Read Online Home Is Where the Heat Is by Amelia James - Free Book Online Page A

swear.”
    Her body warmed as she laughed. “You did indeed.”
    The jury instructions had included detailed definitions of common sense words, but court drilled into them the importance of defining terms. JT needed to know exactly how Claire defined ‘really excited.’ “Does that mean I made you come?”
    A sly smile touched her lips, and she rose up on her toes, dragging her breasts against his chest. “Well, I could tell you….”
    So much potential in that statement, if she’d just finish it.
    “But…?”
    “But I’d rather show you.” A violent shiver rattled her as she kissed him. JT tugged his jacket open and pulled her close so they could share their body heat, but her trembling continued.
    They’d come to a stop, and he peeked behind them to see if their cars were parked nearby—then spotted a better option. “We’re standing in front of the motel… and the sign says vacancy.”
    “Good. I’m freezing.” She pressed against him, sliding her hands down his back to grope his ass.
    “Is that all?”
    ***
    Does he really have to ask? Claire withdrew her shivering hands from his backside and clutched his jacket closed around her. She stepped toward the inviting lobby. “Are you coming?”
    “Patience, sweet thing.” He clamped his bare hands together and blew into them. “Let’s get warmed up first.”
    Another shudder rattled her, and she questioned the wisdom of her actions. Sure, no one knew them here, but that didn’t clear her conscience. Her guilty acts exposed her guilty mind whether someone saw them or not. But the need to indulge her body’s carnal cravings overpowered her rational arguments.
    He held the door open for her, waiting with his hand extended. She took it and they ducked inside.
    “Wait here.” JT guided her to a chair while he approached the front desk.
    She watched out the window, trying to appear casual. The dark night reflected the activity behind her. He paid cash—untraceable—then grabbed the key and escorted her down the hall.
    The building had to be more than a century old, renovated over the years, but still retaining its Old West charm. Black and white photographs of the town in its early days hung on the hallway walls. The room itself held a four-post bed and a wash-basin sink. Fortunately the heater had been upgraded from the original.
    She shrugged out of his jacket and laid it on a chair, then tossed her blazer on top while he drew the heavy brocade curtains closed and turned the lamp down low.
    Claire sat on the edge of the bed and kicked her shoes off. “Much better.” She flexed her toes as JT sat beside her and ran his hand down her rigid arm.
    “Nervous?” He brushed her hair back over her shoulder.
    “Yeah.” How had she ended up sitting on a motel room bed in a secluded mountain town with a man she’d met two days ago? Her shoulders sagged as she reviewed the events in her mind, following the trail backward from the chase up here, to their secret meetings in the garage, to the judge’s warning during jury selection. A banging noise from outside sounded too much like a gavel strike, pronouncing her sentence. “Everything about this is wrong.”
    JT bowed his head like a guilty co-conspirator. “If we’d met under different circumstances, would you—?”
    “I’d strip you naked before you finished that sentence.” No arguing that side of the case. She slipped her hand along his rough jaw and kissed him as he laughed on her lips.
    “Good. That’s what I want to hear.” He toyed with the buttons on her blouse.
    Footsteps sounded in the hall. Claire stiffened as they approached, then let out her breath as the unknown passerby walked away. “This is so nerve-wracking.”
    “It is.” He slipped a finger inside her blouse and stroked her skin. “But you can grab that fear and hang on for the ride of your life.”
    Her abs fluttered as he undid a button. The urge to fling her blouse across the room sent her on a wild spin. “Are you