Free Pirate's Gold by Lisa Jackson

dipped lower, closer to her breasts. Maren swallowed against the bittersweet yearnings and her senses became confused in the once-forgotten passion rising within the deepest core of her. “Don’t,” she managed to whisper when his finger slid a button through the hole. His hand flattened against her chest, feeling the warm skin rising and falling with each shallow breath she managed to take. The only sound in the darkness was the desperate beat of her racing heart.
    â€œYou want me,” he whispered as he felt the fluttering irregular cadence.
    â€œYes,” she admitted.
    He groaned and moved closer to her, pressing her into the soft leather cushions. His shaking hand gingerly cupped her breast, rubbing the silky texture of her blouse against her skin, until she thought she would go insane with frustrated longing. She swallowed to moisten her throat and had to force her hand to restrain his wrist. “Please…don’t.”
    â€œYou can’t deny it…you want me as much as I want you.”
    â€œI…I haven’t denied anything. But it’s not enough.”
    â€œWhat is, Maren?” he asked, his lips brushing the silk over her breast. He felt the tautness of her nipple straining against the flimsy fabric and found that he was unable to cope with the frustration burning within him. “What is enough?”
    His hot breath against her breast encouraged a thin layer of perspiration to collect between Maren’s shoulder blades. “I don’t know,” she conceded with a sigh.
    He clenched his teeth together to stem the tide of desire rising in his body. Reluctantly he pulled his head away from her swollen breast. Without considering her actions, she placed a protective hand over her heart.
    Regarding her through half-closed but penetrating eyes, he spoke. His words were punctuated with his uneven breathing. “Sure you do,” he accused, “You’re just not willing to admit it. You said you weren’t ready for a commitment, and I believed you. Hell, we had barely met!” He clenched his fists to fight against the emotional and contradictory feelings battling within his mind. “But you still want something from me, don’t you? You want to hear words of love, whether they have meaning or not.”
    Maren bristled. “You’re wrong, Kyle. I’m thirty-three years old, and I’ve learned not to confuse sexual attraction and physical desire with love.”
    â€œThen what is it you want?” he asked raggedly, hoping to understand just a little part of her.
    â€œTime.” She pulled out of his embrace and reached for the handle of the door. “I don’t think it’s an unreasonable request considering the circumstances.” She opened the car door and slid outside. He followed.
    A gentle breeze blew through the two stately palm trees that stood near a lone lamppost, forcing the leaves to dance in the air and cast moving shadows in the ethereal gray light. That same soft wind lifted the parted fabric of Maren’s blouse and made it difficult to rebutton. Caught in the moving air, the silk tie and the copper strands of her hair fell away from her neck and throat. Her eyes shimmered in the lamplight, changing from deep indigo to an intriguing shade of silver-blue. She seemed strong and yet vulnerable, innocent and wise; a bewitching creature who turned his head around.
    She was still fumbling with the tie when Kyle reached her. He lifted her face with his hands and gently kissed her trembling lips. “Promise me that you’ll see me again,” he coaxed. His fingers slid against her throat and rested upon her shoulders. She wondered what it would be like to be controlled by those persuasive hands.
    â€œI will,” she hesitantly agreed, aware only of his fingers softly tracing her jawline. “We have business—”
    â€œShh…” He placed his finger against her lips. “Not