"Cassandra," he said against her shoulder. "If you don't tell me to stop, right now, I'm going to finish this."

His voice was totally level. She didn't know how he managed it. She was starting to pant.

Did she want this to happen? she thought. Was she ready to make love with someone else?

With Alex, of all people?

His hands dipped to her hips and squeezed, sending a lash of heat to the very core of her. Going on instinct, she wrapped a leg around one of his, rubbing herself against him. He groaned, a low rumble in his chest, and pulled back.

"Tell me to stop, Cassandra, or I'm going to take you to that bed outside."

She hesitated. And then whispered, "So take me."

He seemed to pale, as if her answer was the last one he'd expected. But then he opened the door. The rush of cool air cleared out most of the mist and did nothing for her brain. She was still floating in crazed disbelief, the whole experience having the hazy patina of a dream.

"Do you have any protection?" he asked.

Now that fazed her. Brought some reality into the dim room.

"Um, no, I don't. But I'm not...I'm clean." She hadn't been with anyone since Reese. And after she'd found out he was cheating, she hadn't made love with him, either. That was two years ago. But there was another aspect to safe sex, wasn't there? "And I...I won't get pregnant."

"They tested me for everything when I was in the hospital."

She gripped the edge of the towel. The implications of what they were going to do were suddenly very clear. Too clear. She backed away.

Alex followed, coming up to her and putting his hands to her face. His expression was harsh, but he was so very gentle as he sank his fingers into her hair and fanned it out along her shoulders. His eyes traced the waves as if he were memorizing how they looked. Then his head tilted down.

Giving up the fight, she opened her mouth, ready for his kiss, but he went for her earlobe, sucking on it, catching it between his teeth and tongue. He moved her around slowly until she felt something hit the backs of her calves. The bed. She let herself fall onto the mattress, and he eased himself down so he was lying side by side with her. There really wasn't enough space for them both, and his thigh moved up over her legs so he didn't fall off. The weight was daunting. And delicious.

She let go of the towel and found the lip of the fleece he was wearing. Sliding her hand inside, she felt hard muscle and soft skin. He surged at the contact, his legs shifting as he suddenly rolled on top of her. She parted for him, embracing him with her thighs.

His lips drifted down to the edge of the towel. With hands that shook, he pulled the thing off her and pitched it to the floor.

Alex stared at her breasts for so long she wondered if there was something wrong with them. When she lifted her hands to cover herself, he shook his head and pressed his lips to the valley at her sternum. His hand drifted up and caressed her, narrowing in until the tips of his fingers passed over one taut nipple. She gasped and arched and his mouth latched on to her, suckling, tugging sweetly.

Pleasure broke and she dragged her hands through his thick hair. His hips drove forward, his hardness pressing into her through his jeans, and then he moved to the side. His palm swept down her belly and on to her hip. When it moved to the inside of her thigh, the nerves kicked in.

They were moving so fast. It was all happening so- He found where she ached, touching her delicately with his big hand. As she shuddered from the heat, she looked up into his face. His eyes were closed, his expression rapt.

Without asking, he knew how she liked to be stroked and parted and circled. It wasn't long before she was crying out his name, trembling in the throes of the sensations he gave her. She gripped him and threw her head back, the pulsating release coming up on her fast and lingering for a long time.

When she drifted back into her body, she opened her eyes. Alex was looking down at her. Remote.

She frowned, wondering if she'd turned him off with her intensity. It had sure surprised her. She glanced down his body. No, he was definitely still aroused. But he was motionless.

"Alex? Are you...do you want to..."

For a crushing moment she thought he was going to leave. But then he shifted and she heard a zipper.

When he mounted her, the blunt feel of him brushing against her core made her dizzy, and her whole body tingled with anticipation. He entered her slowly, inching inside, a thick presence that took up all her inner space. When their hips met, he paused.

His body trembled so badly, the bed frame rattled.

"Alex? Are you okay?"

His arms came around her as he buried his head in her neck. He pulled back and then gently slid inside again.

She latched on to his shoulders, holding on tight, as sensation built inside of her again. The feel of him was incredible, his heavy weight, that hard length, his slow, flowing movements.

But then he stopped, and withdrew abruptly.

He got off the bed and turned away, doing up his pants.

Seeing him fully clothed while she was naked kicked off a cold tidal wave in her veins and illuminated some particulars that she'd missed.

He hadn't kissed her. He hadn't even been naked with her.

And he hadn't been able to finish.

Cassandra was dressed and out the door in a minute and a half.

The fact that he didn't stop her, didn't say a word, wasn't a surprise. He hadn't talked to her during the sex, either. Except for that clinical safety conversation.

Had they even had sex?

She ran to the Range Rover, fired the thing up and threw it in reverse. As she hit the gas, she realized she'd left her cell phone and clipboard in the shop.

Yeah, like she was going back in there tonight.

As the Rover's headlights swung around, they pierced the picture window. Alex was sitting at the desk, head in his hands.

He looked as if he were...sobbing.

She was so struck by his utter dejection, her foot eased up on the gas.

But then it hit her.

Of course he feels awful, she thought.

He'd just cheated on his Miracle woman, the one he loved, hadn't he?

Alex didn't know how long he sat in the chair, blinking back tears he refused to let fall.

Crying wasn't only a worthless thing to do. It was another kind of self-serving release he refused to let himself have.

Oh, God...had that really just happened? Had he truly done that to her?

Yes, he thought. He could still smell her glorious passion on him.

It had been so wrong of him. And felt so perfect.

Her body was even more beautiful than his dreams had made it out to be, and her skin was even softer, especially where her hot secrets were kept. When she'd flown apart in his arms, he'd watched her with greed, thinking this was what he had always wanted. His name coming out of her lips because of what he was doing to her.

For those few moments he'd joined them, he'd known paradise. She was so very tight that every stroke had been a revelation of ecstasy, like nothing he'd ever had, nothing he'd find again. Pulling back from her had nearly killed him. He'd been right in the very beginnings of a shattering release, the pulses just starting to take his breath away, when he'd stopped.

Because how could he empty himself into her body, knowing what he did? It would be tantamount to violating her, because she would deny him if she knew the truth.

From somewhere in the shop, a cell phone rang. The tone wasn't his.

He looked up. She'd left hers behind. Forgotten it along with the clipboard in her rush to leave.

Dear Lord, what she must think of him. And how she must feel, to have been left on the bed like that. He should do something.

Except, what were his options? What could he say to her to make things better?

I stopped because you deserve so much better than a savage like me coming inside of you.

The phone fell silent, only to ring again. On the fourth round of chiming, he went over and flipped it open.

Before he could say a word, a male voice blasted into his ear.

"Cass, what's wrong? That message you just left sounded damned scary."

O'Banyon.

Alex went cold.

"Hello?" O'Banyon said.

"She's at Gray's."

There was a long silence and then that male voice dropped down a register. "Why do you have Cass's phone, Moorehouse?"

"She left it at the site." Which was technically true. "Do you have Gray's number?"

"Do you know why she was crying tonight?"

Ah...hell. Alex dragged a hand through his hair.

"What the hell did you do to her?" O'Banyon snarled.

"Do you have Gray's number?"

"So help me God, Moorehouse, I'm not going to allow you to grind her up. I'll come north tonight and drag her back to Manhattan if I have to."

"Suit yourself, O'Banyon. I won't stand in your way. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to hang up on you and turn this phone off. Your voice in my ear is nothing I want to fall asleep to."

After he'd shut the cell down, Alex went straight for the scotch bottle and poured himself a tall one. He was halfway through it when he picked up his phone and called Spike.

"Hey, man, what's doing?" the guy said.

"I need a favor."

"Anything."

"Could you come by tomorrow morning early? Cassandra left her cell phone and her clipboard at the site. She's leaving to go back to the city and she'll want to take them with her."

"No problem. But why can't she just pick them up herself on the way out of town?"

"She's not going to want to be here for a little while." Alex took a long drink. The scotch burned its way down to his gut.

"Why?"

"You ever done something you wished you could undo?"

Spike laughed softly. "You better believe it."

"Well, she's done something she wishes she hadn't, you know what I mean? I want to make it easy for her."

There was a long pause. "So it's like that, is it?"

Alex finished the glass. "Yeah. And then some."

Spike let out a long exhale. "I'll see you bright and early in the a.m."

"Thanks."

Alex put the glass down and eyed the bed. He stripped naked, letting his clothes fall where they chose to, and threw back the sheets and blankets. As he stretched out, he could smell her scent on his pillow.

Chapter Ten.

On New Year's Eve, Cass hit the directional signal and eased the Range Rover off the Northway and onto the Saranac Lake exit. Her time away from White Caps had gone by fast, but it had done her some good. When she'd left before Christmas, she'd been raw. Now she was just bruised.

"So, Cass, tomorrow's your birthday, isn't it?" Sean said, glancing across the seats. "New Year's Day."

Sean had proved to be a godsend over the holidays. He'd insisted she come to his place for all of Christmas day. His brother, Billy, had been there as well, visiting from their hometown of Boston, and the three of them had had a great time. Billy was a linebacker for the New England Patriots, and considering his size, he no doubt lived up to his nickname of Boneyard on the field. But around her he'd been a total gentleman.

And so had Sean.