He smeared that one away, too, and followed it with another kiss. "He's tough."

I shook my head. "He just acts tough cuz he doesn't want anyone to know the truth," I said, and felt my mouth tremble. "He's really very sensitive. People just don't understand ..."

He kissed the corner of my mouth. Feelings raced through me like agitated chipmunks.

"I'm just glad you weren't here," he said.

"But he was all alone. Sometimes he feels like there's no one in the whole world for ..." I hiccuped once.

He tugged my legs over his, pulling me against his chest. Our faces were inches apart now.

"There's someone," he said, and stared into my eyes.

I stared back, breathless. "Who?"

"Me," he said, and kissed my lips with feathery lightness.

"You care about ..." I blinked. My lashes felt heavy. My mind soggy. "Harlequin?"

"More than you know," he said, and kissed the point of my chin.

"Yeah?"

"More than I should," he said.

"Why?" I asked.

"You should rest," he said. "Do you mind if I take this off?" he asked, touching my jacket.

I shook my head. "Why shouldn't you like him so well?" I asked.

His fingers made quick work of the b.u.t.tons. "It's distracting," he said, and lifted his eyes slowly to my face. They looked kind of smoky.

"How so?"

His fingers played up the front of my sleeveless silk blouse. "I'm constantly worrying about him." The tips of his fingers brushed the skin exposed in the V of my shirt.

"Yeah?"

He kissed me there. I tried to stifle a sigh, but I may have failed. "He's got to be more careful," he said.

"Maybe he's got a lot on his mind."

He pushed my collar aside a little and kissed my neck. "What's he thinking about?"

I canted my head to the left. "Laney's wedding. I'm just not ... he's he's not ready for her to get married." not ready for her to get married."

"You're right. He is is sensitive." sensitive."

I considered nodding, but didn't want to interfere with the magic he was working on my neck.

"She's Brainy Laney b.u.t.terfield with a big-a.s.s wedding at the Pavilion, which is all wrong for her, by the way. And she's marrying the Geekster. The Geekster! If he's the best she she can find ..." I let my voice trail off. can find ..." I let my voice trail off.

He pulled away a couple of inches and found my eyes with his. "Then what hope is there for you?"

"For Harlequin," I corrected, and he grinned.

The expression tweaked something in my gut. Maybe that's why I didn't immediately notice that he had loosed the top b.u.t.ton of my blouse. But when he tipped his head and kissed the tight valley between my b.o.o.bs, I was pretty much aware.

In fact, I may have gasped.

"I think there are good things in store," he said.

I seemed to be gripping the hair at the back of his head with my right hand. Not sure how that had happened. "Yeah?" I rasped.

His eyes were steaming. Swear to G.o.d. "Yeah," he said.

"When?"

"How about now?" he asked.

I felt every hormone in my body do the rain dance. They would have done the fertility dance, but they couldn't remember the steps.

He was rising to his feet, me in his arms.

"Do you hear a phone?" I asked.

"No."

"Do you have yours with you?"

"You want me to call Harlequin?"

"I want you to flush it down the toilet," I said.

He chuckled. The sound sent a little thrill of excitement screaming from my ears to my belly b.u.t.ton.

"Maybe we could just ignore it."

"Hasn't happened in the past."

"You weren't crying in the past," he said, and stepped toward the bedroom.

"Seriously?" I said. "That's all it would have taken? A few tears?"

"What can I say? I'm a sucker for drippy women."

The path to my bedroom had never been so long. I could feel every breath that left my body.

"Had I known that, I could have faked a flood."

He set me on the bed. It creaked a little beneath my weight, but only sighed at his. "You're not going to have to fake anything," he said, and kissed me.

27.

A man's world? Are you s.h.i.tting me? It hasn't been a man's world since Eve showed up naked.-Jack Rivera, post-coital The world spun to a slow halt while Rivera and I kissed.

"You sure you don't hear a phone?" I asked when he pulled away. There must be a phone. There was always a phone.

"Not ringing," he said, and pulling his cell from his pocket, held it up for inspection. "Where's yours?"

"I think I dropped it when the lamp broke."

"I'll take care of them," he said, and headed into the living room. In a moment he was back, sans phones.

"They're gone?"

"Under the sofa cushions."

"I must be either dead or dreaming," I said.

"You're not dead," he said, approaching the bed, then slowly kissed me again.

I reached up and undid his shirt. His chest was smooth and hard and pretty.

"Maybe I'm in heaven," I said, gazing up at it.

"The rest of me is even better," he said.

"Really?"

"Want to see?"

"More than anything," I said, and he stood up and undid his jeans. In a minute he was naked.

I sat there staring and hoping I wouldn't burst into tears again.

"You okay?" he asked. He looked unG.o.dly comfortable in all his naked glory.

"I love life," I said.

"You were just burglarized."

"Don't ruin the dream," I said.

He chuckled, then reached for my hand and pulled me to my feet. "You can't sleep fully clothed."

I shook my head. "That would be wrong."

His fingers made quick work of my b.u.t.tons. Clever fingers. In a moment I was standing in nothing but my underwear and huaraches.

I moved to kick off the shoes, but he stopped me. "My job," he said, and kissed my left breast.

My heart did a funky little jungle beat in my chest. "You want to take my shoes off?"

"Eventually," he said, and kissed the other breast.

I grabbed the bedpost to keep the world from spinning into outer s.p.a.ce, but then he cupped my b.o.o.bs together in both hands. I made a little sound in my throat that even I I didn't recognize, but he seemed too busy to acknowledge the feelings behind it. In fact, he was working his way down my midline. didn't recognize, but he seemed too busy to acknowledge the feelings behind it. In fact, he was working his way down my midline.

I tightened my grip on the bed k.n.o.b. He kissed my belly b.u.t.ton, then dipped his tongue inside. I screamed like a virgin and he snagged my panties with his index finger, dragging them down a half an inch.

"Jesus, woman," he breathed. "What are you going to be like when we get to the good stuff?"

"There's more?" I rasped.

"I'll think of something," he said, and chuckled as he lowered himself farther. I spread my legs, teetering on my heels and dropping my head back.

"Think fast," I rasped, and he kissed me where I was wet and hot and achy.

Every muscle in my body spasmed and suddenly I tilted sideways. It took me a moment to realize the bed k.n.o.b had come loose in my hand. Another to realize he was holding me upright, hands on my waist, body hard as marble against mine.

"You okay?"

I was breathing hard. "I think so."

"You keep making so much noise you're going to wake yourself up."

"There's duct tape in the kitchen."

He chuckled and wrapped his hand around mine, which was still wrapped around the bed k.n.o.b. Kissing my wrist, he eased my fingers open and relieved me of the metal sphere. Then he sucked my pinky into his mouth.

My body quaked. He kissed the palm of my hand. I groaned.

"Chrissy."

I could barely open my eyes.

"Don't you dare come without me," he said.

"If I were you I wouldn't dillydally." My voice was a little throaty. A little raspy. Kind of gritty.

He pressed up against me. He was throbbing. Truly, there is nothing in the world I like more than throbbing. He slipped his hands into my panties, squeezing my b.u.t.tocks. "I thought women liked it slow," he said.