Her Best Friend's Brother(31)

“Okay, are you going to tel me what you’re doing here?” Libby broke the silence.

“I told you—I missed you.” Tony flashed her, his most charming smile.

“At 5:00 in the morning?”

“Especialy at 5:00 in the morning.” His smile grew a little suggestive. “I’m in town for a couple of days. I would have been at Stuart’s yesterday, but I thought your mom might want you to herself.”

“Actualy, Mom and Stuart did have a big dinner waiting when I got there. They had some pretty amazing news too.”

“I have some amazing news myself.” They had moved into the dining area, and Tony wordlessly joined her in lowering chairs off tables onto the floor. “Wel some of it is news and I have something else I want to talk to you about.”

“What’s that?”

“Wel first… Jack sold Thrills! It is a smal run, but they are talking a multi-book contract based on some sample chapters from the Isaac Raines books. It is a big deal…” Tony didn’t get to finish talking because Libby rushed him, throwing her arms around in a warm uninhibited hug.

For a second Libby was embarrassed at her actions, but Tony’s arms circled her waist without hesitation. He crushed her body to his, and lifted his big hands to frame her face. His mouth took hers in a passionate hungry kiss. Rough skinned fingers trailed down her neck, his hands opened and skimmed down her back.

Heat from his skin burned a path down her spine through her thin tee shirt. When she felt the tips of his thumbs brush the underside of her breasts she gasped. Tony growled into her kiss; his tongue explored her mouth with abandon.

her kiss; his tongue explored her mouth with abandon.

Gripping her waist he easily lifted her onto a stool.

Instinctively Libby parted her knees—inviting him closer.

He stepped into her, gliding his hands down past the hem of her shorts and massaging the bare skin of her exposed thighs. Lifting one of her legs to wrap around him, Tony ground his hips into her.

Heat pooled in Libby’s midsection. She could clearly feel Tony’s arousal even through the material of their clothing. Drunk with the power she had over him, she scraped her nails lightly down his back and when she reached the waist band of his jeans she urged him to press harder and closer. Slipping her hands under the hem of his shirt she gave herself access to al of his heavenly hard muscles. She mapped him with her palms as she pressed hot open mouth kisses down his neck until she was nibbling his colar bone.

“Unghh, Libby!” Tony rasped. He had one hand buried in her hair, the twister long since tugged loose and discarded, and the other wrapped around her knee holding her tight to him. Libby had never known how wonderfuly erotic a touch to the back of her knee could be. “We have to stop” he managed through his panting breaths.

“No way.” Libby nipped at the skin on his neck, and lifted her face for another taste of his lips.

“Stop.” Tony wrenched his hands from her beautiful soft smooth skin. He gripped the counter behind her caging her in his arms, but no longer touching her.

Libby felt a cold rush over her at the loss of his skin against hers. “Right, just friends.” Libby looked everywhere but into his eyes.

“No Sweetheart.” Tony’s voice was husky and tender between panting breaths. “I just didn’t mean for that to happen.” He chuckled a lightly. “You do have a history of messing with my plans. You know?” Libby looked confused. “There is a wal of windows behind me. I was this close taking you right on that stool.” Tony whispered into the curve her neck between dropping kisses there.

“Okay, let’s go in the back.”

“I’m tempted sweetheart, but that isn’t how this should happen. Hard and fast between your mother’s ovens? That isn’t you.”

Libby thought it probably could be her.

“We have a bad record with communication, you and me. We should talk first.”

Oh. It was a little clearer now. Briefly she regretted alowing him to believe that she and Parker had had a sexual friendship. He was making sure she didn’t have any expectations. That was fair, she thought, since he lived 1100 miles away from her. Fair didn’t make it hurt any less. “Okay. Talk.”

Tony pushed off of the counter and rocked back on his heels. He ran a hand over his face, and through his hair.

Libby loved when he did that. “Just give me a moment to reboot my brain. I don’t want to get this wrong—

communication problems remember?” A smile played at the corner of his mouth. “Talk to me Libby. Distract me.”

“Okay.” Libby slid off her stool, and smoothed her clothes back into place. “Wel. My bedroom in Stuart’s house is the size of a postage stamp. He says he is going to switch it with his home office, but he hasn’t gotten around to it. There is barely enough room for my bed.”