LITMIR.BIZ

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      “I wish I could forget.”

      His words hurt, and she sucked in a sharp breath. “I—”

      “Because if I could forget, then I wouldn’t spend so much time wanting to taste you again.” His right hand rose and sank into her hair, tipping back her head. “Like this...”

      His lips pressed to hers softly at first, carefully.

      But she didn’t want careful. Not from him. Everyone else in her life treated her as if she’d break apart at any moment. Not Mark, too.

      Her hands curled around his shoulders. Her mouth opened beneath his, and her tongue slid out to caress his lower lip.

      His body stiffened, and she heard him groan. She loved that sound. Loved it even more when he stopped being so careful. She could feel his passion taking control. One minute he was holding her as if she were fine china, and the next he’d crushed her back into the bedding. He was on top of her, kissing her deep and hard, and she loved it.

      For just a moment, the ghosts and fears from her past were gone. All she knew was the need she felt for Mark. The desire that was burning hot inside her, singeing her to her core. Her nails bit into his shoulders. Her breasts tightened, ached, and her nipples thrust against his bare chest.

      Her hips were arching up. The covers were tangled around her legs, though, keeping her from feeling all of his body. She wanted those covers gone. She didn’t want anything between them.

      Her hands slid over his back. There were some scars there, faint ridges that rose beneath her fingers. She wondered how he’d gotten those marks, but then her hands kept moving because she wanted to explore every inch of him.

      Ava knew plenty about nightmares. But because of Mark, she also knew a bit about dreams. And since he’d kissed her two years ago, she’d dreamed of being like this with him.

      Only him.

      His mouth pulled from hers and, for a moment, she thought he was going to back away. He didn’t. He started kissing a scorching path down her neck. She arched up against him as she moaned. She loved it when he kissed her at the base of her throat, and when he lightly sucked the skin, then scored it with his teeth... “Mark!”

      “Want to taste all of you...everything...”

      She wanted to taste all of him.

      He was still moving down her body, only now he’d just jerked the covers out of the way. She thought she might have heard the sheet rip, but Ava couldn’t be certain of that. Her mind was focused on other things.

      On him.

      On the way he made her feel.

      On the desire that was making her body ache.

      His fingers slid under the edge of her bra. “Stop me,” he said.

      Was he crazy? Stopping him was the last thing she wanted. “Touch me,” Ava said instead.

      Because she was looking at his eyes, she saw his control break away. Saw his pupils swell as the darkness swallowed the blue of his gaze. Then he was shoving her bra out of the way. His fingers curled over her breasts, stroked her nipples and a ragged gasp tore from her. Yes, yes, this was what she wanted.

      No fear. No pity. Nothing but pleasure.

      Mark.

      Then his mouth was over her breast. “So pretty,” he whispered before his lips closed over her nipple. He sucked her, laving her with his tongue, and Ava nearly went crazy. Her hips bucked because the feelings coursing through her body were too strong. She needed him, wanted him. This moment had finally come, finally. She felt as if he’d been staying away from her since that kiss, and Ava had feared that she’d imagined his desire for her.

       But I didn’t. He wants me just as badly as I want him.

      There was no stopping. His hands were sliding down her stomach now, heading for her panties. There was—

      An alarm shrieked, blaring through the house. Mark’s head whipped up. He stared at her for a moment and shook his head as if he were coming out of a fog. Then he bolted from the bed.

      “Mark!”

      “Stay here!” he said as he rushed for the door. “Something set off the alarm near the stables—I know that alarm!”

      He was leaving her.

      Her breath heaved out. White-hot passion one moment...fear the next. That would not be the story of her life. Ava jumped out of the bed. Her knees did tremble but she stiffened them up, and she grabbed for her clothes. One minute later, she was running out of that bedroom door and racing to keep up with Mark.

      Because if she’d brought danger to Mark’s ranch, there was no way she was letting him face it alone.

       Chapter Two

      Mark rushed out of his house, his bare feet flying over the wooden porch. The alarm was still blaring up ahead, a security measure he’d put in after a psychotic SOB had torched his stables a few months back. The jerk had been trying to get at Brodie McGuire and Brodie’s girl, Jennifer, and the fire had been set to lure them both into a trap.

       No one will use me again.

      He could see some of his ranch hands already running toward the stables. There was no sign of a fire, but something had sure set off the alarm.

      The whole ranch was wired with state-of-the-art security, courtesy, of course, of the McGuires. He’d been watching the security feed when he’d first seen Ava pull into his drive earlier that night. Ava already knew the code to get past his gate, and he’d watched her, stunned to see her back at his place. Especially since her brothers had told him to stay away from her.

      “Ty!” He yelled for his foreman because he had just come from the back of the stables. “Are the animals all right?”

      Ty Watts hurried toward him. “Looks clear, Boss.” Ty was close to Mark’s age, with dark hair and dark brown eyes. “I didn’t see anyone out back, and the men are in there with the horses now.”

      But something had set off the alarm—something or someone.

      “What the hell do you think...?” Ty began. Then he let out a low whistle. “Sorry. Didn’t realize company was here.” His gaze was directed over Mark’s shoulder.

      Mark glanced back and saw Ava. Her hair tumbled around her shoulders. Under the lights that had flashed on with the security system, she appeared even more beautiful as the harsh glare lit up her body.

      She was running toward Mark, clearly coming from the house.

      In the middle of the night.

      “Like that, is it?” Ty murmured.

      Mark cut him a killing glare. “Yes,” he told him flatly. “It is.”

      “What’s happening?” Ava asked, her voice husky as her breath heaved out. The woman even sounded like sin right then. He’d had her beneath him moments before. His hot dreams had been about to become reality, and then—

      The alarm had been a cold shower. A hard wake-up that had stopped him from making a terrible mistake.

       Would it have been a mistake? Or would it have been the start of an addiction I couldn’t end?

      “Something set off the sensors at the rear of the stables, ma’am,” Ty told her, his Texas accent rolling beneath the words. “After the recent fire, Mark here didn’t want to take any chances with the horses’ safety. Those sensors go off if anyone gets too close during the night.”

      A few more ranch hands came out. “Clear!” one of them shouted.

      “Could

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