Hidden Gems Read Online Free PDF Page B

him with rounded eyes. “What do you think?”
    “I think that was amazing,” he said in a raw whisper, unable to resist bringing his mouth down on hers again. The first kiss had been a shock, a mind-blowing assault on the senses. He wanted to try her again, taste her, with a thinking brain this time.
    She resisted for a moment, then gave in with a low, inviting moan. Her lips opened to the first flick of his tongue. Her mouth was hot, salty. And so sweet.
    This is right.
    His palms stroked up and down her arms before locking on her hips, fingers spreading across her tight little ass and pressing her hips snug against his. Their heights were close, and her legs long enough to make up the small difference. Their bodies were in perfect alignment. All the appropriate parts matched up. The soft weight of her breasts pressed to his chest, the long, lean curves of her waist and hips melding to his lower body, where the hard bulge of his erection sought her warm hollow. He wanted to press further into her, he wanted the hot wet clasp, the intimate connection of a complete joining.
    So much for the thinking brain. He was operating on pure animal need.
    At first, the small noises of a pedestrian approaching barely penetrated his consciousness. Not until he felt a body stealthily brush by did he realize that something was wrong.
    “Hey, you!” Jamie whirled around, wrenching Marissa out of his arms with more force than he intended. She cried out, stumbling toward the curb as she lost her balance. He turned back to grab her by the elbow, seeing that she was set safely on her feet before he went to confront the stranger.
    His instincts had been right. The man had targeted the suitcase on the stoop, crouching low as if he was about to snatch it.
    Jamie made a desperate lunge to yank the bag free. Doing so was easier than he’d expected. The thief hadn’t gotten much of a hold.
    With a yell, Jamie toppled over backward, the bag clasped in his arms. The other man didn’t make another attempt, only raced off without a backward glance.
    Jamie was stunned. Like most New Yorkers, he’d been confronted on the streets by a few crazies. But he’d never experienced a mugging, even in snatch-and-run style.
    And so he was surprised by his reaction. Adrenaline had pumped through his body, shooting him full of aggression and bravado. He was a pacifist, and yet suddenly he wanted to fight.
    Marissa knelt at his side, filled with feminine concern. “Are you all right? You took a hard fall.”
    Jamie put a hand to the gritty sidewalk as he found his breath. “Sure. Are you?”
    “Yes. It was only—” She glanced over the empty street. “Only a pitiful attempt at a mugging. Not even an armed one.” She made a dismissive sound, but her voice was shaky. “Takes more ’n that to scare a couple of tough New Yorkers, right?”
    Jamie set her suitcase on the sidewalk and jumped to his feet. He was charged, ready to chase down the itchy-fingered stranger. But the would-be mugger had vanished like smoke.
    Jamie moved restlessly up and down off the curb, sucking air through his nose. “Did you get a look at him?”
    “No. I was trying not to land in the gutter.”
    “He wore a hood,” Jamie remembered. “He was about five-eight or nine. Skinny. I didn’t really see his face.”
    “Should we call the cops?”
    After a moment of consideration, they looked at each other and shrugged. Not worth the time and trouble, especially when the theft hadn’t been successful. “Let’s just get home,” Marissa said with a quiet voice. “This has been a helluva day.”
    Of course. She had to be burned out. Jamie wrapped his arms around her. “Poor baby.”
    She hugged him tight. “Is this a good idea?”
    “What?” He jerked away. Was she afraid he wanted to take up where they’d been interrupted? He did, of course, but that wasn’t his first priority. Only the second through tenth.
    “Distracting ourselves.” She averted her face. “Inviting