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This was new territory for her but the blatant desire in his dark eyes was an aphrodisiac.

She felt wild and reckless, which went to her head like the strongest alcohol.

She caressed him with her mouth, nipped at the thick, bronzed column of his neck and watched the way his eyes darkened as he fought against his urge to dominate the action.

She straddled him in one easy, lithe movement and looked at him for a few seconds before leaning down to link her fingers with his above his head. As she moved, she dangled her small breasts close enough to his face for him to flick out an exploring tongue to taste.

His husky groan of frustration at not being able to clamp his mouth to them was such a turn-on.

She weaved her way down, taking her time, licking, kissing and exploring with enthusiasm, loving his hard muscularity and the way his big, powerful body responded to her every touch.

She saved the best for last but she explored each inch of his body. She moved slowly down, past his broad chest, down to his flat stomach. With every agonisingly slow inch she moved, she was aware of his thick, impressive erection.

She wanted him so badly. She could hardly breathe by the time she reached to circle him with her hand. She gently massaged him until he was moaning loudly. Only then did she flick her pink tongue over his hardness, making little darting motions before taking him into her mouth.

She parted her legs to accommodate his hand, which was searching blindly to find her wetness.

The rhythm of his stroking, the way he was touching her, was sending her back to the place she had just left, where thoughts had gone and only sensation remained. She clamped her legs together. No way was she going to let him pleasure her again like that. She wanted to feel him inside her. Big, strong and filling her.

She didn’t have time to do anything because he did it for her. He tugged her away from her ministrations and brought them face to face. He kissed her long and hard with his hand behind her head and his fingers tangled in her hair.

‘I need protection,’ he said huskily. ‘Don’t run away,’ he added, slanting her a crooked smile.

‘I have a lot more on my mind at the moment,’ Hope told him. She stroked his face and felt the rough stubble against the palm of her hand. He was the most beautiful guy she’d ever known. She couldn’t help but marvel that she was there, sharing his bed and making love with him.

Just for a second, those encroaching doubts that had crept into her mind earlier returned. What was she getting herself into?

The image of her mother and the misery of her giving her heart away to men who never wanted it, flashed through her head, as fleeting as quicksilver.

She wasn’t her mother! She had an inner strength born from lessons learnt.

She was here with Javier and she wasn’t going to let fear rule her. The fear of something that wasn’t going to happen.

The bottom line was that Javier Mendoza might be staggeringly sexy, but he didn’t have the qualities she looked for in a man.

This was only lust. Somewhere along the way she seemed to have forgotten that she was a healthy young woman with needs just like any other.

He donned protection with the speed and efficiency of a man who was used to taking care of business.

She reached up to him as he sank back down onto the mattress. She kissed him but the passion between them was building again, wild and desperate. Their bodies, flesh against flesh, were hot with need.

She opened herself to him. As he thrust into her with one smooth glide, she moaned and wrapped her legs loosely around him. She’d wanted him to fill every inch of her and he did.

They quickly found their tempo. As it built, he moved even faster. Then she was tipping over the edge, crying out loud, her short nails digging into his back. She was dimly aware of him reaching his own crescendo as he arched back and gave one final, powerful thrust deep inside her.

He withdrew carefully, then flopped over onto his back, spent. For a moment, they both lay staring up at the ceiling, eyes half closed, panting heavily.

* * *

Javier was the first to recover. He turned to her, resting his hand idly on her breast.

‘If you don’t tell me that the earth moved for you, I’ll be bitterly disappointed.’

Javier traced the outline of her pink nipple. He found that he wanted to please her more than he’d ever wanted to please any woman in his life before.

He wanted to hear her say it even though he had no idea why it was so important. Of course, he always liked to think he pleasured women when he made love to them, but with Hope…

He reddened at the urgency of what he was feeling. Had she managed to tap into some weakness of his that he had not been aware of?