One Night Standards Read Online Free

only six hours, but she was going to miss him like crazy.
    She was turning to tell him that, she would tell herself later. She wasn’t turning to do anything else when she was still in his arms. She just looked up into those sky-blue-gray eyes of his, smiling when he stroked the side of her face. Smiling back at him.
    She was still smiling when he leaned down. The two of them were smiling when their lips met. And for a second, it was absolutely perfect—the end of a perfectly awful day with the most wonderful ending imaginable.
    Then something changed. Oh, it was perfect—but there was nothing friendly about it.
    She felt him crush the hair at the nape of her neck, very gently, with his broad hand, holding her more tightly to him as she let out a soft moan and pressed herself against him. She opened her mouth and felt his tongue brush against her lips, tickling hers. She tilted her head for better access, and sighed right into him. He felt sinfully delicious and tasted like heaven. She clutched at his shoulders, feeling him press her against the door. She didn’t care. She wanted as much of him as she could get.
    She had no idea how long they stood like that out in the hallway, but it was probably far too long…and it wasn’t even long enough. But she heard one of the bags falling over and, startled, she pulled back.
    â€œWow,” Mark said, his breathing uneven. “Just…wow.” He stared at her. “You okay?”
    She took a deep breath. “I think you shorted out my left temporal lobe.”
    He laughed, stroking her arms. She took a step back, studying him.
    â€œDo you have any idea how outrageously good you are at that?”
    He grinned, tongue in cheek, and leaned against the door frame. “Good manners would say I should be modest right about now,” he said, then he grinned devilishly. “But hell, I’m too tired. Yeah, I knew.”
    â€œGood grief. You should wear a warning label. Be registered as lethal in most states.”
    He winked at her. “Just most states?”
    â€œWell…I’m betting you’d probably be okay in Hawaii,” she said. “Thanks again.”
    â€œYou make me laugh,” he said, his smile causing her to feel warm all the way down to her toes. “I dig that.”
    â€œWho says dig anymore? What are you, Austin Powers?” She had to escape. If she stayed out here…
    â€œWhy?” He winked. “Do I make you randy, baby?”
    â€œYou nutcase,” she replied. “I dig ya right back.”
    He sighed. “It was the kissing thing, huh?”
    She thought about it. “Actually, it was the car ride. I’ve never met anybody who could talk about as many non–work related things as you,” she said. “It takes a man of true distinction to find Andromeda, debate the finer points of A Face in the Crowd and sing all the words to ‘Dead Man’s Party’ in a decent voice.”
    His eyes lit up, like a kid at Christmas, and his grin was so happy she wanted to drag him into her room and not let him go, possibly ever.
    â€œYou keep smiling like that, Tennessee, and I’m going to do things I regret. So let’s call it a night.” With that—and because she was an utter, stupid glutton for punishment—she gave him one last, quick kiss, then opened the door, dumped her stuff inside and shut the door behind her. Then, she kicked off her shoes and threw herself onto her bed. She heard him hauling his bags into his room next door, and closed her eyes.
    Okay, you’re an idiot, she berated herself. Kissing that man was like juggling chain saws. Might seem like a cool idea in theory, but if you didn’t know what you were doing, you were bound to get hurt.
    Still…he was pretty amazing. And of course, gorgeous. And really funny.
    And damn, that man could kiss.
    Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and she groaned. “Will this day never