The Corporate Raider's Revenge / Tycoon's Valentine Vendetta. Yvonne Lindsay

want to know. She didn’t want to get caught up in anything remotely reminiscent of her experience with Justin Overton.

      She was happy just to be in Ty’s arms, dancing hip to hip with him, feeling his body rub against hers. She’d instituted a Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy with him and she found she liked it very much.

      After several more dances, which had them both incredibly breathless, they left the Top Reef restaurant and when she thought they’d go directly back to the resort, Ty surprised her by driving farther up the coast to a smoky jazz club called Good Sax. Ty had promised to keep her entertained and he was delivering. They sipped cappuccinos and listened to the sensual sounds of a bass saxophone player, Ty sitting next to her, his arm draped around her chair. Every so often he’d nibble on her throat, or stroke the underside of her hair, or take her hand to rub tiny circles over her thumb. The subtle gestures seemed incredibly natural and felt so right but that didn’t stop every cell in her body from reacting with raw need. His gentle touches heightened her senses to the point that she didn’t think she could take much more without pouncing on him.

      She wanted him.

      She turned to him and smiled, blinking her eyes, but the words wouldn’t come. She wasn’t that bold. Not yet.

      “Ready to leave?” He didn’t wait for her answer. He laid down several bills on the table, rose and took her hand with a look in his eyes that said he knew exactly what she wanted.

      And once again, he would deliver.

      They almost made love on the hood of his Porsche in the Good Sax parking lot. Ty had whirled around suddenly when they reached the car, taking her into his arms and kissing her senseless. He touched every part of her body that he could possibly get to without being arrested. And Laney had touched him back, returning his kisses with hot, wet kisses of her own. She ran her hands through his hair, cupped the back of his neck and pressed her body to his.

      They came to their senses minutes later when a security guard approached. Laney giggled and straightened her dress while Ty tried to regain his composure below the waist. They drove home in complete silence, Ty knowing better than to touch her as they would surely wind up in a fatal accident. Already Laney was on the path of a major collision, but she didn’t care. Living in the moment had its perks, she decided.

      Now she stood outside her cottage suite facing Ty, her legs trembling and her heart rate rapidly picking up speed. She’d never wanted a man with such sheer abandon and desire. She wasn’t a “party girl” and the tabloids had pretty much left her alone until the wedding fiasco that had splashed negative attention and scandal upon the Royal name. She’d come to the secluded island resort to heal, revamp, unwind and take charge of her life again. Yet, she couldn’t imagine saying good-night to Ty right now. “I don’t ever do this sort of—”

      He bent and kissed the words from her mouth. “Then tell me to leave, Laney,” he said quietly, brushing his lips into her hair. “I’ll still be here tomorrow, no matter what you decide.”

      She liked that he gave her the choice, though there really wasn’t any other choice she could make. She shoved open the door with her behind, grabbed at his silk tie and tugged him into the room. He breathed a sigh of relief and from that point on, things got a little crazy.

      Ty pressed her up against the door and kissed her into oblivion, their tongues mating with openmouthed frenzy. She pulled at his Armani jacket and he struggled out of it while keeping their mouths locked. She undid his tie and he slid her dress down. Before she knew it, she was undressed but for her black thong.

      Bare chested and bronzed, Ty bent his head and kissed her breast, then the other, his mouth covering her pebbled tip and sucking her in. A shot of burning heat raced through her.

      “You’re so beautiful.”

      Laney thought the same of him. She’d never met a man who’d been so beautiful in body and mind. He seemed to connect with her, even though they knew very little about one another. “Ty,” she breathed out. “I want you.”

      Ty sank down onto his knees. “You’ll have me, babe. In a minute. I promise.”

      Slowly, he lowered her thong down along her thighs, lifting her sandaled feet up one at a time, helping her out of the last piece of her clothing. He planted quick darting kisses up her leg to the juncture of the core, then he touched her there, splaying the folds of sensitive skin, until she let go tiny moans of pleasure, her head thrashing back against the door.

      His hands moved up to her torso then, holding her in place at the waist as his mouth covered her, his tongue probing and stroking her inner warmth. She grabbed his thick hair in her hands as he continued to prime her body. The stubble on his face scraped her inner thighs, heightening her awareness even more. When she was ready to combust without him, he stopped, his timing right on.

      He rose and lifted her into his arms, kissing her with lips that had just been on her. She felt heady and dizzy and more turned-on than she’d ever been in her life. He strode past the living room, down the hallway to the bedroom and set her onto the bed, quickly removing his pants and briefs. She glimpsed his massive erection right before he sheathed it with a condom. Then he was on the bed, on his back, pulling her on top of him.

      She’d never been so daring or felt so exposed.

      But Ty’s appreciative gaze spurred her courage. “Bold, Laney,” he whispered.

      She straddled his thighs, fully naked in body and spirit and when he lifted her onto his erection, she sank onto him and he groaned with deep, unabashed pleasure. The sound spurred something wild in her and she moved on him, up and down, riding the tide of his passion. He reached up and touched her arms, her shoulders, guiding her until she found her pace. He cupped her breasts, weighing them with his hands, stroking her nipples with his thumbs.

      She rode him hard then, wanting more, wanting all of him. He shoved inside her harder, feeling her need. And she rode to the brink of her passion climbing to an orgasm that shook her entire body.

      Ty watched her release, his eyes grazing hers with intensity and amazingly she didn’t feel anything remotely resembling her natural timid nature. With him, she felt open and free.

      And then he rolled her over, their bodies and legs entwined and he pushed deeper inside her, his arms braced upon the bed as he reached his climax and thrust into her. Locks of his hair fell forward, perspiration coated his skin and his taut gorgeous body stiffened as he thrust into her one last glorious time, while his gaze pierced deep into her eyes.

      Ty bent to kiss her lips before rolling off of her onto his back. “You okay?”

      If she were a feline, she’d be purring loudly. “I’m definitely not bored.”

      He caught his breath before rolling to his side, his head braced on his hand. “As promised.”

      She rolled on her side to face him. “Ty, we don’t even know each other’s full names.”

      With his finger, he outlined her lips, swollen now from his passionate kisses. “I figured you wanted it that way.”

      She debated about a second then nodded. “I do. But how could you know that?”

      He shrugged. “Usually a woman asks more questions than a game show host when she meets a man. You didn’t ask, because you didn’t want any questions in return. I figured you wanted your privacy.”

      Don’t ask, don’t tell.

      “You’re very perceptive.” Yet Laney figured she owed him some sort of explanation. After all, they’d just had mind-boggling sex and he’d given her the best lovemaking experience of her life. She wouldn’t dwell on the reason for that right now. “I’m not married or…engaged. I mean, I was engaged and it…it didn’t work out. I came to the island to forget all about him.”

      Ty leaned back against the bed and chuckled. “If I helped in any way, I’m glad to be of service.”

      It wasn’t like that. Or was it? Either way,