Boiling Point by Mia Watts Page B

lashes lay like smudges on her cheeks. Her lips puckered in her sleep then relaxed. Her hand rested on the comforter. One finger twitched and she sighed, butter-soft.
    Sinking down beside her, he wanted to kiss her so badly he ached with it, but he’d promised her time.
    “Fauna, it’s time,” he whispered huskily.
    Her eyes fluttered open. She saw him and smiled, stretched her arms above her head and arched her back. God, if that wasn’t an invitation to kiss her, he didn’t know what was. He’d love to cup one of her lifted breasts and tease the nipple into a high, tight point. To hear her gasp his name again. But more than that, he wanted to hear her say that she loved him.
    Cooper kept his body in check and smiled back.
    With wakefulness, memory seemed to return and Fauna stiffened. She clutched the covers to her chest, a soft blush warming her cheeks as her gaze danced away from his.
    “Thanks.” Fauna rolled out of bed.
    He listened to her brushing her teeth while he got dressed. In unspoken agreement, they switched tasks and were out the door in under twenty minutes. It was cruel to do it to himself, but he stopped at the drive-thru coffee shop for their caffeine fix and some breakfast. Then he tried desperately to keep from coming in his pants as he watched her make love to the warm liquid, and creamy foam.
    That’s what he called it anyway. He struggled to keep his eyes on the road, and once they’d arrived, to walk without tripping. Each guttural moan, each time her tongue darted out to sweep the foam off her lips, each time she held the paper cup to her face, to smile secretly and inhale flavor-filled steam through half-closed eyes of pleasure, he berated himself again for putting himself through torture.
    “Tomorrow it’s orange juice,” he muttered to himself. “ Cold orange juice, with nasty pulp.” There was nothing sexier to a fire elemental than watching the woman he loved reveling in heat with all her erotic senses.
    She’s going to kill me . With coffee .
    By the time they got to the lab, Cooper had to excuse himself until he could get his libido in check.
    He surveyed the Plexiglas installation first. It was up and firmly in place. A Plexiglass door had been created with a Plexiglas handle and Plexiglas encased access grid. He nodded his approval though more to himself than anything else. Without a metal handle, salamanders couldn’t use it to conduct their way to the inside. There was an airtight seal around the door, too. The sylphs wouldn’t be able to get in. Those were the only two that would have presented a problem if there’d been a leak. He saw that the duct work for the self-contained air system had been completed and small plastic strips flipped from the vent to show that it was on.
    He faced the camera and dialed Fauna’s cell number. He gave the camera a thumbs up when she answered. “It’s all set.”
    “I’m working on the coding now. This is going to be tough. I could use your help.”
    “I’ll be right there.”
    Cooper turned the corner, taking the corridor toward their central set up. He was distracted, he rationalized later. That’s why he didn’t notice the change in the air temperature until he heard her scream his name.
    His heart pounded with fear. “Fauna!”
     
    Something moved out of the corner of her eye. She knew without looking that it wasn’t Cooper. Cooper didn’t slink. She jerked her head up as a squat bear of a man snarled and leaped at her. Fauna jumped off her stool and ran around the other side of the lab table.
    “Cooper!” she yelled. She heard him call back to her.
    She didn’t think, she just grabbed the small fire extinguisher under the table, pointed, and fired. White spray jetted toward her intruder. He wailed, scratching at his face and arms.
    “Bitch! I’m going to kill you!”
    He clawed his hands over his cheeks, clearing the fire retardant. Fauna’s throat dried up with horror. His face, covered with black scales,