One-Two Punch by Katie Allen

stirred up a few wisps of jealousy in Beth toward this man that Harry had liked so much. Surprisingly, arousal also curled low in her belly at the thought of the two soldiers, simmering sexual tension building between them…
    Whoa, getting a little pervy here , Beth thought, cutting off the mental image of Harry and the other man.
    “So no action in the desert?” she asked, trying to keep her voice light.
    “No. I don’t think he had any idea what I was thinking. Plus there’s no privacy there. Not that anything would have happened anyway. It was just a feeling—I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this,” Harry finished with an embarrassed laugh.
    Beth found his face in the dark and stroked along his stubbly jaw. “I’m glad you did. In fact,” she admitted, embarrassment for embarrassment, “I thought it was kind of hot.” Although she blushed fiery red, she pushed through to boldness and slid her leg on top of his, opening herself against him and turning her hip so he could feel her wetness against the top of his hard-muscled thigh.
    Harry jumped at the contact and she was close enough to his groin to feel his cock thicken and swell, electrified by her arousal. They fed off each other’s excitement, lust building lust, heat flaming against heat. His hardness made her wet and her liquid heat made him even harder. A perfect match , she decided smugly.
    As Harry rolled her over to her back—his weight pressing her into the bed—that was her last coherent thought for a while.

Chapter Six
    Beth sketched from memory, drawing in the lines of Harry’s body that she was learning by sight and touch. The picture quickly took a rough shape—Harry in his loft, leaning back against his kitchen counter, his palms braced behind him, stretching the muscles across his chest and shoulders into vivid relief.
    “That’s really good,” the rotund man sitting in the bus seat behind her commented, his comb-over flopping forward as he peered over Beth’s shoulder.
    “Thanks,” she said, her pencil still moving.
    “Your boyfriend?” the man asked.
    “Something like that,” she said, glancing back at him, smiling a little.
    The stranger gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder. “Well, good for you,” he told her, sitting back. “He’s very good-looking.”
    He certainly is , Beth thought dreamily, tracing the outlines on her drawing with a light fingertip. The bus lurched to a stop and she looked up, startled to realize that she was already at her stop. Flipping her sketchbook closed, she snatched up her purse and hopped off the bus.
    “Bye, Ed,” she tossed over her shoulder with a grin.
    Harry was waiting for her.
    “You know that I can see the gym from here,” she told him, hiding a goofy smile at the sight of him. Bouncing over to him, she gave him a quick, smacking kiss. Harry caught her around the waist and pulled her to him, turning it into a real embrace.
    She pulled away, flushed and aroused.
    “Are you here to make sure I walk the half-block to the gym safely?” she teased, still breathless.
    Tossing an arm around her shoulders, Harry pulled her into his side. “Are you coming in today then?” he asked.
    “Just to say hi,” she told him. “Thought my body could use a break.”
    At Harry’s raised eyebrow, she laughed and shook her head. “A break from working out,” she clarified. “Although we must burn a ton of calories when we…umm.” She glanced around, remembering a little late that they were in public.
    He grinned at her. “Speaking of ‘umm’, how about we go out tonight?”
    “Is that a euphemism?” she asked suspiciously.
    Laughing, he squeezed her against his side and kissed her nose. “No, no euphemisms. Just a standard, everyday date that we’ve never been on. You know, some food, some drink, maybe some entertainment?”
    Beth felt a surge of excitement. “I’d love that,” she admitted, bouncing a little in anticipation. “Pick me up at eight—I’m going home