aI like the way you feel. Unless you mind?a Angel added, lifting her hand suddenly.

Hawkas eyes opened, clear and warm. His hand captured hers and pulled it slowly across his chest.

aI like it when you touch me.a Too much, he added silently.

The rigid expression of Hawkas desire pressed harder against his jeans with each rapid heartbeat. Yet he wouldnat have traded one instant of Angelas innocent torture for all the experienced release other women had brought him.

aAre you sure?a asked Angel.

There was hesitation in her eyes, in her voice, in her hand no longer stroking him.

aIave never been more sure of anything in my life,a Hawk said.

He lowered his head until his mouth fit perfectly over Angelas. With slow, gentle movements of his tongue, he melted her lips until they flowed apart beneath him.

The tiny serrations of her teeth fascinated him. He traced their edges again and again before he allowed himself to taste the moist sweetness of her mouth. Just one taste, a single delicate touch of his tongue against hers.

The tremor that went through Angel was echoed deep in Hawkas body, blood pooling hotly, flesh pressing against the restraints of cloth, demanding release.

His tongue returned, learning the velvet textures of Angelas mouth. Her hands on his back tightened, urging Hawk closer in silent, unknowing invitation. Her tongue answered the teasing pressures of his, meeting retreat with boldness. He responded with a gliding, satin caress that drew tiny sounds from deep in Angelas throat.

The kiss lasted until her heart was a wildness shaking her and her mouth opened deeply to Hawkas. Even then the kiss continued, filling her softness and moist warmth with his taste, making her tremble with each wave of pleasure sweeping over her.

The palms of Hawkas hands were almost hot as they moved from Angelas cheeks to her shoulders and then down her arms to her fingertips. He threaded his hands through hers, gently unwrapping her arms from around his waist.

Hawkas fingers slid between Angelas slowly, rhythmically, stroking the burning, sensitive skin. Then his hands moved with ravishing seduction along the inner softness of her arms. The caress was as unbroken as his kiss, Hawk filling Angelas senses until she shivered and drank his presence, wordlessly telling him of the pleasure coursing through her, pleasure he had brought to her.

The kiss deepened even more as Hawkas palms slid over the skin revealed by the deeply cut side of Angelas suit. He ached to let his fingers slide beneath the silky fabric and discover the softness of flesh that had never known the sun.

But his hands moved on, sliding up to her ribs, brushing the firm swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. His caress lingered there, learning the satin curves, seducing her nipples into a tightness that inflamed him as much as her ragged moan.

Only then did Hawk release Angelas mouth. His lips moved with slow heat across the taut skin of her neck.

Head tipped back, eyes closed, Angel abandoned herself to the marvelous sensations Hawkas caressing mouth and hands drew from her. His mouth slid with exquisite care across the hollow of her throat, lingering long enough for his tongue and lips to learn the heated race of her heart.

When his mouth drifted over the curve of her breast, then closed with melting gentleness over her nipple, Angel shivered and arched into the caress unselfconsciously, knowing only the pleasure Hawk gave her. His teeth rasped lightly over the outline of her nipple beneath the smooth fabric of the bathing suit, and she moaned softly.

The sound ripped through Hawk, pain and pleasure combined, a male hunger that made him want to cry out in anguish and fierce delight.

Blindly, Hawkas fingers pulled at the satin cords holding up Angelas suit. The ties parted, sliding down her shoulders.

Angel held her breath, wanting nothing more than to feel the hot touch of Hawkas tongue on her naked b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Then she realized what she was thinking, and froze in surprise at the abandonment that Hawkas touch called from her.

She had loved Grant, wanted Grant. But not like this. This was as much outside her experience as Hawk himself.

Hawk sensed the change in Angel. He held her gently away from his body, his hands restrained, his mouth no longer touching her anywhere.

aHawk?a Angel asked, her voice soft, ragged.

aI think itas time I put a bandage on your back,a Hawk said, standing up and turning away in a single swift motion. aLie down on your stomach and close your eyes.a The words echoed in Hawkas mind, mocking him.

Angel didnat have to have her eyes closed for him to put a bandage on her, but it might prevent him from scaring her with his obvious hunger. There was no way for Hawk to hide it from her, and no way to convince her that he would not take her no matter how hot and cruel the talons of need digging into him became.

Grimly Hawk went into the boatas cabin. He took his time finding the first aid kit. He took even more time selecting a bandage, choosing among the varied sizes and shapes as though Angelas life depended on having just the right one.

He had barely touched the surface of the pleasure he wanted to give Angel.

And she was still afraid of him.

23.

Angel lay on her stomach, her face turned away from the cabin. She didnat want Hawk to see her confusion when he returned. Deliberately she tried to build the beautiful rose in her mind. It spun away into a place that seethed with heat and hunger.

Small tremors of desire and frustration shook Angel with every breath she took. Her body was flushed, aching, quivering with nerve endings she had forgotten or never known she owned. She felt adrift, spinning, hungry to her core.

With every heartbeat Angel wished that Hawk hadnat left, that he was still close to her, that his hands and mouth were still caressing her.

She no longer cared that Hawkas lovemaking had brought her pain once before. She didnat believe that he would hurt her again. The Hawk who had just caressed her was not the same man who had taken her quickly, ruthlessly, a few days ago. This Hawk was a lover, not a predator.

His hands had trembled when he touched her.

That, as much as Hawkas caresses, had taken the world from beneath Angelas feet. She had never been the focus of such intense, consuming desire.

Hawk wants me. No matter how hard he tries to hide it, he wants me.

And I want him.

Angel felt the thick pad shift as Hawk sat next to her. His warm fingers stroked lightly down the length of her spine. She shivered helplessly, wanting more.

His hand remained poised above Angelas back.

aAre you cold?a Hawk asked, concerned.

Though the sun was overhead, he knew that it was always cool on the water.

aOnly when you stop touching me,a Angel whispered.

Hawkas breath came in sharply. The sudden race of his heart made his hands tremble so that it was all but impossible to unwrap the small bandage and smooth it into place on Angelas back.

Eventually he managed. Then, when he could trust himself again, he kissed the warm skin that was revealed by the crisscross of straps and the deeply cut back of Angelas bathing suit.

aDo you like that?a he asked.

Angel nodded and shivered again.

aWhen you froze in my arms,a Hawk said softly, aI thought you didnat want me to touch you anymore.a aI was just . . . surprised,a Angel admitted.

The last word was a ragged intake of breath. Hawkas tongue was sliding along her spine in a sultry caress that ended in the sensitive small of her back. As the tip of his tongue caressed her, one warm hand kneaded lightly from her ankle to the firm curves of her thigh.

Hawk felt the ripple of pleasure that swept through Angel when his teeth caressed the sensitive nerves at the base of her spine.

aWhy were you surprised?a murmured Hawk.

For a moment Angelas only answer was a moan that sounded like Hawkas name.

aAngel?a aI thought I knew myself,a she said huskily. aI thought I knew what it was to want someone.a aAnd?a Angelas breath shivered out. She felt the heat and strength of Hawkas fingers sliding along her thigh, sending shock waves of need racing through her, melting her.

aI was wrong, Hawk. Every time you touch me, I learn something new, something beautiful.a Again, without knowing it, Angel had both destroyed and created Hawk with a few words.

Hawk made a sound low in his throat and closed his eyes. He rested his cheek in the warm hollow of Angelas back, letting his breath pool moistly against her soft skin.

He had known nothing like Angel in his lifetime. She made him want to believe in things that he had long since abandoneda"gentleness and generosity, human warmth.

Truth.

Angel was a woman without lies, and Hawk wanted to worship her.

His caressing palm slid down her right leg again. The muscles of her leg shifted and flexed, giving back his touch. Her calf was smooth and curved, firm. There were faint scars beneath her tan ankle.

Hawkas fingers stopped, then gently found and memorized each reminder of her old pain. Angelas skin was taut, warm, incredibly alive. It was impossible to believe that she had ever been injured, broken, an angel wounded and lost but for Derryas courage.

Abruptly Hawk realized that he was holding Angelas ankle much too tightly. He cradled her ankle in his hands while his lips and the tip of his tongue smoothed across faded scars.

aIam sorry,a Hawk whispered. aDid I hurt your ankle?a Angelas answer was a silent shake of her head that made sunlight gather and run through her hair.

aAre you sure?a Hawk kissed her skin gently, then caressed it with his cheek. The stillness in him transmitted itself to Angel. She propped herself on her elbow and looked over her shoulder. For the first time she saw the naked intensity of Hawkas eyes and the mixture of emotions on his face as he caressed her.

aHawk?a she asked, uncertain. She had never seen him look quite like that, almost afraid. aIs something wrong?

He smoothed his mustache over the arch of her foot in silent rea.s.surance.

aItas all right,a Hawk said in a low voice. aI was just thinking of how much I owe Derry.a aDerry? Why?a Angel searched Hawkas face with eyes as deep as the sea, waiting for his answer.

aYou, sweet Angel,a Hawk said simply. aI owe him you. I owe Derry the most beautiful moments Iave ever shared with anyone.a Tears magnified Angelas eyes for a moment, hovering on the brink of release. She whispered his name through lips that trembled.

Hawk moved swiftly, catching her tears on the tip of his tongue before they could fall.

Angel reached for him, trying to turn onto her back so that she could hold him. Hawk gently prevented her from completing the movement. He released the soft ties of the bathing suit that crisscrossed on her back.

The suit fell away, revealing the firm curves of Angelas b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Where the sun had never touched her, her skin had the soft gleam of a pearl. Her nipples were taut, elegant, as pink as the tip of Hawkas tongue.

Lightly Hawk caressed the aching peaks with his mouth, touching her only enough to leave a sensual sheen of heat and moisture behind.

Angel was torn between pa.s.sion and shyness. She had never felt so naked as she did now, not even when Hawk had undressed her completely. Then there had been the thick twilight intimacy of the bow.

Now there was only sunlight and the clear brown fire of Hawkas eyes looking at her.

aYouare more beautiful than I remembered,a Hawk said slowly.

His voice became even deeper as his tongue touched her breast again, heat and moisture making her ache.

aAnd I remembered you as the most perfect woman I had ever seen,a Hawk whispered.

aHawk . . . a Waves of longing took Angel. She leaned against him, shivering. aYou make me weak.a Her bright hair swirled across Hawkas naked stomach and the weight of her head was a sweet burning in his lap. He held his breath, knowing that Angel must have felt the hard insistence of his arousal beneath her cheek.

Yet she didnat retreat.

Hawk closed his eyes and knew that he would remember this moment long after every other woman had faded from his mind.

Very gently he lifted Angel in his arms. His lips moved over her face, caressing all the curves and hollows that he had already made his own. When his mouth brushed over hers, Angel moaned and threaded her fingers into his thick black hair. Her lips opened, wanting him, needing him, hungry for the sensual excitement of his mouth.

Hawkas tongue slid between Angelas teeth, thrusting slowly across her tongue, retreating, thrusting again, inciting her with the rhythms of love. Her arms tightened around him, pressing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s closer, and her hard nipples teased him as she twisted in his arms.

Without ending the slow movements of his tongue, Hawk moved his fingers down Angelas spine to the hollow of her back. As he slid her bathing suit down her legs, he touched for an instant the hidden, sensitive flesh within the shadow curve of her hips.

Sensual fire shivered through Angel, making her moan into the heat of Hawkas mouth.

His arm tightened around her waist, shifting her in his lap. When his hand returned from sliding the suit off her ankles, his fingertips caressed the smoothness of her inner legs. Gently he stroked the liquid heat hidden within the burnished blond curls.

Eyes closed, Angel felt herself come undone all over again. Slow, liquid rhythms uncoiled deep in her body. She shivered and sighed and melted over Hawk, knowing only his touch and intense pleasure shimmering, gathering in her.

Hawk lifted Angel once more, then lay down with her on the dark quilt. Angel kissed his shoulders and the powerful muscles bunched in his arms. She felt the shiver of his response. She moved her mouth across his chest, caressing him with her lips and teeth and tongue, glorying in the throttled groan that she felt as much as heard.

Only then did Hawk claim Angelas mouth again, filling her with a kiss so deep that she could only cling to him, melting again, shaping herself to the hard male lines of his body.

By the time Hawk ended the kiss, Angel was making small sounds in her throat with each swift, shallow breath that she took. When his lips left hers, she protested with a word that became a cry of intense, unexpected pleasure when his tongue circled the tip of her breast.

Tenderly he raked his teeth over Angel, feeling her response in the aching hardness of her nipple pressed against his tongue. He groaned and suckled her deeply, savoring the pa.s.sionate reflex shivering through her. When his hand touched her stomach, her breath stopped. And when his fingers found her liquid secrets, she cried out in pleasure.

For long moments Hawk caressed Angel, drinking each soft cry, each hot shivering of her tender flesh. When he pressed lightly against the inside of her thigh, she shifted, revealing more of herself to him.

Hawkas fingers traced each petal softness, each curve and hollow of Angelas pa.s.sion until she was twisting in slow motion, her hips blindly seeking. Very gently he deepened the caress.

She shivered and melted and clung to his touch, lost in the sweetness and intense excitement his touch called from her. He bent over her, drank her cries with hungry lips as he stroked her slowly.

Angel moaned as muscles deep inside her body tensed, wildness gathering and melting through her in shimmering waves.

Hawk saw surprise and pleasure equally mingled in her brilliant eyes. He knew then that he was the first man to touch Angel so deeply, to make her body melt like liquid fire.

His lips sought her throat and he told her of her softness, the exciting beauty of her response, the warm sliding satin of her body clinging deeply to his touch.