„Oh, Rand, this is ridiculous!“
„No,“ he countered thickly, the tip of his tongue dancing lightly in and around her ear, „this is desire. I told you I needed a mistress…“
„Then you’ll have to keep interviewing bored lady tourists,“ she flung back with a trace of acid in her voice. „The trout was delicious but it was only worth a good-night kiss, not a night in bed!“
„Ah, well,“ he murmured philosophically, „I shall have to be satisfied with what 1 can get“
He lifted one hand and slipped off the small, gold earring she wore in her left ear. He dropped the earring into his pocket as his teeth closed teasingly, temptingly where the piece of jewelry had been.
It was a small, seemingly insignificant action, yet when he repeated it with the other ear, Kalinda began to feel as if he were stripping her of her very clothing.
She made an attempt to pull away from the growing spell of seduction, easing her head back out of reach and pushing firmly against him. But he only took advantage of the position to bury his lips against her throat The next shiver that shook Kalinda was almost frightening in its intensity.
His hands stroked up her waist with slow, caressing movements until they rested just under the weight of her breasts. When she twisted slightly to escape the intimate touch she knew would come next, Kalinda somehow found her nipple caught under the palm of his hand. Through the material of the silk and the scrap of lacy bra her body reacted without her volition, the nipple hardening.
In spite of her resolve to keep the embrace from going any further, Kalinda’s nails bit convulsively into the fabric of the pin-stripe shirt, seeking the feel of the muscled flesh underneath.
„Silk and flame,“ he muttered, his voice deepening as he felt her response. „Where have you been hiding yourself, honey? Think of all the nights we’ve missed!“
„Just as we’re going to miss this one,“ she retorted a little grimly, conscious of the catch in her words. „I’m not going to bed with you, Rand.“
„Tell me that again in a few minutes,“ he advised and moved, sweeping her up into his arms before she realized his intention.
Her arm circled his neck in an instinctive gesture against falling although he held her with a rocklike security.
„I won’t be carried off to bed, Rand,“ Kalinda snapped arrogantly, unaccustomed to having her dinner dates proceed against her declared wishes. She still didn’t believe herself to be in trouble but there was no doubt matters were in danger of getting out of hand.
„The couch?“ he suggested hopefully, the laughing gleam in his eyes somehow adding to, rather than subtracting from the desire she saw there.
He strode across the cream carpet to the long caramel couch and settled her gently down on it When Kalinda opened her eyes after the ensuing moment of vertigo, she found him descending on top of her and her words of determined protest were muffled in her throat as she caught her breath against his weight.
„Damn it, I will not let you…“
„Just let me kiss you,“ he begged huskily, dropping tiny, featherlight caresses on her cheeks, her eyelids, her ears. When his mouth returned to hers his hand simultaneously moved once more to cover her small breast The twin assault shocked her senses, causing her to writhe beneath him.
Instantly he responded by crushing her hips intimately with his own, forcing her into the deep cushions until she cried out in growing passion.
„Flame for me, Lady Silk,“ he growled urgently, nipping her bare shoulder with his teeth and then soothing the scented area with his tongue. „I want to see you go up in flames for me tonight!“
The soft material of the dress began to fall away from her and Kalinda realized dimly he had found the delicate fastenings. She knew she ought to stop him but she couldn’t seem to say the words. A passionate curiosity was driving her now and when she felt him undo the front clasp of the small bra she wound her fingers deeply into the chestnut hair with a breathless moan.
„Oh, please! Please…“
„I will,“ he promised hoarsely, „I will!“
Rand bent his head to find the tips of her breasts with undisguised male need, his tongue curling around the taut nipples as his fingers traced patterns down her bare stomach.
Ahead of his questing hand, the silk dress continued to give way until Kalinda knew the touch of his fingers just inside the edge of her satiny briefs.
She gasped violently and her own hands worked their way inside the collar of his shirt. He moved under her touch the way a cat moves under stroking fingers. She found his uninhibited response deeply, incredibly arousing and without further thought she sought the buttons of the shirt.
A moment later they both lay naked from the waist up, the curling cloud of chestnut hair on Rand’s chest exciting and sensual on Kalinda’s softness.
Her breath was coming more quickly now and common sense was a rapidly deteriorating commodity. She arched beneath him and he used his strength to tease her by crushing her gently until she couldn’t move. Somehow the restraint only served to excite her all the more and Kalinda felt the driving need surge through her body.
It wasn’t until she felt him part her legs with his own and knew the hardening maleness of him even through the fabric of the trousers he still wore that some semblance of rational thought returned.
„Rand… Rand, please. That’s enough! I never meant…“
„It’s all right,“ he soothed, holding her still as she began to struggle beneath him. „Just let it happen. It’s going to be so good, honey. I want you so badly tonight“
Kalinda moved her head restlessly on the cushion, the sleek knot of her hair long since undone and floating around her. She heard the inevitable words,
„I’m sorry,“ she whispered, conscious of her own part in the matter. „I didn’t mean for things to go this far!“ Carefully she began to push against his bare shoulders, her nails digging into the bronzed skin.
„Kalinda!“ His desire-deepened voice cracked slightly as he lifted his head to stare down at her. „What’s wrong? Stop fighting it, sweetheart You want this as much as I do!“
She shook her head in denial, well aware of the want in him. She had to deal with this very cautiously. She had allowed him to become thoroughly aroused and she knew so little about him! How did she know what to expect when he finally realized she meant to call everything to a halt?
For all she knew he might turn violent God! How had she managed to get herself into this?
„Rand, please,“ she begged gently, straining away from his hardness, „I want to stop. I never intended for things to go this far. Please let me go…“
For an instant the hazel eyes flashed almost green and she knew a momentary fear. And then the frustrated, angry male glitter was gone to be replaced by a cold, masculine restraint. It was only when that, too, disappeared to reveal rueful dismay that Kalinda knew she could relax.
„You’re serious, aren’t you?“ Rand muttered dryly.
„Yes, I… I never intended for this to happen tonight Believe me!“
„I believe you! But you see, I fully intended for it to happen!“
„Rand, that’s idiotic,“ Kalinda scolded bracingly, aware of her nakedness and the weight of his body. „You hardly know me!“
„I wanted you the minute I saw you,“ he told her succinctly, his hands framing her face between rough palms. „I’m more than happy to be a vacation fling for you, Kalinda Brady,“ he murmured enticingly.
„Thanks a lot! Very generous of you. But it so happens, I’m not interested in that sort of relationship!“
„How about the affair we discussed earlier?“ he whispered seductively, his thumbs making probing circles at the comers of her mouth.
„Out of the question!“ she snapped, beginning to grow angry. „Let me up, Rand, it’s time I went back to the motel.“
„Calm down, I’ll take you back if that’s what you really want…“
„It is!“
„On one condition,“ he concluded a little too gently.
She glared up at him. „What condition?“
