“No. No buts.” She hushed him with a finger over his lips. “Do you have any idea how wonderful it feels to hear you say you care? Even when I do things that make you nuts, like smash myself into a tree on Rollerblades, you still care.”

“Or when you weed-whack the sprinklers into pulp?”

She winced. “You knew about that?”

“Trisha,” he said on a groaning laugh, lifting the cuffed hand. “What’s this about?”

“It’s about what’s between us, and why you won’t let it be.”

And in that instant time stood still.

Trisha felt the heat shimmer through her. No, she thought, she couldn’t be alone in this, and she wasn’t. His hand, which had dropped to her waist, trembled. Pain swam in his emerald eyes.

He started to draw back, but she stopped him with a touch to his face. Her eyes begged something of him, something he couldn’t, wouldn’t give. God, he needed to run, hard and fast, but the damn handcuff… What the hell was she doing? “Trisha,” he said tightly. “Let me go.”

Her gaze sad and solemn, she shook her head. “I love you, Hunter,” she said simply, and so sincerely he had to swallow hard.

“Why?” he asked hoarsely, dropping his forehead to hers as emotion swamped him. “I don’t understand why.”

“That’s easy.” Cupping his face in her hands, she made him look at her. “I love the way you care for people, even when you don’t want to.” Her voice warmed him, soothed him, even when he didn’t want it to. “I love how you take care of your family even when they don’t deserve it. I love the way you throw yourself into each and every little thing you do, whether you’re fixing my floor, or jogging, or just reading. I love to watch you concentrate, Hunter, how you furrow your brow and your green eyes go all intense. I love the way you get mad at me and keep your cool at the same time – no matter what’s happened, you’re so calm. You’d never hurt me, Hunter.”

He closed his eyes against her dark, dreamy ones.

“I feel safe with you,” she said. Her voice drifted low, sexy as she lost herself in thought. “And I love that too.

“I love it when you kiss me. How you do it with that shattering, intense determination of yours, giving me everything you’ve got. It makes me lose myself, Hunter.”

Now his eyes opened to see her watching him with that secret little smile that always drew a helpless smile of his own.

Her fingers sank into his hair as she maneuvered her scarcely clad body closer, gliding against him suggestively. “Mostly,” she purred, “I love how you touch me. I love your strong, slow hands, your easy touch that makes me go wild.”

She lightly rubbed the hard tips of her breasts over his chest.

He groaned helplessly and her gaze sharpened, steady on his, making him realize she hadn’t been lost in thought after all. She knew exactly what she was saying and to whom.

And given the way she nestled her hips closer to him, nudging seductively, she knew exactly what it was doing to him.

“Please,” she whispered so lightly he had to lean close to hear. “Please.”

The arm he had around her waist tightened. “Please, what?” he asked hoarsely.

“Please, tell me you want me as badly as I want you.”

He did, oh, how he did. “You can’t seduce me,” he said.

“Why not?”

Yeah, why the hell not? his body demanded. Beneath his hand, he felt the bare skin of her stomach, exposed between the crop top and biker shorts. It was warm, smooth, and flexed tight with need. As if she sensed his hesitation, she set her hands on his bare chest and gently, insistently, pressed him back to the bed.

“Wait,” he gasped, struggling to remember he didn’t want this.

“I can’t.” With hands to his shoulders, she pinned him down.

He fell back, sprawled across the bed, his cuffed hand outstretched above his head, as Trisha crawled slowly up his body, skimming her lush curves over every inch of him. He couldn’t bite back his groan, or keep his free hand from gliding down her spine, cupping and gently squeezing her bottom, pressing her to the hot, aching part of him that begged for release.

Trisha’s breath caught, then she smiled gently down at him, her eyes filled with such love and tenderness his throat clogged. She dipped her head, but instead of kissing him as he’d expected, she slowly trailed her lips over his jaw, his ear, down his throat to the base of his neck. Her tongue darted out and flirted with his skin.

Again he moaned, knowing he’d lost before she’d even started. That she’d pushed him to the limit and drawn him in. Never mind his good intentions of holding back so she wouldn’t get hurt, it was too late to save her feelings, and it sure as hell was too late to save his. The temptation of what she offered – love and affection – was simply too much to refuse.

Knowing it was wrong, that he shouldn’t, he drew her even closer, slowly rolling his hips to hers.

“Finally,” she breathed against his mouth. “Hunter… tell me.”

For a minute fear flashed through him, rendering him mute. Scared, he was so damned scared. Of her. Of himself. Of this. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he murmured even as he held her close with his one hand. “Please, don’t make me hurt you.”

“You won’t,” she whispered. “You can’t. Love me, Hunter.”

Her heart broke a little at the anguish on his beautiful face, at the mixture of desire and nervousness she saw in his eyes, and she almost gave in and offered to release him, but this was too important. If she failed, everything between them was over, but if she won… She eased down into the circle of his arm, fitting herself to him, then lifted her gaze to his.

“I love you,” she whispered, raising a bent knee over his thigh, brushing lightly over his lap.

“It’s not love,” he maintained through gritted teeth. “It’s physical need. I want you, Trisha, there’s no doubt.” His hips surged upward in proof. “I’m insane with the wanting. I’ve wanted you ever since I saw you that first day in black vinyl and that damn leopard-spotted top with plaster dust all over it.” His eyes glazed with the memory. “My body is desperate to be sheathed inside you, but it’s lust, Trisha. Just lust. If you still want me, then, God, please, take me now before you kill me. But nothing will change after we go up in flames in each other’s arms. It’ll still be just lust.”

Liquid heat shimmered up her spine, making her weak. “Is that what we’ll do?” she asked breathlessly. “Go up in flames?”

“Oh, yeah. And more.”

“Show me,” she begged softly, pressing close. “Show me.”

“But -”

“This is happening because of me, Hunter. I won’t regret this, I promise. I know what I’m doing.”

“Do you?” he wondered out loud, his voice rough with emotion. “Well, Lord help us both, because I sure don’t.” Gently, he nudged her up a little so he could kiss her, and kiss her he did, long and slow and deep. It went on, erotic, tender, warm, and with just that kiss, he became the seducer, and she the seduced.

His hand moved slowly over her, easy and light, but she didn’t want gentleness, not now. Irrational as it was, she wanted heat, speed, consuming passion. She wanted to erase the fear of his leaving her, which was silly, since he still lay cuffed to the bed. He was going nowhere. It didn’t matter, the urgency couldn’t be denied. With awkward fingers, she reared up and yanked off her top, tossing it behind her to the floor.

She lowered her hands to explore his warm, hard chest. He reached for her, and again encountered the barrier of the cuffs. With a muttered oath, he arched his hips against her. “Let me go,” he demanded. “I want to touch you.”

“Not yet.” Hardly able to breathe, she straddled him, tore frantically at the fastening of his trousers. “First this,” she said as his free hand lifted up to cup a breast, his long, sure fingers brushing over the tip.

With him touching her like that, her fingers, still struggling to undress him, stumbled, and refused to function.

He had to help her, and between his one hand and her badly shaking ones, she finally managed to free him and slide his pants off. Standing, she stripped off the rest of her clothes, vibrantly aware of his watching her every movement.

“First I show you how much more than lust this is.”

She moved close again, greedily touching his shoulders, his chest, down his tensed belly, her hair sweeping in her fingers’ path as she bent low to her task, dabbling tiny, nipping kisses as she went.

He murmured her name on a ragged breath.

“I love you,” she said, her heart breaking a little over the strained torment on his handsome face. “Let yourself love me back, Hunter.”

“No,” he whispered roughly, shaking his head back and forth. “Not love – God!” He let out on an explosive sigh and bucked when her lips slid over his belly to a lean hip. “Definitely n-not love,” he managed tightly, arching his back with a strangled sound when she kissed her way across the top of his thigh. “Just… lust,” he gasped.

“No.” She continued her exquisite torturing of his damp, sleek skin with her mouth.

With his limited mobility, he caressed her breasts, molded their shape, alternately worshiping and teasing until her hips rocked against the bedding. He had no idea how much more of this he could stand. Her body seemed to be made for him, the creamy texture, the incredible shape, the sweet taste… he’d never wanted anyone so much. The force of his need scared the hell out of him, but what terrified him even more was the thought of stopping.

Yet stop he must, before he caved in completely. He was only a breath away from begging. “Lust,” he whispered one more time, but she just shook her head and continued her trek over his body with her mouth. He was losing it, completely losing it. Her wild hair caressed his chest, his belly, his thighs, and his every muscle tensed. “Trisha,” he whispered desperately, his willpower starting to break.