Lori Foster - UP In Flames

“Ha! They were giant cockroach-looking bugs, and I almost fainted!”

“Yeah, well, having grown up by the river, I’ve seen plenty of bugs.”

She shuddered. “Not me.”

“I know.” He made a smirking face, as if it was a crime not to have lived with bugs. Then he added, “But don’t pass out on me here, because I’m not up to lugging your dead weight up and down this damn beach.”

Only the very real pain she could see in his eyes kept her from dumping his head off her lap. That, and the picture in her mind of where Adam had lived. Once, when she’d been around sixteen, she’d snuck down by the river to spy on him. Driven by some inner demon, she’d wanted to look at him, to see him. He’d been especially provoking that day, and she’d had some far-fetched idea of finding out more about him so she’d be better prepared to deal with him.

She’d gotten the shock of her life.

The outside of the trailer had been as tidy as anyone could make it, almost hiding the fact that it was falling apart. Wildflowers had been planted around the skirt of the trailer in an attempt to hide holes. Melanie, in her misconceptions of the world, had wondered why they didn’t move. It wasn’t long after that she found out Adam’s father had cancer, causing him to miss more and more work.

Some of the area residents had taken up a collection for the family, and she still remembered feeling ashamed when her parents donated so little, when she’d wanted to give so much.

It was no wonder he’d always resented her.

To hide her sudden discomfort and the pity she still felt, she quipped, “You know something, Stone? You’ve got worse mood swings than my mother when she went through menopause. And frankly, she was a royal bitch.”

He chuckled. “That bad, huh? Well, considering I missed the most important meeting of my life, I spent an hour in the ocean using muscles I’d forgotten I had, my brains have been scrambled twice now, and I’m presently in a position I’ve fantasized over but can’t do a damn thing about, then I’d say I’m justified.”

Melanie’s heart gave an excited stumble over his words. What had he fantasized? Certainly not about her. He’d never shown her anything but disdain. Sure, today he’d joked about kissing her, but that was just his way of making her uncomfortable. Yet the way he’d said it while eyeing her breasts...

Carefully, measuring every word, she said, “I can easily take care of your missed meeting, your muscles look...unforgettable to me, your head will feel better soon. Oh, and what did you fantasize about?”

Her nonchalance didn’t fool him. He slowly sat up to face her, his large body too close, his gaze too intent on her face. She felt herself blushing without knowing why.

He worked his jaw in thought, then said, “I don’t need you to do a damned thing about the missed meeting, so forget that. But I am glad you noticed my muscles—especially since I’ve more than noticed your soft little body. My head is going to fall off my shoulders long before it stops aching.” He touched her cheek, the line of her jaw. “And you,” he whispered. “I’ve fantasized about you, Mel, about touching you, kissing you.” He leaned closer, his mouth only an inch away from hers. “Those last few years all I could think about was how damned exciting it would be to get you under me.”

Oh, wow. Her vision clouded, and she had to part her lips to breathe. The heat wasn’t only surrounding her now, it was inside her, a part of her. No man had ever talked to her this way, not even Jerry, and she’d been engaged to him. It was exhilarating and stimulating and...this was Adam. She narrowed her gaze.

“Are you trying to humiliate me again?”

He drew back just a bit and stared at her. “Again?”

“Like in high school, when you asked me out. Oh, don’t look so innocent! I know what would have happened if I’d been dumb enough to say yes. You’d have laughed and told everyone what a fool I was. That’s the only reason you asked me in the first place, isn’t it?”

He looked equal parts frustrated, angry and hot. “I asked you out because I wanted to.”

“Oh, sure. And that’s why you suggested we go driving instead of to a school dance or the movies where someone might have seen us.”

“You’re the one who would have cared, Mel. My reputation was already shot. Folks saw me as dirt poor, no-account, and a troublemaker.”

“You were a troublemaker.”

He ignored that little truism. “And you were the town princess, too good for the humble masses. Hell, your mommy and daddy had nothing but contempt for the rest of us, and they would have had me shot if they knew I’d asked you out.” He shrugged, looking awkward for just a moment. “I figured you might go if no one would ever know about it.”

She stared at him, appalled at his perceptions, feeling sick deep inside herself. He was right in predicting her parents’ reactions. They wouldn’t have been pleased. But to think of Adam as sincerely wanting to date her... Well, that would take a major attitude adjustment. He’d been so cocky back then, as if he’d been unaware of his poverty, of his social circumstances. He’d always seemed so self-contained, unaffected by others, especially by her.

Could he have felt as vulnerable as she did?

“Why?” She asked it simply, the question uppermost in her mind. “Why would you have wanted to go out with me?”

His expression became almost ruthless. With the black headband wrapped around his fair hair, his bare shoulders glistening in the hot evening sun, he looked like a savage.

His golden eyes glittered with intent, and then without a word he grabbed her by the back of the neck, pulled her closer and pressed his mouth to hers.

For a mere second he was still, the pressure firm. They both seemed frozen, afraid to move. Then he groaned and twisted and gathered her closer, his mouth opening, devouring. She felt the hot stroke of his tongue, urgent and deep, the sharp touch of his teeth, and she gave a small groan of her own.

His arms closed around her, bringing her as near as he could get her. Everything about him seemed to be hot and hard, like a steel inferno. Pressed against his damp chest, she felt every ragged breath he drew.

Being alone with Adam like this, hearing the things he claimed, was a fantasy come to life. As a young woman, she’d built a world around the idea of luring in the irresistible Adam Stone. Everything about him had excited her, and compared to him, other men had seemed lacking—including her fiancé. “Adam—”

His teeth nipped her earlobe and made her gasp. “Sh,” he whispered, barely breathing the word so that all the fine hairs on her body stood at titillated attention. Her body felt ripe, hungry.

“Tell me that you want me, too, Mel.”

Oh, she did. She really did. “We...we need to talk, Adam.”

He leaned back to give her a warm smile, his gaze searching, pleased. “But you’re not denying you want me.”

She started to, only the words wouldn’t come out, not with him looking at her that way. His hands stayed busy, slowly pushing the white shirt open and brushing over the exposed skin of her shoulders, arms and throat as if he couldn’t quite touch her enough. Everywhere his fingers trailed, she felt gooseflesh rise, making her more sensitive. He appeared almost reverent, his gaze so hot she felt the touch of it against her skin.

She’d secretly dreamed of being with him like this, and she wanted so badly to give in. But she knew she’d caused him a lot of grief, and first she had to remedy that. She leaned away from the temptation he offered. “I want to buy the resort, Adam. I owe it to you.”

Very slowly, he released her. His expression was cold, blank. “There was a bidder right behind me.”