Her senses were overpowered by the scent of brandy on his breath, the musk and soap from his skin, the dark heady taste of raw male hunger. His teeth tugged gently on her lower lip, then bathed the flesh with his tongue. With a low moan, she reached up and plunged all ten fingers into sable strands of hair.

     One hand shot out to hold her still as he led her in a game of attack and retreat. His tongue led a teasing dance and urged her to play. She gripped his shoulders and tried to drag him closer to her arching body.

     He gave a low laugh and dropped tiny kisses along her jaw, down her neck, the hollow of her throat.

     “Tell me what you want.” His hand cupped her breast and teased her nipple through the thin silk.

     She struggled for breath. “I want you to touch me.”

     “I am touching you,” he murmured. His teeth nipped at her shoulder while his fingers plucked at the hard crest.

     “No, under my dress. Take it off.”

     “Yes, ma’am.” Deftly, he undid the buttons and pulled it over her shoulders. His eyes burned hotly over the lacy scrap of bra that revealed more than it concealed, before he snapped open the clasp.

     Cool air rushed against her skin as she was bared to his sight. Shyness overcame her, but the look in his eyes made her flush with pleasure, knowing he wanted her, knowing she pleased him.

     “God, you’re more lovely than I remember.” He worshiped the creaminess of her skin with his gaze, the silky feel of her with his hands. “Tonight I want to teach you to fly. You’ll see how good it can be, Chandler. Only with me. Then you’ll know we were meant to be together.” His words made a throbbing need pound between her thighs, and she curled her nails into the hard muscles of his shoulders.

     His mouth lowered to one breast, his breath warm on her skin. A whimper caught in her throat as she arched upward and begged for more. His lips rubbed over the hard crest, back and forth, the slight scratchy feel from his five o’clock shadow a delicious contrast to the softness of his lips.

     He suckled gently, then scraped his teeth across the hard nub, making her cry out. Liquid heat coursed through her body and her fingers clenched in his hair, urging him on, frantic with need.

     She tugged at the buttons of his shirt and tossed it aside. Her hands ran over his broad chest and reveled in the hard, lean muscles rippling under her palms, the crisp dark hairs that swirled in an intriguing pattern and disappeared into the waistband of his slacks. A long stream of words escaped his lips, either a curse or a prayer, and she let her fingers trail down his chest to trace the edge of his slacks. Then lingered.

     Slowly, she let her hands drift downward, testing the hardness of his desire, the raw strength and masculine power pulsing beneath her fingers. His stomach muscles clenched under her touch, his body hard.

     Chandler looked up and watched his face. His eyes were half closed as he fought for control, his gun-metal gray gaze glittered with hot, male need as she wrapped her hands around him.

     Carefully, she squeezed.

     With a muttered groan, he lifted her off his thighs and turned her so that her back pressed against his chest and his hips cradled her buttocks, spoon style. She reached back and gripped his thighs for balance, and he chuckled when she tried to twist back around.

     “Oh, no you don’t, you little witch. I haven’t waited this long so you could push me over the edge in a few minutes.”

     “But I want to touch you,” she insisted. “I want to make you feel the way I do when you open your mouth on my breasts, and touch my skin.”

     “And how does that make you feel?” he asked.

     “Strange.” She sounded thoughtful. “Hot and tingly. Like I’m craving something, something I can’t reach yet.”

     Logan stilled, choosing his words with care. “And you never felt like this before?”

     “I did once. But not this intensely. And the other time became, well, painful.”

     He realized then that she’d never had a man fully satisfy her. She probably didn’t realize her past lover selfishly took her virginity and ignored her needs. Logan cursed the stupidity of the man. There was an untapped wealth of passion contained in Chandler Santell. The knowledge he’d be the first to give her such an experience affected him in a way he never expected. Overcome by possessiveness, he knew he could make this woman truly belong to him. But it was more than that. He realized he wanted her to surrender not only her body, but her heart. Humbled by the gift she wanted to bestow, he suddenly wanted to be worthy of it.

     She needed to trust him completely.

     So tonight he couldn’t make love to her.

     He closed his eyes and fought for control. Then he bent his head and pushed back the heavy mane of hair from her neck. He let his warm breath brush against her ear as he bestowed light kisses down her cheek. “I want you to close your eyes and relax, Chandler. Let me show what I can do to you.”

     Chandler felt wrapped in a cocoon of warmth. His voice poured over her like hot caramel. His hands moved over her breasts and squeezed. She gripped at his thighs as the tension grew and a low moan of frustration escaped her lips. His fingers ran down her stomach and stroked her legs. She arched upward, demanding more, demanding something, uncertain.

     “Oh, sweetheart.” He sucked in his breath as he looked down, taking in her creamy skin, flat stomach, full naked breasts, and the honey brown triangle hidden at the apex of her smooth thighs. She wore only a scrap of pale pink lacy underwear.

     “Logan?”

     He heard the uncertainty in her voice and soothed her. “I know you feel like you’re losing control, but I’m going to show you more pleasure than you’ve ever known. Let me give you this.”

     His fingers trailed across her stomach and left a path of fire. Her mind worked sluggishly through a fog of desire. Her eyes closed halfway as he traced his thumb along the line of her panties. His palm settled over her center and he lightly massaged her tender flesh.

     Her hips shot up when his fingers pressed. He rotated his hand, dragging the lacy material back and forth over her, until her heart pounded and her blood roared and she thought she’d die of pleasure if he kept going.

     “Open your legs for me, Chandler,” he muttered darkly in her ear. One finger slipped under the elastic, testing her swollen heat, her readiness for him. She gasped at the sensation and wanted more. Her legs opened for him. With a murmur of satisfaction he slipped another finger under the material and touched her intimately.

     “Logan!”

     His teeth nipped at her earlobe as his fingers slipped inside. Stretched her wet, pulsing heat. He played gently, wringing cries from her lips, testing the swollen bud of her desire. Slowly, he rubbed back and forth until she gave up and gave him everything she had.

     She cried out as convulsions wracked her body and pushed her over the edge. For one single moment in time she flew through space in a channel of pure pleasure. As she floated she was aware of the soothing words whispered in her ear, the arm that anchored her against his chest, the hand that now lovingly stroked her thigh. She relaxed into his body, trusting his strength. She enjoyed being held close by this powerful man who taught her things about life she’d never known. After a while she realized he held himself still. His muscles clenched with tension. She felt him hard against her.

     “Logan?” she asked hesitantly.

     “Hmmm?”

     “What about you?”

     She heard the smile behind his words when he spoke. “What about me?”

     Chandler turned her head. A faint blush rose to her cheeks. “Well, ummm, I thought we were going to, well, that is I thought you wanted to—” She bit her lip and tried to get the words out.

     “Make love with you?” he asked as he turned her body until she was facing him. His lips rubbed over hers and he slipped his tongue inside to taste her. She welcomed him, their tongues playing with each other until they tired of the game and kissed hungrily. When he pulled away, he tipped her chin up and studied her face. “What I just did to you gave me more pleasure than you’ll ever know.” His thumb pressed over her swollen lips. “There’s nothing I want more than to carry you in the bedroom and make love all night long, until both of us don’t know where one begins and the other ends. But I want more. I want you to trust me. I want you to give yourself to me in every possible way, and I won’t settle for less. When I take you into bed there will be no Richard Thorne. No doubts. And no more running away.”

     The stark words hung in the air between them. She realized this was one of the strongest men she’d ever known. A surge of emotion caught her. He was a proud man who stood alone in the world, and a ruthless executive who made million dollar deals without breaking a sweat. Yet he chose to show her tenderness, unlike Michael who had told her he loved her, then treated her like a plaything for his own pleasure. Her initiation into sex had shown her none of the softer emotions she longed to receive as a woman from a lover. She decided such bliss mingled with magic existed only in her daydreams.

     Logan Grant showed her it was real.

     He gave her pleasure while denying himself. He held back when she was vulnerable, and chose to wait until he earned her trust. He gave her fair warning of his intentions, and even if he only wanted an affair, he wanted all of her for that period of time, demanding no less.