Hot Item (Hot Zone 3)

She leaned back on her elbows and glanced up at the stars, which were barely visible through the haze and clouds. “Did you ever wish upon a star?” she asked.

“Can’t say that I have. I’m more of a practical, make-my-own-luck kind of guy.”

She shook her head in mock pity. “You really missed out on one of childhood’s great moments.”

“Star light, star bright?” he asked lightly.

“First star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight.”

As he studied the delicate features he’d come to adore, he suddenly found a reason to indulge in whims and fantasy. He stared upward and found the brightest star in the night sky, the one that called to him in a way that the others did not. The same as Sophie did, Riley thought.

He shut his eyes and wished for what he desired more than anything else. “Sophie—”

“Shh.”

She placed her finger over his mouth to silence him and his lips tingled beneath her touch.

“Don’t tell me your wish or it won’t come true,” she said.

“That means you can’t tell me your wish, either,” he said, unable to contain his disappointment. He’d wanted her to let him inside her heart.

“But I can tell you that it’s the same wish I’ve been making for as long as I can remember.” A wistful smile passed over her lips, vanishing as fast as it came.

He pushed her long curls off the back of her neck. “It hasn’t come true yet?”

“Nope.” She tipped her head, obviously enjoying the brush of his fingertips against her skin, so he kept up the soft contact.

“But I keep hoping it will.” Her lashes fluttered closed.

He swallowed hard. He wanted to be the one to make her dreams come true, but first she had to believe in him.

Goal in mind, he leaned over and nuzzled his face into the sweet spot between her neck and shoulders. She smelled delicious and when he licked her soft skin, he discovered she tasted even better. A seductive purr escaped the back of her throat and she trembled against him.

God, he loved just being with her, Riley thought, and he refused to contemplate what he’d do if she pulled away after tonight.

A quick sweep of his hand over the front of her shirt and he felt her hardened nipples, proof that in Sophie, when it came to passion, he had a willing partner. Riley decided it was a damn good start.

He wrapped one arm around her waist and drew her down, protecting her from the hard ground by rolling her on top of him. Her full breasts pressed hard against his chest as her lower half settled into the vee of his legs.

He groaned aloud, unable to control his reaction to having her exactly where he wanted her.

She grinned and wiggled her hips enticingly, causing his erection to swell.

“Tease.” He laughed.

“You love it,” she whispered, planting kisses over his face until her lips settled over his.

He loved her. Thinking it at the same time he held her in his arms caused a rush of warmth and a sense of rightness to flood through him. His heart pounded hard and heavy in his chest with the desire to make himself one with her overwhelming.

His tongue tangled with hers. Heat flared to life in his belly, the friction of their twisting, grinding bodies bringing him too close too fast. He didn’t want to come without being inside her, deep inside her, so she’d feel how right they were together. How wrong they were apart.

He slipped his hands up the back of her shirt so he could embrace her bare skin. He also managed to still the rhythmic motion of her hips that had him teetering on the edge.

She eased a bit, allowing her breath, hot against his neck, to slow, giving him time to take over. After a couple of tries, he managed to unhook her bra, then watched in fascination as she maneuvered enough to pull the female contraption out of one sleeve and then toss it onto the blanket beside them. Her shirt came next.

He took a moment to relish the sight of her naked in the moonlight. Then he reached out and cupped her breasts in his hands, feeling them heavy and aroused.

She arched her back, pressing her taut nipples into his palms. Seeking to enhance her arousal, he responded by rolling each bud between his thumb and forefinger. He wouldn’t last long once they began and he needed her tightly wound and ready to explode. Because he sure as hell was ready to blow.