Free The Silver Snare by Unknown

want to think about the way
    you made me feel like a cornered doe who belongs by right to the strongest male in the herd.“
    „That’s not the way it was!“
    „That’s the way I remember it!“ she flung back angrily.
    Instead of arguing, he sealed her mouth once more beneath his own, but this time, as if the earlier kiss had
    assuaged some of his immediate hunger, he let his lips move slowly, invitingly on hers. Jessica felt the deliberate
    seduction and knew that it was far more dangerous than the attempt at dominance.
    When several happy passengers spilled out of the doorway and onto the open deck behind her, she knew she
    would have to take advantage of the opportunity to escape. Lucas slackened his grasp as the laughter and the
    good-natured comments filtered through the balmy night. His head came up slowly, freeing her mouth. When she
    began to pull away, he let her go, but in the process his hands slid around her rib cage, momentarily gliding
    possessively across her unconfined breasts.
    Jessica stepped back hurriedly at the intimate touch. Her mouth was sensuously softened by his kisses. Her body
    tingled warmly where he had touched it and even die peak of her breast was tautening beneath the soft red silk. She
    knew he must have felt the budding nipple when he’d lightly passed his hand across her softness.
    For a long moment they stared at each other in the shadows and Jessica knew well the memories in the gray eyes.
    She was very much afraid they were reflected in her own.
    „You should never have come after me, Lucas,“ she admonished uneasily; then she turned on her heel and moved
    swiftly away toward the reassuring sounds of laughter and music drifting out to the deck from one of the three
    lounges.
    Jessica threw herself into the darkened, smoky room, the red flounce of her dress swirling around her knees. Her
    eyes scanned the interior, searching for a vacant table. At the far end a small musical group energetically turned out
    dance music for the couples crowding the dance floor. A huge, circular padded bar dominated the opposite end of the
    room.
    Concerned with the possibility that Lucas would pursue her and try to commandeer a few dances, Jessica turned
    toward the right, seeking some refuge in the boisterous crowd. She nearly collided with Kirk Randall, who was wearing
    a white evening jacket and well-tailored dark trousers. He looked every inch the elegantly casual cruise passenger, she
    thought fleetingly, remembering Lucas’s rather battered corduroy jacket.
    „I’ve been looking for you. How about dancing off some of that dinner? Or didn’t you give in to the temptation to
    sample something from every section of the menu?“ he grinned.
    „Guilty as charged.“ Jessica fixed her most charming smile on her face and let him take her hand to lead her out
    onto the dance floor.
    „I wasn’t sure if you were going to end up spending the evening with that guy I saw seated at your table,“ Kirk
    remarked as he drew her into his arms. „Am I wrong or does his face seem familiar, too? Sorry,“ he added quickly when
    Jessica glanced up quizzically. „I’m one of those unlucky folks blessed with a memory for faces!“
    „I’m afraid you probably saw Lucas in some of the same pictures where you saw me,“ she admitted with a smile.
    „He seems to have opted for a recuperative vacation, too.“
    „Kincaid, wasn’t that the name?“ When Jessica nodded mutely Kirk went on thoughtfully. „Quite a coincidence,
    his winding up on the same ship.“
    „Quite!“
    „You two must, uh, have a lot to talk about,“ he suggested hesitantly.
    „Not really,“ Jessica stated firmly. „Other than finding ourselves aboard the same ill-fated airplane, we have very
    little in common.“
    „Five days of being stranded together didn’t provide enough fodder for conversation?“ Kirk persisted quietly.
    Jessica knew what he was getting at and her eyes hardened. „There were six other people around,