Danger Signals

wanted it to or not that he was starting to be aware of, and wonder about. Right now he was pretty sure he had his fire walls up-blocking, she called it-even if he didn't have a clue how he did it. And it was pretty obvious he hadn't been a little while ago.

'That was a serious question, by the way,' he said after a moment. 'Did the fact that you were picking up my…you know…' Lord, what would he call it? Ardor? Passion? Pure unadulterated lust?

Actually, that he had no problem with. It was the stuff that might have leaked along with it that worried him. Those were things he hadn't had time to sort out himself, and he was pretty certain he'd need to do some serious editing before sharing them with anyone-particularly her.

'I'm not sure.' Tierney said, tucking her face back under his chin where he couldn't see it. It felt warm, though, and he wondered if she could possibly be blushing. 'I've never had it happen before-not like that.'

'Come on.' Oh, but a part of him wanted to grin from ear to ear with the purely involuntary swelling of his masculine pride. Then he said wryly. 'Well, I wish I thought my-ahem-lovemaking skills had something to do with it, but it's more reasonable to assume you were picking up on my-ahem-enthusiasm.'

Up popped her head again. This time she kissed him-and not lightly. 'Stop trying to find reasons,' she murmured as she closed her eyes, licked her lips, then opened them again to glare at him. 'There was nothing even remotely reasonable about what just happened to us.'

Wade cupped her head with his hand and brought her mouth back to his. It was a long time before he released her enough to ask. 'Feel like being unreasonable some more?'

Tierney gulped air and managed to produce sound-a whisper. 'Okay…except…well, there are a couple of small things…'

'Yeah?' said Wade in a deep, guttural voice, nibbling at her soft, swollen lips. 'Like what?'

'I'd like very much to see you naked.'

'Glad to oblige.' He was laughing. She could feel him laughing, growing hard inside her. 'What else?'

'Oh-' She grew breathless, riding his gentle rocking like a boat on a lazy swell. 'You're right, that is an interesting…'

He stopped her with a harder, deeper kiss as he continued to move slowly, sinuously inside her, then said. 'What else? Time for talk is just about over.'

He was right; she was finding it harder and harder to breathe, much less talk. 'Well…under the circumstances, this is probably moot, but-'

'Oh, hell.' He went completely still and closed his eyes. 'I forgot to use-'

Now it was she who stopped him with a kiss. 'Shh- we forgot.' She felt only a moment's guilt at the almost certain knowledge that it wouldn't have mattered to her back then if she had remembered. 'I'm on the pill, so that's covered. And I'm very healthy…'

'So'm I. but that's-anyway, I don't have anything with me. Do you?'

'No,' she said, laughing softly, teasing him with a little body wiggle, 'but as I said, it's kind of pointless to worry about it now…isn't it?'

'Yeah…' There was that growl again, as he moved into her in a testing way. 'So…anything else you wanted to discuss while we're being…uh. reasonable?'

'Well, if we…managed to do what we did…on this awful couch, imagine what we could accomplish in my nice roomy bed.'

He paused, lying still but letting his hands wander at will over her back and bottom while he considered the options: withdraw from her and move to a more comfortable venue, with all its limitless possibilities…or stay where he was. 'Do you really want me to stop?' he asked weakly.

Tierney's only reply was a moan. He kissed her throat as he resumed his slow movements both inside and outside her body. Murmured against her thumping pulse, 'How about a compromise?'

'Okay…' Her voice had grown high and airless. She'd have said the same thing if he'd asked her to consider flying to the moon.

'Stay with me now…'

She felt herself being lifted, his strong arms taking her with him as he knelt on the sofa cushions. Then her legs were astride his hips and his arms under her bottom supported her weight. She laced her arms around his neck, buried her face in the hollow of his shoulder and gave a giddy little cry as he rose to his feet.

'Lord, I'm glad you're strong,' she whispered, laughing, dizzy and utterly helpless now.

Wade was too busy disposing of his pants to reply. They fell to the floor at last, and he kicked them out of the way. From somewhere off in the distance he heard Tierney give a pleased little chuckle as she peeled off his shirt, and then her strong fingers were kneading his bare back and buttocks and her soft body was an all-over caress as she swayed and writhed against him. He lost track of his legs.

'Uh…babe,' he said weakly, 'my plan was to carry you to your bedroom like this, but I don't think I'm going to make it. Plan B…comin' up.' He sank with her onto the arm of the couch and pulled her legs snugly around him. 'How's that?'

She couldn't answer him. The penetration was so deep, deeper than she'd thought possible. Her slightest movement set off rockets of sensation deep inside…and yet the velvety caress of his belly sliding over hers, the crisp tingle of chest hair teasing her nipples, the gentle but inexorable pressure of his hands…nimble, clever fingers… were impossible to resist. She couldn't help it…rocked harder against him, and heat and pressure forced a cry from her throat, something deep-throated and primitive she'd never heard herself utter before. She rocked again, and lost sensation in her feet-except at the same time every inch of her skin seemed on fire.

She wanted to scream…gripped Wade's shoulders, arched her back and bit her lip to keep those terrible cries inside. She wanted the pressure and sensation to stop-at least her mind did. Her mind was sobbing, sobbing. I can't… I can't…

But her body wouldn't listen. Her body only wanted more. Wanted more of him.

He knew the desperate struggle going on inside her, felt it in the tenseness of her muscles, the way her torso writhed and shuddered in his arms, heard it in her whimpering breaths. Wanting only to ease her distress, he left one arm across her lower body to guide her as she rocked against him and brought the other to cradle her head. He whispered. ''Shh…' as he pressed the side of her face to his. and felt a slick warmth on his cheek he knew must be her tears.

Though almost overwhelmed with tenderness for her. in the masculine way, of course, he didn't breathe a word of what was going on inside of him.

Sweetheart…it's okay. Don't fight it, my dearest…trust me. Let me take you with me. It's okay… I'm here and I'm holding you… I won't let anything hurt you. It will be all right, I promise. Come with me, my love…

The feelings were inside her, filling her like a rising flood. She didn't question or wonder about them, but clutched at them the way a wild animal, drowning, will grab hold of just about anything, even the hand of a human being, its mortal enemy. She wrapped the feelings around her like a cloak and felt joy flood her whole being, like sunlight. Laughing, she lifted her face to its warmth and thought. This is what love feels like.

Wade felt the easing in her muscles, heard the soft ripples of her laughter, and felt his whole body swell with purely masculine exaltation. He felt great and powerful, a man among men, able not only to give his woman unimaginable pleasure, but to protect and care for her, as well. He felt almost godlike, so tuned to the workings of this woman's body that he knew exactly when she was on the brink of climax, and so confident in his power and skill that he could ease her back from the edge, yet not lose the crescendo or send her crashing once more into panic. And all without saying a word.

Stay with me, sweetheart. Not yet…not yet. Let's ride this wave together…a while longer…a little more. Stay with me, love…

And so she did.

She'd never imagined she could obey a man so implicitly. Of course, she could obey him because at this moment she trusted him, absolutely and completely. And trusted him because she knew his feelings. At this moment, at least, I know them…

It was probably both simpler and more complicated than that, and she certainly didn't pause to reason it out then. She was operating on pure instinct and raw emotion, both almost unheard of for her-though she didn't think of