From the Heart

enough. She had been bubbling over in the taxi, pointing at this, laughing at that. Anyone would have taken her for a first-time visitor, but he knew she had spent several weeks in Manhattan in early fall.
    “You act as though you’d never been here before,” he commented.
    She turned to smile at him. The glow was there again. He could almost forget the unhappiness he had seen in her eyes only a few days before. “It’s a wonderful place, isn’t it? So many people, so much life. And it’s snowing. I don’t know if I could have made it through December without seeing snow.”
    “Is that why you came?” He crossed to her to run a hand through her hair. “To see snow?”
    “Naturally.” She lifted her face to brush his mouth with hers. “I can’t think of any other reason. Can you?”
    “One or two occur to me,” he murmured.
    She slipped out of his arms to wander around the room. “Nice place,” she commented and ran a finger over the dresser top. The faint smell of rich polish hung in the air. “Not my usual working conditions.”
    “We’re not working.”
    She looked back at him over her shoulder. “No?”
    “A party, a few meetings.” He came to her again and turned her to face him fully. “I could have skipped the party and handled the meetings by phone if work had been the only purpose of our trip.”
    “Jordan, I know you did this for me.” She covered his hands with hers. “I’m grateful.”
    “I did it for me, too.” He drew her into his arms. What was she doing to him? He had known her two months, and she was rapidly becoming the most important thing in his life.
    “Are we really alone?” she murmured. She felt the relief wash through her. “God, are we really alone?”
    “Alone,” he agreed and lured her mouth to his.
    “How soon is that party?” She pushed the jacket from his shoulders and began to work on his shirt.
    “An hour or so.” His hands slipped up under her sweater.
    “Tell me . . .” She nipped at his lip and felt his shudder of response. “Do you consider being late rude or fashionable?”
    “Rude.” He ran his fingers down to unbuckle the thin belt she wore. “Very rude.”
    “Let’s be rude, Jordan.” She opened his shirt and sighed when her hands slid around him. “Let’s be terribly rude.”
    When they were naked on the bed, he took his time. They had time now for slow loving. Kasey slipped into a cloud ofpleasure. Where he touched, she heated; where he kissed, she ached. He was careful to keep his hands gentle, remembering the bruises he had given her before. Her strength, her drive, made it difficult to remember her fragility.
    Her skin was smooth and pale, with barely a trace of a tan line. Though she spent many of her free hours outdoors, she didn’t tan easily. He could see the contrast of the bronzed color of his hand against the milky whiteness of her breast. He took his mouth to it and heard her moan. She was more responsive than any woman he had known. There were no inhibitions in her. She loved freely.
    Very gently, he caught her nipple between his teeth and felt her arch beneath him as she catapulted from contentment into passion. He used his tongue to kept her trembling until she was breathless and spent. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. Her murmurs urged him to hurry. But he moved without rush to her other breast.
    “Jordan.” She could barely speak, for waves of need were pressing down on her. “I want you now.”
    “Too soon.” He trailed his lips down her ribcage. “Much too soon.”
    His mouth roamed, and she continued to shudder. He slipped his fingers inside her, taking her to a violent peak.
    Delirium. Kasey knew she had passed all reason. Pleasure could give no more, passion could take no more from her. Yet he continued to drive her. Every cell of her body was alive, humming. She was nearly panicked to have him and clutched at him, willing him to be as desperate as she. His hands seared over her and had her quivering.
    Then his mouth was on hers again—hungry, urgent. He took it to her throat with his teeth digging into her skin. He had forgotten his vow to be gentle. He had forgotten everything but the feel of her thin, agile body beneath his—and his own desperation.
    Need sparked need, and he was inside her. There was no longer time for slow loving.
     
    Jordan decided he didn’t get used to Kasey as time passed but only became more intrigued by her. The elegant co-op overlooking Central Park was