Three Fates

reach to let her escape, as he was enjoying himself.
    Her color was back now, prettily pink in her cheeks.
    “You’re not very good at this,” he commented when she nearly tripped over her own feet. “I’ll wager you haven’t had many men chase you around your sofa.”
    “As I don’t date twelve-year-olds, no, I haven’t.” If she’d hoped to insult him, his chuckle told her she’d missed the mark. “I want you to stop it, right now.” She shot a look toward her office, measuring the distance.
    “Go ahead and try for it. In the interest of fair play, I’ll give you a head start. I want to kiss the back of your neck. Just run my lips over that elegant curve.”
    He dived for her. With a squeal, she pinwheeled her arms and, overbalancing, flipped onto the couch. More out of luck than design, she kept rolling so he landed flat on the cushions when she hit the floor, butt first.
    With a nervous giggle that surprised her more than him, she leaped up and made the dash for her office.
    He caught her a step outside the door, spun her around and pressed her back, hard, against the wall. Words rushed into her throat, babbling words that stuck there as she stared into his hot and glittering eyes.
    “This is how unattractive, how undesirable I find you.”
    He crushed her mouth with his, ravaged it, without any of the warm and stirring tenderness he’d shown her before. His body pressed unrelentingly against hers so that the pounding of his heart seemed to ram inside her.
    She brought her hands up with some idea of . . . with no idea at all. And they fell limply to her sides again.
    He lifted his head, an inch only, so his face blurred in her vision. “Are we clear on that now?” he demanded. When she could do no more than shake her head, he captured her mouth again.
    It was like being shot out of a cannon, or torn out of a roller coaster in mid-dive. At least she imagined both those events would whip a rush of color and sound into the brain and bounce the pulse rate screaming high. Turn the limbs to water and cause the system to be trapped somewhere between iced terror and molten exhilaration.
    Her ears began to ring, reminding her she was holding her breath. But when she let it out, it sounded like a moan.
    That helpless response had him chewing restlessly on her bottom lip before he ended the kiss. “How about now?”
    “I . . . I forgot the question.”
    “Then I’ll rephrase it.”
    He swept her into his arms. Really, she could think of no other way to describe how he plucked her off her feet.
    “Oh, God,” was the best she could manage when he carried her into the bedroom, kicked the door shut behind them.
    “Hold that thought. You know, of course, I’m only doing this so you won’t be angry anymore.”
    “Oh.” He laid her on the bed. “Okay.”
    “I’ve no personal interest whatsoever in getting you naked and sinking my teeth into you.” He straddled her, watching her face as he unbuttoned her blouse. “But sometimes a man has to make sacrifices for the greater good.” He skimmed his thumbs, whisper light, over the swell of her breasts. And she began to tremble. “Wouldn’t you agree?”
    “I, yes . . . No. I don’t know what I’m doing here. I’ve lost my mind.”
    “I was hoping you would, Tia.” He eased her up so he could slip the blouse away. “You’re such a pretty little thing.”
    “I’m not wearing the right underwear.”
    He’d distracted himself by running a fingertip up and down her torso. Her skin, he thought, was like warm rose petals. “What’s that?”
    “If I’d known we’d . . . I’m not wearing the right kind of underwear for this.”
    “Really?” He studied the simple, serviceable white cotton bra. “Well then, we’d best get rid of it right away.”
    “I didn’t mean . . .” She gulped audibly when he slid his hand under her, and undid the bra’s catch with two fingers. “You’ve done that before.”
    “I confess I have. I’m a cad.” He bent down to rub his lips over hers as he tugged the bra aside. “I’m going to take terrible advantage of you now.” He used his thumbs again, running them over her nipples until heat balled in her belly. “You should probably call for help.”
    “I don’t think you need any.”
    With that he scooped her up into a fierce hug. “Christ, you’re one in a million. Kiss me back.” He brushed his lips over hers. “Kiss me back now. I need you.”
    In all her life, no one had said those three