Undeniable Demands by Andrea Laurence

gliding his hands over the soft fabric and kneading her supple flesh. He had the fierce urge to run his tongue along her collarbone and the crest of her breasts.
    When he tore his gaze away and looked her in the eye again, he knew he’d been caught in the act. Her eyes widened, and he was struck by what a gorgeous shade of blue they were. Her eyes were a lovely shade of light blue that reminded him of the ice-blue eyes of his friend’s Siberian husky. Cool, wary and penetrating. They were also sparkling with the hint of a desire she didn’t want to acknowledge. She dropped her hands back to her sides to ruin the display she created.
    “Actually, no. That isn’t all that it’s about.” He didn’t elaborate, but the pointed way he watched her lips as she tentatively licked them should have spelled it out for her.
    Whether it was due to the cold or to his blatant admiration, her creamy cheeks turned a rosy pink and her breath came out rapidly in foglike bursts. He wondered if that was how she would look when she was flushed and breathless from his passionate caresses.
    He hadn’t been lying when he said he wanted her to like him. That he wanted to ask her out to dinner sometime. When they argued, his blood boiled with irritation and arousal all at once. Wade liked a challenge. Tori was certainly that.
    Sure, he intended to get that land back one way or another, but that was a separate issue. Business versus pleasure. He wished she could see the difference, but the women he’d known had a tendency to tangle issues together into an impossible knot. Tori was no different where this was concerned.
    Initially he’d thought that indulging in their undeniable connection would complicate the issue. But kissing her in the foyer had changed everything. Denying the electricity between them might actually make their problems worse. He was certainly getting cranky returning to his bunkhouse room every night, alone, with Tori on his mind. Tonight he would have to share the room with Brody and listen to his opinion on the matter.
    That wouldn’t help the tension building up, either. Perhaps if he and Tori blew off a little steam together, the situation wouldn’t seem quite so dire. On her end, at least. On his end, it was most certainly dire, no matter how much pent-up sexual frustration taunted him.
    His perfect solution would be to get the land back, offer her enough money that she could buy land that was even better for her needs, and have her in his bed for a while. There didn’t have to be a bad guy in this story if she would be open-minded to the options. He wasn’t above abusing their sexual chemistry to get his way—if they happened to end up in bed together, so be it.
    And at the moment, he wished it would happen sooner rather than later.
    “This is also about the chemistry between us.” Wade took another step toward her and she didn’t back away. His hand went to her face, tipping her chin up to look at him. Even in heeled boots, she had to strain to look him in the eye this close. “I’m not the only one to feel it, am I?”
    Tori gave just a subtle shake of her head. He could detect it only by his hand against her smooth skin. “I feel it,” she whispered.
    She stepped closer until their bodies were nearly touching. He was suddenly aware of the scent of her perfume again, an alluring earthy and floral mix. It made his whole body tighten with anticipation of touching her the way he’d wanted to earlier but couldn’t. Now he was free to act without the eyes of his family and their obnoxious critiques.
    Wade didn’t need any more of an invitation. He dived into her, capturing her lips and cupping her upturned face in his hands. She was soft and open to him.
    He felt her hands press against his chest, not to push him away, but to feel him through the thick wool of his sweater. Wade moaned against her mouth as her silky tongue glided along his own. It sent a sharp barb of pleasure through his body, urging him to