Mary Wine by Dream Surrender Page B

fascinated her. loren stared into his eyes as she recognized how aggressive he smelled. it seemed to be the very definition of the idea of maleness.
    the rough tip of his thumb pressed down onto her lips. the sensitive skin of her mouth felt the calloused surface of his hand. the sensation intensified his appeal, because he wasn’t soft. instead his hands reflected his strength. his hand returned to her face as he settled his mouth over hers. his lips were firm as they gently explored.
    the heat rose even higher as it sought out the companionship of his body.
    lifting her hands, loren slid them over the hard planes of his chest and sighed. his mouth trailed away from hers as he moved down the column of her neck.
    rourke pressed her body toward his. there were a hundred places he wanted to taste, one at a time. moving up, he raked his fingers through her hair. the unruly strands were free and tumbled forward. twisting his fingers into it, rourke pulled the scent of it into his lungs. it was the strong scent of the woman he wanted to make his own.
    “i want to make love to you, loren.”
    oh god. she knew that. could feel it, even taste it right at that moment.
    the husky sound of his voice absolutely terrified her. she just couldn’t let a man get so close. memory slashed across her mind and invaded her body’s bliss. the same hands that held so much strength could cause so much pain.
    fear quickly evolved into panic and loren shoved against her companion. she couldn’t, wouldn’t survive it again. not ever again.
    their minds had been fused together as firmly as their bodies.
    rourke felt her emotions and struggled to understand them. emotions were tricky things for a psychic. the streams of sensation were rarely easy to understand, but he understood fear when he felt it.
    loren struggled against his hold as rourke considered her panic. it was more than her conscience. he’d made that mistake back on the beach.
    assuming her reluctance to answer their attraction was due to her morals.
    catching the back of her head, he held it steady while he searched her eyes for the answer.
    “easy, loren, relax.”
    his voice had lost its husky edge and loren pushed against his chest to further the distance. rourke’s arms relaxed their hold but kept her firmly within their circle. loren pressed her palms against his chest as she tried to break that embrace. she could still 39

    feel the heat radiating from his chest and she had to move away from it and away from her own female weakness.
    “let me go.”
    her words were cut with fear. rourke felt his face set into a frown as he considered that. sexual attraction was basic and part of every human on the planet. puberty unleashed the hormones that made the genders seek out each other. it was society that taught women to associate shame with their sex drive.
    rourke watched the way loren strained against his hold. her body twisted just like
    an animal that was snared in a trap. this was definitely more than loren’s conscience. she was afraid of him. women didn’t fear men unless they learned to the hard way.
    “you kissed me, loren.”
    her eyes flew to his face in horror. loren covered her mouth with her hand and felt her body shudder. she had kissed him. the idea rolled over her fear and caused her to simply stare at rourke in utter confusion. she didn’t understand.
    “i’m sorry.” and she was. loren stared at the man in front of her and felt herself crumble. not wanting a man in her life was one thing. proving that she could make it
    on her own was important, but had chris really made it so she couldn’t have a man if she decided she wanted one?
    she was so tired. every last ounce of energy she had flowed away from her body, leaving her flesh frail. she relaxed into rourke’s hold because she couldn’t hold her body away from his any longer. her eyes watched his cut into her face before she gave up and let them slip closed.
    everything melted away and loren went