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She became very still and quiet on the inside. Because
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she wasn't experiencing the clamorous alarm she usually did when a man touched her, she didn't want to do anything-not even blink, swallow, or breathe-that would set off her clanging terror.
Instead of concentrating on herself and her reactions, she tried directing all her attention to Dillon. What did he see when he looked at her with those intense gray-green eyes? Did her hair feel silky against his fingertips? Was he subject to the same breathless anticipation as she?
Anticipation for what? she wondered.
It was a jarringly disruptive thought, so she impatiently shoved it aside. She would take this one heartbeat at a time, and, for right now, she didn't want anything disturbed.
He extended his right arm at shoulder level, bracing himself against the support column behind her. Trapped between it and him, she felt a flurry of panic. When he spoke her name, however, his deep, calm voice was reassuring. "Jade?"
"Hmm?" "I'm about to do something you've told me repeatedly not to do."
Her stomach rose and fell weightlessly. She felt his breath, wann and dewy, on her face. She kept her eyes open for as long as she could, before they closed involuntarily. His mustache tickled her upper lip. He flicked the center of her lips with the very tip of his tongue, so lightly that, at first, she thought she had imagined it.
"I'm going to taste you now, Jade."
Tilting his head, he aligned his lips with hers. Shockingly, her lips parted receptively. He made a low, wanting sound and pressed his tongue into her mouth. He applied a safe and nonaggressive amount of pressure to her lips and a delicious suction to her mouth. His tongue moved inside it, but it didn't feel invasive.
The dark heat of the night descended over her along with the deep mystery of his kiss. Feeling lightheaded, she reflexively reached for support. Her hand curled around his arm, which was still supporting him against the column.
He sighed her name and relaxed his elbow, which brought him close enough for their clothes to touch.
Tentatively, he placed his other hand at her waist. His lips nuzzled and nibbled hers. He brushed them with his mustache. He gently drew her lower lip between his teeth. He ducked his head and kissed her neck.
She gave a little gasp. "I'm afraid." "Of me?"
"Of this." "Don't be."
Jade closed her eyes and tried not to think.
Dillon waited. "Is it all right?" He raised his head and looked into her face. "Jade?"
She flatted her hand on her quickening chest. "I can't breathe."
One comer of his mustache tilted up. "Is that a good sign or a bad one?"
"I'm not sure."
"I'll take it as a good one." "Okay. "
"Relax." He eased her back until she came up against the column. "Breathe deep."
Like a child, she did as she was told. Eyes closed, she drew in calming drafts of air. When she opened her eyes, Dillon's face was bending close to hers, and she became breathless all over again. "I feel so foolish.-
"You shouldn't. You've got a woman's worst nightmare to overcome. "
"I want to overcome it." ne words tumbled out, "I really want to, Dillon."
"Good. That's good," he said thickly. "We'll work on it. What I have in mind is a long weekend spent alone together. No strings. No expectations. Just isolation from everything familiar so we can relax. What do you say?" "No.-
He dropped his hands and stepped away from her. His expression was a mix of anger and frustration. "Then I can't go on kissing you, Jade. Because sooner or later I'm
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going to lose my head. My cock will start doing my thinking for me, and I'll end up making you afraid of me. I won't have that."
He turned away from her and jogged down the steps. She caught up with him before he reached his pickup. "Dillon, you don't understand."
"I do. I swear I do. It's just He raked his hand through his hair. "Christ, I can't take anymore."
She grabbed his sleeve. "No. I mean, you don't understand what I was trying to tell you. I don't want to wait for a long weekend. I want to try tonight." Nervously wetting her lips, she looked up at him imploringly. "Now, Dillon.
CHAPTER
Twenty-Eight
"Where are we going?" Jade asked. "I mean, I know where we're going, but why?"
"Wait and see."
The headlights illuminated the tunnel of trees that eventually came to a dead end at the plantation house Jade had recently purchased for GSS. Except for the deepest shadows beneath heavy foliage, the yard was bathed with moonlight. The house looked white and stately, faring better than it did in harsh daylight.
Dillon smiled secretively as he took a flashlight out of the glove box. "Come on. It's all right. The owner is a personal friend of mine."
Together they made their way across the deep yard and up the front steps. The ancient planks creaked beneath his weight. "I need to fix those before somebody gets hurt," he remarked as he fished a key out of his jeans pocket.