.

      “Take me now. Right here,” she breathed, hardly aware of her own words.

      Rick’s erection throbbed again. He pulled a condom from his jacket pocket, ripped it open with his teeth and rolled it on. Then he tugged her panties to one side and entered her.

      Alicia cried out at the intense sensation, then gripped Rick so her scream wouldn’t make him back away.

      Rick cupped her buttocks and lifted her up to him until her back arched and she took him as deep as she could.

      “Oh, yes, just like that. It feels so good,” she murmured, rocking against him.

      Sensation swirled through her, and colors flashed behind her eyelids. She clung to Rick, her fingers clutching his rapidly dampening shirt.

      She hadn’t even given him time to remove his jacket. A burst of laughter accompanied the thought.

      “What’s so funny?”

      “Me,” she said on a groan as she writhed against him. “I couldn’t wait for us to get undressed. I wore pretty underwear and you didn’t even get to see it.”

      Her breasts felt swollen and deliciously sensitive against their lacy prison.

      “Let me have a look,” rasped Rick.

      Keeping the steady rhythm, he raised a hand and tugged down the front of her dress.

      “Nice.” He flashed a dazzling blue gaze that made her heart leap. “Sometimes it’s more fun to do things out of order.”

      She gasped as he lifted her feet off the floor and strode for the living room, still hard inside her.

      Without missing a beat, he eased them both down onto a green silk chaise lounge.

      Alicia’s eyes squeezed shut as he thrust into her, but not before she had time to take in the restrained elegance of the setting: expensive antiques, fine china and crystal, delicate watercolor paintings.

      What they were doing here seemed so wrong.

      In the best possible way.

      She wriggled under him, enjoying the sound of her own pleasured moans. “Oh, yes, Rick, again. Do it again.” She clutched him to her as he rode her until every nerve and muscle of her body hummed with sheer bliss.

      Just when she was about to lose all control—

      He stopped.

      Completely stopped. No movement at all, except their chests rising and falling against each other as their breath came in ragged gulps.

      She tried to lift her hips but the sheer weight of his muscled body made it impossible.

      Almost growling with frustrated desire, she opened her eyes, and saw his dangerous baby blues staring at her. A wicked smile slid across his mouth.

      “What?” she gasped, her body sprung like a catapult and desperate for release.

      “Good things come to those who wait,” he whispered.

      Alicia wiggled, which had no result but to make her more agonizingly aroused. When she was about to scream, he started to move again.

      Oh. So. Slowly.

      Only the tiniest movements at first. Incremental. Just enough to drive her that little bit closer to the brink of insanity.

      He slid—very gently—in and out, the stroking motion creating an extraordinary sensation.

      Then he picked up speed.

      Alicia moaned and cried out with relief as she built toward her climax. The pressure intensified, growing and gathering inside her like a huge storm cloud ready to explode and drench the whole state.

      Her orgasm crashed over her like a clap of thunder, sucking the breath from her lungs and throwing her back against the chaise lounge with a howl of exuberant release.

      Rick’s own climax shook him like a jackhammer and he cried out as he collapsed on top of her.

      It was some moments before she managed to draw enough breath to speak. “What was that? What were you doing?”

      “Have you ever heard of the G-spot?”

      “I think I read about it in Cosmo once.”

      “Well—” a naughty grin lifted one side of his mouth “—now you know what it does.”

      She lay splayed over the chaise, her head hanging slightly off one end so her hair brushed the floor. Rick held her on to the silk surface with a firm arm, or she might have fallen limply to the carpet.

      Alicia blinked. “G-spot, huh?” Her muscles still throbbed with stray contractions. “I wonder what evolutionary purpose that serves.”

      Rick chuckled. “The natural historian at work. Isn’t pleasure reason enough for it to exist?”

      “I suppose.” She pressed a thoughtful finger to her lips. “I could see how once you’ve experienced that, you’d keep coming back for more, which would likely ensure the survival of your genes in the next generation.”

      “Unless you’re using a condom.” Rick traced a line on her belly with his finger. Her muscles shivered in response.

      “So true. In that case, you have to admit you’re doing it just for fun.”

      They both chuckled. Then Alicia’s stomach grumbled.

      “Hey, did you have breakfast?”

      “No. I confess. I was distracted by my other appetites.” With some effort, she lifted her head up onto the chaise. “And I even berated Alex for not eating properly this morning. I’m such a hypocrite.”

      Rick’s playful expression faded. “You spoke to Alex?”

      “Yes. I wanted to make sure everything was okay at the ranch.”

      “Did you tell him you’re here?”

      “No.” She shifted onto her elbow. “It’s better he doesn’t know, especially with so much going on. He’ll just worry, then overreact.”

      “And I’ll be challenged to pistols at dawn for assailing your virtue.”

      “Exactly.” Alicia sighed. “Why go looking for drama? Let’s at least wait until they find out who set the fire. Then he’ll have some other man to direct his hostile energies toward.”

      Chapter Five

      “W here are we going?” Alicia asked as Justin pulled onto the freeway. They’d changed their clothing after the impromptu tryst, then headed right out in search of lunch.

      “Downtown Somerset.”

      He could feel her curious gaze on him. “Why?”

      “Because I want to see it through your eyes.” Since he was now striding around town defending her plan to preserve the old buildings, he wanted to know more about what he was trying to save.

      And more about the lovely Alicia.

      Her gaze darkened. “What if Alex sees us?”

      He managed not to laugh. “Is he likely to be hanging around downtown Somerset on a Saturday afternoon?” For someone so smart, she was more than a little paranoid.

      “Well, no, but…”

      “So stop worrying. If we run into him you can say I’m a visiting professor of natural history,” he said, knowing full well that if they did run into Alex, she wouldn’t be the only one who had some explaining to do.

      She chuckled. “There is no such thing. Besides, you don’t look like a professor.” She eyed the pale blue shirt he’d changed into. “They don’t usually wear Prada.”

      “Me, either. It was a gift from one