Her legs dangled between his, and she crossed her arms across her chest with painstakingly slow movements, determined not to wiggle. She could smell him, that heavy masculine scent of aftershave. She could hear him breathing. Feel the tight hardness of his muscles beneath her.
His chest brushed against her back.
"What the hell?" Jared said, his hands on her waist tightening.
Those fingers of his were right at her waistband. One shift and he would be touching her skin where her blouse had pulled out of her skirt.
Leaning forward a little, Candy read the caption alongside the image. "A great way to relax and rediscover romance is with a long sensual bubble bath. Take the time to explore each other's bodies with the added aphrodisiac of warm water and satiny bath gels."
The pair onscreen did look relaxed. The woman was facing the man, sitting on his lap, and they were kissing, tongues entwined, and her wet breasts pushed up against his chest. The bubbles of the bath covered the major body parts, but it still served its purpose.
Making her crazy, wishing she could be wet and slippery with Jared.
The woman rocked up and down, making bubbly waves around them while Harold's office filled with the sound of their panting.
"They seem to be enjoying themselves," she said, unable to drag her eyes away.
Jared's hands convulsed on her waist. She could swear that his erection was actually throbbing against her, making her want to turn around and beg that he push inside her. She wanted what that woman was getting.
"Candy, stand up."
"What?" Disappointment rushed through her, and her mouth was wet and heavy with desire. "Why?"
"Because this isn't right." He gave her a not-so-gentle shove. "It's wrong. We're in Harold's office."
Despite her disappointment, the panic in his voice amused her. And his words thrilled her. She had known Jared would be different. Instead of just taking what he could get, he was holding back for the sake of decency.
Office propriety.
Which she had been about to toss out the window.
Candy suspected that Jared was waiting for someone too, just the way that she was. He was waiting for the one woman who would see beyond the body and the clothes and show interest in the man.
That woman was her, she decided. Whether it was for one day, one night, or something more, she didn't know. But she wanted Jared, needed to feel him inside her. If not today, then soon. Very soon.
With great reluctance, she let him shove her forward until she was back on her feet. She turned and rested her knees against his, pushing her hair back off her face.
She had to ask. Wanted him to say it. "Do you want me, Jared?"
He nodded without hesitation. "Yes. I do. Since the day I met you."
She shuddered, her body pulsing with need. "That's something else I like about you, you know. I like that you like me, but haven't done anything about it."
Pressing forward, she spread her legs until one was on either side of his. "I want you to do something about it. Now."
He didn't say anything. He didn't do anything. He just sat there, clenching his hands tightly on the arm of the chair, his jaw taut, his eyes tortured.
"Unless you want to hear question eleven instead."
Candy wanted another kiss from him, and plans for a date. Until she got one of the two, she'd stand here in front of him all day and read the random and vague questions of Harold's couple counseling.
Glancing over her shoulder, she said, "Question eleven. What's your favorite smell?"
She was about to go into the scent of freshly cut grass, baking apple pies, and the ocean, when Jared spoke first.
"Sex and Candy. That's what I want to smell."
Have mercy.
Shocked, she whirled around to face him again, sure she'd heard him wrong. She clearly hadn't. The expression of lust raging on his face showed her that he knew exactly what he had said. And meant it.
She went wet, wishing she weren't standing with her legs so far apart. The hot, thrilling ache was unbearable.
She took back that very wish a split second later when Jared reached forward and placed a wide warm hand on each of her knees. Then he shoved the skirt all the way up to her waist, leaving her naked but for her panties a foot in front of his face.
His breath tickled her, and she arched her back, gripping the desk so she wouldn't fall down. Her legs shook a little, and the only sound in the room was their combined ragged breathing.
Leaning in to hover in front of her panties, Jared closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. "Mmmm. I can smell it already."
Candy knew she should be mortified, blushing eight shades of purple and leaping away from him. But the only thing she felt was desire, rushing hot and strong through every inch of her. She felt intensely feminine, in control, and powerful in a way she'd never experienced before.
As his nose brushed across her panties, Candy's fingers found their way to his shoulders. She gripped his shirt, digging in with greedy and desperate need, tossing her head back on a soft moan. Jared took his time, languidly studying her, his thumbs tracing patterns above her knees on her stockings. Once or twice his breath hitched, but otherwise he was perfectly in control.
She was about to lose hers and whimper. Or beg. Or press forward so that his mouth would bump her right where she wanted him the most.
Then he spoke again, eyes still roving over her, fingers light and in no hurry. "Can I taste you, too?"
Are there bears in the woods?
"Oh, yes. Please."
Candy's eagerness came close to undoing him. Instead, he took a deep breath and moved his hands up Candy's thighs, past the line of her stocking onto her smooth bare flesh. She was hot to the touch, the way his own body felt, and he couldn't muzzle a groan from jerking out.
Damn, she was beautiful. Curvy and pink and his for the taking. Right now. The peek up her skirt he'd had earlier hadn't done her justice. Now, laid all out before him, she looked and smelled delicious.
The floral of her perfume had melted with the musky scent of her desire, leaving him dry-mouthed and hornier than hell.
With one finger, he dragged the loose black lace away from her and over to the side, holding it in place there against her inner thigh muscle. Little sounds of encouragement rained down on his head, and her fingers dug into his shoulders, pinching his skin.
With another ringer and thumb, Jared gently spread her folds apart, brushing her blond curls aside.
This time, he was the one who moaned. Damn, she looked so good. And wet. She was more than ready.
He brushed the tip of his tongue across her, closing his eyes against the heat and tangy taste. Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he had been imagining this for weeks. It was better than he could have ever dreamed.
As was the lurch Candy gave, and the high-pitched cry that flew out of her mouth. He didn't look up, just gave another long slow lick. This time her pleasure was muffled, and he guessed she'd remembered exactly where they were, and how thin Harold's wood door was.
He moved again, faster, rhythmically crossing over her, sliding his tongue inside her, and pulling back again. He felt surrounded by her, enclosed by her thighs and her breasts hovering over his head. Her fingers pulled his shirt so hard it had jerked out of his pants as he tasted her, smelled her, loved her.
His tongue went deeper, his fingers pulled her panties harder to the side, and with his other hand he cupped her ass. Her panties had slid into the crevice between her cheeks, and he tugged them back out slowly. He allowed his finger to explore along the path where the underwear had been, sliding along from behind until his finger had met up his tongue, both pressing into her.
Candy bucked and writhed, way too close to ripping off an orgasm without him.