Out Of The Smoke by Becca Jameson Page B

in the world to detain him in his mission.
    Liz did not.
    When their lips met, she was ready. He was so incredibly gentle and soft. He lingered for several moments, barely grazing her flesh until he finally painstakingly angled his head to the side and deepened the kiss into something more extreme. The kiss was more wonderful than she could have dreamed. His tongue wandered around the inside of her mouth, to tease, taste, savor, and explore all at once. His lips were warm and tender.
    Liz pulled her hands from his light grip and grasped his forearms. She didn’t know whether she wanted to pull him in closer or push him away to lessen the intense feelings. She simply held him there, inches away from allowing him contact with her entire body.
    For the first time in her life, someone let her call the shots. Let her decide when, how and where, with no pressure to perform in any particular manner. The sensation was overwhelming and Liz felt lightheaded.
    *
    Alan used every ounce of strength he possessed to maintain his position poised over Liz without touching anything but her lips. Her eyes closed on a soft moan she probably was unaware of, but he still gazed at her content expression and couldn’t believe his good fortune at having captured, at least the lips, if not the heart, of such a perfect woman.
    He wasn’t about to break the pace she set. If she needed to be in control, then by God he wasn’t going to stop her. He had all the time in the world. Contrary to the messages he was receiving from his rock hard cock that pulsed against his jeans. The space was too tight.
    The kiss was heavenly. She tasted of Coke, sweet and spicy at the same time. Her lips were as soft as clouds and he never wanted to stop kissing her for as long as he lived. If that was all she ever gave him, he’d be a content man. Sort of.
    His arms ached and he shifted to relieve the pressure on his growing erection.
    The slight movement broke the spell, however, because her lazy eyes slowly opened to stare into his. Alan nibbled a line across her lips and finally lay his forehead against hers, keeping her as close as he could without forcing the issue. Heavy deep breaths heated the air between them.
    Liz bit her lower lip, the first sign of uncertainty she’d displayed, and Alan smiled at her. “You’re amazing.” He reached out tentatively to stroke her cheek and gasped at how warm she was. Flooded with concern, he quickly sat back a few inches and looked into her eyes. “Liz? You’re burning up.” Her cheeks were rosy and her eyes glassy. How had he not noticed?
    Alan moved his hand over her face to confirm his suspicion.
    “What?” A confused look met his gaze. “I’m fine.” Liz attempted to sit up, only to fall back against the couch from the effort. “Well, maybe not. But give me a minute.” She smiled unconvincingly and continued, “You probably just scrambled my brain with all that kissing.”
    He was dubious about her assessment. He’d love to think he had that effect on women, but realistically he just wasn’t quite that macho.
    When her head lolled back against the armrest, Alan grew incrementally concerned. “We have to get you to a doctor, honey. Something’s wrong. You have a fever.”
    Maybe she had the flu or a virus of some sort, but he wasn’t taking any chances. She looked worse by the minute. In fact, she didn’t even argue with that last statement, which spoke volumes and sent Alan into a frenzy.
    With a gentleness he didn’t know he was capable of, he lifted Liz off the couch and carried her through the house. He stopped only to bend his knees enough to grab his keys from their spot by the door and blindly slipped on his flip-flops. He was equally glad were coincidentally located in the front hall.
    He drove straight to the nearest hospital. Liz lay back reclined in the seat next to him and moaned in her state of semi consciousness.
    Alan frowned all the way there and prayed that whatever God brought her into