The sound of her voice made his stomach tighten and he gripped the steering wheel harder.

“Pete’s out of surgery,” she continued solemnly. “Doctor says he came through okay and he’s probably gonna make it. There’s a lot of damage though, internal organs, broken bones. He’s in Recovery right now. As soon as they take him up to ICU and get him settled, they’ll let Sarah see him. Right now, only family’s allowed. Twenty-four hours at least.”

Her voice faded and Harm could almost see her gathering strength to drop the other shoe.

“His right leg is shattered,” she whispered, “both bones almost crushed below the knee. Probably got run over by the wheels. They did what they could but…but with the nerve and muscle damage, they’re not even sure they’ll be able to save it. If they do, he’ll probably never be able to use it again.” Tears overwhelmed her.

At least she had her tears, he thought bitterly. All he had were rage, frustration and a horrible sense of helplessness. A red haze of violence engulfed him, something primitive and elemental. Plainly and simply, he wanted to kill this bastard with his bare hands. Or better yet, with his car. Feel the impact of steel on bone and flesh, the thump of his bumper and wheels squashing him like a bug.

“All right,” he murmured, “stay with Sarah. As long as she needs you. Don’t worry about the office. I don’t want her going through this by herself. You’re on the clock and the company credit cards are yours to the max. Whatever she needs or wants. Make sure the doctors know anything Pete needs…specialists, medicines, therapy…anything, is covered. Tell them not to bother Sarah with the details. Just do it.”

“You’re a nice man, Campbell Harm,” she sniffled.

“Yeah, well don’t go spreading that around,” he told her gruffly. “It’s lousy for the image.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. And thanks for calling. I appreciate it. Keep me posted.”

“Will do.”

Flipping the phone closed, Harm’s mind had already focused on the problem of finding the driver. Chances were slim to none that the police would be able to catch him. If the car had been stolen, it would have been abandoned, probably within the ten-block police search area and would, no doubt, be found wiped clean and devoid of forensic evidence.

A bulletin would have gone out almost immediately to mechanics and body shops to be on the lookout for any suspicious body damage to the front of big, black cars. That meant, the car was probably at the bottom of the river or more likely, hidden safely in a garage, no doubt far from the crime scene and would remain so for several days or weeks or months even until the furor died down and it could be taken somewhere and safely repaired.

As much as Duff might be personally involved, a hit and run, especially that cost no lives, would very quickly get moved down the priority list by the other myriad, never-ending crimes of a big city.

No, it fell to him to nail this sonofabitch. It would require a cunning, foolproof trap. He didn’t know just yet how or where he’d spring that trap but he did know one thing: he already had the perfect bait.

Irresistible.

He’d known it from the first moment. Something…mystical and magical about her that excited his heart and his mind as well as his cock. She’d captured his soul; his body had simply followed her Siren song.

What had begun as furtive glances, stolen caresses, secret longing from afar, smoldering under its cover of anonymity had suddenly blazed forth into uncontrollable passion. A fiery heat sweeping away everything and everyone standing between them.

All the careful planning, thoughtful work was about to pay off. In a little while, he would possess her at last.

Closing his eyes, the thought of her stirred his cock. Warm, full, inviting lips. Eyes, dark and lit with desire. Ivory velvet skin, hot with longing, under his fingertips. Her body, naked, waiting only for him.

His cock strained inside his silk briefs and bulged like an angry fist against his zipper.

You have to put it out of your mind, he told himself, at least for a little while. Until you’re safely away and she’s yours alone.

But the picture of her refused to leave him. In his mind, her nipples hardened under his fingers, his tongue raising them taut and erect as his cock. Soft moans and purrs of pleasure and need escaped her.

Her scent overpowered him…a hint of wildflower perfume, hot, ragged, peppermint breath and aroused female musk surrounding and tying him to her like silk cords. He had become a willing prisoner.

No use, he knew. She called him and his body, mind and soul screamed to go to her.

Quickly, he moved to the other room, locked the door and removed his trousers and briefs, releasing his strangling cock. Reaching to the vanity, he grabbed a tiny bottle of hotel lotion and shook a large dollop into his hand, sitting there creamy and white as she would be soon.

Closing his eyes, he smoothed the thick, cool cream over the length of his cock, the shaft like hot steel, the head tender and engorged. He felt her kneeling in front of him, taking him gently into her mouth. Her tongue made slow, soft circles around his swollen tip and her sucking sent shock waves of molten lava through his blood.

“How handsome you are,” he heard her murmur, taking her mouth from his cock and running her lips lightly down the underside of his cock to his balls. “So big and hot and just for me.” Her teeth nipped playfully at the tender skin of his sacs for a moment before she retraced her path.

The tip of his cock slid into her waiting, anxious mouth but didn’t stop, instead, slowly taking him up, almost to his full length, easing up and down in a rhythm that made his blood pound white-hot in his ears and his body quiver.

He felt her hands on his ass, grabbing and kneading as her tempo increased. The pleasure of her wrapped itself around him like a velvet cloud. She knew exactly how to fill him to bursting with need and desire and exquisite torture. Soon, he’d have a lifetime of her. Completely, willingly, totally, his.

With that last thought, he erupted, physically and spiritually, his seed spurting out over his fist, his soul shattered by the sheer power of her over him.

Spent, he sagged against the vanity, still keeping his eyes shut, letting himself drift slowly back to earth. Soon, she would be his but for the moment, the fantasy would have to suffice. But even as this climax faded, the thought of her still stirred in him.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and grinned into the mirror, his hand still holding his cock. This had been the fantasy…the reality would be a thousand times more.

“That scene turned out really well,” Sheila told her. “I didn’t know how the hero jacking off while fantasizing about the heroine right before the wedding would work, but it does. Romantic and hot. I can’t imagine a guy being so horny for me he couldn’t even get through the wedding ceremony without…relieving the pressure as it were.”

“All through this book,” Elgin told her quietly, “they’ve had great sex, but there’s always been that ‘open door.’ The knowledge that either one or both could just walk away. Now, they’ve resolved their problems and are ready for the big ‘C,’ commitment. Far from looking at it as closing off his options, he sees it as the beginning of a lifetime of love. And great sex.”

“Well, it’s an ingenious little twist…seeing it from the guy’s point of view on his wedding day…and I loved it. I’m sure Gillian’s readers will too.”

“Hopefully,” Elgin agreed with a sigh. “All I know is that I’m glad it’s put to bed. After writing and re-writing, I’m frankly tired of looking at it. I just want to go somewhere and read someone else’s words for awhile.”

“You shouldn’t have pushed yourself with these edits. They could have waited until you’d recovered.”