Round-the-Clock Temptation by Michelle Celmer

holding her close. He had never imagined that something as simpleas holding a woman could feel so damned good. So…erotic. He was hyperaware of every inch of her supple figure, the body heat that seeped though her clothes.
    Instead of pulling away, he let his cheek rest against the softness of her hair. He wanted to tangle his fingers through it, tilt her head and kiss her. Take everything he’d never let himself take from a woman and give it all back in return.
    Nita’s hands flattened against his back and began to drift slowly downward. She pressed her face against his chest, her breath hot through his shirt. He could tell by her increased breathing, by the way her body went from rigid and tense to soft and pliable, she was just as aroused.
    Then he felt her breath on his neck, her lips on his throat. He had to stop this. He had to end it before they went too far, before they reached the point of no return. What had made him think he could touch her this way without wanting more?
    â€œDon’t do that,” he croaked, barely able to push the words out, to contain the desire building inside of him.
    â€œWhy? I know you want me to.” Her hands cupped his backside, and she arched against him. “I can feel how much.”
    â€œI’ll hurt you, Nita. Even if I don’t want to.”
    Her teeth scraped his earlobe and he fisted his hands to keep from caressing her. “Have I ever once given you the impression that I can’t fend for myself?”
    Why couldn’t she listen? Why couldn’t she see the mistake she was making? “Not from me you can’t.”
    â€œYou’re not nearly as tough as you think.”
    She ran her tongue along the seam of his ear and it was more than he could take. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her away.
    â€œI don’t know how else to say this to you, Nita. I’m not interested.”
    For a second she looked stunned, then her eyes darkened with anger. “You wouldn’t know what to do with a woman if she walked up and bit you.”
    â€œWhen you see one, you let me know.”
    Her jaw clenched tight and her eyes reduced to slits and he knew he’d hit a nerve. That was good, because when she was angry with him, she wasn’t thinking of ways to seduce him. All those wicked ideas she seemed to have would only get her in trouble. It would get them both in trouble.
    But she was so wrong. He knew exactly what he wanted to do with her.
    She spun on her heel and headed for the door, but not before he saw something else in her eyes. He saw hurt. He’d wounded her pride, and he didn’t figure that was an easy thing to do.
    He felt like slime for it, because he’d made her believe that he didn’t want her, that she wasn’t beautiful and sexy and everything any man could ever hope to find in a woman. Himself included.
    â€œNita, wait.” She was all the way to the stable door before he caught up with her. He grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. She flung herself around, her eyes two purple balls of fire in the dim light.
    â€œGet your hands off me.” She spit out a stream of curses even he’d never used then she shoved him. Hard. So hard he stumbled backward and almost landed on his rear end.
    Blood pulsed through his veins and throbbed at his temple. She had no idea what she was doing, what he was capable of. “Don’t do that again.”
    â€œWhat’s the matter?” she asked, taking a step toward him, her chin high. “You don’t like being pushed around by a girl.”
    â€œStop it, Nita,” he warned through clenched teeth, but his threat only fueled her determination.
    â€œWhat are you going to do about it?” She stepped up to him, planted her hands on his chest and shoved again, harder this time, and his blood pressure reached an all-new high. She could see how angry he was, but instead of being afraid, instead of looking wary, she