Manhattan Merger

“I’ve been dying for it,” she confessed against his lips.

Then she gave up her mouth to him and was lost in the fierce hunger of his kiss. They were both starving for each other.

She let out little moans of ecstasy. With each sound he drank more deeply until they were one throbbing entity of need.

Rainey clung to his rock-hard body, arms and legs entwined. Her lips roved over the unforgettable face she’d memorized in her dreams. Now she had the real thing to explore to her heart’s desire.

“I love you,” she whispered feverishly. “I love you with an ache that’s never going to go away.”

He cradled the back of her head, kissing her with refined savagery. Then he crushed her against him.

“I’m so in love with you, I don’t know if there are words to describe how I feel.”

“Those are the words I’ve been waiting to hear. I don’t need any others.”

She heard his sharp intake of breath. “Marry me, Rainey. I can’t live without you.”

“I wouldn’t let you.”

Once again they were devouring each other.

“You made a mistake crawling in here tonight. I’m already addicted to the taste and feel of you,” she confessed when he allowed her to breathe again. “It’s possible you’ll never get out alive.”

He buried his face in her neck. “You smell so good, Rainey. You feel so good. I love to look at you. Everything about you is a miracle.”

In a lightning move he rolled her over so he was looking down at her. The full moon gave off enough light for them to see each other.

“Right now I can’t see the color of your eyes. All I can tell is that they’re dark. At this moment you resemble my Prince of Dreams.”

His white smile dazzled her. She’d never seen him look like that before.

That’s when her breath caught.

The smile faded. “What’s wrong, darling?”

“Nothing. It’s just something I remembered when I’d finished painting the cover for Manhattan Merger.”

He kissed the end of her nose. “What was that?”

“You were the embodiment of my dreams come to life on a piece of canvas.

“You had rich dark brown hair that looked vibrant to the touch.

“Your Nordic blue eyes seemed to envision things no one else could even imagine.

“Those rugged facial features denoted a life of hard work, sacrifice and triumphs.

“You had the build and stance of a conquerer beneath your business suit. Someone who dared to explore new frontiers.

“But you were a man who hadn’t yet been transformed by a woman’s love…

“When you smiled at me just now, I realized that was the ingredient that had been missing. It was missing when you were with Diane, but I refused to acknowledge it. If I were to paint you now, you would look different.”

“That’s because I am different,” his voice shook. “You’ve transformed me until I don’t know myself anymore.”

His head descended. Once again they were kissing with a passion that was spiraling out of control.

“Rainey—” he cried. “I don’t want to go down the river tomorrow.”