Sarah's Child by Linda Howard Page A

approach. The arm around her waist had lifted her almost off her feet; he was effectively carrying her. Rome, stop it, she protested, trying to wriggle away from him and walk under her own power.
    He swore softly under his breath and adjusted his grip on her, leaning down to slide his other arm under her knees and lift her completely into his arms. Sarah caught her breath as the swift motion made her head whirl dizzily, and she clutched at his shoulders. The elevators were down a long corridor, and they passed a man in a white dinner jacket who stared after them with great interest.
    Youre making a scene, she whispered. Whats wrong with you? She was too startled to even be angry, but she felt as if she were groping her way through a fog, because she failed completely to understand his motives.
    He jabbed the down button with his elbow, then bent his head and kissed her with such deliberate intimacy that she curled in his arms, her mouth opening for his tongue. He could have been standing in the middle of the street for all she thought about their location. When he kissed her like that, every thought left her head, leaving her preoccupied only with the slow burning pleasure he gave her with just a kiss.
    An electric ding signaled the arrival of the elevator. Still carrying her, Rome stepped into it; they were the only occupants, and she stared at him in bewilderment. His expression was clearly revealed under the bright artificial lights, but she was still unable to decipher it.
    You can put me down now, she ventured softly. Were you intending to carry me through the lobby of the hotel?
    This is Texas, he replied with a hint of wryness. No one would be surprised, though for forms sake I suppose I should throw you over my shoulder. But he let her down, though he kept his arm firmly anchored around her waist.
    What was that all about? she asked as the doors slid open and they stepped out into the vast ultramodern lobby, overwhelming with its glass and greenery.
    Its called staking a claim.
    She considered that in silence for a moment. She wasnt coy, nor did she believe in dissembling; she wasnt going to simper and pretend she didnt understand. On an instinctive level, though, she was a little alarmed by the swiftness with which hed moved. She darted a quick nervous glance at him, one that he intercepted and read, and his mouth tightened fractionally. Looking at him, with his hard face set in determined lines, she knew that shed been cut from the herd the way a stallion would isolate the mare hed chosen. The thought made her mouth go dry, and her knees feel weak. Perhaps he wasnt a native Texan, but he knew just how to go about it. The move Max had made on her had awakened a possessive streak in Rome, and instinctively hed snatched her away from the other man; now he was determined to finalize his possession.
    My car is here, she said, making a motion with her hand as if to halt him.
    Forget about it. He didnt even glance down at her as they stepped out onto the sidewalk, where the warm night breezes fanned his face. Ill bring you back for it in the morning.
    Id feel better if I drove it home. She spoke firmly, and he sensed her decision, realizing immediately that the car gave her a feeling of independence that she needed, after the way hed high-handedly whisked her away from the party. He didnt want her out of his sight for a minute, but he was afraid that if he pushed too hard, hed run the risk of making her retreat back behind her cool mask. He was close, too close, to breaking her reserve for him to let his impatience ruin things now. Having her was becoming an obsession with him; shattering her control was a goal that occupied more and more of his time and thoughts.
    All right, he agreed, deciding to use the time alone during the drive to her apartment to cool himself down. He was feeling violent and caged, and he needed to ease himself with the soft magic of a womans flesh. Sarahs flesh. She was the only specific woman hed