spine, following the enticing insweep of waist to the gently rounded curve of her hips as his tongue touched first one corner of her lips, then the other, then entered the opening sweetness of her mouth to brush over her own. A shiver ran along her spine, not unpleasant, but too intense.
Whispering her name, he arched her back against his arm, pushing aside the braided straps of her dress. His warm, hard lips played over her bare shoulders and pressed into the scented hollow at the base of her throat. His breath burned her satiny skin downward to the rounded slope of her breasts. As the tip of his tongue tasted her sensitized flesh she gasped softly. Despite the fact that her throbbing breasts ached for his touch, she murmured a startled protest when his fingers slipped inside the bodice of her dress. He had gone too far. Kisses were one thing, but, by her standards, it was far too early to allow such an intimate caress. Catching his hand, she guided it back up to her slender neck, shaking her head as she reluctantly dragged her lips away from his seeking mouth. "No," she whispered breathlessly. "Don't."
"It isn't all that private here, is it?" he whispered back, his hands spanning her waist. "Your room or my cottage, then? Where would you rather go?"
Tensing, Allendre pulled back to look up at him, obvious confusion widening her eyes. "I… don't know what you mean."
"Let's not play games, Allie," he murmured, nuzzling her ear. "It's been a long day, and since we both know exactly what we want, we…"
She felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. Her cheeks lost all color as she shook her head. "You mean you think… you think I… I want…"
"I know what you want," he said roughly, drawing her closer. "I've known all day what you want. The message is the same, though I must admit you had an imaginative approach. This is the first time a girl has tried to maim me all day, then offered to make it all up to me in the evening."
Allendre gasped softly, humiliation burning every inch of her skin. She pushed his hands away and hastily moved out of his reach. "I want you to know I have no intention of making up anything to you this evening or any other evening, because everything that happened today was purely accidental!"
"Come on, I'm not in the mood for games," he answered with some impatience.
"And I'm not playing them," she whispered furiously, glaring up at him. "You're really incredible, did you know that? How dare you assume I'm eager to jump into bed with you?"
"Because I know when I'm being chased," he answered calmly. "Why else would you have thrown yourself into my arms twice, then snuggled up to me to go to sleep on the plane? It was fairly obvious what you wanted, and since I'm quite willing to oblige…"
"You pompous, conceited, chauvinistic—"
"Watch what you call me, little Allie," he muttered, taking a threatening step toward her. "You've irritated me enough for one day without pulling this outraged-innocent routine on me tonight. But I suppose you're insulted because I was crass enough to put your unique method of picking up men into words. Well, sorry, but I like a little honesty in my relationships. If you don't, maybe we'd better just forget the whole thing."
Her palms itched to make contact with his tanned face, but she clenched them together in front of her instead. "Forgetting you will be a pleasure, Mr. Shannon," she announced tautly, despising herself for the tremor she heard in her voice. "I should have known I couldn't trust you to even
act
nice for very long. After all, all day long you've been an ill-tempered, ill-mannered, unpredictable son of a…" At the ominous flaring of light in his gray eyes her words halted somewhere in her throat, and she flounced away, marching through the moongate and back along the path without even a glance back over her shoulder. Impossible, obnoxious man! Egotistical! And rude! How dare he think she had been chasing after him all day! She wouldn't
Whispering her name, he arched her back against his arm, pushing aside the braided straps of her dress. His warm, hard lips played over her bare shoulders and pressed into the scented hollow at the base of her throat. His breath burned her satiny skin downward to the rounded slope of her breasts. As the tip of his tongue tasted her sensitized flesh she gasped softly. Despite the fact that her throbbing breasts ached for his touch, she murmured a startled protest when his fingers slipped inside the bodice of her dress. He had gone too far. Kisses were one thing, but, by her standards, it was far too early to allow such an intimate caress. Catching his hand, she guided it back up to her slender neck, shaking her head as she reluctantly dragged her lips away from his seeking mouth. "No," she whispered breathlessly. "Don't."
"It isn't all that private here, is it?" he whispered back, his hands spanning her waist. "Your room or my cottage, then? Where would you rather go?"
Tensing, Allendre pulled back to look up at him, obvious confusion widening her eyes. "I… don't know what you mean."
"Let's not play games, Allie," he murmured, nuzzling her ear. "It's been a long day, and since we both know exactly what we want, we…"
She felt as if she had been punched in the stomach. Her cheeks lost all color as she shook her head. "You mean you think… you think I… I want…"
"I know what you want," he said roughly, drawing her closer. "I've known all day what you want. The message is the same, though I must admit you had an imaginative approach. This is the first time a girl has tried to maim me all day, then offered to make it all up to me in the evening."
Allendre gasped softly, humiliation burning every inch of her skin. She pushed his hands away and hastily moved out of his reach. "I want you to know I have no intention of making up anything to you this evening or any other evening, because everything that happened today was purely accidental!"
"Come on, I'm not in the mood for games," he answered with some impatience.
"And I'm not playing them," she whispered furiously, glaring up at him. "You're really incredible, did you know that? How dare you assume I'm eager to jump into bed with you?"
"Because I know when I'm being chased," he answered calmly. "Why else would you have thrown yourself into my arms twice, then snuggled up to me to go to sleep on the plane? It was fairly obvious what you wanted, and since I'm quite willing to oblige…"
"You pompous, conceited, chauvinistic—"
"Watch what you call me, little Allie," he muttered, taking a threatening step toward her. "You've irritated me enough for one day without pulling this outraged-innocent routine on me tonight. But I suppose you're insulted because I was crass enough to put your unique method of picking up men into words. Well, sorry, but I like a little honesty in my relationships. If you don't, maybe we'd better just forget the whole thing."
Her palms itched to make contact with his tanned face, but she clenched them together in front of her instead. "Forgetting you will be a pleasure, Mr. Shannon," she announced tautly, despising herself for the tremor she heard in her voice. "I should have known I couldn't trust you to even
act
nice for very long. After all, all day long you've been an ill-tempered, ill-mannered, unpredictable son of a…" At the ominous flaring of light in his gray eyes her words halted somewhere in her throat, and she flounced away, marching through the moongate and back along the path without even a glance back over her shoulder. Impossible, obnoxious man! Egotistical! And rude! How dare he think she had been chasing after him all day! She wouldn't
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