Free Carae's Touch (Long Line of Love, #4) by Marilyn Lee Page B

with a sexy male she'd met two weeks earlier, she felt her cheeks burn. Damn him. "You don't have my permission to invade my thoughts, Brandon," she said, allowing her hands to drop to her sides.
    "And that's all you have to say about what you've been doing with other men?"
    She inhaled slowly. "If you're expecting me to apologize or attempt to justify myself, forget it. And you want to know why? Because there's nothing to justify beyond a few heated kisses and heavy petting."
    "So you didn't actually sleep with him?"
    She stared at him. "Why should you care?"
    "I shouldn't, but I do."
    She shook her head. "No. Things got a little hot and heavy because I was feeling lonely and depressed and he..."
    "He what?"
    "Even though he looked nothing like you, he reminded me of you."
    "And?"
    "But when push came to shove, he wasn't you and nothing happened beyond heavy petting. Now we need to discuss your unacceptable habit of invading my thoughts."
    To her surprise, he took her hands and linked her arms back around his neck. "My apologies. It wasn't intentional."
    "Then what happened?"
    He turned his head to brush his lips against her arm. "It feels like an age since I've seen you and when you touched me, I...things just got out of hand."
    "Kiss me and I'll consider forgiving you."
    He bent his head and briefly touched his mouth to hers.
    "And what have you been doing?" She asked against his lips.
    "Missing you more than you can imagine," he whispered, transferring his mouth to her neck.
    "Right answer, even if it isn't true," she said, stroking her hands over his hair.
    "It is true."
    Hearing the sincerity in his voice, she unlinked an arm from his neck to stroke down his chest and abs. "Are you going to allow me to seduce you?"
    He inhaled quickly and gripped her wrist before she could reach her target, his groin. "No," he said and stepped away from her.
    "You're starting to make me feel like a desperate woman pushing myself on you." She turned away.
    He caught her hand and turned her back to face him. "There's no reason for you to feel that way, Carae."
    "Honestly, how else am I supposed to feel? Every time I make a move or gesture, you slap me down."
    He squeezed her hand before slowly drawing her into a half embrace. "I'm afraid that if I don't keep a tight grip on things, I'll end up hurting you."
    "Why do you get to decide who I should see?"
    "I don't, but I do get to decide who I see."
    What a fool she'd been to allow Bancroft to talk her into thinking she had a chance with him. She shook her head. "I am through wasting my time with you." She allowed her arms to fall to her side and stepped away from him. She looked around the room, spotted her shoulder bag on the coffee table, and went to pick it up. "I'm going to go down to the lobby and call a cab. Goodbye." Without waiting for his response, she walked through the condo to the bedroom where he'd put her suitcase.
    She made it as far as the entrance door before he reached over her shoulder to keep the door closed. She put her suitcase down and turned to look up at him.
    "If you really want to go home, I'll drive you."
    Although his expression was neutral, his voice was brusque and he projected the air of a man two deep breaths away from going postal. "Thanks, but I'd rather take a cab."
    "Why?"
    "Because I've had enough of you for one night! I'm going home to change and then I'm going out to enjoy myself with a man who doesn't make me chase him only to slap me down. And this time if things start to get out of hand, I'll let them!" She opened the door.
    "The hell you will!" He shoved the door shut.
    Shocked by his sudden willingness to allow his anger free rein, she turned back to find him staring at her with a cool look in his dark eyes. "What are you doing?"
    "What the fuck do you want from me, Carae? You want me to treat you like an easy lay?"
    "I want you to let me out of here!"
    His nostrils flared and he compressed his lips before he suddenly curled his fingers in her