The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

soul-stirring conclusion. It was the devil's own choice.

    "What's the matter?" Kate reached up to curl her arm around his neck, urging him close. "You look as if you can't make up your mind about something."

    His answering laugh was more like a heavy groan that was torn from his chest. He started unbuttoning the bodice of her dress. "I always feel like a kid with an ice cream sundae when I'm with you. I want it all and I want it right now, but I also want to make it last."

    "There's nothing that says we can only do it once," she murmured.

    "Such a demanding female." Jared smiled with deep pleasure as he slipped his hand inside the open bodice. He touched the sweet curve of her breast and sucked in his breath.

    Kate lifted herself against his touch, moving under his palm like a sleek cat. The honest, uninhibited desire sent the blood pounding in his veins. When she fumbled with the zipper of his jeans he shifted, gathering her beneath him so that he could lie on top of her.

    He tried to undress her slowly, taking his time and enjoying every inch of skin he exposed along the way. But she kept whispering his name and sighing with such fevered longing that he knew he would not be able to last much longer. When she pushed his jeans down over his hips, leaving him wearing only his unbuttoned shirt, he decided he'd had enough of the pleasures of anticipation.

    The next few minutes were hurried and a little frantic as Jared got rid of the last of Kate's clothing. He loved the way her breath quickened and her skin got slick with her excitement.

    At long last Jared was where he wanted to be, sliding between Kate's legs, bracing himself on his elbow as he reached down to guide himself into her. His fingers tangled briefly in the soft hair that shielded her delicate secrets and then he was opening her gently. She cried out as he positioned himself and surged fully and deeply into her. When she closed around him he thought he would lose his sanity.

    " Jared . Yes, please, oh, my love, please. I want you so much."

    "Hold me, sweetheart. Close. Tight." The words were thick in his mouth. He was almost incoherent now as his passion roared through him. She clung to him, giving herself to him with the wholehearted generosity that never ceased to amaze him.

    Jared took everything he could, knowing that even as he claimed her, he was being claimed. In those last split seconds before release he was aware of nothing except the overwhelming need to make himself a part of the woman in his arms. He had to bind her to him, make her realize that she would never be free of him.

    And then Kate was convulsing gently around him, shivering exquisitely, calling to him in that soft, husky voice. Jared went rigid, hovered for an endless, mindless moment in the eye of the storm and then collapsed slowly against her.

    It was a long, languid time before he reluctantly rolled to one side. He inhaled deeply, feeling his energy flowing back along his nerve endings. He could not let her leave. That was all there was to it. He could not allow her to leave .

    "Jared?"

    "Hmm?" He felt affectionate and indulgent now, the urgency and passion magically converted into a pleasant, drowsy satisfaction.

    "If we're agreed that tonight marks some sort of turning point in our relationship…"

    "It does. Definitely. A turning point. No casual lunches in Seattle."

    "Yes, well, then I think it's time we talked honestly about a few things."

    Jared immediately felt his indulgent mood begin to disintegrate. "You're going to bring up the subject of what's going on up at the castle again, aren't you? I can hear it coming. How many times do I have to tell you that it's none of your sweet business? You're just going to have to contain your curiosity and learn to trust me."

    "I think I could trust you, Jared, even though I don't like being kept in the dark."

    "Thanks." He felt a measure of relief at having gained that much from her, at least.

    "But I see no reason why I should trust Max Butterfield or Jeff Taylor. I really feel you owe me an explanation on this."

    " ]eff Taylor . At the castle?" Alarm shot through him, shattering what was left of his relaxed, indulgent mood. Jared jackknifed to a sitting position and grabbed Kate by the shoulders. He hauled her up to face him. "What in hell are you talking about?"

TEN

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    K ate was stunned by Jared's reaction. She stared up at him in shock. "What's the matter? I know you don't like me prying into