Read Online Stormy Challenge by Stephanie James, Jayne Ann Krentz - Free Book Online

hand and crushed it in his own. "I'm going to wind up doing something we both might regret before this is over, and you'll have no one but yourself to blame!"
    His head came down again, bruising her mouth. When she went taut in protest, he deliberately moved to bury his face in the curve of her throat, forcing her to accept the burning string of kisses that he trailed from the pulse to the nape of her neck. He held her tightly against his shoulder, trapping one of her arms between their bodies and holding her flailing wrist in the manacle of his grip. With his free hand, he began unzipping her down jacket.
    "Court! Don't!" Leya's voice was muffled in the sheepskin. He paid her words no attention, sliding his hand smoothly under the yellow sweater and up to her breast.
    At the touch, her breath was suddenly blocked. When his fingers undid the front clasp of her bra and slid across to begin a rough teasing pattern on the nipple, she could only suck in air on a gasp.
    "Listen to your body, not your head, sweetheart," Court ordered thickly as he held the prize of, the hardened tip of her rounded breast. "God knows mine is screaming loudly enough at me! I can't believe yours isn't clamoring just as madly. We want each other, little Leya. Why shouldn't we satisfy that want?"
    "There are a few things missing from this relationship, damn you!" she rasped, knowing herself helpless to continue fighting the effect he had on her for long. It enveloped her, absorbed her, seduced her sense of touch in the same way that the isolated beach did. The heat of his body was a delicious counterpoint to the crisp, chilled breeze. The earthy, tantalizing scent of him filled her nostrils like the smell of the sea, and the feel of his hands was as alluring as the sight of a storm on the waves. He could not have chosen a more overwhelming setting than the beach to make overwhelming, mastering love to her, she acknowledged miserably.
    "What's missing from our relationship, Leya?" he whispered beguilingly, his hand slipping down from her curving fullness to'flatten appreciatively on the skin of her stomach. He must have sensed her reaction because in another moment he was letting his-fingertips trespass inside the waistband of her jeans. Leya shivered violently. Desperately, she tried to pull her wandering senses together, too conscious of the new seduction in his lips as they explored the exposed nape of her neck.
    "Try love for starters!" she cried into his shoulder.
    "It will come in time," he assured her in soft persuasion. "Give yourself a chance.
    You can fall in love with me . . ."
    "I'm not particularly interested in a one-sided situation!" she hissed.
    "You want me to fall in love with you?" Court gave a soft, knowing chuckle. "Even if I were to fall in love with you, I'd be a fool to admit it, wouldn't I? Especially at this point! You'd use the information like a loaded gun!"
    Leya ground her teeth, hating the humor she felt in his chest. He was determined to make a joke of it!
    "We'll worry about falling in love later," he went on easily, sliding his hand along the edge of the jeans until he reached the small of her back. She could feel him playing with the tiny, fine golden hairs he found there, and her body throbbed in response.
    "There are other matters to settle between us first," he concluded, sounding decisive.
    "Love isn't the only thing I'd want out of a relationship," she swore forcefully.
    "There are a lot of other things you're equally incapable of giving!"
    "Such as?" He put out his tongue and touched the small bones of her shoulder with its tip.
    "Such as respect and equality, to name a couple!"
    "Now that's an unfair accusation," he muttered. "I have every intention of teaching you to respect me. It's one of my highest priorities, in fact."
    "That's not what I meant, damn you!" she wailed, wishing she could move just enough to sink her teeth into him or pummel his ribs again. But he still held her caged.
    "Ah, you're afraid I