“How barbaric and completely chauvinistic. What about your independence?”

He grinned. “That doesn’t bother me.”

“I’m sure,” she said dryly. “Because you consider it totally inviolate. Not fair, Cameron.”

“No, but I’m trying to give as much as I can.” His fingers started gently plucking. “I know I can’t have it all my own way.”

Heat was spreading from his fingers to her entire lower body, and she had to steady her voice. “Why even discuss it? It’s only sex and really has nothing to do with who we are. Who I am. This isn’t me. Do you think I do this all the time? You managed to sweep me away, and I’m still dizzy from it. But I’ll come to my senses. So will you.”

“Will I?” He leaned forward, and his lips touched her belly. “I don’t think so. I’m caught. I don’t even want to be free.” He licked delicately. “So I’ll just have to find a way to have you. Get used to the idea.”

She closed her eyes as her entire body started to ready. “It’s only sex,” she repeated. “And you’ll become bored. I’m just another woman in your life.”

“Neither of us is going to become bored.” His fingers were moving down. “We started out with something pretty incredible, and I’ll keep fanning the flame until it gets so high, it will burn us both to touch it.”

She was burning now. His fingers were doing something strange, wickedly erotic … “Cameron.”

“You like that?” He rubbed his cheek against her belly, and she felt the faint bearded roughness. “I told you I’d take my time from now on. Providing I can keep control. I believe I can hold on. I told you I was forced to limit sexual encounters to prostitutes, and that may have advantages for you. I was taught many, many ways. There are so many things I can do with my hands and mouth…” Pressure. Two fingers. His thumb. “And I can do them for hours and hours.” Three fingers. He pressed hard with his thumb.

She cried out and lunged upward as an explosion of pure lust shot through her.

“Shh, it’s just starting.” He was rubbing, pressing, pinching. “I love to see you like this. Will you believe that it’s the only control I want to have over you?”

Her head was moving back and forth on the couch in an agony of need. “No, I don’t—believe you.”

“Well, right now.” He whispered, “And perhaps, if I bring you enough pleasure, you’ll let me share that beautiful mind while I’m inside your body. That would be spectacular. There’s a thousand sensations and emotions I could give you if you permit me to do that.”

“No.” She could barely speak as she clenched helplessly around his fingers. “Dangerous.”

“Not if you trust me.”

She shook her head.

“You’re trusting me to do this to you. That’s only another step.” He looked up at her and coaxed, “It would please me. Sometimes I think I love that mind of yours better than I do your body.” He leaned forward and licked her nipple. “And then I realize that I can have both if I work hard at it.”

“You can’t have either.” Dear heaven, his fingers, intricate, knowing … She hadn’t known anyone could do that …

“Yes, I can. Just look at us. Right now, this is strictly on loan. But I’m working toward making it a permanent arrangement.” His lips returned to her belly. “But you’re distracting me, I’m not working hard enough. I have to see if I can make you want to please me as much I’m pleasing you.” His breath was warm and heavy as he moved down. “What do you think, Catherine?”

Don’t scream. Don’t scream. Don’t scream.

She screamed.

CHAPTER

16

Something was wrong.

Something was missing.

Cameron wasn’t with her.

Catherine’s eyes flew open.

No, he hadn’t left her. He was standing in front of the window staring out into the darkness.

Still naked, buttocks tight, shoulders back, and legs slightly parted.

“What are you looking at?” She raised herself on one arm. “Is it getting light?”

“No.” He looked over his shoulder. “Not for another hour or so.” He smiled. “I was just putting space between us, so that I could give you a little rest. But you didn’t doze long.”

Because she had grown so accustomed to his body next to her, in her, that it had disturbed her not to have him there. During those last hours, the sexual intensity had been unremitting, and they had not been able to get enough of each other. She had never known that animal wildness and mindless need. The various forms of exotic play he’d used to bring her to the edge of sexual madness had been fantastic and exhausting. She had never responded to anyone as she had Cameron. Even now, looking at him, she felt a heaviness and swelling in her breasts and a deep throbbing where his hands had brought her to climax so many times before he’d allowed himself to thrust inside her.

Madness, indeed. She drew a shaky breath and sat up on the couch. “I’ve got to get back to the house.”

“We have time.” He looked away from her again. “You didn’t let me share your mind. I wanted very badly to do that, Catherine. Were you that much afraid of me?”

“No, you were taking enough. You didn’t need to take that, too.”

“I would have given, not taken, Catherine. I could have taken anyway, but I didn’t want you to throw it back at me later. I’m trying hard. You don’t know how hard.” He turned and strolled toward her. “Let me show you that I can give. I want you again.”

She could see that. She looked away from him and got to her feet and turned to gather her clothes. “No, it’s over. I’m a woman with responsibilities. I don’t go creeping into a house at daybreak. Particularly not when my son is in that house.”

“I’ll be quick.” He was behind her and reached around to cup her breasts. “You want me, too.”

“Yes.” And if she stood here and let him touch and rub against her, she would give in to that need. She had been helpless before Cameron’s skill and her own sexual attraction toward him all night. It had to end. She stepped away from him. “But I don’t always do what I want.” She felt his gaze on her as she headed quickly toward the tiny bathroom at the back of the summerhouse. She closed the door and leaned against it. She’d give herself a few minutes before she washed and started to dress. God, she wanted to open the door and go out there and begin that sexual rhapsody all over again.

She wouldn’t do it.

Cameron was dangerous to her in too many ways.

She stepped to the vanity and began to run the water. It was over. Leave him and become Catherine Ling again.

Ten minutes later, she braced herself, opened the door, and came out of the bathroom. Cameron was sitting on the couch, still naked, gazing at her without expression.

“You’re still barefoot,” he said. “Your shoes are under the couch. I saw them a minute ago. You’d better put them on before you leave. Bare feet aren’t suitable for creeping into houses either. Much worse than the idea of coming in at the crack of dawn.”

“I was just coming out to get them.”

“I’ll do it.” He got up and picked up her shoes and brought them to her. “What sensible shoes.” He knelt down and picked up her foot and slipped them into the flat. “You have wonderful, shapely feet. I didn’t pay enough attention to them tonight. The feet have a number of pleasure zones.” His fingers moved teasingly on her instep as he put her other foot into the mate. “Next time.”

She didn’t answer as she turned toward the door. “You’ll let me know when you hear anything about Kadmus?”

“Of course; nothing has changed in that direction. I’ll do my job. You’ll do your job. Erin will be saved. Kadmus will die.” He was suddenly beside her and whirling her back against the door. His eyes were glittering, and he was no longer without expression. Anger. Frustration. Desire. Yes, definitely desire. “But everything has changed with us, hasn’t it, Catherine?” His voice was hoarse and clipped. “You can walk away, but you’re not going to forget me. You’re going to remember everything I did to you and with you. You’re going to know that every time I look at you, I’m going to remember the taste of your breasts and want to take them out and hold them. You’ll know that if I get a chance, no matter where we are, in a car or a room or even in a ditch, I’ll do what I did tonight. I knew I wasn’t going to have another chance for hours alone with you. But I’ll make do.” His lips covered her own, savage, open, taking, giving. “And you’ll want it and take me. Because neither one of us can help what we’re feeling.” He turned away. “Now go and be a good mother to Luke, a good friend to Hu Chang, Venable’s best agent. In the end, we’ll be together, and you’ll be just mine. I’ll try to stay away from you for a while so that I can look at you without showing how I’m feeling.” He added tightly, “Which probably won’t happen.”