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  “You’re upset.”

  “No, I’m not.” I’m a child and I need to grow up. This isn’t the man of your dreams, Lara, this is a guy you’re fucking and having some fun with.

  “Yeah you are. You’re tense.”

  “Long day. I just need to relax a bit.”

  “I can help you with that.”

  She met his lascivious gaze. Determined to block out her emotions and enjoy the moments she had with him, she said, “Ah, yes. I’ll just bet you can.”

  “Need a ride home?”

  “My house is only a block from here. I walked.” In heels, too. Never again.

  “Come on. I’ll drive you.”

  She stuffed her paperwork in her briefcase, pleasantly surprised when Mark took it from her hands and carried it out to his SUV. She slid into the leather seat and crossed her legs, tugging the damned short skirt over her thighs. Nancy and her bright ideas about clothing.

  Then again, she had to admit the clothes did something to her. Tonight she’d actually felt naughty. The silk stockings caressed her legs and the tops of the hose rubbed against her thighs. All she could think of during the lecture was Mark, kneeling in front of her, lifting her skirt and slowly rolling down her stockings.

  Not a good mental picture when one had to remain composed in front of a hundred plus people.

  “You look hot, Lara.”

  She glanced over at him. His eyes were hooded, half-closed and it was dark, but the way his gaze moved over her body told her what he was thinking.

  “Thank you.”

  When he reached for her leg, resting his palm over her knee, she fought back a gasp. Arousal moistened her sex, readying her for him. Her nipples tingled against the barely there bra she’d worn under her silk blouse.

  With a death grip on the armrest she watched his fingers move upward. Slowly, he walked them closer to the hem of her skirt. When he got there, he used the side of his hand to slide the skirt up.

  Her breath hitched, stopping just short of a complete inhalation. She held it, waiting for his response.

  Arching a brow when he reached the tops of her stockings, he said, “Thigh-highs?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Damn, that’s fucking hot!”

  And now she couldn’t breathe at all because he’d moved his hand further upward, between her legs, teasing at the edge of her panties.

  “You’re wet.”

  “Yes.”

  “You want me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Now?”

  “Now?” He couldn’t be serious. They were in the parking lot of the Biology Department building. There were…she looked around. No cars or people in sight.

  “Lara?”

  When had she been adventurous in her life? When had she taken naughty little risks like this? When had she been more sexually stimulated by a man?

  Never was the answer to all her questions.

  “Push your seat back, Mark.”

  Other than their heavy breathing, the whirr of the electric seat was the only sound. She climbed over the center console and straddled him.

  Mark’s eyes widened. Not quite what he had in mind, but this would certainly do. Lara’s wet panties pressed against his erection as she situated herself over him.

  “God Almighty, Lara!” he hissed when she rocked against him. She shrugged out of her suit jacket, the buttery-soft silk of her blouse tickling his cheek. The crisscross cut provided a glimpse of the most tantalizing bra he’d ever seen. Hardly even a bra, actually. Just a wisp of see-through material that barely covered her nipples.

  He wondered if her panties matched.

  Her skirt stretched between her thighs, affording him a glimpse of decadent panties that, sure as hell, matched the bra.

  “Get those panties off,” he said, suddenly needing to be inside her.

  She gripped his shoulders, her green eyes glassy with desire. “Kind of difficult in the position I’m in.”

  “Then I hope you didn’t pay a ton of money for them, because they’re coming off one way or the other.”

  Her swift intake of breath wasn’t an objection. “Do it.”

  Keeping his gaze focused on hers, he reached for the string on the side of her hip and wrapped it around his fist, then yanked. She cried out when the elastic gave way with a single rip, then licked her lips, panting heavily.

  The SUV was uncomfortable as hell, but damned if he was going to wait to get her home. He lifted the skirt over her hips, going mad with the sight of the tuft of red curls between her legs. He reached down and skimmed her flesh. She was as wet as he was hard.

  “Lift up, babe,” he commanded, then unzipped his pants and pulled out his aching shaft.

  She didn’t need instructions. She waited, arched above him, as he grabbed a condom from the console and slid it on. Then she settled over him, moving so agonizingly slow he wanted to grab her hips and plunge his cock fast and hard inside her. Finally, she sat fully on him and began rocking, slowly at first, then picking up the pace.

  He pulled her blouse aside, slipping it off her shoulders and burying his face in her breasts. He licked her nipples over the material of her bra and she whimpered, pulling at his hair.

  When he tilted his head back to look at her face, she drew closer. Her lips ground against his, her tongue plunging into his mouth at the same time his hips rose to meet her.

  The windows steamed. He panted, she panted. Clothes were pulled aside so that skin made contact with skin.

  His little wildcat had gone feral on him. She bit his shoulder and pumped away at his shaft until he felt death was imminent.

  What a way to go!

  Reaching around behind her, he slipped his fingers between her legs, swiping some of the copious juices that seeped from her pussy. He massaged her slit, loving the feel of her bouncing up and down on his shaft, then drew his fingers upward, coating her anus with her own cream.

  “Oh, God,” she whispered, stilling completely.

  “I want to feel inside that hot ass of yours, Lara,” he said, desperate to slide inside that tight rosebud and sample her heat.

  “Yes,” she hissed, bending forward to give him access.

  Sufficiently moistened, he slid one finger past the tight muscle of her anus. Her ass gripped him, pulling his finger deeper and deeper while her pussy quivered around his aching shaft.

  “Christ, you’re tight back there, baby. I’d love to fuck that ass some day.” Just the thought of burying his cock deep into her hot, tight cavern back there had his balls tightening and threatening to explode.

  He moved his finger in and out of her, drawing nearly completely out, then plunging back inside again. Soon he was fucking her ass in earnest.

  And she liked it. Man, did she like it. She dug her nails into his shoulders and rode him like a wildcat, tilting her head back and crying out in pleasure that had him ready to burst.

  “Now, Mark,” she cried, bucking furiously against him. His balls ached with the need for release and he pumped harder and faster. His groan and her keening cries mixed together as they both reached their climax at the same time.

  Minutes passed and neither of them moved. He was sweating. So was she. He withdrew from her anus and grabbed one of the tissues on the console. That was as far as he got, though, because he couldn’t move a muscle.

  Hell, he didn’t want to move. Her cunt continued to pulse around him. His crotch was soaked with the combination of her juices and his cum.

  Damn that had been good.

  “I’m stuck,” she finally said.

  He opened his eyes and leaned back, searching her face. “Stuck where?”

  She smirked. “Well, other than being impaled on your dick, I’d say my legs are wedged pretty tight on either side of the seat. And my foot’s asleep.”

  God, she was beautiful all disheveled like this. Her blouse was open, her breasts exposed. Her hair had gone wild, tumbling out of the clip she’d secured it with and her skirt was hiked
high over her hips.

  Appreciatively, his cock responded by hardening again.

  Her eyes widened and she arched a brow, then lightly licked his lips. “No way in hell, bucko. Get me out of this position and take me home before you fuck me again.”

  “Is that an invitation?”

  “Hell yeah. Now get moving. I’m ready for round two.”

  * * * * *

  Lara tiptoed around her house, picking up pieces of discarded clothing. They’d certainly ripped their clothing off quickly last night, beginning at the front door and making their way through the rest of the house. By the time they’d fallen into bed, there was nothing left to take off.

  Mark lay sprawled across her bed, sound asleep.

  He didn’t snore. A plus for him. The other plus was the sight of his naked ass.

  She sighed, unable to believe this gorgeous Adonis found her attractive. Not only attractive, but seemed to really want to spend time with her.

  After they’d made love again last night, they’d padded into the kitchen, both of them naked, and fixed peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

  Then they’d spent hours talking. About everything, from her work to his, to the differences in the male and female mind as it related to sexuality.

  The fact he was so interested in her work and her thought processes made her smile. He was definitely different than any other man she’d ever known.

  His shirt was strewn over his laptop and notes. She picked up the t-shirt and held it to her nose, inhaling the scent so unique to him. With a sigh, she added it to the pile of clothes she was going to wash, then began to tidy up his folders. One fell to the floor and she hurriedly picked up the contents to jam them inside.

  But her name on the notes caught her eye. She scanned them quickly, feeling equal parts of guilt and curiosity. Really, she shouldn’t be doing this. Then again, why was her name in his notes for Total Man Magazine? The article he’d written about her and the masturbation-a-thon had already gone to the publisher.

  Lara flopped onto the sofa, her heart racing as she read what he’d written. It was an outline for a series of articles for the magazine, with them as co-authors. They’d take a subject and he would write a man’s viewpoint and she would write a woman’s. The feature would run monthly.

  Holy hell!

  She stood, file folder in hand, and walked into the bedroom.

  “Mark, wake up.”

  He groaned.

  “Mark!”

  She ignored his perfect body, including his prominent erection when he rolled over onto his back. Blinking one eye open, he smiled at her. “Mornin.”

  “Don’t you mornin’ me. What is this?” She tossed the file folder onto the bed next to him.

  With a yawn, Mark leaned up on one elbow and peered at the file.

  Then his eyes widened. He looked up at her and she read the guilt on his face.

  “You’ve got some explaining to do, Mark.”

  Chapter Eight

  He was busted. Now what was he going to do? His mind wasn’t coherent enough to come up with a pack of lies. “I can explain this.”

  “Then I suggest you get started.” She crossed her arms and stared down at him.

  He scrubbed a hand over his face and sat up. “It’s not what you think.”

  “You have no idea what I think. Now tell me about those notes.”

  The tight tone in her voice told him she wasn’t too damn happy about finding the outline. Visions of huge paychecks from TMM disappeared like a mirage in the desert. He was fucked, and not in a good way.

  Best thing to do was to come clean about the whole thing and be done with it. “I’m sorry, Lara. I shouldn’t have done it.”

  “No, you shouldn’t have.”

  “I’ll get my things and leave. I’m really sorry.” Funny thing was, he meant that. He shouldn’t have manipulated her this way. It had been a really stupid idea and he should have just come right out and been honest with her from the start, then lived with whatever her answer was.

  He scanned the room for his clothes, hoping she wouldn’t throw him out naked.

  “Leaving? Why are you leaving?”

  “Uh, isn’t that what you want me to do?”

  She sat on the bed and organized the papers in the file folder. “Of course not. I want to know more about this idea of yours.”

  Was there anything she did that didn’t knock him on his ass with shock? “You do?”

  “Yes.” She looked down, her cheeks darkening that sexy coral color. “I’m…flattered.”

  “Huh?”

  Her gaze met his, those guileless green eyes making him feel guiltier by the second.

  “I said I’m flattered. I wish you had discussed your plan with me, but still, the fact you want to co-author a feature with me every month is quite a compliment.”

  Following her train of thought, he said, “I hope so. You are special. And I was going to talk to you about it. It’s just that when we started talking about a few subjects, I got this idea and wanted to jot down some notes. I intended to ask you for your okay before I presented it to TMM.”

  “So, are we going to talk about it now?”

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  “Of course. Granted, if I didn’t know you as well as I do I would never even think about writing for a magazine like TMM. But since I do know you, and you did think of me when planning the articles, I suppose it’s a good idea. The opportunity to reach so many male readers with some of my ideas is too good to pass up. I’m honored that you thought of me.”

  His plan had worked. Hook, line and sinker. She was his, she’d agreed. He should be ecstatic. Instead, he felt lower than dirt.

  They ate breakfast, discussed the articles, and Lara excitedly shooed him away for the day so she could get started on the first month’s subject matter.

  After he left her house, he drove around for about an hour, feeling worse with every passing second.

  Never having been one for scruples in the past, he sure as hell picked a fine time to develop some. This wasn’t the first time he’d manipulated a subject to get what he wanted.

  But Lara wasn’t just any subject. She was special. She’d been honest and forthright with him from the beginning. He’d been underhanded and played dirty, manipulating her innocence in the worst possible way.

  He was a bastard. And worse, a lying bastard. She deserved so much better.

  She deserved a genuine, honest guy who wouldn’t lie to and manipulate her. Someone who’d appreciate her intelligence, her humor, her passion, the way she gave one hundred and ten percent of herself to a relationship.

  Relationship. That’s what Lara thought she was having with him right now. An honest give and take, learning about each other. Even working together.

  The excitement of writing for TMM had lost all its appeal. Eventually he’d have to tell Lara the truth. And once he did, his career with TMM would be over.

  His relationship with Lara would be over.

  And that hurt. Holy shit, that hurt!

  Had he done something even worse than lying to Lara? Had he finally gotten caught in the trap that he swore he’d never get caught in?

  Had he fallen in love?

  No way. He didn’t fall in love. He was too cynical, too damned busy, too focused on his career to let feelings for a woman sidetrack him from his goals.

  Certainly it had never happened before.

  And no way in hell was he going to let it happen now.

  He was a user. Sometimes being a reporter meant people got hurt. It had never bothered him before, so why now?

  Because it was Lara he was hurting. And like it or not, she mattered to him.

  Fuck! No, she didn’t. He wouldn’t let her matter to him. He’d use her, do their articles as long as he could, and once he’d proved to TMM he was a great writer, they’d never let him go.

  Of course once that happened, she’d dump him.

  Wasn’t that what he wanted? C
ut all ties so he could be free?

  That’s exactly what he wanted. Except the thought of being without her made his gut ache in a way that had nothing to do with guilt and a helluva lot to do with his heart.

  Yeah right. He had no heart. Just look at what he planned to do to her. Use her, then cast her aside.

  “You are one great fuckin’ prize, Whitman,” he muttered to himself. She’d hate him when this was over.

  Right now, he wasn’t too damned fond of himself, either.

  * * * * *

  Lara grinned as she put the finishing touches on her part of the article.

  Something about this felt so right. They were joined together both in work and in play.

  Plus, she was giddy as hell and floating on air most of the time. Okay, all the time.

  She loved him. How it happened, she couldn’t say, but she knew for a certainty that she’d fallen head over heels in love with Mark Whitman.

  And he had to feel something for her, too. He was still here. He hadn’t gone back to New York after his family reunion. Instead, he had all but moved into her place.

  In the past few weeks they’d written four articles for the magazine. More than that, they’d talked. They’d discussed. Even argued, although she preferred to think of it as debating a subject.

  And of course, they’d made love. Lots and lots of love, each time more passionate and filled with tender emotion.

  He’d surprised the hell out of her. Frankly, she’d surprised the hell out of herself, too. After the disastrous relationships in her past, she’d never thought she’d be able to trust a man enough to really let loose.

  But with Mark, she held nothing back.

  Now the big test. To tell him how she felt about him. And hope he didn’t run like hell in the opposite direction. But they’d been honest with each other so far. It was only fair that she tell him she was in love with him.

  * * * * *

  Mark had to tell her. Guilt stabbed at him, every day getting worse and worse. He had to tell Lara the truth.

  As much as he’d wanted to run away from his own truth, it stared at him every time he looked in the mirror.