UP In Flames: Body Heat / Caught in the Act

Adam made a sound of disgust. “I don’t give a damn about his teeth. Why the hell haven’t you slept with him?”

There was that seductive blush again, making his muscles twitch and his heart pound. When would her potent effect on him diminish? Never? He couldn’t accept that prospect and determinedly pushed the problem from his mind. They were still eons apart, and he had a hell of a lot yet to accomplish before he could even begin to think of settling down, especially with a woman like Melanie Tucker.

But she’d given him her virginity. In too many ways to count, he felt she was his already.

“I don’t know, Adam. The time just never seemed right.” She wouldn’t look at him, choosing to stare at the sky. “Jerry’s practice kept him pretty busy, and our time together was usually spent at social gatherings or working. I guess I wasn’t overly anxious to get intimate, and Jerry seemed content to wait.”

“What an ass.”

She smiled. “Well, I’d expect that attitude from a hound dog like you.”

“I told you last night, I’m not nearly as insatiable as you want to think I am.”

Her eyes widened and she leaned up far enough to look at their naked bodies. “Could have fooled me.”

“It’s different with you.” He kissed her nose and spoke in a whisper. “You make me crazy.” Maybe he was a hound dog, after all, because he sure as hell couldn’t look at her, couldn’t even think of her, without wanting her in the most elemental ways possible. “How long have you been broken up with this guy?”

“About a month.” She cuddled closer and rested her head on his chest. “I wanted to get a different job, something more challenging. He didn’t want me to. My parents agreed with him.”

“What kind of job did you want?”

She tipped her head to look at him. “I don’t know. Something fun, exciting. Working for Jerry was...well, it was boring.”

“Maybe that’s because Jerry was boring.”

“Most women don’t think so.” She smiled slightly, then admitted, “I made a lot of money on the stock market, and by investing in real estate. I wanted to get more involved with that. I seem to have a knack for it.”

“Real estate?” That was one of his big interests.

“Yes.” She leaned on one elbow. “Adam, my money is all my own, separate from my parents.”

That surprised him. Somehow he’d always figured she’d simply live off an inheritance, like every other pampered rich kid. “So you’ve made your own fortune?”

She nodded. “I have a way with numbers, and with property. Some day I’ll inherit my parents’ money, but for now, I don’t want it or need it.”

Ridiculously, he felt proud of her. She was more independent than he’d thought, and it pleased him. “Why not take what’s coming to you? You get along with your folks, don’t you?”

“Yes. I just like it better when I’m not answerable to anyone but myself.” She turned her face toward him, and her smoky eyes nearly did him in. That is, until she spoke. “I want to buy your resort, Adam.”

Her words felt like a punch to the chest, making him clench his teeth. After his mother had been forced to accept charity from the town to bury his father, he swore it would never happen again. Taking refuge from his painful memories, he moved on top of Melanie and parted her thighs.

She clung to him, accepting him. “Adam, please just let me explain what I—”

“Be quiet, Mel.” He gently, inexorably pushed himself into her, his groan mingling with hers, their gazes locked.

Melanie waited until he was completely buried inside her, then whispered, “Adam, I’ve made up my mind. I’m buying the resort. From what you’ve said, it’s a good deal, so—”

“Damn it.” He began to thrust, and she held on tight, her fingertips digging deep into his shoulders. He wanted to drown out her words, the fact that she could do what he couldn’t, that she had enough money and he still didn’t. It proved her right; nothing and neither of them had really changed, after all. They were each older and wiser, but their placement in the world was the same; they were still at opposite ends of the scale.

All his life, he’d fought hard against a society that said if you were born with money, life was easy, but if you had to earn it, there was a whole new set of rules. He’d learned early on what the main rule was: those with money did as they pleased. Melanie included. She really didn’t care what he wanted, she was just appeasing her ridiculous guilt.

Right now what he wanted most was for Melanie to give in to him, to be female to his male. At least in this he had the upper hand.

She quickened beneath him, and her teeth bit into the muscle on his shoulder. He flinched, and at the same time his touted control broke. He was a wild man—primal, complete.

Afterward, he didn’t wait for his breathing to calm, for his heartbeat to slow. He came jerkily to his feet and stood looking down at her. So damn beautiful. So damn rich. Tears shone on her long black lashes, making her blue eyes liquid and bright. Her breasts shimmered with her gasping, ragged breaths.

He walked away, straight into the ocean until he stood waist deep. The water was cool, and with clouds covering the sun, he should have felt comfortable. Instead, he was stricken by the flash heat of anger and despair. He wanted to rail against the world. He hadn’t used a condom that last time. And he wouldn’t touch her again.

He thought of her, not more than two yards away, looking earthy, warm, satisfied, everything a woman—his woman—should be. He ground his teeth and reminded himself it wouldn’t be for long. Surely they’d be missed soon and then someone would come for them. Someone had to rescue him, before he lost everything—his head, his heart, and his self-respect.

* * *

“She’s such a damn tease,” Adam accused.

Silence and a bold stare were the only reply from his feathered companion.