facts to let go of this so easily. “And the clothes?” he asked tightly, gesturing to her expensive sleepwear. “The car downstairs in the garage? Does he
sublet
those too?”
He watched her face drain of its remaining color, fighting the instincts urging him to go to her, gather her in his arms, tell her that he hadn’t meant it, could never think she was—
“I’m not a whore.” Her voice was very soft, toneless. The laughing violet eyes were dark and still, and her face was expressionless. “But you think what you like. You will anyway. Get out, Josh. Before I call the security people and have you thrown out.” It was a bluff; the last thing inthe world Raven would have done was call attention to his presence here.
Josh reached out to catch her shoulders, all but shaking her. “I don’t want to believe it,” he said thickly. “But you’re
here …
dressed like this … and he just left.…” The smell of herbal soap rose from her skin, and Josh felt dizzy suddenly; his heart told him the woman he held couldn’t possibly be what the dossier claimed, but the cool brain that had added immeasurably to an empire reminded him that some dirt couldn’t be seen. “Raven …”
“Get out.” Her voice was no longer steady.
“I can’t.” He thought distantly of Zach’s warning and wondered what it would do to him if he found out she was what the report said she was. It didn’t bear thinking of. “It’s too late for me to get out.”
She didn’t understand what he meant; her mind had stopped working. And her protest was only a faint broken cry when he pulled her suddenly against him and captured her lips with an odd, despairing hunger.
Raven tried to fight, struggling in his armswith the devastating knowledge that he believed her to be something terrible. Others had believed the same thing; she had made certain of that. But for Josh to believe it hurt her dreadfully. She didn’t want to respond to his passion … didn’t want to feel this for a man who thought her a whore.
But the seductive magic of his touch sapped even horror, and her body responded mindlessly. She felt him pulling aside the silk robe, and his lips pressed her shoulder, her throat. Her knees were weak, and she slid her arms around his neck, seeking the strength that he had and she had lost.
His mouth found hers again, his head slanting to deepen the contact, his tongue touching hers and demanding a response. He kissed her as though she were his for the taking, and he intended to take … and take.… Raven had never felt such utter certainty radiating from a man, such primitive determination, and she couldn’t fight him or the shivers of pleasure and excitement that were shaking her body.
And Josh, holding the vital, responsivewoman tightly against his own hardening, heating body, knew dimly that he was again on the edge of totally losing control. He was no longer conscious of even faint surprise that she held the power to do this to him, the power to ignite his body and shake his mind. He was aware only of building need, the surging fire of a ragged and overpowering desire.
And it wasn’t just a woman he wanted. He wanted
her
, Raven. The muscles of his belly contracted and his legs were rigid with tension as he widened them and pulled her even closer, one hand sliding over her silk-clad back to her hips, pressing her yielding warmth into full and aching contact with his swelling body.
“I don’t believe it,” he muttered hoarsely against her skin. “I can’t believe it. I couldn’t feel this way if you weren’t what I think you are.”
“Josh …”
He was moving against her subtly, one hand pressing her hips to his strongly, the other tangled in her long hair, kissing her deeply again and again. “I want you until I can’t thinkstraight,” he breathed. “Until I can’t see anything but you, feel anything but you.”
Every breath rasping harshly in his throat, Josh held her, kissed her, touched her
sublet
those too?”
He watched her face drain of its remaining color, fighting the instincts urging him to go to her, gather her in his arms, tell her that he hadn’t meant it, could never think she was—
“I’m not a whore.” Her voice was very soft, toneless. The laughing violet eyes were dark and still, and her face was expressionless. “But you think what you like. You will anyway. Get out, Josh. Before I call the security people and have you thrown out.” It was a bluff; the last thing inthe world Raven would have done was call attention to his presence here.
Josh reached out to catch her shoulders, all but shaking her. “I don’t want to believe it,” he said thickly. “But you’re
here …
dressed like this … and he just left.…” The smell of herbal soap rose from her skin, and Josh felt dizzy suddenly; his heart told him the woman he held couldn’t possibly be what the dossier claimed, but the cool brain that had added immeasurably to an empire reminded him that some dirt couldn’t be seen. “Raven …”
“Get out.” Her voice was no longer steady.
“I can’t.” He thought distantly of Zach’s warning and wondered what it would do to him if he found out she was what the report said she was. It didn’t bear thinking of. “It’s too late for me to get out.”
She didn’t understand what he meant; her mind had stopped working. And her protest was only a faint broken cry when he pulled her suddenly against him and captured her lips with an odd, despairing hunger.
Raven tried to fight, struggling in his armswith the devastating knowledge that he believed her to be something terrible. Others had believed the same thing; she had made certain of that. But for Josh to believe it hurt her dreadfully. She didn’t want to respond to his passion … didn’t want to feel this for a man who thought her a whore.
But the seductive magic of his touch sapped even horror, and her body responded mindlessly. She felt him pulling aside the silk robe, and his lips pressed her shoulder, her throat. Her knees were weak, and she slid her arms around his neck, seeking the strength that he had and she had lost.
His mouth found hers again, his head slanting to deepen the contact, his tongue touching hers and demanding a response. He kissed her as though she were his for the taking, and he intended to take … and take.… Raven had never felt such utter certainty radiating from a man, such primitive determination, and she couldn’t fight him or the shivers of pleasure and excitement that were shaking her body.
And Josh, holding the vital, responsivewoman tightly against his own hardening, heating body, knew dimly that he was again on the edge of totally losing control. He was no longer conscious of even faint surprise that she held the power to do this to him, the power to ignite his body and shake his mind. He was aware only of building need, the surging fire of a ragged and overpowering desire.
And it wasn’t just a woman he wanted. He wanted
her
, Raven. The muscles of his belly contracted and his legs were rigid with tension as he widened them and pulled her even closer, one hand sliding over her silk-clad back to her hips, pressing her yielding warmth into full and aching contact with his swelling body.
“I don’t believe it,” he muttered hoarsely against her skin. “I can’t believe it. I couldn’t feel this way if you weren’t what I think you are.”
“Josh …”
He was moving against her subtly, one hand pressing her hips to his strongly, the other tangled in her long hair, kissing her deeply again and again. “I want you until I can’t thinkstraight,” he breathed. “Until I can’t see anything but you, feel anything but you.”
Every breath rasping harshly in his throat, Josh held her, kissed her, touched her
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