Up In Flames by Rosanna Leo

arm.
    The arm which was so bare a moment ago.
    When she'd shown up at his door wearing nothing but those skimpy PJ's, leaving so little to the imagination, he'd found it hard to control himself. His head was still swimming with the image of her breasts, her braless breasts, taunting him from inside that flimsy excuse for a shirt.
    What unnerved him even more was the hurt expression on her face a moment ago. She'd looked close to tears and it was eating away at him. He couldn't just go to bed with how things had ended between them. “Jules. Are you asleep?"
    In the darkness, he felt her body turn over. “Not really."
    "Do you mind if I turn on the light for a sec?"
    "No."
    Shane reached for the lamp on the little side table, and then turned back to a squinting Jules. God, she was beautiful. Even with the covers pulled up to her shoulders, she was still so delectable he could eat her up. Her short hair was mussed, as if someone had run hands through it, as if someone had been making love to her. Her face was so pretty when scrubbed clean of make-up, although he didn't like seeing it so sad. His eyes dropped to her dainty neck, noting how it tapered down to gorgeous, soft-looking shoulders. The kinds of shoulders which invited his hands, making him want to slide them under her camisole straps. He shifted how he was perched on the couch, very aware of a persistent, hungry erection in his pajama pants.
    "Is everything okay?” she asked when he didn't say anything.
    He took a deep breath. “Yes. No. I don't like how our conversation ended after the movie. I feel like we keep misunderstanding each other."
    She sat up, hugging the blanket across her chest. “Shane, you don't have to explain yourself to me. I'm a big girl. I can handle a little rejection.” Even as she said it, she looked away, as if the opposite were true.
    "No, you don't understand. I wasn't rejecting you. It's me...” he struggled for the words. “What I'm trying to say is..."
    She looked into his eyes, her own hazel ones bright with withheld emotion, as if daring him to finish. “What are you trying to say, Shane?"
    He couldn't say anything. All he could seem to concentrate on were her pink lips, and how much he wanted to kiss them. Her lips were slightly open, and he watched as her tongue darted out to lick them, lingering for a second at the corner of her mouth. It wasn't meant to be an enticing gesture, but he felt his pulse speed up nonetheless.
    Just one little kiss wouldn't hurt, would it? He wet his own lips in a hungry response.
    Just one.
    Shane leaned in, noting how Jules held her breath. She wanted it, too. He brought his hands to her face, feeling the exquisite softness of her cheeks, rubbing them with his thumbs. He moved his face close to hers, touching his nose to hers, smiling as her light flowery perfume assaulted his senses. Only then did he move his lips against hers, grazing them, feeling for any reluctance on her part.
    There was none.
    With his lips on hers, Jules let a small sigh escape. It was the sweetest sound, a soft release, and it fired him up with intense desire. He leaned her back down onto the couch, and allowed himself to really kiss her. Their lips melted into each other, slipping, sliding, caressing. Then, Shane ran the tip of his eager tongue along the outline of her lips, tasting her, lapping at the corner where he'd seen her tongue. He let his hands move down her neck, over those shoulders he'd been dying to caress. Pulling down her blanket, he moved his hands down to her waist. Feeling her body pressing against his, he kissed her deeply, his stubble scraping her face while his tongue plundered her mouth.
    "Shane,” she whispered into his ear.
    To hear his name uttered by her with such passion made him even harder, which he wouldn't have thought possible. In response, he let his mouth sear a trail of kisses down her neck to her shoulders.
    As he'd been aching to do since she appeared to tell him about the roof, he