MOSTLY SUNNY, WITH CHANCE OF BELGIAN CHOCOLATE

From More Than Skin Deep, an anthology from Ellora's Cave

Lex has recently interviewed Carter, a local weather announcer, and he has invited her to a small family gathering. Afterward, she's a little tipsy, and starts to make moves on him.

She returned his sultry regard and said, much to her own surprise, “I’m thinking I’d really like for you to kiss me.”

His smile faded. “Good God, woman, how drunk are you?”

“Not that drunk.”

He looked at her, as if judging her sincerity, his fingers twitching on the back of the couch. She stared at the lines of his full mouth, waiting for him to move, or laugh at her, or do something…

“Oh, good grief,” she said finally, and grabbed him by the back of the neck, and pulled him into her, and kissed him.

He lifted his arms in a warding gesture, but didn’t push her away. His mouth was unresponsive at first, so she pushed a little harder, and finally he softened, embracing her, kissing her back.

His mouth was hot and tasted of Heineken. She traced his lips with her tongue and he opened to her, letting her explore him. His fingers dug into her back, clutched her closer.

Part of her mind started asking the hard questions, like what the hell she was doing, and that maybe she should get to know this guy a little better before she stuck her tongue in his mouth. But the other part of her mind had more interesting questions, including what he looked like naked, and if other parts of his body were proportionally as large as his hands. She let herself sink farther into him, let herself go.

He was making noises into her mouth, which at first sounded like sounds of protest, but shifted to something else as she began to stroke her tongue against his. His hands shifted down her back, moving under the hem of her blouse, finding bare skin, sliding up. His palms were big and smooth, hot. Fingers found the hooks of her bra, unfastened one—

And suddenly he pulled back, gasping. “Stop, Lex,” he said. “Stop.”

She lunged after his mouth again, but he pushed her away. “What?”

“You’ve known me, like, fifteen hours. What are you doing?”

“Kissing you.” She dipped her head again, but he dodged her.

“You have no intention of stopping there, do you?”

Mostly on top of him, she ground her hips into him. His firm, erect cock rolled against her, through his jeans. “Neither do you.”

“Yeah, actually, I do.” He straightened a little, still trying to push her away. “You’re drunk.”

“I’m not drunk. I’m just a little buzzed.” She slid her hands between them, rubbing his chest. He closed his eyes, clenched his teeth. “Don’t you feel it?” she said.

“Feel what.” He still had his eyes stubbornly closed.

“The chemistry. I felt it when I was interviewing you.”

“Yeah, I felt it. You sure you want to cheapen that with half-drunken sex?”

“I am not cheap.”

“I didn’t say you were. But will you remember this in the morning?”

“God, I hope so.” She slid her hands under his shirt, feeling the sleek, firm expanse of his abdomen. “Yes, I’ll remember. I told you, I’m not drunk. I only had three beers.”

He opened his eyes and studied her face. “Will you respect me in the morning?”

She grinned. “Probably not.” Her fingers reached his nipples, found them pebbled. She flicked them softly. “Why are you so damn noble, anyway?”

His expression was far too sober. “I don’t believe in taking advantage, and I don’t believe in one-night stands.”

“So we do this, then you remember to call me, and we’re all good.” Her thumbs rolled his nipples gently. She could feel his heartbeat against her chest, hard and a little too fast. His hips moved under her—a single, instinctive thrust.

“You do this a lot?” he asked.

“What, throw myself at men? Never.”

“Then why?”

Oh, this was ridiculous. What was he, Sir Freaking Galahad? She pushed herself away and sat up. “Fine. You don’t like me, you don’t want to, whatever. I’ll just go home.”

His hand closed around her arm. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to.”

She looked over her shoulder at him. He was so sincere. She wondered suddenly how old he was. Younger than she was, surely, by at least five years. So young and already so chivalrous. Somebody had raised him right, that was certain.

She cocked an eyebrow at him. “Are you a virgin?” she said.

“No!” Oh, that had hit him where it hurt. “Of course not.”

“Then let me take advantage of you. Please?”

He still looked dubious. “This isn’t just a curiosity thing?”

“Oh, please. I’ve slept with black men before.” She paused. “Okay, one. And he had a white mother. But no, it isn’t just a curiosity thing. I mean, other than being curious about you. Because you’re you, not because you’re black, or Belgian milk chocolate colored, or six foot three, or because you have really big feet. It’s because—“ She broke off, suddenly realizing where she was going.

His hand moved up her shoulder. “Because what?”

“Because I like you. Because I’ve never felt the kind of zing I’m feeling with you, not even with the guy I lived with for two years.”

He still looked dubious. “You’re shitting me. You’re just trying to get me into bed.”

“Hell, yes, I’m trying to get you into bed! Or onto the floor, or the couch or whatever.” She paused, looking at him, taking in the sincerity and the mild confusion on his face. “But no, I’m not shitting you. Don’t you feel it? Because if you don’t—“

He leaned forward abruptly and kissed her. Soft and careful, slow. The movement of his lips against hers made her melt, made her want to weep. She pressed gently into him, feeling, exploring, her voice rising soft in the back of her throat as he pressed her mouth open and touched his tongue to hers—

The doorbell rang. The taxi, she thought, and started to push away, but he pulled her closer, sliding his hands down her back, cupping her buttocks. He tilted her hips against him, and she could feel the hard ridge of his cock against her stomach.

The doorbell rang again. “Hey! Somebody call for a cab?”

Carter laughed into Lex’s mouth. “That’s really distracting.”

“Get rid of him.”

He kissed her again, as if he couldn’t stand to move away from her, then went to the door and opened it. He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and extricated a twenty. “Here. She changed her mind. Sorry.”

“Whatever.” The cab driver sounded less than pleased.

Carter closed the door and turned back to face Lex. “You pissed him off.”

“I’m not the one who told him to leave.”

His eyebrows compressed a little, but a smile curved his mouth. “You sure you want to stay? He’s probably still here.”

She just looked at him, smiling, then lowered her gaze to his fly. “What do you think?”

He laughed. “I think I could take care of that myself if I had to, but damn, I really don’t want to.”

“Then come here.”

He did.

END EXCERPT