LITMIR.BIZ

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her tightly against him.

      He gave in to the need coursing through him and covered her body with his. This time, he tried to be gentle and careful, as he should have the first time. This time, he tried to go slowly. But she arched her back and cried out for him, urging him inside her, and he lost control.

      And when she lay clasped around him, her fingers digging into his shoulders, her mouth fused to his, he poured himself into her, feeling the ripples of her release clamping around him. He drank in her cries and clasped their hands together, holding on to her tightly.

      They fell asleep still bound together, holding hands. Marcus’s last thought was that nothing had felt this right in a long time.

      The sun was shining through the window when he woke up again. He stretched, then went still as he realized that he wasn’t alone in the bed. He looked at Jessica’s blond hair and knew that the night before hadn’t been a dream. It had been very real.

      He couldn’t remember ever wanting another woman the way he had wanted Jessica. The way he still wanted her, he admitted. And he couldn’t remember lovemaking ever being so powerful or moving him so deeply.

      And how was he going to deal with that in the light of day?

      He eased away from the sleeping Jessica and slid out of the bed. But instead of moving away, getting dressed, he stood staring at her. She was so beautiful in the morning light, and so young. A wisp of guilt fluttered through him. He had taken advantage of her. It was as simple as that.

      He couldn’t give her back her virginity, but he could protect her from whoever was trying to kidnap her. His jaw hardened. Not only was it his responsibility, it was part of his job. Simon was behind the kidnapping, he was sure of it. The traitor must be getting desperate for money if he was willing to take such a chance.

      By keeping Jessica safe, he would force Simon out into the open. And further into the net. Yes, he would keep her with him until Simon was caught and all danger to her had passed.

      He ignored the flare of pleasure at the prospect of having Jessica close by for an indefinite length of time. He was just doing his job. And his job was what mattered to him. No woman could compete with that.

      He glanced at Jessica once more, then deliberately walked out of the room. He made coffee and put on some clothes, trying to put the magic of the night out of his head. He needed to concentrate on his job, but it was impossible to forget how Jessica had tasted and felt, how she’d responded in his arms.

      Scowling, he walked into the bedroom with two cups of coffee, stopping in the doorway when he saw Jessica sitting up in the bed. She had pulled the sheet over her breasts as she leaned back against the head-board, and he felt himself getting hard all over again.

      “Good morning,” he finally said. What was he supposed to say to her? I’m sorry I took your virginity last night and could we make love all over again?

      “Good morning.” He saw a faint blush of pink on her cheeks and realized that this was a first for her, too. She’d never faced a lover after a night of passion.

      Setting the coffee on the night table, he sat on the bed. Her cheeks became pinker. “About last night,” he began, but she cut him off.

      “Please don’t apologize again. You’ll make me feel very…inadequate.” She plucked at the sheet and pulled it higher over her breasts. He could see the pink of her nipples through the light sheet, and he wanted to touch them again, feel them get hard and tight in his hand.

      Then her words registered. “Inadequate?” He stared at her. “Believe me, Jessica, if I’m apologizing, it’s not because you were inadequate.” He took her hand and pressed it against his arousal, closing his eyes as need rocketed through him. “That’s what you do just by looking at me.”

      He opened his eyes to see an answering need in hers. He dropped her hand and stood abruptly. “I brought you some coffee.”

      “Thank you.”

      She reached for the coffee cup, not meeting his eyes. And suddenly he understood. She didn’t know the rules. Hell, she didn’t even know how the game was played.

      “Jessica, if I had stayed in bed with you this morning, we would have made love all over again. More than once. And I couldn’t do that to you.” He took her hand. “I don’t want to hurt you. And I would have if we’d made love again.” Pressing his lips to her palm, he said, “You’re going to be stiff and sore this morning. I’m trying to be a gentleman here.”

      Finally she looked at him. “Thank you for explaining. I was afraid that…” She swallowed but continued to meet his eyes. “I was afraid that you were disappointed in me because I don’t have any experience.”

      He groaned and pulled her against him. “Jessica, I can barely think of anything else when I’m near you. And neither of us can afford that right now. We need to concentrate on your problem.”

      “You’re right. I should take a shower and get dressed.”

      He nodded. “Your clothes are dry, but they probably need to be washed. I’ll give you some of my clothes to wear in the meantime.” He looked at her again, at the faint outline of her curves beneath the sheet, then stood. “I’ll get out of here so you can take a shower. I won’t be responsible for my actions if I watch you get out of that bed.”

      Finally her face relaxed into a small smile. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

      As he walked out of the room, he wanted to turn around and stay, wanted to step into the shower with her. But he forced himself to keep walking, to shut the bedroom door behind her.

      He’d picked a hell of a time for his hormones to rage out of control. If his suspicions were correct and Simon had orchestrated Jessica’s kidnapping, the SPEAR traitor must be very close. He might even be on Cascadilla already. Marcus couldn’t afford to be distracted.

      But he couldn’t turn Jessica loose, either. He’d promised to protect her, and he always kept his promises. Marcus downed a gulp of scalding coffee and stared moodily out the window. He should never have touched her last night. Now that he knew what they were like together, it was going to be almost impossible to keep his mind on his work.

      The bedroom door opened behind him, and he turned to see Jessica standing hesitantly in the doorway. Her hair was wet, and she wore another of his T-shirts and a pair of his cutoffs that hung to her knees. He’d deliberately picked a dark blue shirt for her to wear, but he could still see the points of her nipples pressing into the fabric.

      He scowled at her, shoving his hands into his pockets to stop himself from reaching for her. “You look like something the cat dragged home.”

      She lifted her chin. “I thought you were the one who dragged me home.”

      He felt his mouth curving into a reluctant smile. “Touché. Come into the kitchen and have some breakfast. You must be hungry.”

      “I guess I am.” She slid into a chair at the tiny table and looked at the fruit and muffins he’d set out. “I’ve almost forgotten when I had my last meal.”

      They ate in silence for a while, but it wasn’t a comfortable silence. Memories of the night before danced between them. The silence grew louder and louder, and the tension stretched and swelled. Finally Marcus pushed away from the table.

      “I’ll throw your clothes into the washing machine.” He was tormented by the sight of her wearing his clothes. Every time her shirt brushed against her breasts, desire clawed at him. Every time the neck of the shirt gaped wide, he had to stop himself from staring.

      At that she looked quickly at him. “I can do that.”

      “Go ahead and finish eating. I wasn’t very hungry,” he said gruffly. He felt her gaze on his back as he hurried out of the room.

      After he tossed her stiff, wrinkled clothing into the wash, he leaned against the machine for a few moments to compose himself. He could do this, he told

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