The hand at the nape of her neck tightened, then he shifted and moved, turning her slightly, backing her up, until her shoulders hit the kitchen wall and he trapped her there with the insistent press of his thighs and hips against hers. The solid length of his erection branded her with a need so primal, she ached to feel every inch of him inside of her.

With her head now pinned against the flat surface, he slanted his mouth across hers and deepened the kiss farther, if that was at all possible. His tongue stroked across hers, and his big, strong hands wandered into more forbidden territory.

One palm glided down over the curve of her waist and around to her bottom while his other hand skimmed beneath the hem of her camisole. His thumb caressed the skin of her stomach, and she trembled in anticipation. Unrelenting fingers swept upward, until he finally enveloped her breast in his big, callused hand and squeezed the firm flesh.

She moaned against his mouth, and arousal, liquid and warm, spiraled its way down to her belly, then between her thighs. He rolled her taut nipple between his fingers and she automatically arched into him as a soft, mewling sound escaped her throat. Everything the man did, every illicit stroke and erotic caress, sent her soaring to a higher level of sensation, until she felt drenched in the most decadent pleasure of her life.

She wanted to touch him in return… everywhere. Wanted to make him burn with the same intoxicating fever spreading through her. As she smoothed both of her hands down his chest to his abdomen, then teased her fingers along the waistband of his sweatpants, his big body shuddered. Before she had the chance to pull on the drawstring that would give her access to his jutting erection, he abruptly ended the kiss. He jerked back, his breathing ragged.

Christine was disappointed, but not surprised by Ben's sudden retreat, especially when she witnessed the self-condemnation gradually filling his gaze. He had absolutely nothing to feel guilty about, not when she'd been the one who'd instigated the kiss, and she opened her mouth to tell him so.

"Don't," he ordered through clenched teeth as he pushed away from her. "Don't say a damned thing. You got what you wanted, so let's just leave it at that." He walked out of the kitchen without looking back, and a moment later she heard his bedroom door slam shut.

She winced, and had to resist the urge to follow after him and demand that they hash out this attraction between them right then and there. But it was painfully obvious to her that he was in no mood to talk about what had just happened, and she'd be stupid to push the issue when he wasn't in the right frame of mind to admit that their kiss had rocked his world, as much as it had hers.

And that was okay with her. Just knowing she'd been able to penetrate a few of Ben's stringent barriers was more than enough for her. For now.

Chapter Six

BEN knew he was in trouble. Big trouble. Four days had passed since he'd given in to temptation and kissed Christine, and he knew it was just a matter of time before something else happened. He could feel it in the air whenever Christine was near him. Could sense the subtle changes in her since that night-a sensual self-assurance that kept Ben on edge, waiting and wondering what her next plan of attack would be.

It didn't help matters that he was keenly aware of the woman, in every way. She walked by him, and that warm, vanilla scent clinging to her skin sent a shot of arousal straight to his groin. She laughed, and the sound captivated him. She'd always been flirtatious with him, but now when she sent a smile his way, it was filled with a sultry feminine knowledge and womanly confidence that didn't bode well for him and his good intentions.

So far, she'd behaved herself, but he suspected that was because of how busy she'd been with work. This week she'd spent a good twelve hours a day at the office, mostly preparing for an upscale charity gala for the Children's AIDS Foundation, which was scheduled for this upcoming Saturday and was being held at the St. Claire Hotel in downtown Chicago. From what she'd told him, Christine had been hired to handle the sponsors and silent auction portion of the social affair.

Now, as he relaxed on a very comfortable couch in the reception area of Christine's office where he could keep a close eye on her as she worked, Ben found it hard to believe that he was getting paid five figures to spend most of his days playing FreeCell on his laptop to pass the time. But there wasn't a whole lot to do while Christine and Madison fielded phone calls, accepted various deliveries that arrived for the silent auction, and spent hours discussing the best way to raise the most money for the Children's AIDS Foundation.

In all honesty, with nothing productive to do other than ensuring Christine's safety, he had far too much time on his hands to think about things he had no business dwelling on. Like how great her ass looked in the brown slim skirt she'd worn today, and how incredibly sexy her legs were in yet another pair of designer heels. Then there was that hot, mind-blowing kiss they'd shared that kept replaying over and over in his head. Except in his mind, instead of pulling away and ending the carnal embrace, he gave into the untamed need to strip off her clothes, bury himself deep inside her soft body, and forget the long list of reasons why getting involved with her was a very bad idea.

She'd told him she wanted to feel desire, and taste passion, and that was another thing he mulled over much too often, as well. How could she have been engaged and not have experienced desire or passion? It didn't seem possible, yet the vulnerable glimpse of emotion he'd seen in her gaze just before she'd kissed him wasn't something she could have faked.

Shaking his head clear of those too interesting thoughts, he started another game of FreeCell. A few moments later, something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he glanced out the office's glass-enclosed window-front to see a black Town-Car with dark-tinted windows pulling up in front of The Big Event. As always, whenever someone parked near the business he went straight into security mode-taking in the car description, memorizing the license plate, and making a mental note of whoever exited the vehicle. If they entered the office, the scrutiny continued, but on a more personal level to make sure the visit was legitimate.

The driver, dressed in a uniformed suit, stepped out of the car and opened the back door. Ben groaned as Craig Crosby emerged, looking like the pretentious son of a bitch that he was in his dark blue, knit-collared shirt, tan trousers, and with his dark, glossy hair combed back from his face. He said something to his driver, then headed toward the shop with a portfolio folder in hand.

He pushed open the door, and a buzzer rang in the back rooms to let Madison and Christine know that someone had come inside. Looking straight ahead, Craig didn't notice him sitting on the couch off to the side, giving Ben the advantage. As the other man continued walking farther into the office as if he planned on going in search of Christine himself. Ben decided to squash his presumptuous stride.

"Hey, Crosby."

Craig jolted to a stop, and his head snapped to the left. As soon as he saw Ben, the suave grin he'd been wearing to greet Christine fell flat and animosity etched his features. "What a surprise seeing you here," he said dryly.

"I'm sure it is." Leaning back into the couch cushions, Ben folded his arms behind his head and smiled, liking that he had the upper hand over this guy.

"Especially at this time of the day," Craig said, the insinuation of Ben being a bum reflecting in his voice. "Don't you have a job?"

Ben shrugged. "I make my own hours. Do you have an appointment to see Christine?" Each morning he went over the day's agenda with her, and Crosby had not been listed for a meeting today. That's something he wouldn't have forgotten.

Craig visibly bristled with annoyance. "What are you, her receptionist now?"

"No. Just a very jealous boyfriend."

The other man's gaze flared with a mix of anger and frustration, and Ben had to admit that provoking Craig was the most fun he'd had in days.

Craig didn't bother hiding the look of disdain he gave Ben as he took in the casual USMC cotton T-shirt and well-worn jeans he was wearing today. "I don't understand what she sees in you."

"I can't really say." Ben mulled that one over as he compared himself to Craig and the biggest difference between them. "Maybe it's the fact that I'm just a normal, average Joe."

Craig smirked. "Well, that novelty will wear off in time, I'm sure."

No doubt, Crosby was hoping that was true, but Ben was well aware that even after he was out of Christine's life, she had no intentions of ever getting involved with Craig.

Thank God.

"Craig?" Christine came around the corner, a half-smile on her lips and a curious look in her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Christy." Crosby's smarmy smile reappeared as he turned all his attention on Christine. "We never did get the chance to discuss some of the details for your party on Sunday since you left so abruptly, so I thought I'd stop by and we could go over a few things. Do you have any spare time right now?"

She glanced at her watch, then nodded. "Sure."

"Great:" He cast a quick, telling glance at Ben. "Do you mind if we go somewhere a bit more private?"

"How about the conference room?" she suggested.

"Perfect," he said, an unmistakable note of satisfaction in his voice.

Christine met Ben's gaze. "I'm sure this won't take long. I'll be done in just a while, then we can head over to Starbucks for a drink." She then smiled at Craig. "Ben knows all the long hours I've been working this week, so he dropped in to make sure I took a break today."