strength and your courage, and I love the fact that you bring out the
best in me.
Those are just a couple of the reasons.' He gently cupped the sides of
her face. 'I didn't want to fall in love with you.'
'Then why don't you stop? ' she asked gently.
'Sweetheart, that's like asking me to stop breathing. Ah, Jessie, I
need you in my life.' He bent down and proceeded to drive her crazy by
kissing every inch of her throat.
'How come you always smell like flowers? ' The question was simply too
complicated to answer. She should stop him, she thought, even as she
tilted her head so he could kiss the spot directly under her earlobe
that was so sensitive to his touch.
'You're doing it on purpose . . . You know how much I like . . . but
we can't . . . ' $'One kiss, Jessie. Just one kiss.' Her hands were
gripping his shirt, and she didn't protest at all or turn away.
It felt so wonderful, so right, to be in his arms. The seduction of
his loving words was her undoing. She leaned up on tiptoe and
willingly let herself be swept away. His mouth moved over hers
greedily. Passion was instantaneous, explosive. One kiss wasn't
enough for either one of them, and as his mouth slanted over hers again
and again, she began to shiver with her need.
She didn't want him to stop. When he lifted his head, she leaned up
and kissed him again.
He stopped her from going any further. He pried her hands away from
his shirt, wrapped her in his arms, and tried to catch his breath.
'You don't know how to hold back, do you, sweetheart? ' He sounded
happy about that fact, and so she didn't ask him to explain.
Draping his arm around her shoulder, he led her back to camp. 'I'm
going to have to teach you all about pacing.' He smiled just thinking
about it.
She tried to pay attention to what he was saying, but his kisses had
robbed her of the ability to think about anything at all but making
love to him. 'I don't know what's wrong with me. I used to be a lady
until you came into my life.'
'You still are a lady.'
'I knew what I was doing the other night. I practically seduced you,
and I promised myself that we would have one night together, but just a
