Flash

kind of cab it was."
    "Damn."
    Jasper turned slowly around to face her. His eyes were impossible to read in the dim light. "What does the blackmailer know that makes him think you'll pay him for his silence?"
    She had been expecting this, she reminded herself. It was the same question he had asked after he had learned that Zara was being blackmailed. A logical, rational question under the circumstances. A question that she would have asked if their positions had been reversed.
    Olivia shook her head slowly. "Please don't ask me that."
    "I can't help unless I know what I'm dealing with."
    She sighed. "If it was a secret that affected only me, I would tell you, Jasper. I swear it. But this affects other people. People who will be badly hurt if the truth comes out."
    "Are we going to play the guessing game again?"
    She glared at him. "Don't push me on this."
    "Why not? Someone else is already pushing you pretty damn hard."
    The soft, lethal edge on his words startled her. She measured him through half-lowered lashes. So much for Mr. Tall, Dark, and Reassuring, she thought. Mr. Tall, Dark, and Dangerous had just materialized in his place.
    She released the doorknob and straightened her shoulders. "I've got to think about this."
    "You do that." Jasper moved toward her. "Think about the fact that someone knows your secret. Think about all the possibilities."
    She had to fight the instinct to step back when he came to a halt directly in front of her. "I will."
    "Think about the fact that I'm involved in this, too."
    "I know you're involved." She tried to keep her voice steady, but it was not easy. He was so close, almost on top of her. "And I realize it's my fault."
    "That's right." He captured her face between his big hands. "I'm in this because of you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but at the moment I seem to be the only ally you've got."
    "Well, yes, in a manner of speaking, I guess you could say that."
    "That's exactly what I'm saying." He looked into her eyes. "I thought we agreed we'd form a united front."
    "That was in regard to business, for heaven's sake. It hardly applies to this mess."
    "You're wrong. It does apply to this mess."
    She reached up to catch hold of his wrists. "I told you, I need to think."
    "You'd better do your thinking in a hurry because we both know you're not going to pay off a blackmailer."
    The icy reality of his words struck her like cold winter rain. He was right. She could not, would not pay blackmail.
    "Just give me a little time to sort out a few things," she whispered.
    "What's the problem here, Olivia? Don't you trust me? Your uncle did."
    She'd had enough of feeling cornered. "Stop pressuring me, damn it. I told you, I've got to think about this before I make any decisions."
    Lightning crackled in his eyes. "While you're at it, think about this."
    Before she realized his intent, his mouth was on hers, hard, demanding, and very, very hungry. Her nerves, already inflamed by an unholy brew of adrenaline, fury, and desperation, exploded on contact.
    Desire flooded her veins.
    She managed to tear her mouth free for an instant.
    "Jasper. This is so crazy."
    "Tell me about it. No, on second thought, don't say a damn word." He took off her glasses and set them on the tiny bedside table.
    Then he covered her mouth again and tightened his hold on her.
    She gave a small, half-choked exclamation, put her arms around his neck, and flung herself headfirst into the kiss.
    Jasper made a hoarse, half-strangled, extremely urgent sound and fell back onto the bed. He pulled her down on top of him. She sprawled across his chest and thighs. He caught her legs between his own.
    She was shocked by the fierceness of his erection. She could feel the shape and size of him beneath the fabric of his trousers.
    His fingers were at the nape of her neck. He found the zipper of her dress and dragged it the length of her spine all the way to where it ended at the small of her back. He slid his hand inside the opening. His palm was warm and heavy on her bare skin.
    "You have a great back," he muttered. "A really terrific back."
    She raised her head and looked down at him. "You're not going to break this off if it suddenly starts to rain in here tonight the way it did on my balcony, are you?"
    His eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. "I don't think I could end it if an entire tsunami came through that porthole."
    "Good." Relieved, she went to work on his shirt.
    It took her a while to bare his chest, but once she had