KeyParty by Jayne Kingston

never interested.”
    She felt a sharp pang for him. No matter how grounded he
appeared to be outwardly, being rejected by his own father, even a father he
never knew, had to hurt on some level.
    “Maybe we could skip the blues club tonight,” she suggested.
    As much as she’d wanted to get out and get some perspective
on how she felt about him, without the way he consumed her completely when they
were behind closed doors, she wanted to put her arms around him and convince
him to take her home and back to bed even more.
    “Oh no.” He smiled at their server, waiting to continue
while he set their salads in front of them. “You said you wanted music, you’re
getting music.” He gave her a wolfish smile. “And Angelina Pope just might help
put me in the mood for later.”
    She gave him a droll look. “As though you need any help.”
    * * * * *
    There was no urgent groping when they got back to his
apartment in the wee hours of the night, both of them a little tipsy but
nowhere near drunk on good food, good music and what she’d just learned was
really good scotch.
    He’d knelt inside the door and helped her with the straps on
her shoes, kicked his off next to them as he slipped out of his jacket and led
her to his room by the hand.
    When he closed the door with a soft click and reached for
his shirt buttons she took his hands, stopping him. “Let me.”
    He paused a single heartbeat, then gently twisted his hands
free and trailed his fingertips down her forearms. At her elbows he turned his
hands, running the backs of his fingers up her arms. Her own fingers began to
tremble with anticipation as she worked the buttons free. She pulled his
shirttails free and he dropped his arms to make it easy for her to remove his
shirt. God help her, he was wearing a plain undershirt that hugged that
incredible chest of his like a second skin.
    “Your body makes me crazy.” Her voice was quiet, strange to
her own ears.
    His stomach tensed when she slipped her fingers under the
hem of the t-shirt and pressed her hands flat against it.
    “You.” She looked up at him, into his dark-gray eyes. “You
make me crazy.”
    She took her time pushing his shirt upward, relishing the
feel of his soft body hair and his skin. He said nothing, just watched her,
waiting, his arms still at his sides as he let her do what she was doing. Her
nails grazed over his nipples as she pushed upward and she smiled at the muscle
that ticked in his jaw.
    He raised his arms and to help her get the undershirt over
his head more easily. Not one to usually let her have her way—she suspected it
was more for the sake of pushing her buttons than always needing to be in
control—she half expected him to take charge. He surprised her by lowering his
arms to his sides again.
    In her bare feet she had to raise up on her toes just a
little to kiss his neck, right over the spot where his pulse hammered hard near
his throat. She kissed him in the same spot on the other side the way he had
with her earlier in the street, her hands traveling over and down his chest as
she did. She brushed her lips over his collarbone on that side, dipped her head
and kissed his nipple. He sucked in a sharp breath, then groaned when she
touched it with the tip of her tongue.
    She toyed with it, spurred on by the way his breath
quickened, unbuckled his belt and tugged the button of his pants open roughly.
When she slid the zipper down and pushed the fabric just low enough to almost
expose him, he broke his control, buried his hands in her hair and crushed her
mouth in a kiss.
    She let herself drown in it for a moment, clinging to his
half-naked body, her hands alternately clutching and stroking his back, his
hips, his ass where it was partially bared to her touch. He sank his teeth into
her bottom lip and growled when she gripped his hips and ground herself against
his incredibly hard erection.
    And when she grabbed his wrists and tugged gently, he
released.
    She took a reluctant step