Brazen. Carly Phillips

into preliminaries. Samantha hoped he liked to bask in the afterglow, because the way things were going, this wasn’t going to be the slow, sensual experience she’d envisioned.

      “I don’t think…”

      “Oh, for God’s sake. You don’t want to go first, I will. My name’s Mac,” he said, shaking her hand with a determined grip. “What’s yours?”

      CHAPTER TWO

      MAC STOOD IN THE DOOR frame of the small bathroom, unable to believe he’d burst in without warning. When he’d heard the shatter of glass, he figured she’d come face-to-face with a rodent of some kind. Instead, she stood half dressed, staring at him as if he’d invaded her privacy. Which, considering the room she was in and her state of undress, he had.

      “My…name?” She blinked, obviously startled.

      “Yeah. I’ve seen pretty much everything, sweetheart.” And he knew what she looked like when she was cold. His gaze inadvertently went to her chest, now covered by layers of terry cloth. “I doubt telling me your name would be considered a breach of etiquette.”

      She blushed scarlet. “Sam…” She paused in thought. “Just Sam.”

      She hadn’t removed her hand from his, and he let his thumb drift over her skin. She didn’t seem to mind, or she was too flustered to notice. Either way, he liked the way her palm fit into his.

      “Sam.” He played with the name, tossing it around in his mind, savoring it on his lips. Then he thought of the rounded breasts and the darkened nipples visible beneath the white top. His imagination conjured two perfectly shaped, creamy white cheeks. A masculine name didn’t suit her and he shook his head. “Doesn’t work for me. Short for Samantha?” he guessed.

      She exhaled loudly. “Yes. But that doesn’t work for me.”

      He smiled, enjoying this woman, if not yet understanding her. “Mind if I ask why not?”

      “I’m on vacation, and I’d like to forget the people who call me that…at least for this week.”

      A runaway like himself. He understood the need to escape from life, work and the people who occupied those other worlds. Family gave Mac the best alternative, but they weren’t close enough to offer a quick reprieve. Courtesy of her husband’s job, his sister’s family lived a couple of hours away, and with the birth of his first nephew, Mac’s mother had moved out of the hotel to be closer to Kate. With his only family miles away—including a new baby he didn’t see nearly often enough—Mac understood his recent restlessness. In fact, it was almost as if he was itching to settle down himself.

      Short of that, Bear’s place was his best and closest means of escape. He glanced at the woman whose hand he still held, wondering how far she’d run. And from what. “And after the week’s up?” he asked.

      She shrugged. “I go back to my life.”

      “To being Samantha.”

      “That’s right.” She pulled her hand back and hugged her arms around the fluffy towel. “I haven’t had a vacation in years. So I thought I’d take a little time for myself before I go to a conference next weekend.”

      “Name someone who isn’t in town for a conference. Arizona has become the convention capital Florida used to be.” Which was why he was so successful.

      His father had purchased desert land dirt cheap in the mid-1950s. After the older man’s death, Mac had sold a small portion for much more than he’d ever imagined, and expanded the small bed-and-breakfast inn that had been his family’s livelihood. By catering to the vacationer and the conference-goer, The Resort had become a gold mine. And the once-middle-income Mackenzies, Mac, his mother and sister, had become millionaires.

      A fact he had no intention of revealing to Samantha until he got to know her better. “Okay, Sam.” She nodded her approval. “Now that we have that behind us, we can move on.” On impulse, he raised her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss on her wrist. Her pulse fluttered wildly beneath his lips.

      She jerked her hand free. “No, we can’t. I just met you and I’m not about to hop into your bed.” She didn’t speak with much conviction, nor did she seem to realize the leap she’d made.

      “That’s good, because I don’t remember inviting you,” he said with a hearty laugh. “But trust me. When I do…you’ll know it.”

      “Oh…” She stared at him, wide-eyed and embarrassed.

      Mac had never seen such mixed signals. Earlier, she’d appraised his body as if it were meat in the deli case. She wore sexy underwear he’d never seen anywhere but in a catalog, sensual clothing that invited seduction, yet she was holding on to that towel with a death grip. He deliberately tuned out the memory of what she looked like without it. For now.

      The innocent or the seductress. Which woman was his Samantha? He couldn’t think of her as Sam any more than he should be thinking of her as his. But he liked the contradictions in her character and wanted her to stick around.

      After suffering the attentions of too many fortune-hunting women, he was intrigued by her honest responses. But before he seduced her he had to be sure.

      “I was trying to suggest you take a shower.” He backed off, walking toward the door.

      “Mac, wait.”

      He turned.

      “I’m sorry. I’m new at this…I guess you can tell, what with me jumping to conclusions and rambling and…”

      He stepped back inside the small room, effectively silencing her with his presence. Walking toward her he stood close enough to temptation to make himself sweat…without the aid of the steam-filled bathroom. Unable to help himself, he reached forward and took a lock of ebony hair, wrapping the satin strands around his finger as he spoke.

      The pulse at the base of her throat worked overtime. “New at what?” he asked.

      “This. Whatever’s happening between us.” She gestured to them both.

      “Is there something between us?” After her vehement rejection, he needed to know what she wanted before pursuing anything further.

      Her violet gaze met his. Honesty and sincerity shimmered in their depths. “You know there is.”

      He admired the strength it took for her to admit there was something brewing, even though the pull between them was too strong to ignore.

      “And what are we going to do about it?” He unraveled her hair from his finger and ran the fine ends over the skin beneath her jaw. “Sam?” He breathed her name, suddenly finding it important to respect this woman’s wishes.

      A tremor shook her body and she sighed softly. “I don’t know.” She leaned forward, until they were separated by a fraction of air.

      Body language was telling and Mac had his answer. He wanted to close the distance between them. He needed to taste her lips and learn her secrets, and he had a hunch this intriguing woman had many. But her answer wasn’t good enough.

      He looked into her soft eyes. She wanted him, but there were things she needed more. Like a shower and some time to herself.

      “You think about it…and let me know.” He straightened and dropped her hair, letting his fingers graze her shoulder as he did. “The rental place is sending out a replacement car. In the meantime, I’ll leave your suitcases in the next room. Come on downstairs once you’re cleaned up.”

      She smiled. “Thanks. You’re a nice guy, Mac.”

      He groaned. He wasn’t nice, he was horny. Which made him wonder what it was about this woman that had him acting so noble. He had no doubt that with some soft words and coaxing hands, he could have been inside her body.

      Instead he was headed downstairs to a bar full of customers, a bunch of nosy old men and one major