irritably. “Yours is the last bed I’d crawl into on purpose.”
“Really?”
He posed the word like a perfectly polite question, but Leigh could sense the stifled laughter he was containing. She attempted to rise, only to discover she had one foot still caught in the sheets. With impatient force she ripped them aside, making a far worse discovery. Derek slept in the nude.
As Leigh gasped in an echo of horrified embarrassment, Derek chuckled, not in the least disturbed by the events that were mortifying to her. “Control yourself, love!” he mocked. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Fury choked back any reply Leigh might have made. She emitted a low growl, hurriedly tossed the sheet back over his bronze body, and unscrambled her own legs to make a hasty retreat. But in redraping her unexpected bedmate, she had retangled her own limbs. Her efforts did little but land her unceremoniously on the floor.
“Poor Leigh!” Derek taunted, rolling across to gaze down at her pityingly. “Doesn’t seem to be your night, huh?” He patted the bed invitingly. “Why don’t you give up this ridiculous charade of touch-me-not chastity and get back up here?”
“This isn’t a charade!” Speechlessness deserted her as she shouted into his smugly leering face. “I don’t like you, Derek, is that so difficult to comprehend? I don’t want to be near you. I don’t want to be in this house and I particularly don’t want to be in your room and I especially don’t want to be in your bed! I—”
She was rudely interrupted as Derek’s hand clamped over her mouth. Then, with one swift movement, he was on top of her, and when he spoke, his eyes blazed into hers and his voice was a wrathful whisper.
“You, Mrs. Tremayne, are a perpetual liar! When I kissed you earlier, love, you certainly responded. With amazing eagerness and expertise, I might add. Of course, you have had your share of practice.”
The scathing things she had to say in return were effectively muffled by the force of his hand on her mouth. She twisted her head and struggled and writhed in a frenzy of energy born of anger so intense it filled every nerve and limb of her body. All to no avail. Between the confinement of the sheets and his rock-muscled strength, she was helpless. All she accomplished was to bring them closer together, to dislodge more of the thin material that was all that separated them and bring more flesh against flesh.
Finally she lay still, spent, frustrated, and frightened of the growing heat between them. She closed her eyes, refusing to meet his. When she had been quiet for several minutes, he took his hand from her mouth. Yet he didn’t move. She opened her eyes imploringly.
“Derek, please, let me get out of here.”
Her answer was an unyielding stare.
“Damn it, Derek, you are a crazy man! Why are you doing this when your opinion of me is so poor? I might be contaminating!”
“I find you very desirable.”
“But you hate me!”
He shrugged. “Like you said, all black cats look alike in the dark.”
“I’m not your average black cat, remember? I was Richard’s wife, the cold, cruel mercenary.”
“Richard has been dead a long time.”
“And you still haven’t forgiven me!”
Derek went on as if he hadn’t heard her. “You responded to me, Leigh.”
“But I didn’t want to! Don’t you understand?”
“No, love, I don’t. There’s a chemistry between us. Nice and normal. Two consenting adults—”
“No!” Leigh was close to tears. Moisture gleamed on her eyelashes. “Please?” A sob caught in her throat. If he didn’t release her soon, she would be seduced by the nearness of him, by the raw masculinity she knew could become so demanding and possessing, yet tender. “Please, Derek.”
He sighed and rose nimbly to his feet, wrapping the sheet decorously around himself as he did so. He extended a hand to help her up. “Get back in bed,” he said. “There’s nowhere else to go, at the moment. The
“Really?”
He posed the word like a perfectly polite question, but Leigh could sense the stifled laughter he was containing. She attempted to rise, only to discover she had one foot still caught in the sheets. With impatient force she ripped them aside, making a far worse discovery. Derek slept in the nude.
As Leigh gasped in an echo of horrified embarrassment, Derek chuckled, not in the least disturbed by the events that were mortifying to her. “Control yourself, love!” he mocked. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Fury choked back any reply Leigh might have made. She emitted a low growl, hurriedly tossed the sheet back over his bronze body, and unscrambled her own legs to make a hasty retreat. But in redraping her unexpected bedmate, she had retangled her own limbs. Her efforts did little but land her unceremoniously on the floor.
“Poor Leigh!” Derek taunted, rolling across to gaze down at her pityingly. “Doesn’t seem to be your night, huh?” He patted the bed invitingly. “Why don’t you give up this ridiculous charade of touch-me-not chastity and get back up here?”
“This isn’t a charade!” Speechlessness deserted her as she shouted into his smugly leering face. “I don’t like you, Derek, is that so difficult to comprehend? I don’t want to be near you. I don’t want to be in this house and I particularly don’t want to be in your room and I especially don’t want to be in your bed! I—”
She was rudely interrupted as Derek’s hand clamped over her mouth. Then, with one swift movement, he was on top of her, and when he spoke, his eyes blazed into hers and his voice was a wrathful whisper.
“You, Mrs. Tremayne, are a perpetual liar! When I kissed you earlier, love, you certainly responded. With amazing eagerness and expertise, I might add. Of course, you have had your share of practice.”
The scathing things she had to say in return were effectively muffled by the force of his hand on her mouth. She twisted her head and struggled and writhed in a frenzy of energy born of anger so intense it filled every nerve and limb of her body. All to no avail. Between the confinement of the sheets and his rock-muscled strength, she was helpless. All she accomplished was to bring them closer together, to dislodge more of the thin material that was all that separated them and bring more flesh against flesh.
Finally she lay still, spent, frustrated, and frightened of the growing heat between them. She closed her eyes, refusing to meet his. When she had been quiet for several minutes, he took his hand from her mouth. Yet he didn’t move. She opened her eyes imploringly.
“Derek, please, let me get out of here.”
Her answer was an unyielding stare.
“Damn it, Derek, you are a crazy man! Why are you doing this when your opinion of me is so poor? I might be contaminating!”
“I find you very desirable.”
“But you hate me!”
He shrugged. “Like you said, all black cats look alike in the dark.”
“I’m not your average black cat, remember? I was Richard’s wife, the cold, cruel mercenary.”
“Richard has been dead a long time.”
“And you still haven’t forgiven me!”
Derek went on as if he hadn’t heard her. “You responded to me, Leigh.”
“But I didn’t want to! Don’t you understand?”
“No, love, I don’t. There’s a chemistry between us. Nice and normal. Two consenting adults—”
“No!” Leigh was close to tears. Moisture gleamed on her eyelashes. “Please?” A sob caught in her throat. If he didn’t release her soon, she would be seduced by the nearness of him, by the raw masculinity she knew could become so demanding and possessing, yet tender. “Please, Derek.”
He sighed and rose nimbly to his feet, wrapping the sheet decorously around himself as he did so. He extended a hand to help her up. “Get back in bed,” he said. “There’s nowhere else to go, at the moment. The
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