Free While the Fire Rages by Joan Hohl Page B

eyes, Jo moved sensuously, her body growing vibrantly alive from the caressing touch of the cool, smooth material, her mind imagining that touch belonging to Brett’s long, slim hands. Heat radiated from her now fiery core to lick hungrily through her veins, and Jo’s trembling thighs parted in silent invitation. The low whimper that whispered through her dry lips alerted Jo to the folly she was indulging in. Moaning in frustration, she rolled onto her stomach and forced herself to lie perfectly still.
    “Oh, God, why Brett?”Jo’s cry was muffled by the silky pillowcase. “Of all the men in the world, why inflict me with the one who feels nothing but disdain for me?”
    Jo grew still at the sound of her own voice, the context of her outcry. Why did Brett hold her in contempt? There were few people who knew her personal history. Still, could it be possible Brett had heard her rather pathetic story from one of them? Had he heard of her miserable attempt at playing mistress and dismissed her as a failure as a woman because she had failed? Gary Devlin had made sure she’d been aware of exactly how badly she’d fared in the male-female stakes.
    The heat was gone, replaced by the chill of memory, Jo definitely did not want to think about Gary. Jo never wanted to think about Gary again for as long as she lived. But, given a choice between burning in the hell of desire’s fire and reliving the hell she’d endured with Gary, she thought it prudent to think about him. Thoughts of him should not only keep her cool, they would very likely freeze her soul.
    Gary. Had she really considered the possibility of spending the rest of her life with him? Yes, Jo admitted. At the beginning she had actually wanted marriage. Thank heaven Gary had hedged, opting for a trial, live-together period. That trial period had lasted a very short time. Jo shivered with the memory. She had not been able to hold Gary’s interest for one full year! And, if he was to be believed, she had practically emasculated him as well!
    Did all women who had reached a measure of success in their careers have this trouble in their relationships with men? Were all men intimidated by even the most mildly successful women? Jo didn’t know the answers, and she was too private a person to ask the opinion of other professional women she knew.
    Cool now, in body and mind, Jo rolled onto her back and stared into the darkness of her room. If their time together had emasculated Gary, she couldn’t define what it had done to her. But she knew she was now afraid of any deep involvement with a man, and the very thought of making a commitment gave her the shakes. It’s unbelievable, she mused sadly, how much damage two people can inflict on each other in such a short span of time. And it had begun so sweetly too.
    She had met Gary while shopping one bright, warm morning in April in, of all places, a stalled elevator. Everyone on the car had become nervous immediately, including Jo. Gary had not. His tall, muscular frame propped lazily against the car’s wall, he had coolly advised them to relax.
    “This is at least the third time this has happened to me in this very car.” Gary, a dry smile curving his lips, had offered the information in an attempt to calm a rather hysterical older woman. “We’ll be moving again shortly.”
    Within seconds of his promise the mechanism clanked into motion then glided to a smooth stop at the next floor. Inside those seconds, his laughing eyes had captured Jo’s and he’d winked conspiratorially. Acting completely out of character, Jo had winked back. As she stepped from the car he caught her arm in a gentle grasp.
    “Now that our crisis is over,” he’d whispered dramatically, “how about joining me in a celebratory cup of coffee?”
    Jo couldn’t help herself, she’d laughed aloud. “What, exactly, would we be celebrating?”
    “Why, our very survival, what else?” He blinked owlishly at her, making her aware of the