were beginning to believe you were invincible because you've repulsed so many assaults in the past."
The surroundings and all the talk about the battle had lulled Mara's senses, but now they came to full alertness. Annoyed with herself for permitting Sin to make a personal comment, she turned toward the car.
"From here we'll drive to the national cemetery where Lincoln made his address," she told him.
The restraining touch of his hand on her arm halted Mara and her gaze lifted in cold challenge from his hand on her arm to his face. One side of his mouth curved upward in amusement. She silently cursed him for being so damned impregnable.
"You remind me of a turtle." Sin eyed her steadily. "The minute anyone approaches, you withdraw inside your armored shell." Something flickered in his look that tripped up the even rhythm of her heartbeat. "But beneath its hard exterior a turtle is very vulnerable."
Entrapped by the light in his eye, she wasn't aware of his hand moving to slide inside her coat and across her stomach. She drew a sharp breath of unwilling enjoyment as his other hand pushed its way inside her coat to spread his fingers over her skin.
Before the cold air could penetrate the opened front of her coat she was drawn against the warmth of his solid frame. Her hands came out of her pockets to grip the bulging muscles of his arms in a halfhearted attempt at resistance. His mouth covered hers with sensual perfection.
The subtle pressure of his kiss sent all repressions fleeing. At his invitation Mara responded freely, her lips parting under the provocative insistence of his. His experience was devastating to her previously unbreached defenses.
An exploding desire flamed through her nerves, her body quivering in the pleasurable after shock. The intimate caress of his hands over her soft flesh was igniting new sensations that fevered her racing pulse. Under his touch, her breasts seemed to swell to fit the cup of his hand.
When his mouth moved slowly across her cheek, the warmth of his breath fanned her already hot skin. Sin paused near her ear to nip sensually at the lobe, then explored the pulsing vein in her neck all the way to the sensitive hollow of her throat. The quivering weakness he evoked was delightful.
A car went by. Had there been more? In her shattered condition, Mara wasn't sure. It gradually penetrated her dazzled mind that they were standing out in the open, in plain view of anyone who drove past.
Her sense of propriety struggled with her new, wildly sweet emotions and won. Twisting her head toward her shoulder, she blocked his stirring exploration of her neck and throat. She didn't have the strength nor the will to slip out of his arms, but she was able to elude the attempt of his compelling mouth to retake possession of her lips.
"Stop!" Her husky voice betrayed the disturbed state of her senses, a condition that didn't improve as she felt his lips moving against her silky hair. "Sin, people can see us!"
After an instant's hesitation he slowly lifted his head, his hands sliding to her waist. Mara felt the tenseness of his muscles, his reluctance communicated to her along with the sheer power of his control. She kept her face averted from his much too observant slate-blue eyes, not wanting him to see how thoroughly he had conquered her.
The awareness of his gaze and the touch of his hands were too unnerving. She pushed at his arms, wanting to be released, but lacking the will to achieve freedom on her own. As his hold loosened, she turned away and put distance between them with a hurried step. She pulled the front of her coat together as if by doing so she could erase the invasion of his hands.
But nothing could erase the way he had aroused emotions she had intended to remain forever dormant. A spurious glance in his direction caught his calculating look. Sin was aware of it: she could read the knowledge in the provocative depths of his eyes. Never had she felt so transparent and never had
The surroundings and all the talk about the battle had lulled Mara's senses, but now they came to full alertness. Annoyed with herself for permitting Sin to make a personal comment, she turned toward the car.
"From here we'll drive to the national cemetery where Lincoln made his address," she told him.
The restraining touch of his hand on her arm halted Mara and her gaze lifted in cold challenge from his hand on her arm to his face. One side of his mouth curved upward in amusement. She silently cursed him for being so damned impregnable.
"You remind me of a turtle." Sin eyed her steadily. "The minute anyone approaches, you withdraw inside your armored shell." Something flickered in his look that tripped up the even rhythm of her heartbeat. "But beneath its hard exterior a turtle is very vulnerable."
Entrapped by the light in his eye, she wasn't aware of his hand moving to slide inside her coat and across her stomach. She drew a sharp breath of unwilling enjoyment as his other hand pushed its way inside her coat to spread his fingers over her skin.
Before the cold air could penetrate the opened front of her coat she was drawn against the warmth of his solid frame. Her hands came out of her pockets to grip the bulging muscles of his arms in a halfhearted attempt at resistance. His mouth covered hers with sensual perfection.
The subtle pressure of his kiss sent all repressions fleeing. At his invitation Mara responded freely, her lips parting under the provocative insistence of his. His experience was devastating to her previously unbreached defenses.
An exploding desire flamed through her nerves, her body quivering in the pleasurable after shock. The intimate caress of his hands over her soft flesh was igniting new sensations that fevered her racing pulse. Under his touch, her breasts seemed to swell to fit the cup of his hand.
When his mouth moved slowly across her cheek, the warmth of his breath fanned her already hot skin. Sin paused near her ear to nip sensually at the lobe, then explored the pulsing vein in her neck all the way to the sensitive hollow of her throat. The quivering weakness he evoked was delightful.
A car went by. Had there been more? In her shattered condition, Mara wasn't sure. It gradually penetrated her dazzled mind that they were standing out in the open, in plain view of anyone who drove past.
Her sense of propriety struggled with her new, wildly sweet emotions and won. Twisting her head toward her shoulder, she blocked his stirring exploration of her neck and throat. She didn't have the strength nor the will to slip out of his arms, but she was able to elude the attempt of his compelling mouth to retake possession of her lips.
"Stop!" Her husky voice betrayed the disturbed state of her senses, a condition that didn't improve as she felt his lips moving against her silky hair. "Sin, people can see us!"
After an instant's hesitation he slowly lifted his head, his hands sliding to her waist. Mara felt the tenseness of his muscles, his reluctance communicated to her along with the sheer power of his control. She kept her face averted from his much too observant slate-blue eyes, not wanting him to see how thoroughly he had conquered her.
The awareness of his gaze and the touch of his hands were too unnerving. She pushed at his arms, wanting to be released, but lacking the will to achieve freedom on her own. As his hold loosened, she turned away and put distance between them with a hurried step. She pulled the front of her coat together as if by doing so she could erase the invasion of his hands.
But nothing could erase the way he had aroused emotions she had intended to remain forever dormant. A spurious glance in his direction caught his calculating look. Sin was aware of it: she could read the knowledge in the provocative depths of his eyes. Never had she felt so transparent and never had
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