Standing Outside The Fire. Sara Orwig

kiss her, wrapping his arms around her tightly.

      Erin turned her face up to his. Now he wasn’t a stranger. She knew some of his history. And it was impressive. His years in Special Forces and his daring rescue of John Frates. John Frates had spent hours telling her about the men who’d saved him and how special and capable and brave and intelligent they were. For over the past four years she had been hearing about Boone Devlin, so the man was no stranger. And her caution and resistance crumbled into nothing.

      Oblivious of her surroundings, Erin returned his embrace, kissing him while her heart pounded and passion possessed her. Wanting his kisses with an urgency that shook her, she poured her desire into her kisses. She was dimly aware when he walked her backward out of the elevator while he continued to kiss her. She pushed away and looked around the empty hall. “Where are we?”

      “Almost to my room,” he said. He took her arm and led her down the hall. Her head was spinning, she was breathless, hot, and wanting to be back in his arms.

      He unlocked a door, pushed it open and led her inside, kicking the door shut behind him and pulling her into his arms while he set the wine on a nearby table.

      As they kissed, he leaned back against the door. His hand slid over her, stroking her back, sliding down over her bottom and her hips.

      She trembled with desire. Holding him, she wanted him desperately. She kissed him, pouring pent-up needs and brand-new longings into her kisses. Unfastening the buttons of his shirt, she caressed his bare chest, tangling her fingers in a thick mat of hair.

      He made a growling sound deep in his throat, and she could feel his heart pounding. When he shrugged off his shirt and dropped it, her desire ratcheted another notch. His sculpted chest was muscled, tapering down to a washboard stomach, and the word awesome came into her mind.

      While she was consumed by passion, she could see the effect she was having on him. From the first moment, knowing him had been magical. Now to discover he was someone she had been hearing about for years was like being with someone she had known a long time.

      As she ran her fingers across his chest, she was only dimly aware of his fingers at the zipper of her dress. In seconds it was gone, falling to the floor with a swish around her ankles. Pushing away her lacy bra, his fingers caressed her breasts, and she moaned, shaking and overcome by his seductive caresses.

      “Ah, Erin, you’re beautiful!” he whispered, bending down to take her nipple in his mouth. His tongue circled the taut bud while she tangled her fingers in his hair with one hand and tugged at his belt with the other.

      His hands brushed hers and then his trousers fell around his ankles. He kicked off his shoes, peeled away his socks and stepped out of his trousers. He leaned away, discarding his shoes and socks while she ran her hands over his magnificent body.

      The man was all hard muscle. She leaned forward to shower kisses over his chest and heard him inhale deeply.

      Her head spun and she was on fire. While he kissed her, he picked her up in his arms and carried her to his bed. He put her on the mattress and moved over her to trail kisses on her breasts, to stroke and kiss her nipples, first one and then the other, and then he traced kisses lower. His hands caressed her legs, sliding between her thighs and touching her intimately.

      Erin was drowning in his lovemaking, her pulse drumming out all other sounds, her closed eyelids shutting out awareness of anything except his hands and mouth on her. She tangled her fingers in his hair and wanted him with a need she had never known in her life.

      His slightest caress and kiss drove her wild. While her head thrashed back and forth, she moaned softly, stroking him, wanting to give herself to him completely. He was incredibly special and what had happened between them was unique, something she never thought would happen.

      Was she starry-eyed? In a dreamworld of fantasies? she asked herself. She didn’t care as she ran her hands over his strong shoulders. She glanced at him to see him leaning over her, his taut muscles taking her breath, and she closed her eyes again.

      She clung to him as if he were the only solid thing in a world spinning crazily away. And even though they had just met for the first time tonight, he was no stranger. She knew myriad details about his past life. Knew what foods he liked and didn’t like, where he lived. She had seen pictures of him, but she hadn’t connected the pictures with the man because they had been photos taken at a distance, blurred, worn with time. They were pictures of a shaggy-haired man with a cap on. The cap was gone and the long shaggy hair was gone and he didn’t look as thin as he had in the pictures.

      Boone wanted her with a hunger that was amazing, and she wanted him with a need that was staggering.

      He touched her intimately, stroking her, driving her to oblivion, and then his tongue was on her, heightening all the need he had already built in her.

      “Boone, please…” She whispered his name, her words fading away. She gasped, sitting up and wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him down while she kissed him. Then she took his shaft and slowly kissed him, feeling him tremble until he came up off the bed to wrap his arms around her so tightly it took her breath. He cradled her against his shoulder, kissing her and making her tremble.

      “Love me. Love me now. This will be a night to remember.”

      He leaned over her, laying her down on the bed again while he knelt between her legs.

      “Are you protected, Erin?”

      She shook her head and he stepped off the bed. When he did, she sat up and caught his arm. “Boone—”

      “Just a minute,” he said, crossing the room to retrieve a packet from his flight bag. He returned and leaned over her to take her in his arms and kiss her.

      When he moved between her legs, she stared at him, memorizing each detail about him while her heart pounded with eagerness. When she looked into his eyes, her breath caught.

      Blatant desire burned in blue flames. She held out her arms and he came down into her embrace and then so slowly entered her.

      “Boone! I want you!” she cried out, wrapping her long legs around him tightly.

      “Ah, Erin, darlin’.” He moved slowly and withdrew and she gasped, arching against him and pulling him to her as he entered her again slowly and then he halted. “Erin!”

      “Love me,” she whispered, pulling at his shoulders. He raised up slightly, startling her. She opened her eyes to look up at him and see a frown creasing his forehead.

      “You’re a virgin!” When he started to scoot away, she held him, her arms tightening.

      “Make love to me, now, Boone. I want you,” she cried fiercely, tugging him to her. She leaned up to kiss him, catching his lower lip gently in her teeth and then stroking his lips with her tongue before her tongue went into his mouth.

      “Erin, you don’t know—”

      “Yes, I do know!” she exclaimed. “I want you!” She pulled him down, kissing him as she held him tightly with her arms around his neck.

      He entered her again and she felt the tightness, some pain, and she knew he was about to pull away again, but she clung to him. He entered her fully, filling her slowly, and in seconds urgency drove her to a wild rhythm with him.

      “Boone!” she cried in a frenzy.

      “Erin, darlin’.” He kissed her while they moved together, and then they crashed over a brink and stars exploded behind her closed eyelids as ecstasy enveloped her.

      They gradually slowed, their pounding hearts returning to normal, their ragged breathing leveling out.

      He kissed her and stroked her and finally rolled onto his side, keeping her with him. She opened her eyes to find him watching her.

      “Boone, I think I’m in heaven.”

      He tightened his arms around her and smiled at her before he pulled her close and kissed her gently. “You’re beautiful