Her Perfect Stranger

Galvanized into action, he stripped off his jeans, then made her clothes vanish as well. He ripped open a condom, his gaze devouring her as he put it on. Shamelessly needy, she pulled her knees back, opening herself to him in a way that was utterly foreign to her, but felt so right at the moment.

His eyes all but gobbled her up. 'You are so beautiful. And so mine.' He pushed into her, just a little, just an inch, dragging a whimper of need out of her.

'More.' She thrust up to meet him.

'Oh, yeah. More.' He pulled his hips back slightly, and another little whimper shuddered in her throat, but then he thrust again, deeper this time. And then deeper still. And again, until he was so far seated inside her that she couldn't tell where she ended and he began.

He held himself still, then, looking down at her as a parade of emotions crossed his face: dazed wonder, harsh need.

'Mike,' she whispered, feeling all those emotions right back, and he thrust into her harder, deeper, over and over again. Her head fell back. She arched up into him. She was dying. 'Mike.'

'Right here, baby. Come.' He delved a thumb into the wet tangle of curls above where they were joined, stroking as she writhed beneath him. 'Come for me.'

He was watching her. Waiting. Egging on all that sensation inside her until it came to a roaring explosion She'd never been watched before. It should have stopped her cold, should have left her unable to fall apart, screaming, panting, making an unholy fool of herself as she shuddered and jerked under the assault of ecstasy, but it didn't.

And when she could breathe again, she realized she hadn't been the only one to completely lose herself. He'd collapsed against her, having banded his arms tight around her, holding her to him in a bone-crushing grip.

Amazingly enough, they fell asleep like that.

Mike woke with a wide, canary-eating grin and yet another erection. Turning toward Corrine, already thinking about exactly what he intended to do to her, he stopped, shocked into immobility.

She was gone.

Again.

Damn her! And damn him for allowing it. He should have handcuffed her to the headboard. Should have never fallen asleep.

Should have…should have…should have. The truth was, there was nothing he could do to keep her, nothing at all.

Unless she wanted to be kept.

Which she didn't.

9

Mike walked into the conference room and Corrine's heart took off like a rocket. 'Good morning,' she said coolly. No one had to know she was on the verge of death by mortification, or that her palms were damp with nerves, just from seeing him again.

She'd left him blissfully, gloriously naked, fully sated and fast asleep. He'd accuse her of being a chicken, but it hadn't been fear that made her run; it had simply been time to put aside all personal stuff and get to work.

Here at work, she couldn't afford to be thinking of someone else, grieving over what could never be. Concentration was required. Time to put everything else aside and get on with her scheduled team meeting.

No problem. Putting everything else aside had always come easy for Corrine.

Until now.

Mike didn't answer or return her greeting, didn't even acknowledge it. He looked tall, dark and royally pissed off, not to mention so beautiful he took her breath away.

'Um…coffee?' she asked, gesturing toward the pot. The few sips she'd already taken were making her jittery.

Or maybe that was Mike.

'No, thanks.'

She busied herself adding sugar and cream to her coffee, though she preferred it black. But she needed in the worst way to not look at him.

'Corrine.'

He was going to want to talk about it. She should have known.

'Corrine.' His eyes glittered with attitude and knowledge, knowledge that she'd run from him. Which really was proof positive that he could never understand her. His dark hair was still wet from what must have been a very recent shower, one in which he hadn't shaved, as witnessed by the dark, day-old stubble on his jaw.

She knew that stubble, knew it intimately, knew how it felt gliding over her skin, the raspy sound it made when he lingered, and the citrusy scent of it.

'Don't, he said in a gruff, almost harsh voice, and she was thankful they were the only ones in the room, because that voice made her blood start singing.

'Don't what?' she asked as lightly as she could.

'Don't look at me as if you can't take your eyes off me, because we both know that's not true.'

It was true, but she wasn't about to admit that. 'I'm only looking at you because you're early. I'm surprised, is all.'

'I'm early,' he said, stalking toward her with his long-gaited, very confident stride. 'Because I woke up early. With a raging hard-on, as a matter of fact.'

She bit her lip and held her ground, forcing her chin up so she would look fearless. Which she absolutely was. Fearless. Nothing got to her, nothing… except for maybe, just maybe, this man. 'I thought all men woke up that way.'

'Yes, but I woke up expecting to be wrapped around a warm, sleepy woman.' He was nearly upon her now. 'One whom I could slowly caress and kiss and taste until she was wide awake and writhing beneath me, making those soft, desperate sounds, which, by the way, are the sexiest I've ever heard.'

'Mike-'

'And then when I had her that way,' he continued in a soft, silky voice, 'I was going to slowly sink inside her, one inch at a time, until-'

'Stop,' she whispered desperately, weakly, glancing at the open doorway. But no one else had arrived yet. She was shaking, damp from perspiration, just at his words!

Did she really sound soft and desperate when he was buried deep inside her?

And did he really think she was sexy? No one had ever told her such things. No one had ever even thought them of her, she was quite certain. 'We can't do this here.'

'Oh, yes, we can.' His eyes were flashing, and despite his unbearably sensuous words and soft tone, his mouth was grim. 'We can do this here, because you're not going to let me do it anywhere else. I might be a little slow on the uptake, Corrine, but I'm not stupid.'

No, no he wasn't. And he really was furious. She supposed he had a right, but she had a right, too. And damn it, hadn't she told him nothing could come of this…this thing between them? It wasn't as if she'd led him on, or purposely set out to hurt anyone's feelings. Besides, if anyone was going to get hurt here, it was going to be her. Because she couldn't fool herself any longer; he was magnificent. And he wouldn't stay single for long. Some other woman would come along and snag him.

But she…she would forever pine over what might have been. 'I realize you're upset-'

'Upset,' he repeated in a quiet, reasonable voice. He even nodded. But he didn't stop coming toward her. 'Yes, you're right about that, Corrine. I'm upset.'

'I know.' Not allowing herself to back up, she reached behind her and gripped the conference table for support. 'I do know. But-'

'No, I don't think you do.' He stopped a breath away from her, so close she had to tip her head back to see into his face, but no way was she going to retreat.

She retreated for no one.