Heartbreaker by Linda Howard Page A

protect herself. He had to get her to talk, or she’d close up on him completely. “It had been a long time for you, hadn’t it?”
    Again she gave that little shrug, as if hiding behind the movement. Again he probed, watching her face. “You didn’t enjoy sex before.” He made it a statement, not a question.
    Finally her eyes darted to his, wary and resentful. “What do you want, a recommendation? You know that was the first time I’d…enjoyed it.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you like it before?”
    â€œMaybe I just needed to go to bed with a stud,” she said flippantly.
    â€œHell, don’t give me that,” he snapped, disgusted. “Who hurt you? Who made you afraid of sex?”
    â€œI’m not afraid,” she denied, disturbed by the idea that she might have let Roger warp her to such an extent. “It was just…well, it had been so long, and you’re a big man… .” Her voice trailed off, and abruptly she flushed, her gaze sliding away from him.
    He watched her thoughtfully; considering what he’d learned about her last night and this morning, it was nothing short of a miracle that she hadn’t knocked his proposal and half his teeth down his throat when he’d suggested she become his mistress as payment of the debt. It also made him wonder if her part in the breakup of Mike Webster’s marriage hadn’t been blown out of all proportion; after all, a woman who didn’t enjoy making love wasn’t likely to be fast and easy.
    It was pure possessiveness, but he was glad no other man had pleased her the way he had; it gave him a hold on her, a means of keeping her by his side. He would use any weapon he had, because during the night he had realized that there was no way he could let her go. She could be haughty, bad-tempered and stubborn; she could too easily be spoiled and accept it as her due, though he’d be damned if he hadn’t almost decided it was her due. She was proud and difficult, trying to build a stone wall around herself to keep him at a distance, like a princess holding herself aloof from the peasants, but he couldn’t get enough of her. When they were making love, it wasn’t the princess and the peasant any longer; they were a man and his woman, writhing and straining together, moaning with ecstasy. He’d never been so hungry for a woman before, so hot that he’d felt nothing and no one could have kept him away from her.
    She seemed to think last night had been a casual thing on his part, that sunrise had somehow ended it. She was in for a surprise. Now that she’d given herself to him, he wasn’t going to let her go. He’d learned how to fight for and keep what was his, but his single-minded striving over the years to build the ranch into one of the biggest cattle ranches in Florida was nothing compared to the intense possessiveness he felt for Michelle.
    Finally he released her wrist, and she stood immediately, moving away from him. She sipped at the coffee she still held, and her eyes went to the window. “Your men got a big kick out of seeing your car still here this morning. I didn’t realize they’d be back, since they put up the fencing yesterday.”
    Indifferent to his nakedness, he threw the sheet back and got out of bed. “They didn’t finish. They’ll do the rest of the job today, then move the herd to the east pasture tomorrow.” He waited, then said evenly, “It bothers you that they know?”
    â€œBeing snickered about over a beer bothers me. It polishes up your image a little more, but all I’ll be is the most recent in a long line of one-nighters for you.”
    â€œWell, everyone will know differently when you move in with me, won’t they?” he asked arrogantly, walking into the bathroom. “How long will it take you to pack?”
    Stunned, Michelle whirled to stare at him, but he’d already