Fever by Kimberly Dean

in?”
    He pulled back and looked at her with one eyebrow lifted. “The lock on your door needs a serious upgrade.”
    “Oh, that’s right,” she said with embarrassment. He was a security expert.
    “That’s it.” He pushed himself off of her and hovered above her on all fours. “It’s time to take you in for that check-up.”
    Delia protested when he gathered her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. “You’re not still taking me to the doctor.”
    He set her on her feet and turned on the shower. “The hell I’m not.”
    For some reason, standing upright beside him totally naked brought back her shyness. She knew she was being silly, but she grabbed a towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself. “But… I’m better. I swear.”
    He looked at the towel with a scowl on his face. “You had a rough night. I want to make sure you’re okay.”
    She caught his arm, surprising herself when it felt natural to do so. “But Jackson… Dr. Mosely knows.”
    “Knows what?” The hard look on his face softened. “That you’ve been horny as a mink?”
    Her cheeks flamed, and she looked away. There was no ignoring him, though, when he caught her towel and tossed it aside. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. Her breasts flattened against his chest, and Delia felt her heart thud when she looked up into his face.
    Jackson Lloyd. Her lover.
    He looked at her languidly, and she recognized the gleam in his eyes.
    “So let old Doc be jealous,” he said. “I’m the one who got to play firefighter.”
    Her breath caught when he lifted her and penetrated her in one smooth motion.
    He groaned at the tight clasp of her body. “And, baby, I’m not giving up the job.”
    He stepped under the spray of water and pushed her up against the shower wall. He looked deep into her eyes as water sluiced down their hot, sticky skin. “I want to fuck you again, Delia,” he whispered. “I want your eyes open and your mind clear, so you know exactly who’s doing you.”
    Her fingers dug into his shoulders, and she brazenly swiveled her hips. She had a lot to learn about the man, but this was one side of him she knew well. “I thought you said ‘one time’.”
    He laughed—yet another uncharacteristic reaction that she was going to have to get used to. She didn’t think it would be too hard.
    “Your fever hadn’t broken then,” he said with a grin. He thrust slowly, and the grin slipped into a groan. “We’ll make it two.”
    She locked her ankles around his back and arched into him. She could hardly believe it, but it was even better now that the heated fog had left her brain.
    “Or maybe twenty-two,” she said breathlessly. “It depends on how you do the math.”
     

Epilogue
     
    “Heads up! Check out Camera 1 in the lobby.”
    “Whoa. Look at those legs.”
    “And that hair.” The man behind the monitor sighed dramatically. “I’ve always had a thing for redheads. Wonder what room she’s in.”
    “ Mine ,” Jackson said icily. He pushed himself away from the wall against which he’d been leaning, and the Berkshire security team suddenly became all-business. To make sure they stayed that way, he planted himself behind them and crossed his arms over his chest. “That camera’s slightly off-center. Try adjusting it five degrees to the right. I should be able to see both the front door and the main desk when it’s in stationary mode.”
    Keyboard keys began clicking furiously, and the sound made him ease up a bit. The hotel team was doing one last training run on their new camera system. He had confidence it would live up to their expectations. He just felt it best to make sure none of these computer geeks eyed his woman too closely.
    He stole another look for himself. Rob and Delia were now in center frame. Really, he couldn’t blame the security guys. Although they had an important job watching out for the safety of the hotel’s guests and employees, the routine could get