Free Imminent Conquest by Aurora Rose Lynn Page B

James, the man who was confident and strong but at the same time sensitive to her needs. They had planned to marry as soon as she turned twenty. She had meant to spend the rest of her life with him. She pursed her lips, trying to look away from the daunting past. That kind of thinking only led to heartache and recriminations.
    His answer was to simply incline his head, as if accepting the inevitable. But the tender moment vanished as he jerked her off the bed. He was no longer the man she had once known. He had changed. And it wasn't for the better. He was more mercurial in his moods.
    He spun her around and seated himself on the bed as he drove her to her knees between his thighs. Nicole's breath caught in her throat when she caught sight of his erection straining against the ridge of his dark pants. Lust smouldered deep within her belly. Could she let herself want him just this one time?
    "You know what I want."
    Just this once, she would satisfy her need to be a part of James Carmichael. No, he preferred the name Michael Karlisi, she reminded herself. Then she could forget about him, live her life in despair that she couldn't change what the past had wrought in her life. Just this once, she repeated. Just this once.
    "Unbuckle my belt,” he commanded.
    Hesitantly, she reached for the metal buckle. Her fingers were damp from sweat and trembling. Her hand brushed against his hard shaft, but she yanked her fingers away as if she had been burned. She choked back a small cry. She had to stop herself, before she allowed herself to feel pity for him and regret for her actions.
    He threw his head back and laughed. “You're touching me like you're some virgin.” Catching her hair and gently twisting the strands around his palm, he drew her face close to his. “But you're not. I made sure of that, didn't I?"
    "You take too much credit,” she spat out.
    He indicated his belt with a little nod. “Go on."
    She wet her lips in mind-boggling anticipation. She watched the small buttons on his shirt as she groped for the belt, once again touching his clothed penis. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Her breasts ached with longing. Her nipples were painfully hard nubs, jutting from the softness of her breasts.
    "You're even more beautiful now than ten years ago."
    She struggled with her need for him, a need so sharp it took her breath away.
    He clasped her hands and brought her knuckles together against his flat waist. “I can see you struggling in your head. You love me. You love me not."
    Her thoughts faded into the past when they had lain on a blanket in a meadow and he had impulsively plucked a single daisy for her. She had picked the petals and with a twinkle of mischievousness in her eyes, said, “He loves me, he loves me not.” She'd plucked all the petals and when she had finished, he had taken the brown stamen from her hands and given her a deep kiss.
    "I don't love you,” she insisted in the present, hating the fact that she enjoyed having her fingers against the manly planes of his body. If she wasn't careful, she would be able to emotionally transport herself back in time, erase the murder, and fall in love with Michael all over again.
    "Look me in the face and say that."
    She didn't hesitate. “I hate you,” she said, trying to convince herself that her words were true.
    His blue eyes glittered with a glassy sheen. “I don't believe that any more than you do."
    "I hate you,” she repeated.
    He moved his head from side to side. “But not enough to not make love to me."
    "You're forcing me to."
    "Am I?” He played with her left nipple, twisting, pulling it into an extended peak, arousing her even more than she already was.
    She tried to pull her hands free.
    "Your breasts are larger now, the areolas are darker, browner too. So beautiful.” His hand strayed to her right shoulder. A moment passed as she swallowed, willed him to vanish, willed the old James to come to her rescue. Foolish, foolish wishes, she inwardly