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  His open mouth moved over her neck and part of her shoulder, his tongue licking at her skin. “My God, I love your smell, your taste. Were you asleep?”

  “For a few minutes.”

  “Do you realize what you look like when you come straight from your bed? Your skin is pink, warm and damp from dreams. Am I right? Did the dreams awaken you?”

  What did it matter? He knew what she felt. They both knew it. There was no point in denying it. She said nothing, unable to get the words past the pulsating throb in her throat.

  “Frustrating dreams? Dreams where I touch your body, caress your skin, kiss your sweet lips?”

  “Oh God,” she choked. “Must you talk?”

  “Why? Would you rather I took you without a word spoken between us?”

  “I think I would.”

  Linc smiled. “So you can imagine you had no real part in it? Is that it? So you can say it was only my body and it meant nothing? Is that how you want it?”

  She didn’t answer him. She didn’t know how.

  “I want you, Abby. I haven’t a doubt I want you even more than you want me, but I want all of you. Not just a body. Not a mindless, pretty, young woman.”

  Her eyes widened as she realized what he was doing. He was about to refuse her. She groaned as she moved from his door to press her body against his. “Don’t send me away. You’re right. I want you. I’ll die if I can’t have you tonight.”

  “Tell me, sweetheart,” he said as his finger rubbed lightly over her lips. “Tell me what you want.”

  Abby hesitated, but almost instantly realized the time for maidenly shyness was past. This was a man who needed her, all of her, while she felt the same. “I want you. I want us. I want to feel the wonder of us coming together again. And I want to feel it all while in your arms.”

  “My God,” he said on a low aching groan. “I needed to hear that, and now that I have, I can’t move. Give me a minute.”

  Abby giggled softly, for she had neatly reversed their positions, and he was now the weaker of the two. “Kiss me,” she said. “I need you to kiss me.”

  “I should be carrying you to my bed, only I don’t think I can.”

  “Would you like me to carry you?” Abby surprised herself with a short girlish giggle.

  Linc groaned as he pulled her tighter against him. “Little witch.”

  Her laugh was muffled by his lips as she murmured, “Just say so, and I’ll give it a try.”

  “That anxious, are ya?”

  “Anxious enough,” she returned honestly.

  “Let’s go,” he said as he reached down and took her into his arms. “I wouldn’t want to keep a lady waiting.”

  Seconds later, he tripped over one of his boots and, with a hard bounce, they both fell across the bed.

  Chapter Six

  She eyed him suspiciously “Are you trying to awaken my mother?”

  “What? Your mother? Why would I want to wake her up?”

  “So she can find us in a compromising position.”

  Linc’s gaze widened with sudden realization. Within seconds, his look of astonishment turned to one that held a definite wicked gleam. “You know, that wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

  “She’d try to force us to marry, but it wouldn’t work.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely sure.”

  “Well, in that case, what happened was I tripped over one of my boots, I think.”

  Abby grinned. “I should tell you this isn’t at all the way it happens in my dreams.”

  Linc chuckled. “Do you dream of me carrying you to bed?”

  She shook her head in denial. “I dream of someone. I can’t see his face.”

  He laughed in disbelief. This woman couldn’t lie worth spit. “And you mean most people don’t trip when they walk across their room?”

  “I don’t know about most people. All I can tell you is the man in my dreams never falls.”

  “I should have let you carry me, then.”

  Abby nodded as her finger trailed over his jaw and neck. “Next time, I might.”

  He smiled. “Maybe, next time, I’ll just come to your room.”

  She grinned. “Kiss me. I need you to kiss me.”

  “God, you’re adorable.”

  “Adorable enough to kiss?” she asked as her mouth nibbled at his throat then moved along his jaw to his ear and back. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”

  “I don’t want to lose control, and I might if I kiss you.”

  “I’m willing to chance it.”

  He smiled. “This time, I’m going to see what I’m touching. You’re not going to make me lose my head. There’s no way I’m not going to look and savor this.”

  “You can look all you want, after you kiss me.”

  “Good thinking,” he said as his lips moved to tease hers. And tease he did in lazy thrilling comfort as he slowly eased her robe over her shoulders. The ties of her gown opened at her throat and the small opening was forced over one shoulder.

  “Too tight,” she murmured as she dragged her mouth from his. “It’s too tight to take off that way.”

  Abby didn’t notice anything much after she managed those words, not with the way his mouth continued its luscious investigation. He was making love to her with his mouth, truly making love with it, and she couldn’t imagine anything more wonderful. Again and again, she gasped for breath as she wondered if anything could be sweeter than the way this man kissed. Moments later, she forgot the vague thought as the tempo began to change, the momentum building. Her sensitized flesh parted, allowing him to suck her bottom lip into devastating heat.

  She moaned at the feel of his tongue sliding over her lip, tickling it, sucking at it, causing her heart to stumble just a bit as he showed her how a mouth should be sampled.

  “I love the way you kiss,” she said without thought. “I really love it.”

  “Mmm,” he murmured in return. “It’s easy to kiss like this when I’m kissing you.”

  His tongue moved over her teeth and into her mouth, to tickle the roof, to play, to delve into the darkest, sweetest corners, to search out her essence, to suck all he could of her taste, and in his hungry, unrelenting demand to know all of her, to leave behind his own distinct taste.

  “God, I can’t get enough of you. I think I’ll never get enough.”

  Her hands reached for his face, and she held him, her eyes closed, her fingers at his cheeks, feeling the suction as they hollowed, loving that sensation more than she could say.

  Her gown was gone. She knew he’d pulled it over her head and flung it aside, but she couldn’t remember when. All she knew, all she could feel, were the deep drugging kisses that stole her senses, her breath, her mind.

  She was naked beneath him. His chest hair was sensitizing her nipples, bringing them to hard aching buds of pleasure, readying them for the wonder of his mouth.

  He didn’t touch her, not anywhere, not with his hands. But his gaze trailed over her entire form, studying her. She could see his delight as it moved down the length of her curves.

  “Beautiful. God, I knew you’d be beautiful. I knew it because I’d felt the smooth texture of your skin, still I hadn’t imagined anything like this.”

  Abby stretched before him, stretched for both their pleasure, watching the hunger grow in his gaze and thrilled to be the cause of it. Her movements were as graceful as any feline, as tempting as the most practiced courtesan. She knew she was driving him beyond the point of madness and was delighted in her newfound power.

  “You know you’re driving me crazy, don’t you?”

  Abby smiled all in confidence. “Am I? How?”

  “By moving like that.”

  “Like this?” she asked as she stretched again.

  “Oh God,” he grunted. “I never thought I’d say anything so stupid, but I need you to stop. I want this to last; I want you to enjoy this as much as possible.”

  “But I am enjoying it.”


  “You little devil,” he said on a low laugh.

  “Don’t make me stop. I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “I know,” he said and then grinned.

  “You can take that gloating look off your face right now, mister. If it hadn’t been you, it would have been another.”

  Linc chuckled, the sound low and sexy. “You figure I’m going to argue with a naked lady? I can assure you, at the moment, arguing is the farthest thing from my mind.”

  “Lay back,” she said as she came to her knees. “Would it be all right if I rubbed myself all over you?” Abby didn’t actually wait for his answer but helped herself to the pleasure. God, she’d dreamt of this night after endless night. She couldn’t resist now that she was finally able to do it.

  “Jesus,” he moaned.

  “I take it, it wouldn’t bother you, then?”

  It was obvious that he was having a hard time keeping up his end of the conversation or holding to his concentration while delighting in the feel of her silkiness moving over him. “I can’t rightly say it wouldn’t bother me, but you surely have my permission, sweetheart. In fact anytime you’d like to stretch this luscious body of yours, rubbing it all over me, you just help yourself, you hear?”

  Abby giggled like a young girl.

  “You’re very hard. Do you know that?”

  “I hadn’t given it much thought, but I suppose I am, while you surely are as soft as a kitten.”

  “Am I? Do you like me soft.”

  “I love you soft.”

  Abby knelt between his legs and slipped up the length of him, rubbing her breasts over every inch of his body. And as she moved, he groaned, one continuous sound of pleasure. His moans grew in strength when she sat upon his cock, soaking him with her wet pussy. “Hush, you’re making too much noise.”

  Quickly, he turned them so he leaned above her. “You’re lucky I didn’t scream.”

  Abby grinned. “No, I think you’re lucky.”

  “I need to kiss you again. Do you think you could be good for a few minutes and let me do that?”

  “Only a few minutes? I suppose I can mange that.”

  “Well, it could take a bit longer. I intend on kissing you everywhere.”

  “Everywhere? Everywhere sounds interesting.”

  Linc grinned. “It could be very interesting.”

  “Where would you start?”

  “Here,” he said as his fingers came to tease her lips. “Then I’d move my mouth here and here,” he continued as he trailed those fingers down her jaw to her throat. He teased her breasts and flicked his nail across already stiff and sensitive nipples.

  “God,” she said on a shudder, unable to stop her hips from rising from the bed at the slightest touch of his fingertips.

  “And here,” he said as he lowered his hand to her midriff, her belly, her sweet, wet pussy. ”Would you like it if I kissed you here?”

  “Why don’t you try it and see,” she said, even as she wondered how she’d managed the low and guttural words. How did she manage to keep her mind at all? Her body couldn’t take too much more of this teasing.

  “Why don’t we get started?” he asked as his mouth hovered above her lips.

  He kissed her then, really kissed her, kissed her with his lips, his tongue, his teeth, his warm, clean breath, with just the right amount of pressure and suction. In a blink of an eye, all thoughts of play or teasing evaporated, and Abby was immediately absorbed into the passion.

  She moaned a deep sound of hungry pleasure as his mouth ravaged hers. He couldn’t kiss her enough. He couldn’t ever kiss her enough.

  She sighed her disappointment when, all too soon, he moved away and lowered his mouth to her jaw. Abby thought there was much to be said for jaw kissing. It didn’t take but a moment for her to realize it was almost as good as kissing her mouth. Then his lips left a wet trail to her throat and her shoulder. And if her moans hadn’t told him of her delight, her words certainly made it clear. “I love it when you kiss me there.”

  “Where? Here?”

  She groaned again. “Yes. Oh, yes, there,” she somehow managed as he nuzzled where her shoulder met her neck. God, she loved this. She loved it more than she could say. And then he moved away yet again she murmured a low desperate, “No.”

  He smiled at her soft complaint. “I’ll be back, sweetheart. I promise. I just have to do this. I have to taste you. I have to see you, and I can’t wait any longer.”

  Abby didn’t know herself. She’d never imagined she had it in her to enjoy watching a man’s gaze move over her nakedness. Her heart pounded with excitement as he studied her. Not only did she enjoy it, but she reveled in the delight she found in his hungry look.

  “I never thought a woman could look like this.”

  She laughed, believing he teased her. Never having had the opportunity to see for herself, for modesty was very much impressed upon the girls at school, she believed all women looked pretty much the same. She might have said as much but decided any conversation could only mar this wondrous moment. Besides, she didn’t want him to talk; she didn’t want him to stop. All she wanted was more of this exquisite pleasure.

  He gathered her breasts together and smiled. “I’m going to enjoy this treat,” he said as his mouth suddenly attached itself to her nipple. They both groaned at the impossible pleasure.

  Chills raced down her spine as he moved from one breast to the other and back again. Biting and sucking, he caused her breathing to grow choppy, her body to shiver with need, her mind, her every thought to strain toward the delight he’d once brought her.

  She wondered if it were possible to withstand pleasure so great. Would she die of it? Would she manage somehow to bear it? His mouth had stopped sucking and licking. Now, he was nibbling at her. Her nipples had grown to tight, extended pebbles of aching desire and he was biting them, harder and harder still.

  “Oh God,” she said as she thrust her chest forward. She grabbed his head and pressed him into her softness. She never wanted him to stop.

  “I love this. I can’t tell you how much I love this.”

  Abby was so engrossed in the lusciousness of this moment that she never noticed one hand sliding over her midriff and her belly to the protective curls of her pussy. She didn’t realize it until his fingers slid beyond those curls and into her wet channel. She stiffened, her body silently screaming for more as he finger fucked her to madness. Within seconds, she felt the heaviness he’d caused to her stomach come crashing over her in mindless, tormenting waves of euphoria.

  A moment later, his mouth was there, sucking at her moisture, and judging by his murmurs of delight reveling in the taste of her.

  Then his mouth was at hers again, allowing her to taste herself and their combined flavors. She loved it more than she could have said.

  His cock was inside her now. Deep, deep inside. She watched him bite his lip, his expression telling clearly he was holding back, trying to prolong the pleasure. He was so hard, so impossibly hard. Abby wondered if anything ever felt like this?

  He was eating at her pussy again. He’d pulled away and replaced his cock with his mouth. Abby felt dizzy as he moved over her body. Overcome with sensation, she couldn’t keep up. He was licking her madly and nothing had been this good. Not even in the barn had it felt like this. She had to have more. God, she had to have all he could give her.

  It was happening again. Only this time, it promised to be the strongest yet. It was building out of control. He was inside her. His finger at her clit continued the pleasure-pain until her insides tightened beyond bearing. She thought her body would crush his as it held him so tightly in place.

  And it was there again, the aching wonder, the tormenting agony that pitched her into the blackness, beyond herself and this coupling, to move among the stars, to drift in sweet euphoria where only spirits roamed then finally to draw her back once again into the blinding light of mortals.

  Abby knew, even as she cuddled in
his arms, exhausted at his side, that this one coming together wasn’t enough. She’d have more. He’d shown her the magic and teased her into wanting it. And she’d have it. She had to have all she could until it was time for her to go.

  They lay silent and still for endless moments before he spoke. “Are you ready to believe it?”

  She snuggled her head against his chest. “Believe what?”

  “That you’re my woman.”

  She stiffened at his side. “I’m not, so you might as well get over yourself.”

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning you’re not so good as to make me change my mind.”

  “About what?”

  She tried to sit up. “I’m going back to my room.”

  “No, you’re not.” He rolled over and leaned heavily upon her.

  “Get off me.”

  He laughed. “You’re a wicked lady. Too bad, I didn’t know that from the first.”

  “What would you have done different if you had known?”

  “I wouldn’t have waited so damn long to get you into bed.”

  She shot him a look of disgust. “You never waited at all.”

  “Didn’t I? It sure as hell felt like I did. I’ve never been hungrier for a woman in my life.”

  “And what? That’s supposed to be reason enough for me to fall into your arms every time you get the urge?”

  He shook his head. “Listen to me. It’s not hard to understand. I want you and you want me. What’s the problem?”

  She held up her hand and counted on her fingers. “The problem is one, we’re not married. Two, I’m engaged to another man. Three, I don’t want to want you. I’m not sure I even like you. And finally, last but not least, after my mother marries I’m going back to New York.”

  Abby shoved him off her and reached for her robe. She hesitated at his door and nearly snarled at his softly spoken, “Goodnight, sweetheart. Anytime you want to use me again, feel free.”

  * * * *

  Bradley Townsend arrived at noon the following day. Abby waited for him at the stage depot and smiled as he greeted her with a formal nod and touch of his lips to the back of her gloved hand. Abby hadn’t a doubt if this had been Linc he would have taken her in his arms, no matter her objections and kissed her before any and all of the townsfolk. She frowned at the thought. Why was she comparing the two? It was a useless endeavor, for no two men could be more different.