'So not f.u.c.king fair. I want you so bad.'

She wiggled around until he could finally see her face. 'It's OK. I'm on the pill.'

Dakota licked his lips and stared at her. 'What?'

'You can f.u.c.k me.'

'Without a condom?'

'I'm protected, it's OK.'

He stared at her as his c.o.c.k grew even bigger. Yeah he'd like that way too much, to feel her climax without a condom, to empty his hot come deep inside her. While he struggled to breathe, the shy invitation disappeared from her face and was replaced by defensiveness. d.a.m.n, he'd done it again. Let his past dictate his reaction to her. She moved away from him, wrapped her arms around her knees.

'You don't trust me, do you?'

He smoothed his hair back from his face. 'It's not you. It's just I've been caught that way before.'

'Caught?' Her eyes widened. 'Some woman told you she was on the pill and then said you got her pregnant?'

'Yeah.' He rubbed his unshaven chin with the palm of his hand. 'It was an uncomfortable few months until the DNA testing proved I wasn't the right guy.'

She caught her bottom lip in her teeth and worried at it. 'Do you think I would try to entrap you like that?'

'No! I'm just . . . wary, I suppose.'

She found her T-shirt and put it on, her movements jerky. 'I already told you I wasn't the marrying kind.'

'That same night you also told me I could get you pregnant if I didn't wear a condom, so what's changed?'

'No method of contraception is entirely foolproof. That's all I meant.' She scrambled to her feet and pulled up her pants. 'And you're right to remind me of the risks. Nothing's changed, has it? It was a stupid thing to say.' She attempted a smile but he could see the hurt in her eyes.

Dakota got up from his knees and grabbed hold of her hand as she started to turn away. 'Don't walk away from me.'

She went still, her face still averted, her fingers trembling in his grasp.

'Don't leave it like this, honey. Come back to my dressing room, I'll change and we'll go out to dinner, just like we planned.'

She swallowed hard. 'OK.'

He briefly closed his eyes as relief swept over him. Perhaps this was progress of a sort after all. She hadn't stormed off or slapped his face however, the night was still young. Could he convince her he wanted her too much to let her get away? He wanted her to become his permanent lover. Then she could have all the condom-free s.e.x she could ever want.

Robyn allowed Dakota to lead her through the now deserted set and back toward the row of trailers in the parking lot. G.o.d, she'd made a fool of herself again, offering her body to Dakota like a raffle prize and then realizing he hadn't even bought a ticket. She obviously wasn't the only one with trust issues, but his rejection still stung.

She sighed as he snapped on the lights of the trailer and locked the door behind him. The scent of strong coffee and hairspray still permeated the small s.p.a.ce. A few of Dakota's clothes hung over the back of a chair; otherwise the trailer was as neat as a pin.

Dakota drew her into his arms and started to kiss her. The slow steady stroke of his tongue reawakened the heat he'd stirred in her earlier and she struggled to contain her response. He kissed her harder, his teeth grazing her lower lip, his fingers splayed over the back of her skull holding her still for his possession.

'Don't stop me, honey, let it go, give me all you've got.'

His murmured comments against her lips made her lean into him, angle her body into the hard curves of his and kiss him back. He kissed his way down her throat and between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s before falling to his knees. Robyn had no chance to step back as he grabbed her hips and worked her capris down her legs.

'I don't think I want to do this right now, Dakota.'

He looked up at her as he slid one finger under the lace of her panties and found her c.l.i.t. 'Because you're still mad at me?'

His finger circled and stroked, driving tingling sensations straight to her womb and b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

'I'm not mad at you.'

'Then we're OK then.'

He added another finger, slid that one deep inside her channel. She shivered as he slowly advanced and retreated. A climax tore through her and he murmured his approval.

'I love it when you come, especially when my fingers are buried deep inside you.'

'Better than when it's your c.o.c.k?'

His smile was crooked. 'Nope, but almost as good.' He kissed her c.l.i.t, licked around it with the tip of his tongue. 'I still want my c.o.c.k in you tonight. Will you take me?'

She stared into his eyes, saw the need and sincerity there and pushed down her hurt. Hadn't she promised herself to live in the moment and forget dreaming about the impossible? So what if he didn't trust her enough not to use a condom. It wasn't as if she was any less wary herself. If anything, she should be grateful for his caution.

'You'll use a condom, right?'

'Of course, honey.' He gestured at the chair behind her. 'Look in my pocket.'

She fumbled in his pocket and found the silver packet. He groaned as he opened his jeans and she covered his c.o.c.k to the base.

'That's good, Robyn, now come here. I need you bad.'

He reached for her and stripped her capris and panties off one of her legs. Instinctively she wrapped her legs around his hips as he drew her close. The soft skin of her inner thighs grazed the rough denim of his jeans and his c.o.c.k pressed against her s.e.x and throbbing c.l.i.t.

With a low sound, he lifted her slightly and brought her down over his c.o.c.k. Robyn sighed as he slid home, so deep and thick that she thought she'd never take him all. She used her feet to shove down the denim over his a.s.s and dug her heels in.

'Yeah, ride me, Robyn, use your spurs.'

She started to move on him, glad of his anchoring hand on her hip and his strong upward thrusts that only intensified her pleasure. He brought his mouth to hers, locked her into a kiss that left no room to escape, no ability to breathe except with him and through him. She climaxed again and he groaned against her lips, his c.o.c.k growing even bigger as he thrust into her.

'Dammit, Robyn.'

She didn't complain when he rolled her over and her back hit the ground. He moved over her, free to slam his hips harder into hers and to angle her p.u.s.s.y to get the greatest enjoyment. She simply hung on to his shoulders and enjoyed the sheer masculine power of his pumping muscular body over hers. He slowed his pace and withdrew until only the crown of his c.o.c.k rested at the entrance to her s.e.x. He raised his head to look at her.

'You think I was disgusted at the idea of having s.e.x with you without a condom, don't you?'

Robyn dug her nails into his biceps as another climax threatened. 'Do we have to talk about this now?'

He nodded, his attention flicking between her face and her s.e.x. 'That's not how I feel at all, honey.'

She listened to the slick wet sound of her pleasure as he reached down and pulled her panties completely off her legs. 'When you offered yourself to me like that, I almost came in my jeans.' He bent to kiss her breast. 'I wanted to make love to you more than I wanted to breathe.'

'It didn't sound like that to me.'

Robyn closed her eyes as his fingers joined the torment of his c.o.c.k. He squeezed her c.l.i.t until she looked at him.

'If you were my woman, I'd take you like that all the time. No barriers between us, just my c.o.c.k and your p.u.s.s.y full of my come. Full all the time because I wouldn't let you out of bed much.'

'Wow, you're so macho.'

Robyn tried to laugh it off, but it was difficult when all she could think of was being in bed with Dakota 24/7, feeling him inside her, on top of her, coming with her . . .

'You know you'd like it. Me all over you, in our bed, on the couch, in the shower . . .'

'At the laundromat . . .'

He smiled. 'See? You're getting the idea.' His gaze intensified. 'Stay with me and we can have that together for as long as we both want it.'

Robyn licked her lips. 'What exactly are you saying?'

His hips moved back and forth as if he couldn't stop himself filling her. She watched him fight for control.

'I want you to stay with me. I don't want you to go back to that apartment and that f.u.c.king moron who scared you.'

'I have to go back sometime. He has all my stuff and the apartment is mine.'

She shifted uneasily beneath him, aware of his c.o.c.k pulsing deep inside her and the tension etched in his face. Why did he always start conversations at such unsuitable times? Even as the question occurred to her, the answer flashed through her brain. Because he was in control and she was distracted by the size of his c.o.c.k and what he could do with it.

She gave him her best smile and slowly squeezed her internal muscles tight around his shaft. His expression changed and he arched his back.

'Don't do that, I'm going to come and you haven't answered . . . Oh f.u.c.k, you did that deliberately, didn't you?'

He started pumping into her, his hands hard on her hips, his mouth descending to capture her lips as he climaxed deep inside her. As he collapsed over her, his whole body shuddering as he spasmed and shook, Robyn allowed herself a quiet smile of triumph.

Chapter Sixteen.

Robyn slipped through the side door of the hotel and ran to the taxi rank. Dakota thought she was heading up to their room to go to bed while he finished discussing business with his family, but she still didn't have long to escape him. She gave the cab driver her home address and sat back with a sigh.

At least she could retrieve some of her clothes and credit cards before she had to return to the hotel and face Dakota's wrath. She'd left the apartment so fast she'd forgotten everything and had to hitch-hike her way to New Mexico. G.o.d knows what would have happened if she hadn't met Dakota. She would've had to call Damien eventually.

If she played it right, she might even be able to get in and out of the apartment without seeing Damien. He was probably out clubbing, schmoozing and doing smack anyway. G.o.d, she hoped he was. She'd already decided that if he was there she'd come right back. Even she wasn't stupid enough to force a confrontation.

The cab pulled up outside the quaint converted 1950s beach-style house and Robyn got out. She loved the old-style charm of the apartment and its proximity to the beach. Parking was a b.i.t.c.h, but it was worth it. She waved at the cab driver. She'd asked the guy to wait for her and he'd agreed. There were no lights shining in the upstairs front windows. She hoped it meant Damien wasn't home. She dug her keys out from the bottom of her purse and hesitantly approached the outside staircase that led up to her floor. If he'd changed the locks she was in deep s.h.i.t.

To her surprise, her key worked and she carefully eased herself inside the hallway. Damien was either too cheap to install new locks or he wasn't trying to stop her from coming back. Her smile was bitter. Hey, she was still a commodity to him, one he wanted to make money off. Why would he try to keep her out?

The scent of stale coffee, unwashed sheets and alcohol wafted over her and she grimaced. What had happened to the maid service? Had Damien got rid of that too? She stepped into the combined kitchen and living s.p.a.ce. Yeah, he'd trashed her place, treated it like an overflowing ashtray. A sick feeling grew in her gut, swiftly followed by a wave of anger.

She would get him out of her life if it was the last thing she ever did. Her flight to New Mexico and her a.s.sociation with Dakota had made her stronger and she was so not prepared to put up with his s.h.i.t any longer. Damien could find somewhere else to live and a new client. G.o.d, it felt good to come to that decision, even if the way ahead was still unclear.

She picked up one of the knives from the carving block on the countertop and headed for the master bedroom. Nothing stirred in the darkness and nothing leapt out at her. Feeling foolish for grabbing the knife, she advanced into the bedroom and opened the small closet. Her breath hissed out when she saw that most of her clothes were still there. Without pausing to sort them out, she collected an armload of hangers and laid them on the unmade bed.

At the back of the closet, behind her stacked s...o...b..xes, was a small safe, the door still firmly shut. Robyn knelt down and opened it, muttered a thank you when she saw all her personal and financial information right where she'd left it. She bundled up the doc.u.ments and shoved them into the back pockets of her jeans which were concealed by her long jacket. Let Damien think she'd come back for her clothes and nothing else.

She shut the door, rearranged the s...o...b..xes to conceal the safe and turned to go, her arms full of clothes. When she reached the front door she abruptly stopped as it was pushed open. Damien stood there, a tall thin vaguely familiar red-headed woman on his arm.

'Damien, how nice to see you.'

Robyn pushed past him until she was at the top of the stairs. His hand shot out and he caught her arm, his bald head and over-whitened teeth gleamed in the harsh fluorescent lighting.

'Where do you think you're going, baby doll? I've been worried about you.'

'Yeah, right.' Robyn rolled her eyes toward the other woman and yanked her arm out of his grasp. 'I'm just here for my clothes and to let you know you need to leave my apartment within a week.'

He smiled, his eyes two hard black pebbles behind his gla.s.ses. 'I'm not leaving, babe. You owe me.'

'I owe you nothing. Our relationship is over and, just so you're clear, I mean both our professional and our personal relationships.'

'f.u.c.k that. I own you, b.i.t.c.h.'

She faced him head on. 'No one owns me. You'll be hearing from my lawyers.'

His laughter made her stomach churn. 'Like you have the money or the clout in this town to get a good lawyer? Screw that.'

She backed away until her foot hit the top step. 'I'll do whatever I have to do to get out of this relationship. Trust me on that.'

He pushed the other woman to one side and advanced on Robyn. 'Try it and I'll expose every secret you have. Everyone will know who you've f.u.c.ked, the drugs you've snorted and what happened to your dear sweet sister Leda.'

Robyn juggled the hangers and tried to keep her balance. It was difficult when she was shaking so hard. 'You can say what you want about me, Damien, but leave Leda out of it.'

She went down another step and he leant over her, his handsome face contorted with rage, his thick breath heavy in her face.

'How are you going to afford her medical bills if you're ruined? How are you going to do that, b.i.t.c.h?'

She opened her mouth to reply but he shoved her hard in the chest. There was nowhere to go but down and her hands were full of hangers. Desperately Robyn tried to protect her head as she tumbled down the stairs. She ended up in an untidy heap at the bottom, her clothes spread around her like flowers. Above her, Damien laughed and the door slammed.

The taxi driver's concerned face appeared above her. She was amazed he'd even gotten out of the car.

'Are you OK, ma'am? Do you want me to call the police?'

'No thanks, I'm fine, really. I just lost my footing.'

He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. There was no sign of Damien or his companion. Her head swam. Stars and black dots circled in front of her eyes. Of course, she'd managed to bang her head despite her best efforts. Even bending to pick up her stuffhurt. Eventually she got everything together and staggered into the back of the cab.