The Unidentified Redhead (Redhead #1)(22)
Author: Alice Clayton

“Why are you so serious about this no communication thing?” he inquired, lowering his face to mine and beginning to sweep gentle kisses from my ear down to my neck.

“This is why. Because I can’t focus when you do that,” I sighed, leaning in to him against my better judgment.

“Can’t focus, huh? So, I shouldn’t do this?” he asked innocently, brushing his fingertips down my bare arms. He slid his hand along my shoulder, inside the linen dress and began to move toward my breast.

“No, you shouldn’t,” I protested, weakly. I was already beginning to get worked up and could feel my br**sts tighten as he moved closer.

“I like this dress, Grace. I’ve never seen you in a dress.”

“No kidding. We just met! So far, you have seen me in workout clothes, a racing suit and a slutty pair of jeans. And a Saltine shower.”

He laughed, remembering the Saltines. “Well, they were all memorable. But the dress? My favorite so far.” He continued his assault on my senses, running his hands further down my sides, and starting to gather handfuls of linen, lifting my dress up high on my thighs.

“For f**k’s sake, we can’t do this here! This is so inappropriate. This is wrong.

This is … Oh, God … ” I stopped, unable to speak.

He’d allowed his fingertips to slide all the way up my legs, stopping only when he reached my lacy panties. He traced the edge of the lace, starting at my hip and moving down, then covering me with his hand. I couldn’t help the moan that escaped me.

“Are you focusing right now, Grace?” He breathed into my ear.

“Um, yes? But you don’t affect me as much as you think you do.” I tried feebly to keep control of the conversation, since I was losing control of the lower half of my body.

“I don’t think that’s true.” He frowned at me, pulling the lace aside, his fingers hovering just above me. Like before, even though he wasn’t actually touching me, I could feel him. I could feel where he was, and I knew he knew exactly what this was doing to me. “In fact, I would say, you are very affected by this,” he whispered hotly, holding my gaze with his own, his piercing eyes not allowing me to look away.

Then, his fingers touched me.

I have never in my life felt so aroused. It was magic. His fingers fluttered along, grazing me lightly. I almost came right then. I shuddered.

“Mmm, Grace. You sure this isn’t affecting you?” he continued, pressing down on me. I almost lost my balance. He pushed me back up against the door, slamming me against the doorbell. I heard it ring out.

“Coming!” I heard Holly say as she clicked across the floor to the front door.

“Not quite, but she’s close.” He chuckled, removing his hand and leaving me breathless and rosy cheeked.

“I’ll just let you get back to focusing. Call me when you’re ready to finish this,” he said, laughing lightly at my frustrated and confused look.

“Guh,” I mumbled. He slipped into the darkness, but I could hear him.

I amused him.

Holly opened the door and took one look at me. I was still against the door with my dress bunched up around my hips. I was shaking my head in wonder-ment, looking frazzled and thrilled all at the same time.

“Oh, God, the British have landed, haven’t they?” she asked.

I looked up at her, incapable of speech.

I distinctly heard Jack’s laughter slice through the night as his car sped away.

“You better not have f**ked her up against my front door, Jack!” she called after him.

As his car disappeared around the corner, I heard him yell, “Not yet, Holly!” Holly shook her finger at me in a tsk-tsk fashion and went back inside.

Seconds later she turned the porch light out on me.

You just lost the power of speech.

Chapter 10

Though we had only known each other for a few days, that night had marked a turning point in our “relationship.” It was on. I knew that we were stupid attracted to each other. I knew that it made no sense at all that we were even engaging in what was now beyond a mild flirtation. I knew that the nine-year age difference was huge and that whether I wanted to or not, it would eventually be something that I would have to deal with. I knew that he was already Mr.

Hot Shit, UK version, and about to blow up into a huge star. I knew that there was little to no chance that we would both make it out of this OK.

I knew that he was going to f**k me like it was his job.

And I knew that I was going to let him.

Even though all of that other stuff was there and would eventually have to be dealt with, I was now beyond the point of being able to resist. I was going to let my body take over and my brain worry about something else. All the mental junk got pushed to the side and placed in a box titled, “Grace Will Deal With You Later, She Is Now Being Run By Her Oonie.” The rest of that week, we talked on the phone, we emailed, we texted and even made Holly act as a go between, much to her consternation. She was forced to relay messages like: “Tell Sheridan I saw a seagull this morning that needed a soft place to land.” and “Tell Hamilton there is a sale on ChapStick if he needs to stock up. That bottom lip is looking a little ragged.” and “Tell Sheridan that she should use Bengay if her joints are acting up. That’s what my dad uses.” and

“Tell Hamilton that the meter reader guy put some on me last night, and it felt gooood.” Eventually Holly refused to continue this telephone game, shouting over the phone in front of a famous client who was there to take a meeting,

“Would you two just f**k and get it over with?” We didn’t see each other until the following week. I really was behind on work. I was getting ready for the showcase and that night I was finally testing out my two songs at open mike night. Holly and Nick were meeting me at a club off Fairfax. I was a little nervous, but more excited than anything else. I needed to practice, and I was just becoming comfortable performing in front of an audience again.

I was also still working my way through the Time series, and this Joshua was one Super Sexy Scientist Guy—who happened to engage in a ravishingly steamy love affair with a different lady in each time period. I was hooked. Was I reading erotica? Time-traveling erotica? Perhaps …

I had talked to Jack in the late afternoon. He’d been on set doing re-shoots at a studio in the valley all day and was going to try to make it to the club in time.

“I’m not sure what time I’ll be done. They tell me I should be out of here by eight-ish, but that’s usually rubbish,” he sighed into the phone.