He didn't know what to call the inner force that him in a way hisconscious mind couldn't. He memories to direct him.

No comparisons to guidelines to meet. No limits to his im/! tion. No endi) hh dedre.

The ferocity 'of his newfound feelings made thunder and his blood roar.

Ellca responded with an tensity of her own, taking him by surprise ofher fervor.

She became evelthln to him.

Unquenchable and wanton, demure and yielding. Seduction became a jointeffort, a matter of reaction. He gave, she received. She offeredEnraptured pleasure and ecstatic pain built like a growing hotter untilthe moment whet more.

Killer Smile He had to speak He had to call out her name. To make herhis, forever. The first love. The best love. The only love. His body andsoul screamed simultaneously.

Ellen moaned, then shuddered in his arms, her body quaking with the sameinvoluntary tremors that rocked him. Consumed by the effort, his feverbroke. Yet absolute consumption merely turned his fiery passion intoglowing embers, less intense than a flame but just as hot.

He realized the act of mo king love had become the ultimatedemonstration of Ellen's trust and acceptance of the man named Jack.

It relieved him, freeing him from the burden of proof. He knew he wasn'tHank, if merely for the fact Ellen wouldn't make love to Hank.

He knew his name was Jack because that's what she called him in the throes of their climax.

Simple, solid reasoning.

She stretched against him, and he could feel the reassuring beat of herheart. In the warmth of her arms, pain faded to no more than a badmemory relegated to a forgotten corner of Jack's mind. Spent, exhaustedand ex, periendng a sense of total surrender and triumph, he was contentto hold her and let his mind wander.

Images flashed behind his eyes, fleeting glimpses of faces and snatchesof voices.

"I love you."

"I can't live without you."

r won't live without you."

"You won't live without me."

And the last, an undeniable threat. "You won't live ..."

Chapter Seven.

The cabin looked different to Ellen.

She forgot all about the days when the walls closed in on her,overlooked the austerity of the simple furnishings. She failed toremember the chilling cold that seeped through the cracks in the floorduring the long, harsh winters. She dismissed the periods ofsoul-crushing loneliness.

All because of Jack.

The heady success of passion had overcome all obstacles, giving her anew rose-colored perspective on life and love. Jack offered her a chanceto replace bad memories with new ones. Memories of tenderness, ofdesire, of a level of fulfillment she had always assumed would be beyondher reach.

Safely immersed in a newfound cloud of satisfaction, she released a sighof contentment. Jack reacted by tight-erring his arm around her, an actthat quickly fanned her spark of interest into another flame of desire.

Fxnbarrassed by her ins affability she was nonetheless ready to joinwith him in intimacy again. She ran a hand through the hair on hischest, toying with muscles that flexed beneath her touch. Just as shethought he was about to respond to her invitation, he shuddered,released her his head A Killer Smile After years ofeaotional andphysical sterility, Ellen felt herself plunge from the dizzying heightof triumph to the depths of despair in the space of one heartbeat. Allof a sudden, she was forced to relive a young girl's insecurity when itcame to love, real or perceived.

Not love, she corrected herself.

Pussion.

Sexual attraction.

Her heart sank lower. Lust.

Fear threatened to fill the space where her sense of content merit hadresided only moments before.

Jack gave her a pained smile as he leaned over and placed a chaste kisson her forehead. Ellen wasn't sure she was ready to hear the answer, butshe asked the question anyway.

"Is something wrong, Jack?"

"Nothing, really." He seemed distant and distracted.

"It was just a bad dream."

"But you weren't asleep."

He shrugged.

"A bad daydream, then."

She, of all people, understood how the subconscious could overrule

someone's thoughts, even when awake. She'd suffered the same problem onmore than one occasion. An unchained imagination accounted for severalof the midventures of Tess and Jack. He ran a hand over his bristled cheek, then gave her a more assured smile. A moment later it deepened,as if he'd banished the thoughts that had interrupted his concentration.When he pulled her closer, sh tried to match him, curve for curve.

"Hmm ... you feel good." Jack toyed with her braid, holding it beneath his nose.

"You smell good." He played with the rubber band that bound the end of her hair, tugging it from the braid and shooting it across the room.

"I.

A Killer Smile A Killer Smile should have done this earlier." Combing

his fingers through the unraveling braid, Jack turned the tightly woven strands into shimmering, crimped waves of hair.

"Sit up for a minute."

When the quilt slipped and uncovered her, she felt no shame. The absence

of embarrassment surprised her.

Jack arranged her hair so it fanned out over her shoulders. He moved

back to admire his handiwork. "Beautiful." His voice was little more than a whisper.

"I could live in a place like this forever if it weren't for one little

thing."

"What?"

His provocative smile bordered on the wicked.

"You need a hot tub up here."

She grinned, feeling the heat begin to grow them again.

"I came to that conclusion a couple of years ago."

"How often do you have to pull yourself out of a snowbank and warm your

chilled toes by the fire?" He reached under the quilt and gave her foot

a quick tickle.

She motioned for him to come closer, then splayed her hand against his chest.

"As I recall, sir, my toes weren't the only things that were cold." She fingered the muse lea flexing beneath her palm.

"But I thought your handling my problem was ... sufficient."

"Just sufficient?" He brushed the hair from herders and began to trailkisses across the back of her neck, He spoke, sandwiching each wordbetween kisses. think about combining the two--you and me--in a hot tub." When she groaned, she had-no idea whether it was in response to themental picture she had of making love to Jack in a hot tub, or to thecaptivating sensation of his warming her." I have a tub." Ellen manageda strangled whisper. She leaned back as a wave of overpowering desiremade her gasp for air.

"We can ... heat the water ... " He gently pushed her against themetal bed frame, imprisoning her against the headboard.

"How long does it take?" He didn't wait for an answer. His lips capturedher total attention, melting her control.

"Too long ..." she whispered.

ELLEN WOULD HAVE STAYED in bed with Jack all day if Hermitt hadn'twhined to be let out. She got up and waited at the door impatiently,hopping from one foot to the other until he bounded back into the cabin,leaving messy tracks across the floor. Forgetting about their guest,Hermitt jumped onto the bed and shook the snow off into Jack's face.

Jack ruffled the dog's fur.

"You sure do know how to bust up a guy's good time, dog-breath. If youthink you're protecting her virtue, let me clue you in." He dragged thebig animal closer and spoke in a stage whisper.

"You're too late!"

She shifted her robe to cover her bare legs as she sat on the bed,scratching Hermitt under the chin.

"You're no protection, are you, boy?" The dog buried his nose in herhand, and his tail started a new tempo.

Jack shook his head.

"Don't be too sure about that. He became more than abit teriitoriai with me this morning. I thought he might decide to bite' first and askquestions later."

"Hermitt? Bite you?" She giggled at the mental image. "He might lick youto death or asphyxiate you with his terrible doggitosis, but I reallydoubt he'd bite."

"Oh, c'mon, Ellen. Cut my buddy here a little slack." Jack gave the doga resounding thump on his solid flank, A Killer Smile A Killer Smileshould have done this earlier." Combing his fingers through theunraveling braid, Jack turned the tightly woven strands into shimmering,crimped waves of hair.

"Sit up for a minute."

When the quilt slipped and uncovered her, she felt no shame. The absenceof embarrassment surprised her.

Jack arranged her hair so it fanned out over her shoulders. He moved back to admire his handiwork.

"Beautiful." His voice was little more than a whisper.

"I could live in a place like this forever if it weren't for one littlething."

"What?"

His provocative smile bordered on the wicked.

"You need a hot tub up here."

She grinned, feeling the heat begin to grow between them again.

"I came to that conclusion a couple of years ago."