She licked her lips. “Great.”

“Damn you:’ He kissed her hard, thrusting his tongue deep into her mouth. When he’d opened the front fastening of her bra he plundered her breasts, nipping with his teeth at her soft flesh. There may have been other lovers, but he was here now, and she would never forget him. Never.

She writhed beneath him, arching her hips upward until he reached down and pulled away the damp scrap of cotton between her legs. He resented the delay while he put on a condom. Finally he buried himself in her warm, moist center. There. He pushed forward a little more and felt her ripple of reaction rise up and enfold him. “you’re mine now; he murmured, drawing back and easing forward again, locking in on the center of her response. She quivered once again. “Mine.” He didn’t move much. He didn’t need to. She was trembling all over now, a volatile mixture ready to erupt all around him. He pressed forward insistently-seeking, seeking Her trembling grew more violent. His voice was hoarse as he repeated the word. His teeth raked across her throat.

Mine.

Then, with one final push he tapped into the epicenter of her passion, and her cry of affirmation rang in his ears. As her spasms guided him to his own shattering release, he accepted a truth his body had known since the first time he’d lain with her. She was his… and he was hers.

SHE’D WANTED TO BE claimed. She couldn’t deny it, all her feminist rhetoric to the contrary. When he’d demanded her allegiance, she’d had no choice but to grant it. That didn’t give him the right to tell her what to do. That didn’t give him domiruon over her life. But it gave him her loyalty and her fidelity.

Perhaps she’d known from the beginning that he could wrest such a promise from her, and she’d feared the power that implied. In the end, it was an easy promise to make. How could she ever welcome another into her bed after experiencing such total commuruon with Gabe?

Still breathing hard, he raised his head to look into her eyes, as if searching for confirmation. Without speaking, she met his gaze.

His breath caught, and he swallowed. “Once I told a woman that I loved her; he began. “What I felt was a soft emotion. Sweet. And so.. pale compared to this: He touched her cheek. “I don’t know what this is :

‘


“Neither do I.”

“I thought maybe…” He smoothed a strand of hair back from her cheek as he seemed to grope for words. “Maybe it was just plain old lust.” His wry smile squeezed her heart. “But I’ve lusted after centerfolds in magazines, and I never had the urge to-This will really sound chauvinistic-I want to brand you somehow , so that no man will ever even think about the prospect of having you.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper. “He’d have to kill me first .”

Stirred by his intensity, she cradled his face in her hands. “you’re right. That’s not very politically correct”

“But it’s honestly the way I feel .”

She met his gaze, all pretense stripped away. “That’s how I feel about you. Any woman who wants you has to get past me. And, Gabe, I fibbed about the man I was engaged to. He doesn’t hold a candle to you.” She paused. “No one does.”

“That’s good, because your days of experimenting are over.”

She decided to go for broke. “Do you realize what you’re saying?”

“Yes.” His eyes smiled into hers, bringing joy surging through her. “Which doesn’t mean all the rough parts are worked out of this arrangement; he cautioned’ It just means they will be.”

“You sound so sure .”

He shrugged. “It’s simple, really. I caxi t stand the idea of someone else making love to you. you’re a vibrant , healthy woman with lots of years of lovemaking ahead of you. So if I’m ruling out anybody else satisfying you , I guess the job falls to me.”

“What a noble sacrifice; she said, laughing.

“Isxi t it, though?” He leaned down and kissed her softly. “I need you, mi guerida.”

“Oh, Gabe.” She savored the gentle message conveyed by his kiss. Maybe they could make it, after all.

They held each other in contented silence for long moments. Finally he propped his head on his fist and gazed at her. “How about some rehozen ice cream? I’m starved.”

“Not me. But you go ahead.”

“Thanks, I will: He rolled away horn her and stood. “you’re sure? I’ll bring it to you.”

“No, thanks.” She levered herself up and watched him pull on his jeans and shirt. “I use that ice cream for comfort food when things aren’t going well : ‘

He glanced at her. “Since you had me pick it up this morning, I guess you anticipated needing some comfort”

“I wasn’t sure what would happen between us .”

“I’m still not sure.” He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. “But that’s okay. Come on in and keep me company while I eat the ice cream.” ,

She grabbed a robe from the closet. By the time she entered the kitchen he was already scooping ice cream into the mug that said Hair Stylists Get You All Lathered

Up. Gretchen stood close by, looking hopeful.

“Couldn’t find a bowl?” she asked, lea rung against a cupboard.

“I’ve been wanting to use this mug ever since last night : ‘

“Was it only last night?”

He stopped scooping and turned to her. “Yeah, incredible as that seems” Then he continued filling the mug.

She could hardly believe that the same man who had stood in her kitchen and seemed so remote the night before could be the same guy who stood barefoot in front of her sink, his shirt hanging open, his hair tousled horn their lovemaking. “What a difference a day makes .”

He winked at her. “That’s for sure.” Then he tossed the scoop in the sink and took a spoon out of a drawer.

“I usually give Gretchen a little in her bowl.”

“Okay.” He picked up the scoop, dug out a generous portion and flicked it into Gretchen’s bowl. She immediately lowered her head and started lapping. Then he returned the scoop to the sink and put away the ice cream.

Dallas started over to rinse the scoop and put it in the dishwasher.

Gabe caught her eye just as she reached for the scoop. “Why not leave it?” he asked casually.

“Because I usually don’t.”

“I tend to leave things around.”

She held his gaze. “I tend to put them away.”

“Hmm.” He regarded her thoughtfully, as if she were an experiment he was working on. “Maybe we’ll have to have separate houses .” ,

“Isxi t that a little extreme? You could make a greater effort to pick things up.”

“Or you could learn to leave them lying around The corners of his mouth twitched. “Oh, the arguments we’ll have, Dallas.”

She gazed at him in astonishment. “You sound as if you relish the arguing.” ,

“Arguing’s not so bad.”

“It’s not?”

“Nope. Keeps things exciting: He leaned against the counter and scooped out some ice cream. Her gaze lingered with appreciation on the expanse of hair sprinkled chest revealed each time he took another bite. “After all, you have to argue before you can make up.”

She sank to a kitchen chair in bewilderment. “I thought the idea was to find somebody you could agree with most of the time: ‘

“So did I. Then I met you. I know for a fact we won’t agree on lots of things, but I have to be with you, so the arguing will be part of it, I guess.” He gestured to the ice cream with his spoon. “This isxi t bad refrozen: ‘

He wasn’t bad, either, she thought. The soft jeans molded the lines of his crotch, lines she could now trace in her mind’s eye from memory. She propped her chin on one hand. “We wouldn’t have to argue all the time , you know. You could just give in.”

“That’s not in my nature.”

“No kidding: ‘

“It’s not in yours, either; he said around another scoop of ice cream. “don’t sweat it, Dallas.”

“Two days ago I wouldn’t have believed anyone who told me I’d be having this conversation.”

“Two days ago we hadn’t made love: ‘

“Good point: How she loved to look at him. Even the movement of the muscle in his forearm when he lifted the spoon made her stomach tighten with desire.

“Although saying it’s only been a short time is deceiving” He scraped his spoon around the bottom of the mug. “We’ve been working on this attraction a lot longer than two days. It all started with that shampoo “

“I beg your pardon. I treated you the way I treat every customer. “

“Is that right?” He took a chair across from her and set the mug and spoon in front of him. “Then it was my imagination that you fondled my hair a little more than necessary? “

She flushed. “Well, maybe I-“

“And the way you leaned over me. I swear I could almost read your mind, and you were thinking of something move than washing my hair.”

“Noxisense: ‘

“Really?” He took the spoon from the mug. Droplets of melted ice cream clung to it. He reached for her hand and held the spoon over her wrist until a trickle of ice cream fell with a cool plop on her pulse point. “I’ll admit to you that I was imagining how your fingers would feel on other parts of my body.” He lifted her wrist and licked the ice cream away, send inga tingling shot of awareness through her body to settle in that sweet, aching spot he’d so recently turned into a volcano of sensation. ““Fess up, Dallas: ‘

She struggled to remain calm. “you’re arrogant, Escalante You think every woman is hot for your body.”

“I don’t care about every woman: He dribbled more ice cream in the crook of her arm. “I want to know if you were.” He lowered his lips to her arm. “That first night .”

“Maybe:’ The cool ice cream followed by the warmth of his mouth was driving her crazy with de , sire.

“Just maybe?” he prompted, dripping ice cream into her palm.

“All right. Yes.”

“And now?” He circled her palm with his tongue and followed the tiny rivulets of ice cream that had oozed between her fingers.

She was embarrassed by the ease with which he could arouse her. She turned her face away. “Gabe, we


“


He put down the spoon and caught her chin to bring her back to face him. “Ah, Dallas, don’t hide from me. That’s what I wanted to see. The need in those beautiful gray eyes: Still holding her hand, he stood and came around the table. “Come here, mi querida.”

The soft Spanish endearment swept away whatever small resistance she had. She allowed him to pull her to her feet and open her robe. Reaching behind her for the mug, he guided her up against the table. He slowly dripped more ice cream over her breasts and licked them clean until she was pantqng with need. Then he kneeled before her, and the last of the cool liquid found its way to her heated center. She groaned, shameless now, all inhibitions gone as he replaced the coolness with his tongue.

When she thought she could take no more, he rose and unfastened the fly of his jeans. A condom appeared in his hand, although she was past caring if he used one. The table edge bit into her backside as he thrust forward, but she didn’t care about that, either. He provided enough pleasure to make her forget everything else.

He cradled her face as he moved easily within her. “I love you; he said, his voice hoarse. “I love you, Dallas :’

Tears of happiness filled her eyes. “I love you, Gabe : ‘

“Forever.” He kissed her as she shuddered in his aims. Then with a muffled groan he found his own release.

GABE WASN’T HAPPY when he saw the small bruises on Dallas’s bottom as she toweled off after their shower the next mo ming

He pulled her over to the bed where he’d sat to pull on his boots. “We can’t have this happening, he said, bending to inspect the marks. “We’ll have to get all our furniture padded.”

“I kind of like them. They’re like the brand you talked about wanting to put on me.” She laughed as his lips tickled over the bruises. “Every time I sit down today I’ll think of you.”

“I’d rather have a different reminder than that.” He released her and reached for his shirt. “And I thought you wanted to go riding today. Can you?”

She gave him a look of scorn as she stepped into her panties. “I’m no hothouse flower. I believe I told you that .”

“Yeah, that was when I discovered you had a gun. That set me back some. Which reminds me, I should call Diego and Jasper, find out what Pamell’s been up to recently.”

Dallas snapped the front catch on her bra. “You still have them following him?”

“Not every minute, but they’re keeping track of him. Why?”

“Because I think it’s silly, that’s why.” She pulled a T shirt over her head. “He’s not doing anything wrong.”