Read Online One of the Boys by Merline Lovelace - Free Book Online Page B

tension of the work still ahead—everything coalesced to this one point in time. All he could think of in the endless moment when her eyes held his and the soft flesh burned against his hand was how much he wanted her.
    This contradictory, tantalizing, vibrant woman had lodged like a burr under his skin. She filled his thoughts more than he’d allowed any woman to in a long, long time. And she filled his body with a surge of desire so raw it slipped past the rigid guard he kept on his emotions.
    Maura saw the raw hunger that leapt into his eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as an answering flame seared through her veins. The trees, the trail, the dappled shadows, faded from her vision. Her entire world narrowed to a lean, tanned face and a pair of gleaming silver eyes.
    All these weeks of sternly denying her attraction to this man slowly dissolved. Her mental barriers crumbled, and resistance flowed out of her consciousness like sand sifting gently through a sieve. What was left was a rock-hard core of absolute desire.
    â€œWell, what do you know?” she said on a shaky breath. “We’re chest to chest again.”
    â€œYeah, we are.”
    A small, savage smile lifted Jake’s lips. He could read the dawning desire in her expressive face as clearly as he could feel the tension quivering in her body. Slowly he let her slide down his body. He kept her pinned against his chest with one arm, feeling every inch of her long, soft form pressing into him. His other hand moved up to tangle in her silky hair.
    Maura waited, breathless, her head drawn back. The pounding of her heart filled her ears. His warm breath washed across her face, and the faint scent of tangy cologne drowned out the rich, verdant odor of the pines. When he finally lowered his head and took her lips, she was aching for his taste.
    Jake moved his mouth over hers needily. His hands slid down her back to shape her buttocks. Effortlessly he lifted her into the cradle of his thighs. His hips pressed against hers, grinding, rolling.
    A faint sound teased at the edge of his consciousness. When it gradually resolved into a pattern of footsteps coming through the brush behind them, he gave a frustrated growl and lifted his head.
    The sight of Maura’s thoroughly kissed lips and heavy-lidded eyes sent another blade of desire knifing through him. He felt a primitive urge to drag her into the underbrush, cover her body with his until the intruders passed, then plunge into her right then and there.
    Instead, he took a deep, unsteady breath and swung her into his arms once more. Striding down the last quarter mile of trail, he lifted Maura into the truck.
    â€œBuckle your seat belt.”
    Maura fumbled with the metal clip. Her breath still came in short little gasps and she wondered wildly if her heart would slow to only double time, or even triple, during the long ride home.
    It didn’t. Every time she stole a glance at Jake’s profile, her pulse speeded up once more. He didn’t say a word during the whole drive home. He didn’t have to. He radiated such a devastating aura of male potency that Maura shivered in erotic anticipation.
    Her doubts about getting involved in a physical relationship with this man came back to haunt her. Some small corner of her rational mind tried to send out a warning signal, but she ignored it. This time the sensual part of her brain, the side that loved bright colors, glorious sunsets and romantic tenors drowned out the analytical side. She could handle it, she told herself. She could keep the compartments separate. Work. Sex. Jake.
    Which didn’t explain why her heart was hammering against her ribs when he pulled to a stop beside his own car in the lot outside his office.
    He slammed out of the truck and came around to lift Maura out. Caught up in a daze of quivering, simmering expectation, she forgot her shoes and her purse. Nothing registered but the feel of his arms ashe settled her in