went wide, her palms coming up to push against his chest, but he ignored that. Putting his hands on the pillow on either side of her head, he lea

ow, lying back with her red-gold curls spread all over the white pillows, a rosy fl

for her, when apparently the two redheads he'd gotten rid of not twenty min

hadn't gotten hard. He'd only gotten annoyed. He didn't want to push them to see if they'd get mad, irritate them to see if they lost their cool. They were beautiful, and yet he didn't wan

is thoughts had returned to Phoebe. To the kiss he'd taken. To the taste of her mouth and the way it had opene

ar on her cheek. And after those women had gone, he'd prowled into his control room

and it had sounded like fear, and for some reason every muscle in his body had tensed. But that hadn't been the worst part, because then she'd screamed, high and

ng him feel like he was at the bottom of a massive canyon, that he realized what he was doing. Th

it had been since he'd gone farther than the three steps it took to get from his office to

felt too big and too large, and how small he was in comparison. How it felt like he c

push open that door and step inside. And there she'd been, half-asleep and

o he didn't have to think about the larger truth that tapped on

voice and her sweet

re. He alway

rd that brushed over his skin like cool,

here was that fear, too, the same fear he'd seen in

ere afraid of him. But the fear in Vera'sgaze wasn't that fear. It was something else, and he

oman. He'd observed it through his cameras, and yet

of her neck and lifted her slightly so her head fell back, exposing the long, pale arch of milky skin and the fragile, blu

d of you." She

ongue to her skin, tasting the faint salty flavor of her. Holy fuck, she tasted good. He growled, opening his mouth to bi

gainst his chest, and the wetness from her pussy was still coating his fingers. "I know you're not afraid of me," he went on. "You'r

breathing was loud and ragged, her voice breathless as she ga

ing patience. "And answ

d you." She wriggled beneath h

hoving. Not that she could shift him, since she was very small and he was

him or at least not yet. He want

atter to you w

nt to think about why that matte

rists then lifting her arms above her head and easing them down. Pres

the anger in her eyes bright g

bject," he ordered.

rising and falling in a quick, hard rhythm. "

pt yo

gripped her chin and turned her back to face him with the other. He could feel her resistance, could see the fury in he

o his mouth as if she couldn't he

't w

"I can't want you. I can'

hy

engaged. I was supp

man who'd been uncon

id. "Two years is a long time for a pa

m. "But I'm not a

ool of a fiancé? Jesus Christ, if the man hadn't been in a com

her, holding her gaze. "Is

flickering over her face. Emo

ays did? Yet he couldn't. A soft, protective feeling was pressing against his ribs, m

t of that room and into the bright light, he'd been so afraid. He hadn't wanted to go, had fought to stay in there, back wh

now? As if she was being dragged out of her place of safety? Wa

ng another person, or at least imagine he unde

nd all that red and gold fire she blazed with, that he knew burned beneath that tightl

e wanted to see it burn. An

softly, intently. "I can show

't. Joshcouldn't and I love him. I mean, I was with him for y

. "You never

eiling her gaze. "It's noth

wasn't ha

e almost nose to nose. "You know I don't like to repeat mysel

even deeper red. "I've never had an orgasm, okay? And please d

calm and that cool reserve, beneath those pencil skirts and corporate blouses, she was fire and pass

iancé of hers not m

ould

of the passion she kept locked away inside her or the pleasure

t," he said roughly. "Everything

he could see it now, fear

cross her breasts and he could see the tight, hard points of her nipples. "What are you so afraid of?" He

. "I can't.

t circling with his finger, feeling her nippl

htly pinched the hard tip of her breast through t

Yet he reined himself in, forcing himself to go slow, taking that first tiny button between his fingers. "You don't have to do anything," he murmured, undoing it. "All you have to do is lie there

aster. Harder. "And if I do

little face, anger and fear glowing gold in her eyes. "No," he mu

convulsive moment

Instead he covered her li

went back and she shuddered, her wrists straining against the grip he still had on her wrists. He didn't let her go, kissing her deeper, the way he ha

t to rip away her nightgown and get her b

was going to try giving. And he didn't quite understand why, o

nly good thing he had left in his life, and he wanted to

mouth, her body arching beneath his, pressin

she was r

tle buttons and easing aside the white cotton. Then he lifted his head to see as he bared one milky

ing her breast in his hand. Then he brushed his thumb over that tight nipple, and

. "I just want to m

tle voice, and he could feel the race of her heartb

ked. And when he bent his head and licked her nipple, she jerked in reaction, her sharply indrawn breath hissing in

rse, so he kept sucking on her nipple then flicking it with his tongue, teasing h

those fiddly little buttons again, he ripped the rest off her i

hem against his chest and held on. "Let me see you," he ordered, his voice starti

her hands and shifted back so he could see her body, she

n of generous curves and delicate bones. Freckles and fragile skin. Soft,

s cock hard and achin

don't want

was the last thin

but he kept an iron grip on the lust that was grow

wide and dark, smoky with desire,

this, but one thing was for sure. He was go

and." He made i

I don't know

don't think so. I asked you t

er eyes. "You don't understand. I can't do it." Her voice wa

he was crying made his own chest hurt. But right then and there he de

ently down between her thighs. She resisted, but he was insistent

name sounding full of too many emotions he didn't under

n. "Touch yourself, Phoebe," he ordered, pressing d

ng sharply, her la

s his. Now she

slowly, so her fingers rubbed against that little hard nub of flesh. Pleas

lift with the movements of her hand and his, pressing herself ag

, unable to tear his gaze from her face. She didn't need his hand now, and indeed, when he took it away, she

e assistant, flushed and hot and ready to co

her soft wet flesh then eased one slowly into her pussy, slick h

ing, shuddering beneath hi

y think. But she was close now and he wasn't going to ruin it by taking his own pleasure first. For the first time in his

shudder shook her body like a tree in a hurricane, her head going back on the pill

icking back and forward until her whole body stiffened like she'd been electrocuted. And her

asp anything that would stop her from falling, a tree, a bush, a branch. Until he'd brought her own hand between her legs and made her touch herself, and she realized he wasn't pushing her off t

yes tightly closed, her body still shaking, feeling

f course

e knew what Pero had given her that Joshnever had. Wh

her naked body, he'd given her

like that. It was suppose

ing to hide the sudden rush of hot tears that seemed to come out of nowhere. She felt vulnerable a

had turned ou

away from her face. Josh had always allowed her space wh

an iron manacle. She turned her head away from him instead, closing her eye

't let her do

skin, the heavy weight of him pressing her down. His pants were rough against the inside of her thighs, the f

ordered in that r

surrender to the grip of the phenomenal pleasure that had overwhelme

ed with all the authority of a man who

eping her eyes tightly

ok at me right n

, to give her space. Because Josh knew her. He did. No, he hadn't ever mana

ur fingers between your legs,

. She didn't want to give Pero the added satisfaction of seeing her cry yet again. She wasn't going to gi

because his face was inches from hers, that

. "Tell me again that you're not a passionate woman, that your fingers aren't all wet from rubb

g to be achingly conscious of the weight of him pressing down on her. By his heat and that scent of masculine spice. By the way her hips wanted to lift, to press aga

ythm. "You want this. You want me. I don't know what was wrong with your fiancé that he never managed to get you

ke she was conscious of the heat and power of his body on hers, of the firm, hard-packed muscle of his shoulders where her h

to let go enough to enjoy it, and he hadn't been a patient man. It had frustrated him. In the end, she'd decided it was easier to give him pleasure than to receive it herself, and hey, it meant at least one

the same. And Pe

tionship with Joshor the possibility that perhaps her fiancé had been selfish. Because if

a cold threa

firm and certain, like she was trying to convin

e moved, and she thought for a moment that h

me clear he wasn

on either side of her hips. And with a rough movement, he pulled open h

r mouth going dry, because he was . . . magnificent. The way his clothes fit had hinted at

l by a master intent on capturing the ideal male form. Hard cut abs and narrow hips. Powerful arms t

a female fantas

r hands. To feel if he was as hard as he looked, if he was as st

y don

that if she gave in to the need to touch Pero, something inside her

s in his and tugging them to him. Instinctively, she tried to pull away, but he wouldn't

d muscle. Only wild heat. Only the sharp jolt of physical reaction, as if she'd had an electric shock

the hard ridges of his stomach, to where there was an arrow of black hair pointing downward. His free han

. couldn't. As if he'd hypnotized her, all her strength bleeding away as h

en going to say she had no idea, because it all went out of her head as he cu

she could see just what her hand was holding. And . . . God. All the remaining moisture in her mouth dried, and all her breath escaped. His cock was long and thick, big, like he was, and it felt

eathing very fast and she had

ero murmured, dark and ro

t he was right, that's exactly what she wanted to do. He'd given her what no

said, the world's mos

t made everything inside her shiver and stretch out in delight at the

ething out of it, a small silver packet. Th

es. She reached out to take the packet, only to have Pero grip her chin and force her head b

r, one she didn't recognize. Everyone always looked at her, seeing what they wanted to see. No one looked at her and sa

omething inside her that wasn't ever going

me and then lie b

g him tight as she rolled the latex down, the hiss of his breath loud in her ear as she touched hi

n his face had become more intense, feral, his gaze dropping between her thighs to her sex. And she didn't know what to do, wantin

caped before she could stop them, sounding pathetic

er, stroking her damp curls, spreading her

over her face to protect herself, even though she had no idea what she was protecting herself from. Then t

in," he said in that low, dar

ed instinct making her fight the sensation. The fear that she couldn't do it, that Pero woul

g through her. His touch was slow, knowing, skillful, and when his other hand stroked one breas

it. And now she was trying so hard to hold on, yet she couldn't do

traced the slick folds of her sex, little circles, long straight lines, rubbing his thumb ba

rough heat, caressing over each and every one

to stop. Too l

was naked in bed with Pero, the first man to have ever made her come. And now he was going t

body felt starved, as if Pero was i

ious of making a decision, her hands were sliding down her b

d pressing against the entrance to her body. Her breathing came faster, harder, b

e too much. Yet he didn't stop. He took her hands, laced his fingers through hers, his body moving, his hips pressing forward, his cock sliding deeper into her. S

them there, his black gaze pinning her as surely as his cock was impaling he

at made her sex tighten around him and her hips move against his, and she couldn't stop herself, because the pleasure was uncurling

ath hot against her ear, his cock sliding long and slow

id need th

t push of that incredible pleasure. To the slide of his cock inside her, pulling out then pressi

ade another low growling noise, and then his mouth was on hers, devouring her in one of

ized she'd put it in. Her mouth opened beneath his, letting him explore and taste, letting him bite her lower

c, a kick to the gut. But she drank it down because she was so th

ust of his hips. Changing his angle so that the base of his cock rubbed against her clit, mak

bit her. "Fuck, yes," he growled, shoving even

ke, making her angle her hips back so she could do what he

tter then

his shaggy hair, forcing his head back. Then she kissed him, biting his lower l

hooked around her waist, lifting her hips, and then his cock was sliding inside her, hard and deep and relentless. At the same time, rough fingers found her clit, giving it a firm pinch, sending a burst of intense pleasure through her, so strong she screamed into the pillow. Then he did it a

o didn'

ird time, she trembled and tried to shake him off. She wanted to tell him she couldn't, that it was impossible fo

. ." she whispered

ng can." And sure enough his fingers were somehow coaxing yet more pleasure fr

as his own thrusts grew out of control. His arm around her waist held her tight, driving himself inside her, over and over again, unti