His fingers caressed hers, but his words came out hard. "She didn't leave me." Passion- laced Irish tones spilled from his voice. "She was taken from me. I won't let that happen to you."

Clarissa allowed quiet to settle between them, the emotions crackling in the air full of potent sentiment and even sex. It would do little good to argue with him. This amazing, gorgeous, attentive,hot man wanted to keep her safe.

She couldn't help but smile.

The ache in her side had disappeared and other than being a little tired she felt great. A stirring in her stomach, this one more from desire than anything else, took her by surprise.Sharp carnal need flared into her body like a rocket explosion and she gasped.

"What is it? More pain?"

"No. Something else." She reached up and brushed her fingers over his mouth and tried to erase his displeasure.

His gaze intensified, fixating to her mouth as his nostrils flared a little and his pupils dilated. "Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?"

"As if you'd like me to lie with you right now."

"I would."

With a tiny snarl he moved in, his mouth molding to hers. He kissed her deeply, his tongue plunging and moving against hers. Her arms slipped around his waist and she moaned low in her throat. He pulled back and her arms dropped to her side.

"Clarissa, we can't. You need more time before we do this again."

Feeling bewildered and dazed by the high-impact sexual craving, she shook her head.

"Now."

A smile moved over his mouth, sexy, masculine and tender. "Ease down."

She didn't know if she could. "Do you think this has anything to do with what the seer and that Yusuf guy were talking about? Maybe this strange sickness is what happens before I'm able to help you with the ancient one."

"Maybe."

She yawned unexpectedly, and he said, "Get some sleep. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"But weshould be discussing what to do about the ancient one."

"I can do that with the others. Just get some rest and I'll check on you a little later."

"Stay." She glanced down at his jeans and noticed the hard length of his erection pressing against the fabric. "You really want to leave the room like that?"

He glanced down and then smiled. "I can't help it. It's what you do to me."

She knew what he needed and wanted to give it to him with everything inside her.

"Come here."

He walked toward her, wariness in his eyes. "Demanding wench."

His teasing tone said he didn't mean to offend, and she laughed softly. "Don't argue with me, vampire. Just get over here."

When he stood in front of her, she reached for his hips and tugged him closer. His growing erection strained against his jeans, and she ran her hand down over it.

He sucked in a breath and his hands landed on her shoulders. "Clarissa."

"Understand what I'm doing now?"

"I think I'm getting a clue."

He might have protested, if she hadn't unfastened his jeans in record time. Instead his eyes widened as she tugged his jeans down. She palmed his ass cheeks through his snug briefs as spirals of arousal obliterated all illness she'd experienced earlier.

"God, Clarissa." Ronan's eyes blazed down into hers as he slipped his fingers into her hair and caressed her scalp.

She grabbed the waistband on his briefs and pulled them down his hips. As he hissed in a breath, she stared without embarrassment or hesitation at the hard thickness that pulsed with need. Without waiting for a buildup, she moved him closer and slid her fingers around the base of his cock. She squeezed lightly and then slipped her mouth over him with one swallow. He groaned and the sound that erupted from him gave new meaning to the word feral. She glanced up at him as she licked and sucked. A rapt expression entered his eyes as yellow flames danced in his irises. As she slid her mouth over his cock, she grabbed the base and started a new motion. Her hand slid up as her mouth did, until they worked in combination to stroke his swollen flesh. Panting, he let his head fall back as recurrent moans worked from his throat.

Warm liquid moistened the aroused flesh between her thighs, the tight, drawing sensation telling her one thing. She didn't want to give him just a blowjob. No, not at all.

She leaned away and stood. The question in his eyes barely obliterated the heat.

Without hesitation she drew off her socks and her jeans, then whipped her sweater and bra off in a flash.

"Clarissa," he said with warning in his husky voice.

She felt untamed, unable to control the rocket sled quality of her craving. She didn't want preliminaries or foreplay but a quick, unbelievable coupling right this minute, right now.

"Do it now. I'm aching with it, Ronan, and if I don't feel you inside me soon, I'll have to take care of this myself."

Oh, yeah.

She heard his mental exclamation. He'd love to watch her masturbate, she knew, but more than anything she needed him tunneling inside her wetness. She wanted to grasp his large thickness and hold on tight while he caressed her hot walls.

His eyes flared up, a red glow that would have looked sinister if she didn't know he would never hurt her. Working quickly he got rid of his clothes, then urged her to lie on the bed.

"You're pushing me too far," he said.

"Oh?"

Without explanation he dug through her suitcase.

"What are you doing?" she asked him, certain he'd lost his mind.

"Aha. Just what I needed."

He turned and held up her fleece winter scarf and a polyester scarf she'd added in her case on impulse in case she needed to dress up a blouse.

Still, she didn't know what he wanted. "What are we doing?"

He didn't give her any explanation, almost as if he didn't hear her. Still, she'd tempted him into a quick lovemaking session and realized she had remarkable power over this vampire. Heady and excited by the idea, she closed her eyes.

Ronan turned her around. "Dog style."

No other man could make those two words sound sexy. Her arousal burned deeper and higher. Oh, yes. Dog style would do fine.