She half expected to see buckets of oil and grease and metal shavings on the floor. She didn't; the garage wasvery clean and smelled like pine. It was a lot cleaner than it had been when Jack's father had been alive.

Despite the odds, Jack had made something of himself. Something better than what he'd been given. Certainlysomething more than anyone ever expected of him, and in spite of her apprehension at seeing him today, shewas proud of Jack.

She looked up at the doorway to the offices and stopped in her tracks beside the rear end of the red and whitecar. Jack stood with his arms folded across his chest, one shoulder shoved into the door jam, watching her.

"Surprise," she said, her voice a little shaky as he'd just about given her heart failure.

Flourescent lighting shone from the room behind him and made his T-shirt appear incredibly white. A scowlturned the corners of his mouth downward and a lock of dark hair fell across his forehead. "Not really. Thoseshoes you're wearing make a lot of noise."

She looked down at her red toenails then back up at him. "Are you hiding from me in here?"

He slowly shook his head. "Not hardly." He looked completely at ease, but the tension that lay between themwas anything but easy. His gaze on her was hot and intense, almost tangible as it lowered from her face to thefront of her dress. One corner of his mouth lifted.

"The garage sure is different," she said into the silence. "You should be proud of yourself, Jack."

He looked back up into her face and his arms fell to his sides. "You didn't come here to tell me that."

"No."

He pushed away from the doorframe and moved toward her, the thud of his boot heels a menacing echo as hestepped into a long patch of light. She grasped one red fin on the rear of the car to keep from backing away fromhim.

"I told you what would happen if you came over here today," he said.

She didn't have to ask what he was talking about. She knew, and her failing heart pounded in her throat. "I camehere just to talk."

"Then you shouldn't have worn that outfit."

She looked down at her mother's dress. "This?" She laughed despite the dog in her throat. "Jack it's ugly."

"Exactly. It needs to be taken off and burned." He stood so close that Tigger and Winnie the Pooh were almosttouching the front of his T-shirt.

She looked over his shoulder at a poster of a half-naked woman sprawled out on the hood of a beefed-up Nova.

"We should talk right now."

His fingertips touched her chin and brought her gaze back to his. "Not now." His thumb swept her jaw, and helowered his face until his nose touched hers. "Even in that stupid dress, you turn me on." Her stomach clinchedand she could hardly breathe. "You're even more beautiful than you were growing up. And you were sobeautiful back then you made me ache." His lips brushed hers, and he kissed the corner of her mouth. "Allmorning, I've been half hoping, half dreading seeing you walk through that door." His lips touched her cheek.

"You shouldn't have come back, Daisy Lee. You should have stayed gone, but you didn't. You're here and Ican't think of anything but getting inside of you. Deep inside where you're hot and wet and want me too." Thetip of his tongue touched her earlobe and her purse fell to the floor. "The first night I saw you again, I toldmyself this wasn't going to happen. But it is, Daisy."

The warmth of his breath swept the side of her neck and across her flesh. Desire tightened her nipples andpooled between her legs, and she had to stop him now, or she was a goner. "Jack listen -"

'This was inevitable the second you stepped foot in town. I'm tired of fighting it," he interrupted, as his handmoved to the side of her head, his thumb stroking her temple as if he were trying to soothe her. "Tell me youfeel it too. Tell me you want it as much as I do."

"Yes, but -"

"We can talk later. After we have sex."

She placed her palm on the front of his T-shirt. His muscles turned hard and everything in him seemed to still -except for his heart, which beat as fast as hers. Making love would make it more difficult to tell him aboutNathan, but it was already going to be difficult. She didn't make a conscious decision to give in to her desire. Itwas just too big for her to deny any longer. It had been over two years now since she'd been with a man whodesired her, and she had no willpower to resist Jack. She didn't want to resist him. He was right, this wasinevitable. "You promise we'll talk later?"

"God, yes," he said on a rush of breath. His hands grabbed the front of her dress. "Anything, Daisy."

For days her body had responded to his, seeking an outlet for the passion he'd stirred back to life within her.

And here it was. Here he was. Right in front of her. She pulled back and looked up into his face. "After you leftlast night, were you with someone else?"

"Almost, but I wanted you." He yanked her dress over her head and tossed it on the Corvette. She didn't even tryto stop him and her T-shirt joined her dress. Within the natural light pouring in through the windows, she stoodin front of him in her black bra and panties and flip-flops. He didn't give her time to think before he pulled heronto her toes and into his chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck, smashing her breasts into his chest ashis mouth swooped down and covered hers in a rough kiss.

Unable to stop herself, she fell headfirst into a haze of lust and longing. And it felt good. Maybe too good. Thecarnal thrust of his tongue elicited an equally carnal response in her. The feel of his cotton T-shirt and Levi'sagainst her bare skin sent a shiver down her spine. She ran her fingers through his hair as he fed her kisses fromhis hot, wet mouth. She moved against him, trying to get closer, trying to feel more of him. Wanting it so muchher skin tingled with a powerful yearning. Wanting it all. All at once.

It had been so long. Too long to go so slow. A frustrated moan came from her throat and she dropped to herheels. She felt his long hard erection against her belly as her open mouth tasted the side of his neck. "Jack," shesaid between kisses to his throat. "You taste good. I want to eat you up."

"Jesus, Daisy," he groaned as his hands roamed her bareback. He pulled the covered elastic from her ponytailand her hair came free and brushed her bare shoulders. He grabbed two fistfuls of her hair and brought hermouth back to his. She kissed him as one of his hands slid down her spine and he unhooked her bra. He pulledthe bra from her and tossed it on the trunk of the red and white car. His mouth came down on hers as his handscame up to cup her breasts. Her nipples puckered in his hot palms, and she shoved her hands beneath his shirtand ran them all over him, his stomach, chest and back.

He moved his hands to her behind, and he grabbed the backs of her thighs. He lifted her onto the trunk of thecar and her bare feet rested on the wide chrome bumper. The cool metal brought her out of her haze just enoughthat she was aware of palm. With her tongue, she found his pulse just below the head of his penis.

It seemed she'd just started when he pushed her away. "I don't want to get off that way," he said and gently helifted her onto the trunk once more. He forced her onto her back and pulled off her panties. Then he steppedbetween her legs. His gaze traveled from her face, down her throat to her breasts. He leaned over her andcupped between her thighs. "You make me feel eighteen again," he said as he rested his weight on his forearmnext to her shoulder. "Like I can't control myself." He kissed the tip of her breast as he stroked her slick,sensitive flesh. "Like I'm going to go off before we get to the really good stuff."

She arched her back and moaned. "Then get to the good stuff."

"Daisy."

"Mmm?"

He kissed her birthmark then brushed the seam of his lips across the tip of her breast. "Your breasts are asbeautiful as ever."

She might have laughed or argued or something if he hadn't opened his hot mouth and sucked her nipple insidehis wet mouth. Instead she ran her fingers through his hair. She shut her eyes and let the waves of sensation rollthrough her until she feared that she was going to go off before they got to good stuff.

"Daisy open your eyes and look at me."

She did. He gazed down at her, his own eyes intense and feverish. He grabbed the condom and tore open thepackage. "I want to see your face when I'm inside of you." He rolled the lubricated latex over the head of hispenis and down the shaft to his dark pubic hair. He put his hands beneath her bare bottom and pulled her to theedge of the car's trunk, positioning her. "I want you to see me."

She looked into his green eyes that were so familiar to her. "I see you," she said as he grasped her thighs. Heplunged inside of her in one smooth stroke that buried him to her cervix. His grasp tightened on her thighs andher back arched. She cried out in pain and in pleasure, she wasn't sure which was more acute.

"Damn," he said between clenched teeth, then he cupped her face in his hands. "Sorry, Daisy." He placed a softkiss on her cheek and nose and whispered against her mouth, "I'm sorry. Sorry. I'll make it feel good now. Ipromise." He withdrew, then thrust himself inside with more care, reminding her how good he was at keepinghis promises. Slowly, he gave her incredible pleasure with smooth, measured strokes.

He stared into her eyes as he moved within her. "Is that better?"

"Mmmm, yes.,,"Tell me."

"So good, Jack." She felt weightless and she grabbed his shoulders and held on to him. "Don't stop. Whateveryou do, just don't stop."

"Not a chance." He tilted her pelvis up without missing a beat of his pumping hips.