mouth burned against hers. She’d forgotten about the freaking heat he generated. Instantly, her skin warmed everywhere he touched her, and she thought she might be sweating from mere contact with him in no time. When they got back to her place—and there seemed to be no question now that was where they were headed—she was going to stick a thermometer in his mouth.
    The thought forced a wild giggle from her throat. His hand tugged her shirt from her pants and, before she could gather her wits enough to warn him people were going to see , her breast filled his palm. Which was the only place it really wanted to be. She giggled again.
    “What’s with you?” he asked, laughter in his own voice.
    “You just…make me happy. At a time when I really need it.” He paused, then slowly released her. Hell. She shouldn’t have said that. “I mean, for…oh, damn. Please don’t take that the wrong way, I know this isn’t—”
    Ash lifted a finger to her lips. “Shh. It’s all right.” His eyes were like twin chips of the night sky, but with no stars. She fell silent, but couldn’t resist giving his fingertip a nibble. “It’s all right,” he repeated. “It’s just the first time anyone has ever said something like that to me.”
    What was wrong with the women he’d known? And what could she say? Granted, she’d known him only for a day. But everything she’d seen so far intrigued her. Even the thought of the intricate tattoos swirling across his back set a slow burn through her veins now. She liked imagining how they’d move over his flexing muscles as she dug her fingernails into his flesh…
    “Are we going to stand here all night, or are we going to go do something about this ?” she asked throatily, slipping her fingers through his belt loops and grinding her hips into him so she could feel his erection against her stomach.
    His hands traveled up to her face, capturing her cheeks. She sucked in a breath as he stared into her eyes, her legs melting from under her. “Now there’s an invitation I can’t resist,” he said.
    Her lips turned down, bitterness still too close to the surface. “Even though I’m such a fucking mess?”
    “But such a pretty mess. I do have to take care of something first, though. Why don’t you head to your place, and I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes or so.”
    “Oh. Okay. Are you sure? If it’s bad timing—”
    “It is, actually. Dreadful timing.” He smiled. “But I’m still going to be with you. What does that tell you?”
    It told her…this was in serious danger of going exactly where she hadn’t wanted it to go—straight to the heart. But God help her, she wasn’t about to stop it.

Chapter Nine
    Once he’d tucked Madeleine into her car, given her one more lingering kiss and shut her door, he waited until the Jeep’s taillights were out of sight before turning to face the angel who’d so rudely intruded. The same one who’d caught him on the street last night.
    “Well?” Ash