By Request Collection 1. Jackie Braun

mouth, even within his uncompromising hold there was a whole world of difference.

      Because she knew instinctively that she could pull away at any time.

      Masculine dominance. Strength. Control. She’d come to fear them, but with Blake, here, now, it faded away like mist beneath a tropical sun. She felt none of that familiar trepidation, only a willingness to meet him equally, man to woman, and an urgent desire for more.

      His stubble grazed her chin. Her legs trembled and she clutched at his T-shirt to keep from sliding to a puddle at his feet. She could feel the hard wall of his chest, leashed power humming just beneath his skin, the heavy thump of his heart against her fists.

      This was nothing like a simple meeting of mouths. Nothing like it had been with any other man. Here, as his lips moved over hers, there was fire. The same fire, the same hot desire that burned brightly within her.

      Until Todd had left her feeling inadequate as a lover, she’d never been a woman to shrink from her own desires, from taking what she needed from a man and giving in return. Celebrating her sexuality, absorbing her own pleasure, while ensuring she reciprocated in full measure. But she’d never felt the overwhelming emotional connection that suffused her whole being now, with Blake.

      Her mouth parted only too willingly as he sought entry, his tongue dancing lightly over hers at first, then deeper, bolder, exploring the inside of her cheeks, her teeth. So easy to let emotion take command of her body as she absorbed the rich dark flavours he brought, the low growl she could hear deep in his throat, the feel of his fingers beneath her chin, against her neck. So simple to forget everything but this urgent, raw desire sweeping through her and give herself up to it.

      Blake had never known that passion could be laced in such delicacy. His hands were unsteady as he tilted her head for better access to more of her sweetness, lifting them so he could glide his fingers through her silky hair and hold her close, where he wanted her. Where he needed her.

      With her pale skin and clear translucent eyes she reminded him of a miniature porcelain doll. Easily broken. So he was careful to keep the fire that roared like an inferno through his blood contained.

      Something had spooked her a moment ago, but now … now she clung to him, all lithe limbs and soft feminine curves. Her body melted against his, fitted with his as if she’d been made expressly for that purpose.

      A rumble rose up his throat as he cruised his hands up over her shoulder blades, taking it slow, testing her response, testing his own. Then down her spine, all the way down so that he could tuck that spectacular bottom even closer against him.

      But when his erection ground against her belly and she let out a sexy turned-on moan, all reason, all thought fled except the overwhelming desire to have her. His greedy hands raced up to skim the outer edges of her full round breasts. Taking their weight in his palms, he indulged in her warm, womanly shape.

      Hunger. An insatiable hunger that demanded to be appeased. And need. Hot, acute, devastating need that rushed in with a torpedo’s force to fill the void he’d learned to live with.

      Dipping his head, he nuzzled a breast until he found its pebble-hard nipple. Heard her murmur, ‘Oh … yes …’

      He drew it into his mouth and suckled her through the soft jersey while his hands slipped beneath the hem of her T-shirt to feel her silky smooth belly against his palms. When he nipped at the erect little peak with his teeth, she gasped and arched against his mouth.

      As if from a distance he heard a muffled sob as she cried out his name, sending white-hot shards arrowing straight to his throbbing groin. He shifted his attention to her other breast while he eased the T-shirt up over her ribcage, his thumbs already grazing the undersides of those perfect globes.

      Then her hands pushed at his chest and through the roaring in his ears he heard the words, ‘Blake … stop …’

      Stop? It was enough to shake off the sexual fog that enshrouded them. He looked into those wide, passion-drenched eyes and knew she wanted it as bad as he. ‘Okay, we’ll take this somewhere more comfortable,’ he murmured.

      But when he ran a finger over the neck of her T-shirt, skirting the swell of her breast, she wrapped a restraining hand around his. ‘No sexual favours …’

      He frowned. ‘Is that what you think this is? Repayment for my assistance?’

      ‘I don’t know, I …’

      She thought so little of him? And suddenly he knew why. She believed the gossip. A bitter taste lodged in his throat. ‘This is called sealing the deal with a kiss,’ he muttered harshly, ‘and you were enjoying it as much as me.’

      ‘It wasn’t just a kiss.’

      Then his brain caught up with the rest of him. Her wavering, the hesitation. Her incredulous, ‘After all this time.’ Her reluctance to explain. Ah, hell.

       She was a virgin.

      And here he’d been well on the way to spreading those lovely tanned legs wide and taking her against the slate wall. For God’s sake. She should think so little of him.

      Gritting his teeth against his throbbing erection, he backed off. Carefully. Her virginal dreams no doubt included love and commitment. Not being taken against a damn wall. No way.

      Lissa dragged in some much-needed air. Needed because he’d just kissed her as if the world were coming to an end and sucked her oxygen clean away. She felt as if she were waking from a dream just when it was getting to the interesting part.

      Her sensitised nipples were begging for more of that attention he’d been paying them. Why had she stopped him? Calling a halt to the most exciting sexual experience of her life and with the man she’d most wanted to experience it with?

      Because at this point in time she needed something more.

      She didn’t know Blake well enough for this intensity. But she knew of his reputation.

      ‘This is going way too fast,’ she said, still struggling to catch her breath. ‘Right now I’m more interested in an income than. anything else. I can’t risk any distractions getting in the way of that. So priority one: I need to focus on this room makeover. Okay?’

      He didn’t return her smile, possibly because she wasn’t even sure she had smiled. Her tingling lips felt as if they belonged to someone else.

      ‘Understood.’ He shoved his hands in his jeans pockets. ‘I’ll organise for the arrangements to be detailed in writing immediately.’ He spoke as though he were chewing on scrap metal and his brows lowered over eyes carefully blanked of all that emotion she’d seen only seconds ago. He backed away as if he couldn’t wait to be gone.

      ‘Great. The sooner, the better.’ Her hand itched to reach out and touch his morning-stubbled jaw and tell him … what? That she’d changed her mind and wanted him to finish what he’d started and to hell with everything else?

      ‘I know a solicitor.’ His voice was as stiff as the painful looking bulge in his pants. ‘I’ll check whether she’s still in the area and give her a call now.’

      Chewing on her still-throbbing lips, she looked away quickly down to her hands in front of her. ‘Right. Okay.’

      He turned on his heel and left the room.

      Lissa watched him go, her pulse still galloping from here to eternity. She touched her mouth, still damp from Blake’s. With him she was still that naive girl who didn’t know any better and who hadn’t learned that she didn’t choose wisely when it came to men.

      Right now her career future was more important than getting intimately involved. If it went wrong between them she could lose this chance to makeover his room and any future financial backing.

      And yet … he’d not taken her without care. He’d stopped when she’d asked. He’d considered Jared and spoken of honour. How many men spoke of honour, for goodness’