Sidelined

She blushed. Ok, maybe librarian wasn’t the best choice, but she had a vision of piling her dark hair in a bun and letting him pull the pencil holding it in place until it fell around her shoulders. She shook the image from her head. She didn’t even know this guy.

“I get the feeling you’re enjoying this.” She looked at her empty glass. Stuffy Skye would pay for her wine, walk out of the bar, and never look back. She would head to her apartment and start strategizing on how she could get the account back from Greg. But tonight, with the sudden appearance of this stranger, she was Reckless Skye and she held up her hand to order another glass. This must be what sexy librarians do.

“Can I get the next round?” He smiled.

She relaxed in the seat. “Sure.”

Two drinks later the room felt a little fuzzy, and her mysterious and spontaneous date for the night grew increasingly more appetizing. He had moved his chair next to hers after the last round.

“What do you say we get out of here?” he whispered in her ear. He let his finger inch up her thigh.

The words shot chills through her. She nodded knowing all night she had been pulled toward him like a magnet. The answer was going to be yes from the minute he sat down. She grabbed her purse while he paid the rest of the tab. It was pointless to argue about who should pay for drinks when she was getting ready to let him undress her.

He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and ushered her toward the door. Skye knew where this was headed, and it was exactly what she wanted. She wanted him to do things to her in the dark that would make her forget her name, her job, and her awful day. She wanted to scream and breathe and feel him against her. There was no doubt in her mind she wanted all of those things. For once she didn’t want to feel in control. She wanted him to drive the void right out of her.

“Where?” She turned toward him on the sidewalk, the gas lights flickering over his shoulder.

“What about your place?” he asked.

She nodded again. If he wanted to take her behind the bar and throw her against the brick wall, she would probably be ok with that. Everything about this felt forbidden, dangerous, and wrong, but she couldn’t stop. She wanted him.

“Well, since I’m in town for the conference I have the keys to my friend’s apartment. It’s only a few blocks away.” She liked carrying out the librarian charade a little longer. It felt liberating.

He smiled, brushing the hair from her neck. Her knees almost gave way. Three glasses of wine with a flirty touch, and she was a goner.

“Sounds perfect.”

She grabbed him by the hand and tugged for him to follow her. She didn’t want to lose her nerve. She needed to get laid in the worst way.

The keys dropped to the floor as she tried to pull out the right one. “Dammit,” she cursed under her breath.

Finally, she found the right one and jiggled the key in the lock before shoving the door open. For once, she was glad she spent all her time in the office. Her apartment was immaculate. Not a dish in the sink or a magazine left open. It was as if no one lived in the turn-key place. She blushed knowing this guy didn’t give a damn about her décor, as long as she didn’t have chintzy china on the walls and pictures of cats knitting he probably wasn’t going anywhere.

She debated offering him something to drink, but he snaked his arms around her waist and his mouth was hot on her neck. He peeled the jacket from her arms, tossing it on the floor. She tried not to worry about the hundreds of wrinkles forming in the silk. Reckless girls didn’t worry about insignificant details.

“I like the librarian look. Just wish you had some glasses.” He growled. “I’ve always had a librarian fantasy.”

She gasped as he spun her against his chest. All night they had flirted and told funny stories about their fake identities just to get to this moment. The moment when they could dive into the attraction that had held them at the table for hours. She had gotten lost in his pale blue eyes at first glance. Now she was ready for her body to give in to the rest of him. She wanted to dive in head first more than anything.

Her hands searched for the buttons on his shirt and flicked them to the side. The lights from the courtyard below glowed through the blinds, and Skye marveled at his arms and his chest. Dangling around his neck was a necklace with two tags. She felt them between her fingers and searched his eyes for answers. Tonight wasn’t supposed to be about answers she reminded herself. It was supposed to be about getting lost. She pulled the tags over his head and tossed them on the floor, letting her fingertips graze the space on the chest where they used to be.

This guy was unreal, and suddenly she felt very self-conscious. But something in the look he cast her made her shake those insecurities. He wanted her. He wanted librarian, mysterious, reckless Skye. And that’s who he was going to get.

She moaned as his mouth took hers, and she tasted the combination of bourbon and wine on his tongue. He held her face with one hand while the other pulled the camisole from her skirt and worked its way along her stomach, trailing the soft skin until he reached her bra.

She reached behind her back to unclasp it for him. He pulled the cami over her head and with it the bra. She realized it was the only sexy thing s

he was wearing, but it didn’t matter anymore as it landed on the floor.

Her head rocked back as he kissed along her throat and his tongue made a line straight to her breast. He rolled a nipple between his fingers before his mouth covered it with heat and lightning strikes of sensation. The place between her legs began to respond with a pulse that was driving her wild.

“Damn, I want to take you right here.” He nodded toward the couch.

“Do it.” She breathed.

He yanked on the zipper to her skirt and it fell to the floor in a puddle. She stepped to the side, kicking it out of the way. She lay against the cushions, her body on fire with anticipation. This was a first. She had never had a one-night stand. She strictly adhered to dating for a solid month before sex. It was the golden rule she never broke, but right now that seemed like the most absurd rule ever created. Why wasn’t she doing this all the time, she thought as he hooked his thumbs on the edge of her panties and stripped them off her skin, leaving her naked on the couch. Reckless felt good. Reckless felt empowering.

She watched as he unbuckled his pants and chucked them on the floor. The only thing separating them now was a pair of black boxer briefs. She tugged on the waistband, ready for what was inside.