Hot Surrender

He bent, slid her into the passenger seat of his car, closed the door on her, walked round and got in beside her.

'Do your seat belt up,' he huskily said.

She fumbled with it and Connel lent over her to

do it for her. Her intake of breath was audible; every time he came close to her she found it hard to breathe at all. Still leaning across her, he looked into her eyes; she couldn't hold his stare, her eyes drifting downwards, unable to stop herself looking at his mouth.

Connel breathed as if he was dying. She thought he was going to kiss her again and her eyes shut, her lips parted in invitation.

He groaned 'Not yet. Not here.'

He moved away; the car burst into a deep-hearted roar and shot away. Trembling in her seat, Zoe opened her eyes. 'Don't drive so fast!' she burst out, panic-stricken.

Shooting a sideways glance at her, Connel said, 'I won't crash, don't worry. Are you still edgy after your own crash?'

She knew her voice sounded rusty; it was nothing to do with the way he was driving, or with the crash she had had. Did he know that, too? Did he know the effect he had on her?

'I suppose so.'

'You'll get over that, eventually. Have you bought a new car yet?'

'No, I'm using a hire car at the moment I haven't had time to look around; I'm not sine what make of car I want next.'

'Not a sports car, though?' He smiled.

'Absolutely not. I need more room than you've got in this toy car, to cart stuff around with me, things I need for work.'

'How are you getting on with your insurance claim?'

'I haven't even heard from them, so far. I sent in my claim, they sent me piles of forms to fill in—since then, silence.'

'Well, if you need a witness, give them my name.'

'I already did.'

He shot her a look, smiled. 'You aren't slow off the mark, are you?'

She watched his mouth curling in that slow, charming, teasing smile, and wanted him so intensely that it hurt to swallow.

As if he picked up what she felt, he fell silent, staring straight ahead; she stared ahead too, yet now and then sneaked a look at his hard-edged profile, temples, heavy-lidded eyes, nose, that mouth…that beautiful, sexy mouth… Oh, God, she thought, I want him more than I ever wanted anything in my life. I would give anything. Do anything. Just to have him in bed for an hour.

Her body was so hot she was a desert of burning sands. If he touched her now he would gasp with shock at the heat of her skin, she thought, silencing a half-hysterical laugh behind her hand.

Stop thinking like that! she ordered herself, but her mouth was dry as ashes. She moistened her parched lips and tasted his mouth on them where he had kissed her earlier. Closing her eyes, she let her tongue slowly caress the spot where his mouth had touched.

If only she could stop thinking about him, but her mind was alive with erotic images: his body naked, coming down, entering her…

Breathing faster and faster, her heart pounding behind her ribs, she was unaware of anything but the aroused excitement inside her, not noticing how far they had come.

When Connel's car jerked to a halt it woke her up. Her eyes widened, she looked at her cottage, then at him.

'Oh. We're…here…'

'Yes,' he said, his voice as husky as hers, then he got out of the car and came round to open the door for her. 'Got your key?'

'Yes.' She fumbled for it in her bag; Connel took it from her and strode over to open the cottage door while she was getting out of his car.

Don't ask him in! she warned herself sternly, knowing what would happen if she did. Her mind warned her not to let their relationship go too far too fast, but her mind wasn't in control of her body tonight. Her body knew what it wanted and didn't care what her mind told her.