Hot Stuff (Hot Zone 1)

The lodge was his whole world right now-it gave him a sense of purpose and he needed it so he could help the kids.

He'd had everything to lose and nothing to gain by kissing her.

Annabelle groaned. "Boris might not think your home is his territory, but he's obviously decided to make his mark on you."

Most importantly, Vaughn was out of the doghouse with Yank, and another bonehead move like this would put him right back in.

"You aren't laughing," Annabelle continued rambling and cringed. "You're ticked. I guess I'd be ticked, too."

He slid his tongue over his lips and swallowed a groan when he tasted Annabelle and the tidal wave of desire washed over him once more.

"And you aren't listening to a word I've said," Annabelle said, reinforcing her words with a kick of her foot against his with an admirable amount of force he couldn't ignore.

"I heard you," he muttered.

"Then what'd I say?" She slipped away and began to straighten her shirt and smooth her disheveled hair.

He'd tangled that hair, he thought and his fingertips tingled all over again. Damn, this woman was one potent package. She distracted him and caused way too much havoc with his mind and body.

"I asked you to repeat what I said." She swung her foot back and perched her toe against the grass. "Did you hear me? Or do I need to kick you again?"

He scowled. "You said you were sorry and you'd have the dog put down if he peed on my feet again."

She glanced at him, horrified, "t said nothing of the sort. I-"

"You said that Q-Tip here's decided to mark me as his territory." Just as Annabelle had obviously marked him. Vaughn shook his head, frustrated with himself and her ability to make his every thought turn to her.

"Something like that." She touched her lips with her fingers.

Whether idly or on purpose, she had him thinking about kissing her again. And for the reasons he'd just listed in his head and would permanently emblazon on his brain, that couldn't happen again. Ever.

CHAPTER SIX

OH YEAH, BABY. Those were the only words floating through Annabelle's mind as she sat in her room, jotting down notes on the people she'd met today. Those somehow related to Vaughn by either work or friendship.

She started a diagram but couldn't concentrate, so she moved on to the press release. She needed Vaughn to make a public statement about the lodge and send a letter to those who already had bookings. Unfortunately she couldn't concentrate on anything but that kiss.

A kiss like the one they'd shared could make her reevaluate her decision to remain celibate. Judging by her swift reaction to Vaughn, it'd been too long since she'd been in any kind of relationship and she obviously needed the physical contact.

Desperately.

And only one man would do.

She and Vaughn were alone in this big house, nothing between them except the memory of that kiss. How could she not reevaluate her perspective and give herself permission to act on her desires?

True, she'd challenged herself this same way before and lost, but she'd learned her lesson and this time, she wouldn't be hurt. This was a situation of limited duration with a man she knew up front wasn't interested in anything serious. She'd only be in this small town and large house for a short time. Too short to invest her heart in Brandon Vaughn. But her body was another story.

Besides, if she didn't give herself permission to seduce Vaughn, she'd never get any work done. Taking his wary reaction into consideration, she needed to start slow. But she'd absolutely decided to go for it with Vaughn.

Her stomach growled, interrupting her thoughts, but not her work, which just wasn't flowing. Time to prepare a meal and feed the mind and the soul. She could cook for both herself and her missing housemate, who'd dropped her off and disappeared for parts unknown. Probably looking for more of that precious space he always seemed to need. She could just leave a plate warming in the oven for him later.

She decided to make use of his state-of-the-art kitchen and rummaged through the cabinets and fridge, coming up with steaks in the freezer, baking potatoes and some salvageable green stuff for a salad.

An hour later, she had both steaks defrosted, marinated and sizzling on the downdraft cook-top grill. She'd found a bottle of Merlot, and was flipping the steaks and pleasantly buzzed when Vaughn finally returned.

"Annabelle, are you here?" he called out loudly.

At the sound of his deep voice, her stomach churned with excitement. As she waited for him to stride into the kitchen, she tried to force a nonchalance she didn't feel.