its way into her senses. Why couldn't he have
worn a loud and aggressive cologne? It should be a rule. Macho, insensitive men shouldn't
be allowed to wear cologne that just teased a woman, whispering images of tumbled
sheets and sexy smiles.
He held her gaze as he drew her closer, his intent written in his dark eyes. She had
all the time in the world. Eons of time to pull away...but she didn't. Something held
her, a wicked, self-destructive throb of excitement, a hunger to feel his lips again
on hers.
In that instant, she couldn't deny herself his kiss. Just one more, then she'd strengthen
her defenses. But right at this moment, she craved his caress more than chocolate.
Lillie felt herself sway toward him.
CHAPTER FOUR
Luke brushed her mouth with his, softly at first, a tantalizing shift of lips. Lillie
felt the world spin slower, the tick of time rush by without notice. He felt like
velvet, warm and lush, his kiss impossibly soft and mesmerizing.
It didn't matter that they were on a dance floor with other people. It didn't matter
that she was in the middle of a job. Her only consciousness was of him--Luke holding
her, kissing her.
He pulled her closer and the kiss turned darker, an intimate tumble into midnight.
Lillie's arms slid up around his neck as she angled her mouth to meet him.
The earthquake should have been felt in China. Lillie certainly felt it, every particle
of her being shaken with the hum and vibration of a shifting vortex that consumed
them both, locked in each other's arms.
It wasn't until lust began curling through her belly that sanity returned. Somehow
she knew this sensation, knew the heady desire to shed her clothing and have her way
with him. It seemed as familiar as her own heartbeat.
Lillie braced her hands on his shoulders. Shocked and disturbed by the feelings that
rocked her, she pushed against him and broke their contact.
Her eyes flew open, her startled gaze locking with his. Even as she backed away, she
registered the dazed, primitive desire in his eyes. And it excited her more than she
would have thought possible.
How could a kiss feel so right when the man was so wrong?
"I, uh, I have to clean up," she mumbled, almost stumbling in her haste to get away
from him. "I need to clean up."
Pivoting away, she fled the dance floor, heading blindly for the kitchen. Reaching
the service door, she stopped abruptly and felt the solid thud of Luke against her
back. Had he been following that closely through her whole escape?
Lillie swiveled around as his hands came up to steady her. She knew her face still
held a strange mix of passion and horror. "I have to take care of some things before
we can...leave to check out the band."
"Let me help," he murmured, his hands strong and steady on her arms.
"No!" she said with a sense of panic. She needed to catch her breath, needed space
for sanity to return. "I won't be long."
"I'll help you," he insisted, the warmth of his touch seeping into her. "Think of
it as a gesture of goodwill between the sexes."
* * *
The night club door swung shut behind them, dimming the vibration of the band as they
stepped out into the clean night air. Lillie filled her lungs with its freshness,
trying to erase the lingering scent of cigarette smoke and loosen the tension that
held her tight.
Beside her, Luke walked in silence. The impact of his presence thrummed through her
veins. All through the evening, the memory of being in his arms refused to diminish,
sensations hovering in her brain like a permanent imprint. Sitting in the dark atmosphere
of the club with the mournful notes of a saxophone winding sensuously between them,
she'd felt the tension in her body thrumming like the strings of the guitar.
She drew in another breath, this time trying to calm her agitation as the night closed
in around them, intimate and soft as a sigh.
They walked across the parking lot to his car. Lillie
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