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.She battled her own reaction, searched her brain for a way to dampen her passion.Succumbing to Raif was a colossally bad idea.“But our situation has changed.You can stay, go or tell me to get lost.You’re no longer my captive.I’m holding nothing over you.By this time tomorrow, I’ll be back on my Gulfstream, statue in hand, and—”“They’ll hold it for evidence,” she blurted out.He drew back.“What did you say?”“They’ll hold it for evidence.The statue.They won’t let you take it with you.” She didn’t know why she’d said it.Raif pounced.“So, you admit it was stolen?”Her brain stumbled for a moment.“I guess I’m considering a long-shot scenario.Like I sometimes worry about falling off tall buildings and being hit by lightning.More so when I’m with you, it seems.”He shook his head at her meandering argument.But his eyes darkened as his fingers splayed into her hair.The pressure of his palm urged her closer.“I’ve just been hit by lightning.”She didn’t resist, and his lips dipped down to meet hers.* * *Every time Raif kissed Ann, it was a fight to keep from tearing off her clothes.The taste of her lips and the scent of her skin hijacked his logic and tore away his grasp on reason.That he wanted to bury himself inside her was the single, primitive thought that pulsed through his brain.He tried to take it slow, to pay attention to her reaction, her cues.Her assertion that lovers who were also his subjects, or possibly in awe of his royal title, would have faked passion had him questioning himself.Had he become complacent? He didn’t want to make any mistakes with Ann.For now, to his infinite relief, she was wholeheartedly kissing him back.Her lips were soft and sweet beneath his own.They parted, and her small tongue darted into his mouth.Her body molded against his, her soft breasts pressing through the thin satin of her slip to warm his bare skin.His arms tightened around her narrow waist, palms sliding along her rib cage, then down to her pert bottom, her shapely thighs.The wispy fabric slipped through his fingertips, setting off lightning charges inside his brain.He kissed her harder, deeper, quickly losing his battle with control.He wedged one thigh between her legs, letting his hands cup the curve of her bottom, moving lower to the hem of her slip and finally caressing the warmth of her bare thighs.He moaned her name, and her arms twined around his neck.Her fingers teased his short hair, swirling along his neckline, shooting pulses of desire down the length of his body.He scooped her into his arms, breaking their kiss long enough to gaze into her deep blue eyes.He didn’t know what he was looking for, but he didn’t find it.Her dark lashes swept down and camouflaged her mood.But then they opened again, and she gazed up at him.Passion seemed to simmer in their depths.But he wasn’t making any assumptions.“Are you saying yes?”She hesitated and for a moment he cursed himself for asking.But then her voice turned as sultry as a desert night.“Yes,” she answered.He turned abruptly for his bedroom, one arm cradling the crook of her bare knees.The other supported her shoulders, his palm wrapped solidly around her rib cage, resting beneath her breast.In a few long strides he was through the bedroom door.He kicked it shut behind them, locking out the world.He set her on her feet next to the four-poster bed, his arms still around her, glued to hers.Light from the garden filtered through the sheer curtains.The moon was high in the clearing sky, and the stars were muted behind it.He stroked his thumb across her chin, her cheek, her lips, marveling at her delicate skin, the silk of her hair, the incredible clarity of her eyes.“You’re beautiful,” he whispered in awe.The longer he knew her, the more beautiful she became.It was uncanny.“So are you.”He couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of her assertion.But then he fell silent as her hand moved tentatively to his bare chest, small fingers tracing a pattern.All coherent thought left his brain.There was no today, no tomorrow and certainly no yesterday when he and Ann had been at odds.He closed his eyes to savor her light touch.Flashes of energy seemed to trail behind it.He’d never felt anything like it before.If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was magic.If this was the curse, he’d take it.Her hand ventured lower, lightly caressing his flat stomach and the indentation of his navel.Fingers itching, he reached for her, tracing his way along her slip, finding the hem, skirting under the lace to revel in the heat of her thighs.As her explorations became bolder, he wrapped his hand around the fabric, drawing it slowly up, over her hips, along her stomach, peaking at her breasts.She obediently raised her arms, and he drew the slip over her head, revealing the glow of her naked body, the pale, tender skin, impossibly pink nipples, her navel and the dusky whisper between her legs.“Gorgeous,” he managed, reaching to touch her.He could have stared at her beauty forever.But her hands settled on his chest.She stepped in, and his view was lost.But one amazing sense was replaced with another as she kissed him.Her mouth was wide-open, welcoming him inside
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