Fortunes' Women. Kathie DeNosky

Zach assured him without hesitation.

      “Consider yourself warned, Manning. I don’t like seeing my sister hurt.”

      “I’ll set things right with Skylar immediately,” Zach promised. To his credit the man didn’t sound nearly as irritated as when he’d first answered Blake’s call. In fact, Zach sounded rather enthusiastic about getting in touch with her.

      “See that you do,” Blake said, hanging up the phone without bidding the man farewell.

      With the matter of his sister’s broken heart resolved, Blake smiled as he checked his watch. Sasha’s hour was almost up and he had every intention of taking her to her apartment and distracting her until they both collapsed from exhaustion.

      Six

      Dressed in nothing but Blake’s white shirt, Sasha stared into the freezer compartment of her small refrigerator. “What would you like for dinner?”

      Blake walked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him to kiss the side of her neck. “You’ll do just fine.”

      She laughed as a familiar heat began to flow through her. “You have a one-track mind, Mr. Fortune.”

      “I can’t help it.” He tugged the collar of his shirt from her shoulder to allow him better access, and the feel of his firm lips on her sensitive skin sent tiny electric impulses skittering over every nerve in her body. “You bring out the best in me, sweetheart.”

      “More like the beast,” she said, turning to face him.

      When they’d arrived at her apartment, she’d barely managed to close and lock the door before Blake had them both stripped of their clothes and had carried her into the bedroom. That had been several hours ago and the passion arcing between them was every bit as strong now as it had been earlier in the day.

      His sexy grin caused a familiar fluttering in the pit of her stomach. “If I remember correctly, you weren’t exactly complaining when I—”

      She placed her index finger to his lips. “Point taken,” she said, blushing furiously.

      His deep chuckle vibrated against her chest and caused the most interesting tingling in the tips of her breasts. “I love seeing you blush.”

      “That’s apparent.” She circled his bare shoulders with her arms and threaded her fingers in the dark blond hair at the nape of his neck. “You’ve been making me turn as red as a lobster all afternoon.”

      “That wasn’t embarrassment, Sasha. That was the blush of desire.”

      As if to prove his point, he pressed his lower body closer and the feel of his strong arousal against her lower belly caused her to go warm all over. “If you keep this up—”

      “Interesting choice of words,” he said, sliding his hands down to cup her bottom and pull her even closer. “As I’m sure you can tell, that’s not a problem.”

      She gasped from the waves of renewed need that flowed through her when she felt the strength of his arousal against her lower belly. “We’re never going to find time to go over my ideas for your promotional campaign.”

      He kissed her collarbone, then began to unbutton his shirt to nibble at every new inch he exposed. “Is that what you really want to do right now?”

      When he parted the garment and covered her breasts with his hands, her knees began to wobble and her heart pounded so hard against her ribs, she felt as if she’d run a marathon. “Wh-what was the question again?”

      “Damned if I know,” he said as he lowered his head to take her nipple into his mouth.

      Teasing her relentlessly, Sasha wasn’t at all surprised to feel a delicious need begin to tighten her womb. After making love the entire afternoon, how could they possibly be hungrier for each other now than before?

      “This … is insane.”

      He raised his head and the intensity in the depths of his eyes, the sparkle of heat, told her in no uncertain terms what he wanted. “We’re about to go crazy together, sweetheart.”

      Fully expecting him to pick her up and carry her back into the bedroom, she tightened her arms around him in surprise when he lifted her to sit on the edge of the counter. “Wh-what are you doing?”

      “I want you here.” Buttons skittered across the tiled floor when he jerked the lapels of his shirt open the rest of the way to give him better access to her body. Then, shoving his boxer briefs to his ankles, he entered her in one smooth stroke. “Now.”

      The feel of him filling her completely, the heat that threatened to consume her when he began to rhythmically thrust into her and the fact that they were making love somewhere other than the bedroom heightened her excitement in ways she could have never imagined. The urgency arcing between them was more powerful than ever before and Sasha felt as if she would burst into flames at any moment.

      Tightening her legs around his slim hips, she clung to him as he relentlessly built the ache of unfulfilled desire within her. All too quickly his body demanded that she give into their fiery passion and she gladly complied as bursts of pleasure shook her to the core.

      As she trembled against him, she felt the slight swelling of his body within hers a moment before the moist heat of his release filled her. As she held him to her, tears burned at her tightly closed eyes from the beauty of what they’d shared.

      If she’d had any lingering doubts about her feelings for him being the remnants of the schoolgirl’s crush, they had just dissipated like mist under a warm summer sun. She loved him with a woman’s heart and belonged to him, body and soul. And no matter what the future held for them, that would never change.

      “You want me to do what?” Blake couldn’t believe what Sasha was proposing.

      “I’d like for you to consider doing a television commercial for the grand opening of Fortune’s Gold,” she said patiently.

      “I have no objections to the concept of buying airtime to run commercials for my hotels and casinos,” he said, shaking his head. “I do, however, have a huge problem with starring in the damned things.”

      Sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bed, wearing nothing but his buttonless shirt and a sweet smile, she looked so sexy and desirable, Blake had to force himself to remember that he’d promised to listen to her ideas for his ad campaign. But if anything could bring him back to reality with a resounding thump, it was the thought of going in front of a TV camera. Just the idea caused a knot in his stomach.

      “Blake, you’re the natural choice,” she insisted. “You’re not only the owner of the Fortune Casino Corporation, your enthusiasm and sincerity when you encourage people to visit your establishments will be captured and add a great deal to your advertising. It will make the viewers feel as if you’re issuing a personal invitation.”

      He understood what she was saying and the value of the visual media. But the thought of following the nightly news like some monkey in a sideshow, even for the fifteen to thirty seconds the commercials would run, made him want take off for parts unknown.

      “I think a professional actor would be a better choice,” he said, leaning back against the pillows.

      “I don’t.” Raising up on her hands and knees, she crawled across the bed to hover over him. “You’re handsome.” She kissed his chin. “Sexy.” She traced the outline of his lips with her tongue. “And you’ll have the women flocking to your casinos in droves.”

      He pulled her beneath the sheet that covered him from the waist down, then turned to his side and aligned their bodies so they were facing each other. “You really think I’m handsome and sexy?” he asked, slipping his hand beneath the shirt to caress her satiny skin.

      “Don’t change the subject,” she said, sounding less than convincing. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation