Page 81 of Hottie on Her Shelf
Caroline tsked. “There’s no point going around in circles. It doesn’t matter if you believe it. We know it to be a fact. We’re sharing that with you, in the spirit of generosity, so you aren’t blindsided at a campaign event.”
“Why would it even come up?”
She waved a hand in the air, weighed down with an enormous platinum wedding set. “Swan Cove is a small town. Somehow, word spreads. One never knows how it starts.”
“Regardless, this gives you time to think about the ramifications. To you. To the campaign. What sort of spotlight your parents might be in at this difficult time in their lives.”
Hallie didn’t know what to say. All of her emotions had whirled together and then backed off. Shock, probably. At least the numbness kept her from yelling at Fitz’s parents…and from getting in her car and racing to confront her own.
Why didn’t they tell her? And if they didn’t want her to know, shouldn’t she respect that? Let them keep their pride?
Wouldcontinuing to run put them at risk, though?
She had lots of questions and no answers. No Fitz to rescue her yet, either. So, Hallie did the only thing she could, a remedy as old as politics itself. She drained what was left of the excellent wine.
Half an hour later, the buzz had dissipated, thanks to coffee and dessert, but that was okay. Hallie sought a different sort of buzz.
“Did you ever read Peanuts?” she asked Fitz as he let them into his apartment.
He hung their jackets. “The comic strip? I guess. Long time ago.”
Hallie was at ease in his place now. She walked right on in without waiting, past the living room to the hallway leading to the bedroom. “There’s one where Linus is super aware of his tongue. He tries not to think about it, but that only makes him think about it more. Lucy calls it dumb, and of course, when she walks away, suddenly all she can think about is her tongue.”
“I like all the weird and wonderful places your mind wanders, but you lost me with that one.”
She crooked her finger so he’d join her. “When you try not to think of something, you only concentrate on it more. Like an earworm.”
Fitz pretended to spit. “Worst things ever. Worse than hiccups.”
“You know what does work? Not thinking. Not talking. Distraction.”
“Oh?” Laughter rolled out as Hallie pushed off his sport coat. “What did you have in mind?”
She unzipped his pants. If there was the slightest chance he did still want to be mature and talk through his feelings about his parents some more, then her mouth on him ought to cut that right off at the pass.
“I find I do my best non-thinking naked.”
“Is that so?” Fitz hitched in a sharp breath as she squeezed his already hard shaft. “Don’t you want to move this to the bedroom?”
“Nope.” As soon as his belt was undone, the pants slid to the floor with a quick jiggle of his feet. Hallie shoved both hands under the waistband of the black boxer briefs. She liked to cup his balls—both for her pleasure and his safety—when stripping him.
“How about you let me undress you, at least?”
Always considerate, that was Fitz to the core. He’d take his time, though, which might allow him to start thinking again. No, thank you.
Hallie whipped her shirt overhead, kicked her sandals in somewhat the direction of the door, and shimmied out of her skirt. While she accomplished all of that, Fitz removed her bra. That was enough for now.
Planting the tips of her fingernails just above his nipples, she slowly raked them down his chest. Slow enough to feel goose bumps pop up. Slow enough to feel his nipples harden.
Slow enough that his penis was tapping against her thigh in eagerness before she made it to his belly button.
Moonlight streamed through the wood slatted blinds, painting his already obvious abs in strips of shadow. Hallie brought her hands together at the narrow trail of hair; a signpost pointing to his most erogenous zone. At the last possible millimeter, she swept them apart to continue raking down the insides of his thighs as she knelt.
Fitz jerked, then let out a frustrated groan.
See? He was already speechless. Her plan was going great.
His hands caressed her bare shoulders. She loved when he cupped them, stroking down her arms. The broad palms and long fingers covered so much of her at once. So many nerve endings jumped to the surface simultaneously at his touch.
