Free Ghost Of A Chance (Harlequin Te(Bookos.org) by Unknown Page A

and dreams, Anne.
    Why do you keep denying what happened that night?"
    Goaded, Anne lost her temper. "Because nothing did happen! I didn't
    come all this way just to go to bed with you. I wanted to talk to you, tell
    you about Michael. I wanted to apologize for the way I lashed out at you
    the night you brought him home. I wanted to see if we could put our
    relationship on a different footing. I wanted a lot of things, but I didn't
    want to go to bed with you."
    "You're afraid of me, aren't you?" he asked.
    The flicker of masculine satisfaction that she saw in his eyes made her
    want to strike him. "Maybe I am in some ways. It's only natural to be a bit
    cautious around a man who won't admit he's human, that he has needs
    like everyone else…"
    "Oh, I'm willing enough to acknowledge my needs, sweetheart," he
    whispered, pulling her against his bare chest. The toweling robe had
    parted completely, leaving only the snug-fitting jockey shorts as a shield
    between Anne and Julian's overwhelming masculinity.
    "Julian, stop it. This isn't what I meant and you know it."
    But he ignored her, crushing her against the cloud of curling hair that
    formed a shaggy triangle on his chest. His lips came down on hers in a
    hard, punishing kiss that effectively silenced any further argument. Anne
    felt the frustrated feminine fury welling up inside, even as she
    acknowledged the effect of the sensual punishment.
    His mouth insisted on her cooperation, his tongue probing arrogantly
    into the dark, warm recesses behind her teeth. It wasn't until she gave up
    trying to fight him and instead leaned obediently against him that Julian
    lifted his head. The tawny eyes softened as he stared down into her defiant
    face.
    "Now why don't you stop pretending that nothing happened between us
    the other night?"
    "You indulge your fantasies, I'll indulge my own," she said bravely.
    "Little coward." He was more amused than anything else by her
    bravado. Slowly, this time with compelling invitation, he lowered his
    mouth once more to hers. His hand moved lightly to her hips, shaping her
    with possessive, sensual care until she moaned softly. Then he deliberately
    cupped her buttocks and lifted her up into his hard thighs.
    "Julian." Anne sighed and nestled closer out of sheer instinct. Fighting
    him was so very difficult. Her fingers clung to the warmth of his sleek back
    beneath the robe and she knew a shiver of need as he made her fully aware
    of his own mounting desire.
    "I could take you so easily, make you want me…"
    "Julian, please don't…"
    "If you're afraid of me even though I'm in this condition, how are you
    going to deal with something really frightening such as that theft ring
    you're intent on trapping?" He nuzzled her nape, cradling her head against
    his shoulder.
    "I'll manage," she gasped, intensely aware of the hardness of his body.
    The insistent pressure of his aroused male form was both a lure and a
    challenge that was as old as time. But she knew she had to resist. And he
    must have sensed it.
    With resignation, Julian dropped his hands and stalked back to the
    couch. The limp was more pronounced now and she knew he was
    struggling to control it. "When you pack for me this afternoon, don't forget
    my razor or the can of shaving cream." He leaned his head back against
    the pillow and promptly went to sleep.
    Anne stood staring at him for a long moment wondering how she was
    going to deal with all the ghosts, real and imagined, that seemed to have
    invaded her life. Chief among them was the ghost of a dream she had
    believed in for the past six months; a dream of building a lasting
    relationship with Julian Aries. She had been a fool to think this man
    would ever admit that he needed her on any level except a sexual one. The
    lion had been surviving on his own for too long. He was not going to risk
    the weakness of loving and needing.
    Slowly Anne went into the bedroom to pack Julian's clothes for the trip
    west. She knew him well enough