Her Perfect Stranger Read online

  “It will help, right?” she asked. “If we appease this…this heat now? Then maybe we won’t implode on our mission, when we’re locked in space together for ten long days.”

  He didn’t know how to tell her that he was beginning to suspect they’d always be this desperate for each other.

  Always.

  That word was a doozy. It went along with others, like forever.

  And love.

  Oh God. He needed to sit down.

  “Mike?” Corrine nervously licked her lips in an innocent, artless way that went straight to his gut. And then his heart. And suddenly he felt strong, so very, very strong.

  “Is this crazy?” she whispered, covering her face. “What are we doing?”

  “What we were born to do.” He took her hands and pinned them behind her, which left her body thrust against his. His voice was far thicker than it had been. “Let’s make love.”

  “And get it out of our system.”

  “Hmm,” he murmured noncommittally.

  Corrine was beginning to wonder if that was even possible, but she couldn’t think effectively with her attention so drawn to his wonderful, firm, masculine mouth. “We really shouldn’t. You know that.”

  He drew her closer, but didn’t kiss her, just held her until her entire body was throbbing with need.

  “Love that,” he murmured. “The connection. Can you feel it?”

  “What is it, exactly?” she asked, needing to know. But instead of answering, he unbuttoned her blouse, unhooked her bra, pulling the material away from her body. Then he just looked at her for a long, long moment before slowly shaking his head in wonder. Touching a nipple with his finger, he watched intently as it puckered and darkened for him. “So pretty.”

  Silly, really, how just a few words from him could make her lose her head. “Here, Mike?”

  He smiled against her throat. “Oh yeah, here. And everywhere.”

  “What if someone comes?”

  “Everyone is gone.”

  Turning, she swept everything on her desk to the floor with one swipe, watching as the piles of paper hit with a thunk. “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

  Laughing, Mike helped her up, then stepped between her thighs. He undid her slacks and slipped his hands inside her panties, holding her bottom, pulling her close to a most impressive erection.

  Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pressed her face into his neck and breathed deeply of the masculine scent that had haunted her for months. With his big, warm hands he squeezed her bottom, then cupped her breasts, plumping them up, dipping his mouth down to taste, using his tongue and then his teeth until her hips jerked in reaction. “Mike.”

  “I know.”

  “Hurry.”

  “Take everything off, then,” he said in a rough whisper, and lent his own hands to the cause. In two seconds flat they were both stripped. Corrine had barely straightened up before Mike slipped his hands between her thighs, opening them wide. “Mmm, you’re wet.”

  Yes. Wet and hot, and she’d made his fingers that way, too, the fingers that were softly stroking, over and over again, until she was arching up into him, helplessly thrusting against that hand. “Mike!”

  “Tell me.”

  “Don’t stop.” To make sure he wouldn’t, that he couldn’t, she closed her legs around him and that hand, shamelessly rubbing and writhing, desperate for more, for the touch that would send her reeling. “I need to—”

  “Then do it,” he urged, leaning down and drawing one nipple into his mouth, sucking it as he slid a finger inside her.

  She would have fallen backward if he hadn’t brought one hand to her waist to support her. Now that finger withdrew slowly—so slowly she thought she’d scream—only to dance over and over her with infinite, thorough patience. At every pass she cried out his name.

  “Come for me,” he coaxed, his mouth full of breast, his fingers diving back into her. “Come for me, baby.”

  And she did. She exploded. Imploded. Burst out of herself. All of that and more, and when she could hear again, see again, she realized she had him in a death grip and was still chanting his name.

  Mike was breathing every bit as harshly as she. Lifting his head, he looked at her, his eyes hot and dark, so very dark.

  Cupping his face, she kissed him. “We’re not done.”

  He smiled and sighed reverently, pulling a little packet out of his wallet.

  Boldly she took the condom and put it on, not as easy a feat as she’d have imagined. By the time she was done, he was trembling and she couldn’t get him inside her fast enough.

  “No,” he said when she tried to pull him onto the desk with her. “It won’t hold us.”

  The desk was old and rickety, and making loud, creaking, protesting noises, but with Mike stroking her halfway back to bliss, she couldn’t think. He craned his neck and looked toward the shelving unit, making her laugh breathlessly. “Not the shelves.”

  Scooping her up, he started toward them anyway, and she wasn’t so far gone that she couldn’t imagine them collapsing to the floor in a loud heap that would bring the custodian running. “Mike, no.”

  He turned abruptly, and before she could say another word, he had her against the office door. She’d barely spread her thighs when he buried himself deeply inside her. At the feel of him filling her beyond full, her eyes fluttered closed, her heart raged. Her senses soared. “Yes.”

  Another powerful stroke pounded both her and the door, and she cried out again, completely lost, as always with him. She might have been terrified, even furious, at his mastery over her, but if his hoarse groan and quivering limbs were any indication, he was just as lost as she.

  And then he lifted his head, his eyes dark with passion, need and a hunger so fierce it took her breath. Holding her gaze captive within his, he started to take them both right over the edge. “Look at me,” he all but growled.

  “I am. Mike, I am.”

  “Don’t stop. Don’t ever stop seeing me, even after—” He broke off when she tossed her head back and arched against him, already shuddering with another orgasm.

  He followed.

  They were still damp and trembling, and still quite breathless, when the knock came at the door.

  “Corrine?” It was Stephen, and he sounded worried.

  And wary.

  “We heard some banging,” he called out. “Just wanted to make sure you were okay. Corrine?”

  Horrified, stunned and still wrapped around Mike as if she’d been trying to climb his body—which of course she had!—she went utterly still, staring at Mike. Mike, who’d promised her they were alone.

  “Corrine? Is that Mike in there with you?”

  “I’ll be right with you,” she somehow managed to reply.

  Which was worse? Being caught in this compromising position, with Mike still buried deep inside her, or the look on his face? A look that didn’t hold surprise so much as acceptance. “How did this happen?” she whispered. “My God, Mike, you said they were gone. You didn’t do this on purpose, did you?”

  He didn’t so much as blink, but let go of her thighs so she could slide down his still hard, still hot body.

  She stood there, naked and shaking, as fury mounted, along with humiliation. “You did.”

  Turning away, he reached for his pants, the long, leanly muscled lines of his sleek back drawing her even now. “Is that what you think?” he asked. “That I would? That I could?”

  Where were her panties? Oh perfect, they were hanging off the filing cabinet. “I don’t know. Why don’t you just answer the question?”

  He left his pants unfastened as he turned to face her. “Because you should know better.”

  11

  HE FELT GUILTY, no doubt. But not for the reason Corrine seemed to think he should. No matter what she believed, he had not made love to her at work so that they would get caught.

  He’d done it because he could no more stop breathing than not take her. That they’d b
een in her office should have been enough to stop him, to bring him to his senses, but that was just another sign of how far gone he was.

  He’d taken her, hard, against the door, for crying out loud, and while he was furious at himself, one look at Corrine’s dark face told him she was even more furious.

  But damn it, she’d had an equal part in this.

  In less than sixty seconds, she put herself together, looking like the commander once more. Mike watched, fascinated in spite of himself by the transformation. When she’d smoothed her hair back, straightened her shoulders and was reaching for the door, he whistled low and long. “That’s amazing,” he said, sounding a little bitter in spite of himself. “How you do that—go from a warm, hot, loving woman to cold, hard and centered, all in the blink of an eye.”

  It was a direct hit—he knew it had to be—and yet it didn’t faze her. She glared daggers at him. “We weren’t going to tell anyone.”

  “News flash. I think it’s too late.”

  “I’m not going to forgive you for this.”

  He nodded, as if she hadn’t just stabbed him right in the heart. “Because you think I did this to you on purpose.” That she could even think it made him sick, but before they could have that particular battle, she pulled open the door and faced what he knew was her greatest fear—exposure.

  Stephen was standing there, waiting.

  “Good news,” Corrine said briskly. “We’ve been working our butts off for months now, and given that we’re in stall mode until the arrival of the new equipment, not to mention the computer programming glitch, we’re all entitled to take a long weekend.” She checked her watch, studied the date, cool as a cucumber, miles from the woman who’d been shuddering in orgasm only moments ago. “It’s Thursday now. I don’t want to see either of you again until Monday. I’ll call the others.”

  Normally this dictate would be greeted with whoops and hollers, and the backs of quickly retreating astronauts as they hightailed it out of the space center, and maybe even Texas.

  But no matter how good Corrine was, she couldn’t sidetrack Stephen so easily.

  “Damn,” he whispered, looking over his shoulder to make sure they were alone. “Do you guys have any idea how noisy you were?”

  Corrine blanched, but otherwise showed no outward sign of emotion. “Did you hear what I just said?”

  “Yeah, time off, whatever. But—”

  “What is it you need?” Corrine asked with that famed chilly voice.

  “Need?” Blankly, Stephen looked at them. “Um…”

  “Okay, then. See you on Monday.” Corrine went to close her office door, then seemed to remember Mike was still standing behind her. Turning, she sent him a get-out-of-here look.

  He wasn’t going anywhere, damn it, not until they talked this out.

  “I need a moment,” she said.

  He just bet she did. But no matter what she wanted, this moment was not going to go away with a flick of her wrist. Knowing that, he turned to Stephen. “Look, I’m not sure what you heard, but—”

  “You don’t want to know.”

  Corrine closed her eyes.

  “But if you twist my arm,” Stephen said, watching them both with growing amusement as his shock faded, “I heard the banging first.” He slapped his hand on the wall with a rhythmic sound that could have come from a set of drums…or two adults having wild, unbridled, out-of-control sex against the door. “Just like that.”

  “Okay,” Corrine said quickly. “Bottom line. I’m human, okay? But it’s after hours, and I re fuse to apologize for what amounts to my own personal business.” She grabbed Mike’s elbow and pulled him out of her office.

  Then, before he could so much as blink, she went back in and slammed the door, shutting them out.

  The lock clicked into place.

  Stephen looked at Mike speculatively. “I guess that’s that, huh?”

  “Yes,” Mike said, relieved he wasn’t going to press or tease him. “That’s that.”

  “Don’t worry. It wasn’t really all that obvious, anyway.”

  “Okay.” Mike sighed. “Good.”

  “I mean, really, you could have been doing anything in there. Copying. Faxing. Computer stuff. Anything.”

  That’s right, Mike told himself. They could have been doing anything, anything at all.

  “Except for the ‘Don’t stop, Mike, oh, please don’t stop’ part,” Stephen said. “That sorta gave you away, big guy.”

  “Hey, we could have been working! She really likes her work!”

  Stephen just snorted, then looked at Mike for a long moment.

  “What? You have something to say, say it.”

  “Well, I could tell you how incredibly stupid this is.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Or I could ask for details.”

  Mike frowned. “You’re going to make me hurt you, Stephen.”

  “Oh, boy. Tell me you’re not in love, man. Tell me you’re not that stupid.”

  “Why would falling in love be stupid?” Mike asked, far too defensively.

  “That’s not the stupid part. Unless you’re falling in love with the Ice Queen.”

  “Her name is Corrine.”

  Stephen let out a moan at that. “Oh man. You are. Damn, Mike. You’re in deep.”

  Yeah. Damn, Mike.

  And then finally he was alone, staring at the shut office door, wondering at the three things that had just happened to him.

  One, he’d lost control and made love to Corrine at work, putting them in an incredibly compromising position.

  Two, she was never going to forgive him for it.

  And three, he’d just realized Stephen might have stumbled onto something, in which case Mike was in a far bigger mess than even he could get out of. Fact was, he still wanted her, and there was nothing physical about it.

  That’s not the stupid part. Unless you’re falling in love with the Ice Queen.

  Which he was. Lord, wouldn’t his brothers get a kick out of this? He, the man who was afraid of nothing except for maybe commitment, now suddenly wanted with all his heart to be committed to a woman who was not only his commander, but who didn’t believe in any weakness. And he was certain she would consider this need of his a biggie.

  He wanted a commitment, with Corrine.

  Mike actually staggered at that, and wished for a chair. There wasn’t one, so he sank to the floor and stared at her still-closed office door.

  What was happening to him? To his satisfyingly single, devil-may-care, wild existence?

  He wished he knew. Ah, hell, forget that. He did know. He knew exactly.

  CORRINE PACED HER OFFICE but no matter how long she walked, the images wouldn’t go away. Her, with her back to the wall, legs shrink-wrapped around Mike, head thrown back as she let him take her hard and fast.

  Let him take her.

  She’d never let anyone take her in her entire life. No, she’d demanded it, and the memory of that now burned.

  And everyone knew.

  Well, whatever. It was done and she was not going to sit around and cry over spilled milk. So her team knew. She’d deal with that. What she couldn’t deal with was having it happen again. Ever.

  Grabbing the phone, she pounded out a number. “Mom,” she said with relief when her mother picked up. “I miss you.” An understatement. Nowhere on earth did she ever feel so good, so comfortable, so happy in her own skin, as she did with her family. “I have three days off, and I’m coming home.”

  When she’d dealt with her mother’s joy, she picked up her purse, ignored her briefcase and hauled open her office door.

  Tripping over Mike, she fell right into his lap.

  His arms came around her and, wrapped in his warm strength, she forgot to hate him.

  “You okay?” he murmured, and that voice, God, that sexy voice, reminded her.

  Scrambling to her knees, she pointed at him. “You.”

  He was sitting crosslegged, right there on the f
loor, looking, to her satisfaction, every bit as miserable as she’d felt before she’d called home. “Me,” he agreed.

  “Why are you sitting on the floor?”

  “I’m not sure you’d believe it. I don’t hardly believe it myself,” he muttered. “And anyway, it occurred to me, leaving you this mad might be a really bad idea.”

  With as much dignity as she could, she stood, then sent him a withering glance when he reached out and stopped her from leaving. “Now’s not a good time to take me on, Mike.”

  “I realize that.” He held her anyway. “I want you to look me in the eyes, Corrine, and tell me you really believe I did this to hurt you. That I took you against the door of your office for the sole purpose of letting everyone around us know what’s going on.”

  Of course she couldn’t look him in the eyes and tell him that. “Now is a bad time.”

  “Look at me, damn it—” He grappled with her when she fought him. “Tell me.”

  He was fierce and hurt and full of bad temper. Well, so was she, so she shrugged him off and reached for the purse she’d dropped. “Goodbye, Mike.”

  She headed for the bathroom to clean up. When she came out he was still there, waiting. Not acknowledging him she turned to leave.

  She was halfway down the hall before she realized he was right behind her. Silent. Brooding. She ignored him all the way to her car, even though she wanted to grab him, wanted to hold on to him, lay her head on his shoulder and forget the rest of the world existed.

  What a weakness. It terrified her. “Don’t even think about following me.” She got in her car, started it and pictured the next three days of peace and quiet.

  No Mike.

  And in the not-too-distant future, after their mission was complete, he’d be out of her life for more than just three days. He’d be gone for good.

  Things would be great, she’d be fine and her life would get back to normal. But the truth was, she wasn’t fine and nothing would ever be normal again. Not without Mike.

  Starting the car, she looked straight ahead and resisted putting her head on the steering wheel to have a good, and very rare, pity party. Mike would be watching, she knew.