The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

the more intimate pattern that would soon follow.

    When Jared moved at last, settling himself deliberately between her legs, Kate cried out and sank her nails into his shoulders.

    "Yes, sweetheart. Show me how much you want me." He pushed himself slowly, relentlessly into her heat. "So good," he muttered hoarsely. "So tight and hot and sweet. I'm going to lose my mind."

    She clung to him, wrapping herself around him as he filled her completely and then he began to move, pulling almost free of her, hesitating and then driving as deeply into her softness as he could.

    Over and over, Jared repeated the excruciatingly exciting rhythm until Kate was lost in her need. She could no longer think clearly or question or talk. She could only feel, and what she felt was unlike anything she had ever known in her life. She was on fire with passion, a white-hot banner of searing flame that threatened to consume her. It would have been terrifying if it hadn't been so totally irresistible; so totally right.

    Together they twisted and writhed on the blanket, clutching each other as if locked in mortal combat. They rolled over and over, fighting for the release that was racing toward them out of the darkness.

    As the sensual battle moved toward its inevitable conclusion, Kate experienced a wild, surging sense of freedom and exhilaration that was beyond anything she had ever known in her life. She cried out with it.

    "Jared."

    "Now," he muttered against her throat as he pushed her onto her back. He grabbed her wrists and anchored them above her head, muttering hot, encouraging words into her ear as he held her. "Let it go. Give it to me. All of it. All of it ." His muscles bunched and his back arched. "I've waited so long for you, sweetheart. Too long."

    Pinned beneath him, Kate opened her eyes just enough to see that Jared's face was set in a rigid mask of emotion. She didn't think he even knew what he was saying. His words were thick and hoarse, almost anguished. He surged deeply into her one last, shattering time and she was spun outward into the shimmering sea.

    And suddenly she knew without a shadow of a doubt where she had seen him before. He was the man in her dreams, the one she had first begun to know when she had changed from girl into woman; the one who had haunted her all these years; the one she put into every book she wrote. This was her pirate—fierce, tender, passionate and proud.

    The shock of recognition merged with the sensual storm that was sweeping through her and blotted out everything from Kate's mind. She cried out and then she was lost.

    Reality trickled back slowly, mixing with moonlight and the soft sounds of the sea. Kate was aware of Jared's arm across her breasts and of the dampness of his warm skin. He was sprawled beside her, one leg still flung over her thighs, his chin just touching her head. He was heavy, but his weight made her feel protected and safe.

    She remembered the fleeting instant of recognition a few minutes earlier and shuddered.

    "Cold?" Jared stirred lazily, turning onto his back, one hand behind his head. He looked up at her with eyes that gleamed with the banked embers of a fire that had been only temporarily quenched.

    "No." She touched his moonlit-etched face with curious fingers.

    "What's wrong?" He kissed her fingertips as they traced his mouth.

    "Nothing's wrong. It's just that I've had this odd feeling I know you."

    "You do know me. In fact, I'd say that you know me very well now."

    She crossed her elbows on his chest and studied him. "Better than you think."

    He laughed, his voice husky and replete with satisfaction. "Is that a warning?"

    She shrugged. "Maybe."

    "I'll keep it in mind." He stroked her bare shoulder. "You know something? You're not prickly at all when you're in this mood."

    "I'm glad you approve."

    "I approve, all right. I can see the trick will be to keep you in the right frame of mind as much of the time as possible."

    "That could take a lot of work on your part."

    "I'll devote every spare minute to the job." Jared snagged his fingers in her hair, pulled her mouth down to his and kissed her hard. "Damn, but you're a delight. You make me feel like a million bucks. Two million."

    "I feel pretty good myself."

    "What piece of good luck brought you to my island, sweet Kate?"

    "The combined effects of overwork and two well-intentioned, interfering friends. Left to my own devices, I would never have made it as far as AmethystIsland. I'd