Sweet Fortune

note telling me you hoped I understood. If you are angry or hurt or feeling neglected, I think you'll complain directly to management, not go behind my back and cry on some other man's shoulder.”
    “ Complain to management .” Her lip quivered. “Oh Hatch. What am I going to do with you?”
    “Right now all you have to do is go to bed with me.”

CHAPTER TEN

    H atch watched the sweet, wistful longing in Jessie's eyes as he reached out and turned off the light. She wanted him. But then, he had understood that almost from the start. It was the primary reason he had been willing to be patient in his pursuit. A man could afford patience when he knew the end was not in doubt. He would not rush her into marriage.
    But after having had a taste of her in bed, he could no longer resign himself to patience in that department. A man had his limits.
    Hatch curved his hands around her shoulders, enjoying the delicate, womanly feel of her. She did not pull away. His eyes met hers in the shadows and, as always, he was drawn into the depths of that wide, luminous gaze. He let his hands slide down to the row of buttons below the collar of her silk shirt.
    The shirt parted easily as he slowly worked his way down to the waistband of the long, flared skirt. Hatch took a deep breath as he slid his fingers inside the opening and found the warm, scented softness of her skin. His thumb touched the front clasp of her lacy little bra and he unclipped it.
    She inhaled sharply and gave a tiny little whimper of desire as he cupped her breasts. Her arms stole softly around his waist and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
    “I've decided we might as well try having an affair,” she mumbled into his shirt.
    He almost laughed out loud at that ridiculous statement. But he managed to control his initial reaction and merely smiled into her hair as he unfastened her skirt. “Do you think we can handle an affair?”
    “Well, we're two healthy single people who happen to be very strongly attracted to each other. Neither one of us is the type to get involved in one-night stands.” She lifted her head and frowned up at him in the darkness. “Are we?”
    “No. I've never been particularly interested in one-night stands,” he assured her. “The risk/reward ratio is badly skewed. Frankly, I've never considered them cost-effective.”
    He heard her swallow a choked little laugh, and her arms tightened around his waist. “Hatch, you are impossible.”
    “You, on the other hand, are very, very lovely,” he breathed as her skirt fell to the floor.
    He moved his hands over her, enthralled by the gentle contour of her back and the flare of her hips. He slipped his fingers inside her panties and eased them down until they followed the skirt to her ankles. Then, with a sigh of sheer masculine pleasure he cupped her buttocks and squeezed carefully. She shivered.
    The small shudder of unmistakable desire that rippled through her was intoxicating. Hatch did not wait any longer. He leaned over and pulled down the covers of the bed. Then he picked her up in his arms and put her on the sheets.
    He undressed impatiently, unable to take his eyes off her as she lay waiting for him. He was fascinated with the dark outline of her nipples, the tiny hollow in her gently curved belly, and the triangular thicket of hair that concealed her deepest feminine secrets.
    He was already fully aroused by the time he got out of the last of his clothes. His body felt taut and strong and powerful. Jessie did this to him, he thought in awe. She made him feel this way. He could not wait to bury himself in her tight, humid sheath.
    “I promised myself that this time we'd take it slow.” He came down onto the bed beside her and drew her toward him.
    “Did you?” Her eyes were shimmering with wonder and sensual excitement. She stroked his arm and touched his hip lightly, fleetingly. Her legs shifted restlessly on the sheet.
    “I let you push me too fast last time.” He bent his head to kiss the soft, vulnerable hollow of her throat.
    Her eyes widened in instant outrage. “Now, just a minute here. I did not push you into making love to me in Mrs. V's office. How dare you blame me for that? You were the one who pushed me into doing it right there on her sofa, of all places.”
    He slowly combed his fingers through the crisp hair between her legs, aware of the welcoming scent of her. “You might as well face it, sweetheart. You have the power to push me over the