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“Smiling was a tough job, but I managed to summon up a few, so I didn’t scare all the women away,” he replied. All he wanted to do now was get home and distance himself as much as possible from her.

He was grateful that the day had been a success for her business, and he was glad she was happy. He liked seeing her happy. Thankfully nobody had come after her with ill intent, and for now all was right in the world.

“Are you tired?” he asked and shot another quick look her way.

She caught his gaze and smiled. “Not really. In fact, I still feel rather energized by the day. What about you?”

“I’m a bit tired,” he replied. It wasn’t true. He was energized as well. But the best thing he could do was go straight to bed as soon as they got home.

It was seven thirty, and a false darkness had fallen due to the cloudy skies. It was a perfect night for an early bedtime, and hopefully by morning he would be able to put away the fierce desire that had simmered through him the entire day.

They reached his shanty, and the first thing he did was turn on several of the lanterns in the room. He then unfastened his holster and set it and his gun in his bedside table.

Monique slung her purse onto the sofa, but she didn’t sit down.

“I think I’m going to head on to bed,” he said.

She walked over to where he stood and stopped just in front of him. Instantly her body heat wafted toward him, along with the heady scent of her. Tension tightened his stomach. Flames fired through him as he waited for her to speak.

“Jacque,” she whispered his name as her eyes lit with a light that could only be a wealth of desire. “I want you.”

Those three words dizzied his brain. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he should step back from her. But he remained frozen in place as he felt himself drowning in the desire he’d felt for her for so long.

She reached out and took his hand. “Jacque, I know you want me, and I want you so badly.” She gave his hand a tug. “Please, come into my bedroom and make love to me.”

She took another step toward him and now stood so close to him that her breasts touched his chest and her breath was warm on his neck.

“Kiss me,” she said softly. “Jacque, kiss me and then come to my room and let’s make love.”

Heaven help him, but he could do nothing but comply. His mouth took hers in a fiery kiss that weakened his knees and nearly stole his breath away.

Her lips plied his with a heat that was intoxicating. When she opened her mouth to allow him to deepen the kiss, he did just that, swirling his tongue with hers as a wealth of pleasure rushed through him.

The kiss finally ended, and as if in a daze, he watched as she grabbed one of the lanterns and then he followed her into the bedroom. She set the lantern on the nightstand and turned back to him. Gently he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her once again.

It had been so long. It had been so damn long since he had held a woman in his arms, so damn long since he’d kissed a woman with such fiery desire and intent.

It was another blazing kiss that fully aroused him. She was sweetness and heat as she pressed her body against his, making it impossible for any other thoughts to enter his head. There was just Monique and him and these moments in time.

When the kiss finally ended, she took a step back from him and began unfastening the buttons of her blouse. He mirrored her movements and started unbuttoning his shirt.

As she shrugged off the blouse, and it fell to the floor behind her, his breath caught in the back of his throat at her beauty. Although she was petite, her breasts were full in the wispy white bra she wore.

He shrugged off his shirt and then unbuttoned the fly of his slacks. All he could think of now was holding her naked body against his own.

He kicked off his shoes and took off his socks and his pants, while she took off her sandals and the pink pants she’d worn that day.

Finally, he was in a pair of black boxers and she wore only her bra and a matching pair of wispy panties. As he climbed into the bed with her, the sheets smelled of her scent and her eyes glowed with a wealth of pleasure and the simmer of her desire.

He pulled her back into his arms, reveling in the feel of her near nakedness against his own. Her skin was so soft and warm, as if fevered by his very touch.

She raised up just enough to unfasten her bra and he plucked it off her and tossed it to the floor. He then covered her breasts with his hands. He ran his thumbs over her erect nipples and then leaned his head down and captured one of them in his mouth.

As he licked and toyed with first one and then the other, she released a deep moan. There was no better sound than a woman’s moans when making love. The sound only made his passion burn hotter.

She tangled her fingers in his hair and then swept them down his back. He then ran a hand down the length of her body…down…down until he reached the waistband of her panties.

A small gasp escaped her as he swept his fingers back and forth. “Take them off,” she said breathlessly. “And take yours off.”