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“Love me. Now.”
He crushed her to him. “I will,” he groaned. “I do.”
He stroked her thighs, and they opened to receive him. She gazed in mute adoration at his face above hers, his lower lip caught between his teeth in a spasm of pleasure as he entered her. They both gasped aloud with the sensation.
Je
She was certain that she would.
* * * *
The cold woke Je
Lee slept face down, one arm thrown across her, a long muscular leg entwined with hers. She slipped away from him, and he stirred with the movement Je
She felt a deep flush creep up her neck. What did he think of her? What did she think of herself? She had never been so brazen. He probably thought...she didn’t want to think.
To cover her embarrassment and confusion, she grabbed a poker and stirred the fire.
“Let me do that,” he said, adding logs from the storage bin in the wall. Soon the blaze was roaring again.
He reclined once more on the rug, looking like an Inca prince with his sleek, strong limbs, carved features, and midnight hair. He reached up for her with one hand and drew her down to him.
“What’s this?” he asked, fingering her housecoat.
“I was cold.”
“Take if off,” he said huskily. “I’ll make you warm.”
She obeyed and closed her eyes, letting herself melt into him. “We should move to the bedroom,” she said. “You won’t get any rest.”
“I’m not interested in rest,” he said huskily. “I’m fine right here.”
He propped himself on one elbow and gazed down at her, tracing her features with a blunt forefinger. Then he bent to place a kiss on the tip of her nose before he moved his mouth lower, seeking her lips with his.
The cycle began again, as headlong and as powerful as before. All her concerns went out of her mind. She would worry about them later.
It was dawn before they slept—the deep, exhausted sleep of satiety.
Chapter 7
Je
A kiss on the back of her neck told her that Lee was standing behind her. As usual, she had not heard his approach. She set down the box of filters she was holding and turned to face him.
He was bare chested and barefoot, clad only in the black formal pants he had worn to the reception. His hair was still mussed and his eyes heavy from the night, making him look boyish and vulnerable, but never more attractive. Je
He embraced her instead, drawing her against his chest. The feel of his silky skin, the enclosing warmth of his muscular arms, sent her spi
Feeling her reluctance, Lee held her away from him, searching her face. His unasked question hung between them, demanding an answer.
Je
She half expected him to ask what there was to fear, or otherwise dismiss her concern. But he surprised her, releasing her and looking away. She saw him draw a slow, careful breath.
“And you think I’m not?” he said quietly.
His reply produced a mixed reaction in Je
Je
He raised his eyes to her face. “I know that,” he said seriously. “Don’t you think I know that?”
Je
He said nothing.
Je
“We’re just wrong for each other, and it’s nobody’s fault. Your heritage is very important to you, and you need someone who understands it and can share it. You’ll always be afraid I’ll turn you into one of those imitation WASPs you despise, make you forget who you are. And I’ve been burned once, I’m gun-shy, too. Let’s call it quits now, before we hurt each other.” Je
He still didn’t answer.
“Say something, Lee.”
He lifted one shoulder. “What can I say? You’ve said it all.”
So that was to be it, then. Lee left the room and returned wearing his ruffled shirt, unbuttoned to the waist, and carrying his jacket draped over his shoulder, hooked by one index finger. He cupped her chin in his free hand, looking at her as if he might never see her again.
“That is such a sweet face,” he said, and kissed her gently on the mouth.
“Thank you for last night,” he said. “I won’t forget it.”
He was terribly close to saying final things, and Je
Je
She still wanted him desperately and didn’t know what to do about it.
* * * *
Je
It was Marilyn. They exchanged news and small talk for a little while, and then Marilyn said, in that gently probing way she had, “Something’s wrong, Jen. What is it?”
Je