The Villa

taking a mate.
    He didn't want to rush. But her hesitation had become eagerness. She moved under him, hips arching, hands touching with quick little bites and scrapes of her nails that aroused him beyond belief.
    He forgot about patience, and all the doubts he wanted to assuage. And feasted.
    Their fingers linked as they rolled over the bed, then broke apart to find new secrets to explore. His mouth closed over her breast, thrilling both of them. As the wave of pleasure swamped her, she crooned out his name, then moaned when his teeth tugged at her.
    The whip of power slashed through her, locked her on that glorious edge between excitement and release where the blood rages and the body yearns. She shuddered there, helplessly, and let the glory of every ache, every burn batter her.
    When his hand stroked down to find her, she was already hot, already wet.
    She exploded under him, too stunned to be embarrassed by the quick-trigger response, too shocked to resist the wild plunging of her own body. Her world went bright, blindingly, and she surrendered herself to the sudden urgency of his hands and mouth.
    Mine. The soft, damp skin that smelled of spring, the subtle curves, the eager and open response. He wanted to take all that was his now. To give all that he had. She moved with him, as if they'd come together, just this way, a thousand times. Reached for him as if her arms had always held him warm and close.
    There was more, so much more he wanted to show her, to take from her in this first exploration. But the need pumped madly through both of them and pounded at control.
    She watched him as he ranged himself over her again.
    Once more, her arms lifted, opened. And holding, she took him in.
    Arched to him, in welcome, closed around him in acceptance.
    They moved together in the sunlight, a pace that quickened, a need that pulsed, then plunged.
    She cried out, muffling the sound against the side of his throat. Tasted him there as her heart took the final leap.
     
    The sun was shining in San Francisco, too, but it only added dimension to Sophia's headache. She faced Kris across her desk. The worst of it was, in Sophia's opinion, the woman hadn't seen the termination coming. How she could have missed it, with all the warnings and directives, only added fuel to the fire that had brought them to this point.
    "You don't want to be here, Kris. You've made that clear."
    "I've done better work in this office than anyone else in the company. You know it, I know it. And you don't like it."
    "On the contrary, I've always respected your work."
    "That's bullshit."
    Sophia took a steadying breath, ordered herself to remain calm, to stay professional. "You have a great deal of talent, which I admire. What I don't admire, and what can no longer be tolerated or overlooked, is your deliberate rejection of company policy and your attitude toward authority."
    "You mean my attitude toward you."
    "Here's a bulletin for you. I am authority."
    "Because your name's Giambelli."
    "Whether or not that's the case isn't the issue, or any of your concern."
    "If Tony was still alive, you wouldn't be sitting behind that desk. I would."
    Sophia swallowed the bitterness that rose in her throat. "Is that how he got you into bed?" she said with a twist of amusement in her tone. "Promising you my job? That was clever of him, foolish of you. My father didn't run this company and had no weight here."
    "You saw to that. All three Giambelli women."
    "No, he saw to it. But that's beside the point. The fact is I'm head of this department, and you no longer work for me. You'll be given the standard termination package, including the full two weeks' salary. I want your office cleared of your personal property by the end of business today."
    They both got to their feet. Sophia had the impression that without the desk between them, Kris would have taken more than a verbal shot. It only showed how far their relationship had deteriorated that Sophia was sorry they couldn't go a couple of rounds.
    "That's fine. I have other offers. Everyone in the business knows who's the real power here, the creative power."
    "I hope you get just what you deserve at La Coeur," Sophia replied and watched Kris's jaw drop in surprise. "There are no secrets. But I'll warn you to remember the confidentiality clause you signed when you joined this firm. If you pass information about Giambelli to a competitor, you open yourself up for a lawsuit."
    "I don't need to pass anything on. Your