In the Clear Read online

  She lifted a hand to cup his cheek. He felt scratchy and chiseled and very much like home. “You’re Fletcher. It took me a little by surprise, that’s all.”

  He turned his face so that his lips hit her palm. The kiss he pressed there was soft and warm, promising more to come. “So what happens now?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, a hitch to her breath. “Does it really matter?”

  “It matters.” He took a moment to drop his lips to the outside of her eye, a soft, melting pressure that had her weak in the knees. “I’ve spent most of my life wanting to kiss you right there. To kiss you whenever I feel like it. To wrap my arms around you and tell you how I feel just because you’re you. Now that I’ve done that, I’m not sure what comes next.”

  “That’s the best part.” Lexie did her own kissing this time, fisting the back of his hair and forcing him to stay in place until she got full tongue action and the press of his hips urging her firmly against the kitchen table. Maybe the sex would never be as impulsive and angry as it had been in the shower, but if the depth of his kiss was any indication, the hot part was guaranteed. “None of us know what happens next. Maybe Sean will say something snotty and you’ll punch him in the face.”

  “Errr . . . I doubt it.”

  “Maybe my dad will ask you about your intentions and punch you in the face.”

  “Your love of violence is kind of scaring me right now.”

  She just laughed and kissed him again. This time, he got as far as pinning her on the table, her shirt twisted around her neck and a particularly delicious love bite on her lower belly.

  She stopped him long enough to finish what she wanted to say. “Maybe you’ll be called up for a search tomorrow and will miss Christmas with my family, or maybe you’ll get fired from the car lot and won’t get any more discounts, or maybe Mr. Barnes will give you a big enough donation that you can quit in a blaze of glory and rescue full time. It doesn’t matter.”

  “Actually, that reminds me. There is something I’ve been meaning to do.”

  “And the answer isn’t me?”

  He laughed. “Not this time. Wait here.”

  She watched, still spread out on the table, as he retreated into the hallway. He found what he was looking for quickly, and when he re-entered the room, he held a piece of paper, his face flush.

  “Are those more secret internet photos?” she asked, propping herself up on one elbow. “Naked ones?”

  He didn’t answer, just held out the paper. “It’s for the EMT program. I think I’m finally ready to apply.”

  Lexie squealed and, yes, even hopped a little, wrapping her arms around him and crinkling the paper in the process. “Are you serious? That’s fantastic. I can’t imagine a better man to turn to in an emergency. You’re calm and efficient. You know how to take care of people. You’re the Cucumber.”

  “I really hate that nickname.”

  “I don’t know . . . I think it’s pretty apt.” She grinned and ran her fingers lightly over the anatomy in question, thrilled not just at the novelty of it, but at how right he felt in her hands. “And I’ll help you study. I’m the perfect girlfriend for this sort of thing. I promise to incur as many head injuries as you need to graduate.”

  When he didn’t respond right away, she hooked her fingers in his belt loop and rushed on. “And no matter what happens, you’ll always have me and Sean for support. That’s what you said about facing your fears, right? You just need a team you can count on? You need to know that we’ll have your back, no matter what happens?”

  “You want to be my team?”

  “Oh, I want to be your team. I’ll be the best darn team you’ve ever had.” She pressed her lips firmly against his until he relaxed, letting her in. “Well, your team and your lover. Your girlfriend. Your kept woman.”

  “Oh, I’m keeping you all right.”

  She closed her eyes and he laid her back on the table to take over the kiss. Slow, careful nibbles gave way to more intense thrusts, and she reveled in both sides of the spectrum. That was Fletcher for you. Loyal and quiet on one side. Passionate and heroic on the other.

  And in that moment, even with his college application crushed underneath them and the pull of exhaustion so strong she thought she might drown in it, Lexie realized she’d never spent a better Christmas Eve in her whole life.

  Because she was in the arms of her best friend. And that was exactly where she intended to stay.

  Thanks

  Thanks for reading In the Clear. I hope you enjoyed it!

  Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can visit my upcoming release page www.tamaramorgan.com, follow me on twitter @Tamara Morgan, or like my Facebook page.

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  Other Books by Tamara

  Getting Physical Series

  The Rebound Girl

  The Derby Girl

  The Party Girl

  Games of Love Series

  Love is a Battlefield

  The World is a Stage

  Partners in Crime Series

  Confidence Tricks

  Tricks of the Trade

  About the Author

  Tamara Morgan is a contemporary romance author of humorous, heartfelt stories with flawed heroes and heroines designed to get your hackles up and make your heart melt. Her long-lived affinity for romance novels survived a B.A. degree in English Literature, after which time she discovered it was much more fun to create stories than analyze the life out of them.

  Whether building Victorian dollhouses, consuming mass quantities of coffee and wine, or crying over cheesy 1950s musicals, Tamara commits to her flaws like every good heroine should. She lives in the Inland Northwest with her husband, daughter, and variety of household pets and only occasionally complains about the weather.

  I’d love to hear from you!

  Website: www.tamaramorgan.com

  Twitter: @Tamara Morgan

  Email: [email protected]

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  Goodreads: Tamara Morgan

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  ISBN-10: 0989583503

  ISBN-13: 9780989583503

  Copyright © 2013 by Tamara Morgan

  Editor © Deb Nemeth

  Cover design © Travis Berry

  Cover photograph © chaoss | istockphoto.com

  Digital Edition 1.0

  All rights reserved. Where such permission is sufficient, the author grants the right to strip any DRM which may be applied to this work.