She wanted him with a force that was shaking her.
His hands roamed over her smooth skin, savoring her heat and the tremors of desire that
quivered through her. His right hand moved over her lacy briefs, then slid beneath the
elastic. Fingers rubbed lightly over her hidden softness.
When Linc found that Holly was moist with desire, he had to clench his teeth against
losing control.
He hadnt known he could want a woman so much and not take her.
Slowly, gently he stroked the soft folds he had discovered. His fingers slid easily over
her, for he was slick with her helpless response. With tender care he searched out the
hardening bud of her passion and caressed it.
Holly gasped and shuddered convulsively, gripped by intense, wild pleasure. Her fingers
dug heedlessly into Lincs naked back.
He smiled narrowly, fighting his own need.
What are you doing to me? she asked shakily.
Not a tenth what Id like to, he said, his voice thick. The passion in you makes my head
spin.
His palm cupped between her thighs, pressing against her, sharing her heat. With a groan
he knelt to kiss her shadowed softness.
Linc!
Shock and desire were mingled equally in Hollys voice.
With a shudder he turned his head away and rested his cheek on her stomach. For a time he
was rigid, fighting to control himself.
Then Linc stood up fast and hard. He pulled her jeans into place with swift motions.
Sorry, he said. I didnt realize that your virginity isnt just a technicality. No man has
ever really touched you.
Linc picked up her bra and blouse and handed them to her. Put these on, he said tersely. I
dont trust myself. I want you too much. Too damned much!
He turned away and began loading the Jeep with quick, fierce motions. Linc No more, Holly,
he interrupted in a raw voice. I cant take it right now. She hesitated, then looked down
at her own hands. They were shaking.
If its this bad for me, she realized,how much worse must it be for him? Silently she
turned away and began putting her clothes back on.
Desert Rain
Ten
Holly dressed quickly. She was too shaken by her own headlong passion to argue with Linc
that they could end the ache of unfulfilled hunger by making love.
Yet as soon as her surprise at her own reaction to his touch passed, she wanted nothing
more than to feel like that again, weak and strong, burning and melting, aching and
ecstasy all wound together.
A glance at Lincs strained features kept her from saying anything about how she felt. He
looked like a man at the end of his rope.
Without a word Holly helped him finish loading the Jeep and tie the last tarp in place. By
the time the work was done, he was looking much less forbidding. He was even smiling when
he came around the Jeep to her side.
Record time, Linc said. We make quite a team.
Relieved that the fierce tension had left his face and body, Holly returned his smile.
Impulsively she ran her finger over the edges of his mustache.
Took you long enough to figure it out, she said softly.
Lincs eyes changed as he remembered just how well they did some things together. He
reached for her, then stopped himself with a muttered word.
Well never get home that way, he said. Depends on what you mean by home. A bed with you
in it, he said bluntly. We just packed it in the Jeep.
Damn straight. I made sure the bed went in first. Just thinking about this morning . . .
He shook his head, baffled by his urgent, nearly overwhelming need for Holly.
Linc? Whats wrong?
I dont have any self-control with you, he said after a moment. When the time comes, Ill do
my best not to go too fast. If I lose it, Ill make it up to you. Okay?
She wasnt quite sure what he was talking about, but she agreed anyway.
Okay, she said. Anytime you want to, er, lose it, just let me know.
Linc gave a bark of laughter and shook his head, bemused by Hollys acceptance of a
situation that he didnt understand himself.
And thinking about
C. J. Cherryh
Learning to Kill: Stories
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Brenda Sinclair
Christopher George
Stephen Lloyd Jones
Karl Iagnemma
Celya Bowers
Jill Gregory
Aria Cunningham