feel the warm strength of it, feel his breath sighing heavily against her face as he helped her down.
The nearness was unnerving, especially when his dark eyes looked down into hers and time spun out between them.
âIâll tie Blue for you,â he said huskily. âThen you and I are going to make love.â
She wasnât quite sure sheâd heard that last bit, because he turned away as he said it and probably sheâd misunderstood. He tethered Blue and came back to her, and then she knew that she hadnât mistaken what heâd said. His eyes were blazing with raw desire.
He bent and lifted her easily in his muscular arms and carried her, holding her fascinated gaze, to the shelter of the tree. He laid her down in the soft sand and stretched out beside her, pausing just long enough to let his hat sail to one side before he bent to her mouth.
She knew then how much heâd been playing with her. The teasing kisses of the past were totally eclipsed by the blatant, demanding hunger of the kiss he now gave her. His mouth was hard and rough, pushing her lips apart with fierce command, making her submit with the threatened pressure of his body while he deepened the kiss into something far beyond her slight experience.
âRelax,â he said against her soft mouth. âThereâs nothing to be afraid of. I may be a little rougher than the men youâre used to, but I wonât hurt you.â
That didnât make sense at first. Then she felt his tongue go into her mouth, felt his hands sliding under her top, against her bare skin. Her eyes flew open and she tried to speak, but his mouth grew rougher.
He moved, one long leg insinuating itself between both of hers, and she felt the power and strength of him in an embrace sheâd never shared with a man before.
âPleaseâ¦youâre goingâ¦too fast!â she whispered, frightened.
He lifted his head, searching her eyes. He frowned, because she actually looked frightened. Odd, when she was such a pretty, outgoing woman. Men must have been camped on her doorstep for years now, and she surely didnât reach her present age without some experience. Not the way she looked. It must be part of the act, but that fear seemed real.
âHow old are you, Christy?â he asked, his voice deep and faintly husky with desire. He knew, but he asked anyway.
âIâm twenty-five,â she said uneasily.
His fingers were against her ribcage, gently caressing her so that unknown sensations began to work in her body. He made her feel odd, uneasy, excited, especially when he worked his way up to the band of her bra just under her breasts and lingered there. She shouldnât let him touch her this way, but something was happening to her that she didnât understand.
âIâm thirty-seven,â he murmured, holding her eyes while that hand moved again and his fingers touched her breast, making her jump. âWeâre both plenty old enough to know what weâre doing, arenât we?â he added.
âIâ¦guess so,â she managed. Her heart leaped. He was touching her, his fingers warm through the thin fabric of her bra, and she lay there docilely, letting him caress her. She couldnât imagine why she was permitting the intimacy, except that it was making her head spin and her body blaze up with pleasure. She made an odd sound and raised her back, shocking herself with the sensuous little movement.
He smiled, bending to her mouth again. âThatâs more like it,â he whispered. âI wondered how long you could keep up the actâ¦â
Her thoughts dissolved as his mouth covered hers again. His thumb rubbed over her nipple and she felt it tighten until it was almost painful, but every time he touched it, her body flinched with helpless pleasure. She moaned, tangling her hands in the hair at the nape of his neck, pulling his hard mouth even closer against her own. She opened her
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