"I'm waiting."

She inhaled deeply, took a couple of steps to him, flattened her hands against his chest, looked up into his eyes and then told him calmly, "So am I."

Ramsey's self-control snapped and the speed in which his mouth swept down on Chloe's had his head spinning. But the twirling stopped and was replaced by an explosion going off in his skull the moment his tongue was planted firmly in her mouth.

She tasted like the strawberry cake she had baked on Thursday and he was tempted to eat her mouth with the same greediness with which he'd consumed that slice of cake. And when his tongue began lapping her up, savoring every inch of her mouth, exploring every nook and cranny, he heard the moan that escaped from her throat. Her delicious taste consumed him, went to his head, speared every part of his body and enflamed his senses.

And he still wanted to draw her deeper into himself.

The hard throbbing of his erection was letting him know that kissing her would not be enough. His control was eroding and taking his sanity right along with it, while at the same time his hunger was being escalated. And his body, every nerve ending, every cell, was demanding to be fed. He suddenly pulled his mouth away, needing more. And needing it now.

"Ramsey?"

Her voice was soft, her breath hot, and the sound of his name from her lips was as sweet as her taste. He knew at that moment he had to remove her clothes and the thought of taking off that skirt and getting between those legs sent a shudder through every part of him.

He knew there was no way he could make it up the stairs to his bedroom. The sofa would have to do. It was st.u.r.dy and strong which was a good thing because she was in for a hard ride. He had given her fair warning, but she hadn't taken it. Soon enough she would discover just what she had unleashed.

The air surrounding them was thick with s.e.xual tension. The rush of sensations that were pounding through his veins and making his insides quiver, drove him to reach out and draw her back close to him. His hands began moving, roaming all over her and lifting her short skirt to touch the backside he enjoyed looking at so much.

He felt her shiver in his arms, heard her say his name again and with the sound of the hunger he heard in her voice, more than ever before, consumed him. He needed to kiss her again, let his tongue stroke inside her mouth while his hands stroked her flesh.

That wasn't enough.

Suddenly, his hands went to her blouse, his fingers gripped the fabric and with one hard tug ripped it from her body.

Chloe gasped and when she saw the intensity of desire that burned in Ramsey's eyes she knew her blouse was just the beginning. He proved her right when his hands reached for her bra. Blood surged through her veins when he opened the front clasp, freeing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, but not for long.

After pulling the bra off her shoulders and tossing it aside, he took the twin mounds in his hands as if testing their softness and shaping their fullness. And then he lowered his mouth to capture a puckered nipple into his hot mouth. The moment his tongue touched the tip, sucked it deep, she dug her nails into his shoulders as sensations ripped through her. Intense pleasure trailed not far behind and caused her nipples to harden even more.

"Ramsey..." She whispered his name, barely able to stand on her feet any longer as he attacked her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with his mouth like a starving man.

Instead of answering, with his mouth still on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, he moved his hands downward to raise her skirt. His fingers found the crotch of her panties. The moment he touched the drenched spot she moaned, but not before she heard his rough growl. He pulled back, released her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and gripped her skirt to pull it down her hips.

Within seconds she was standing in front of him wearing nothing more than wet panties. He took a step back to remove his shirt, popping b.u.t.tons in his haste, before stripping it from his shoulders. His naked chest was perfect and she couldn't help moving, closing the distance and reaching out to rake her nails across the hard, muscled hairy chest, liking the feel beneath her fingertips.

He captured her hand and holding her gaze he began licking her fingers, one by one. His tongue felt hot against her sensitive flesh and she shuddered when sensations tore through her.

"You like that?" His voice was heavy, deep, s.e.xy.

She could only nod.

"You enjoy my tongue on you?"

"Yes," she whispered, barely able to get out the single word.

"Good, now let's see how you enjoy my tongue in in you." you."

He eased down in front of her and holding her hips he leaned forward, pressed his nose against the crotch of her panties, as if to inhale her scent. And then he flicked out his tongue and it felt blazing hot against the silky material. Pleasure eased over her and she felt on the verge of exploding.

Ramsey leaned back and looked up to hold her gaze as he began easing her panties down her legs. When she stepped out of them he could only lean farther back on his haunches and look at her up and down, fighting hard to breathe while doing so.

He was mesmerized. Her legs seemed endless. They were beautiful, shapely, alluring. They were silky smooth and should never be covered with a pair of leggings again. Unable to hold out any longer, he reached out and touched her legs, stroked them up and down, front and back, the pad of his fingers reveling in the feel of her skin. These were legs that were making him harder just looking at them. Legs he wanted wrapped around him tight, holding him inside her body while he thrust in and out of her.

But first, he had to taste her.

Leaning in closer his hands slid to her hips as he angled his mouth to her center. Instinctively, she parted her thighs and when he gently opened her up and his tongue delved inside her, she clung to him to hold on, which to him was a good thing.

His tongue swiped at her a couple of times before going for the gusto, stroking her, licking her and sucking with an intensity he felt all the way to the exquisitely painful tip of his erection. She began moving against his mouth and he gripped her hips tighter to hold her steady and then his hands shifted and went to her rump, gripping it and pushing her closer to his mouth, while at the same time he lifted her legs off the floor to wrap around his shoulders, cupping her backside in the palms of his hands for support. Keeping his mouth locked to her his tongue was having a field day, licking her into pleasure, deliberately searing her senses. She clenched her hands to the side of his head, moaned his name over and over. And then she began to shudder. He felt it. He tasted it. And he didn't intend to remove his mouth from her until he'd gotten his fill.

Moments later he pulled his mouth away, untangled her legs from around his shoulders and eased her down with him to the floor. He glanced over at her and licked his lips. "Delicious," he whispered in a throaty voice.

She had been more than delicious. She was incredible. The taste and heat of her was still on his tongue. At that moment, something inside him snapped. The need to join his body with hers was monumental.

He released a growl before he shifted his body, capturing her mouth the moment he could do so. He was going to take her, give them both pleasure, have them exploding all over the place, and his erection throbbed violently in antic.i.p.ation.

He couldn't get out of his jeans quickly enough and she didn't help matters when she began nipping on his shoulders, as if branding him hers. Hers Hers. A groan left his chest when she bit down and he stared at her. She gave him one h.e.l.l of a naughty smile not the least regretful. "I'm going to make you pay for that," he promised in a deep voice. With that said, he kicked his jeans away and pulled her to him.

"Condom?"

"d.a.m.n." Her mention of protection made him realize just how over the edge he was and the risk he had been about to take. Looking around for his jeans he quickly found them and fumbled through the pockets until he located his wallet. He found a condom packet, not wanting to think just how long it had been in there and hoping like h.e.l.l it would still be effective.

Ripping open the packet he quickly sheathed himself knowing her eyes were glued to him and watching every move he made. When he was finished, he went back to her, pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, hungrily and wildly.

He hadn't expected this. He hadn't expected a need erupting inside him so intense that he felt driven to make love to her in a way he hadn't ever made love to a woman before. She was demanding something from him, pulling it out effortlessly and he knew the only way he would be totally satisfied was when he was embedded deeply inside of her.

He pulled his mouth from hers, reveling in a need so intense he was goaded into immediate action. She was so responsive, filled with as much pa.s.sion as he was feeling and he wanted her now. He shifted their bodies to place her beneath him, pressing her back on the rug. Ramsey spread her legs with his knee. Gripping her hips tight in his hands, he surged inside of her, going deep, all the way to the hilt.

He watched her eyes widen at the intrusion and when he began moving, thrusting inside of her, her gaze became filled with a pleasure that touched his soul and made his erection throb even more inside of her.

Her heat surrounded him. Her muscles clenched him, pulled everything out of him; made pleasure build inside of him, gather in his shaft, and he felt snug inside of her, like it was where he belonged.

He began moving harder. Going faster. Thrusting deeper. And when he called out her name the sound detonated like a bomb. He exploded at the same moment she did. Pleasure ripped through them both and he gripped her hips tighter as he drove even deeper inside of her.

"Chloe."

Her name was a guttural sound off his lips and he moved his hands from her hips to her hair as he filled her with his release. Shivers ran down his spine and he could only sigh as sensations filled him to capacity.

And when he eased up to take her mouth in his, he promised himself that sometime tonight, they would make it to the bedroom.

Eight.

Sometime hours later, they made it to the bedroom. Barely. The most difficult part in getting there had been the stairs. Ramsey couldn't recall ever making love to anybody on stairs. He was a more traditional guy. But there had been nothing traditional about anything he and Chloe had done tonight, and even now as he lay flat on his back while she slept literally on top of him, he couldn't help but think about everything that had happened from the time Chloe had returned.

He'd been keyed up, part angry and part fighting an intense desire that had been eating away at him since the moment he first laid eyes on her. And when she had walked through the door tonight, and he'd seen her...and her bare legs, he had tried smothering his desire with anger by lashing out at her in a subject matter that really hadn't made any sense. That hadn't worked. And he was glad it hadn't. If she had taken the option to walk out that door, he probably would have died then and there. His need for her was so strong, so intense that even now he was getting hard all over again.

He was tempted to wake her but he would let her rest. She deserved every second that she slept. The woman was amazing and had more pa.s.sion than he could ever imagine any woman having. She had met his every thrust and fueled his pa.s.sion in a way that even now made him breathless. She had ridden him to the point of madness and it was only after their pa.s.sion had exploded in a gigantic maelstrom that she had slumped down on top of him. She hadn't moved since.

He could only marvel at the soft body on top of him and even now their bodies were still intimately connected. He inhaled, taking in her scent. Her bare b.r.e.a.s.t.s pressing deep into his chest and her legs, those legs that had been his downfall earlier, were entwined in his. He closed his eyes to sleep awhile.

Ramsey wasn't sure just how long he'd slept, but when he lifted his lids it was to stare into a gorgeous pair of dark eyes. At the realization that she was awake, his body immediately became aroused. His erection jerked to life inside of her and from her expression he knew she felt it the moment he had.

He saw the rush of heat that inflamed her features and that same heat was there in the depths of the eyes staring down at him. Together they felt his shaft continue to expand inside of her, stretching her fully to accommodate him totally.

And when her muscles began clenching him, he knew it was time to start moving. But not until he was on top. She was the one who'd ridden the last go around and now it was his turn. He gritted his teeth as she continued to clench his hardness and to get control of his mind and senses. He began sliding his hand up and down her back, loving the feel of the soft texture of her skin. And then when he knew he had her absolute attention, he flipped her onto her back.

Surprise lit her eyes. "Hey! That's not fair."

Ramsey smiled, deciding he wouldn't waste time arguing with her, not when he wanted to make love to her, ride her, pump inside of her over and over again.

Automatically, she wrapped her legs around his waist and when she smiled up at him, he knew before it was all said and done, she was going to drain everything out of him. It was hard to believe they had already made love several times that night. In fact, except for the time he'd allowed her to sleep, they had made love nonstop.

When he pushed himself deeper inside of her, the groan that curled in her throat triggered something within him and he began moving, lifting up her hips to receive his strong strokes. His thrusts were fine-tuned, primitively precise and painstakingly deliberate.

"Ramsey." She moaned out his name over and over while thrashing her head back and forth against the bedcovers.

"Look at me, Chloe," he said in a guttural groan and when she did, and her eyes clashed with his, his grip tightened on her hips and what he saw in her gaze ignited something within him to the point where he felt consumed in fire, torched by desire. But he didn't stop. He continued going, moving in and out of her, needing her, wanting her and determined to consume her the way she was totally consuming him.

Chloe actually felt every muscle in her body, every single vein that ran through her, become electrified, gush with a need so extreme that she could only shiver, shudder in pleasure as Ramsey continued to drive deep and hard inside of her.

And when he leaned forward to capture her lips, she felt the sensations that started at her center, tear straight up her legs and went all the way to her toes. And like all the other times when they kissed, he took her mouth with a mastery that had her as responsive to a man as any woman could be. She wrapped her legs around him even tighter, locking him into her body.

She held tight to his shoulders, clung to him as he wrapped his tongue around hers while imitating the same rhythm of his thrusts below. She had never experienced pa.s.sion this hot, this torrid, this out-of-body uncivilized. It was as if she was being sucked into a raging sea of unrestrained fervor, a heated craze that had her body literally begging for more, and she was showing him just how much more by the way she was lifting herself off the mattress to meet his every turbulent thrust.

She wanted this. She needed this. And the necessity of her desire had become essential, a crucial desperation. There was nothing trivial about the way she was feeling and when she suddenly felt herself tumbling headlong into an abyss of sensations that had her screaming his name, she shuddered straight into a climax that rocked her world. And when he finally let go of her mouth to throw his head back and let out a guttural growl, she was thrown off the edge all over again and together they went skyrocketing into another mind-blowing o.r.g.a.s.m.

He tightened his hold on her, gripped more securely to her hips and locked their bodies into a bond of sensual fulfillment. She felt him totally and completely, and there was no part of her left untouched. Unconsumed. Not taken.

And when he leaned up to take her mouth again, she was very much aware of one major thing. He was breaking through her barriers and making her feel things that were emotional as well as physical. She had never intended for such a thing to happen. But it had, and as he continued to kiss her in a way that she felt all the way to her toes, he had proven that he could could put a smile of satisfaction on her face all by himself. put a smile of satisfaction on her face all by himself.

Although he didn't plan for it to happen, Ramsey slept later than usual the next morning. It was only when he heard the sound of a man's laughter, namely his brother Zane's, that Ramsey realized he was in bed alone. He didn't recall Chloe getting out of it. Had exhaustion knocked him into a dead sleep? He'd never been a sound sleeper before and was known to be an early riser. But then he'd never had s.e.x all night with a woman before either.

He slid out of bed. It was not his intent for Chloe to prepare breakfast alone and he had meant to help. It was the least he could do when his voracious s.e.xual hunger had kept her up most of the night. Granted he wasn't an ace in the kitchen like she was, but he could at least follow directions.

Before heading for the bathroom for a quick shower he glanced over at the clock on the nightstand and frowned. It was just a little past four, so what the h.e.l.l was Zane doing here already? And if Zane was here that meant so was Derringer and Jason because the three were thick as thieves. And he wouldn't be surprised if Callum wasn't downstairs, too. The four had shown up early one day last week. The day they had walked in on his kissing Chloe. It had been a second occurrence for his brothers and is what had prompted him to start putting distance between him and Chloe. A lot of good that did.

And as he stepped in the shower he did know one thing for certain: He wouldn't be putting distance between them any longer.

"Come on, Chloe, there's no way that brother of mine is still asleep. Ramsey wouldn't know how to sleep late even if it killed him," Zane was saying. He held his coffee cup midway to his lips, looked over at Chloe a little too long to suit her, before a smile touched his lips. "Unless..."

Instead of finishing what he was about to say, his smile widened as he took a sip of his coffee and then continued eating. Chloe was grateful for that although she wasn't sure what Zane Westmoreland was thinking at that moment. And she was grateful for the conversation going on between Jason, Derringer and Callum and the fact they hadn't heard Zane's comment. But because they knew Ramsey just as well as Zane, they had to be wondering the same thing. Why was he still in bed asleep?

She was beginning to feel uneasy. Had Zane or any of the others seen pa.s.sion marks on her neck? Were they wondering why she was wearing a scarf of all things this morning? When she had eased out of bed careful to not wake Ramsey, and had gone back to her bedroom to take a shower, she had been appalled at all the marks Ramsey's stubble had made all over her body. And then there were some he had intentionally made. Specifically, the ones on her neck. It was as if he had been determined to mark her as his and the very thought of that sent shivers down her spine.

"About time you got out of bed, Ram. What are you? Sick or something?"

Chloe heard the smirk in Derringer's voice and turned to see that Ramsey had walked into the kitchen. He was wearing nothing but his jeans that hung low on his hips, and her breath stopped and her pulse leaped at the sight of his broad shoulders and bare chest. His feet were also bare and the thatch of dark hairs on his chest was damp, which indicated he'd just gotten out of the shower.

Ignoring his brothers, cousin and friend, his gaze was on her and without acknowledging their presence he made his way to where she stood. Before she could finally release her breath, he leaned over and kissed her in front of them.

There was what seemed to be shocked silence in the room. At least she thought there was, but the only sure thing she knew at that moment was that he was kissing her in front an audience. It wasn't a long kiss, but if he'd intended to make a point, he most certainly had. And when he finally pulled his mouth away, she stared up into a face that was smiling in a way that showed both dimples.

"Good morning, Chloe."

If the kiss hadn't done her in, then his throaty and husky voice definitely would have. She forced herself to begin breathing normally and said, "Good morning, Ramsey."

With his arms still locked around her waist, he turned toward the four men sitting at his breakfast table. "Is there a reason the four of you feel you should be getting preferential treatment for breakfast? Especially when three of you aren't employed by me."

Zane smiled. "But we're family."

Ramsey nodded slowly. "Just make sure you remember that when dealing with Chloe in the future."

Derringer lifted a brow. "So that's how things are going to be from now on?"

"Yes," Ramsey said without a smile on his face. "That's how things are going to be from now on."

Chloe's eyes were glued to Ramsey as her gaze ran over him. Her attention was directed to him so much that she missed part of what he'd said to the others. All she knew was that when she glanced at the men, they were staring at her as if with new insight. Subconsciously, she reached for her scarf to adjust it around her neck, wondering if they were seeing far more than she wanted them to see.

Deciding the mood around her had turned much too serious, she pulled out of Ramsey's arms and said, "I suggest you go put on a shirt. I'm about to fry some more bacon and I'd hate for popping grease to hit you."

She saw the grin on his face and was almost taken back at how different his att.i.tude was from last week. It was a vast improvement. Would one night of mind-blowing lovemaking do that to you? She would be one of the first to admit that whereas she should feel tired because of the brevity of sleep the night before, she felt renewed energy running through her body. Although she had to force herself out of bed, after having slept wrapped in Ramsey's arms, once she had begun moving around the kitchen she had actually felt rejuvenated.

"Thanks for the warning," he said, and leaning closer he placed a sensuous peck on her lips before strolling out of the kitchen. The swagger on his walk was enough to give any woman heart failure, while making her wonder just what he could do with that swaggering body beneath the sheets. She knew the answer to that firsthand and remnants of pleasure flowed through her body from the memory.

Pulling in a deep breath she glanced at the four men who were staring at her. They had become a bunch of regulars during breakfast and lunch, always arriving earlier than everyone to chat with her and with each other.

From their conversations she knew about the horse breeding and training business Zane, Derringer and Jason were about to embark on, as well as the fact that Callum was in no hurry to return to Australia, although she hadn't figured out why.

Clearing her throat, she asked, "Would any of you like anything else? More coffee?"

Before they could respond, she could hear vehicles pulling up in the yard. She was grateful her day was about to begin and welcomed the opportunity to stay busy.