He withdrew his hand and moved off her, and she immediately missed his warmth and weight. She heard him throwing a few more logs in the fireplace, then silence descended, except for the crackle and pop from the wood on the grate. It took her a few moments to recover enough to turn over to see where he'd gone. He wasn't far away, and that was a good thing, because she wasn't done with him yet. He sat with his back against the sofa, his legs drawn up slightly, his own body far from sated.

He gazed at her through hooded blue eyes, and crooked a finger at her. "C'mere and ride me, Chayse. "

It was an order she wasn't about to refuse. Licking her lips in antic.i.p.ation, she crawled over to him, but instead of immediately climbing on top of his lap, she decided to put her mouth to good use and make him suffer a little bit before she put him out of his misery.

Leaning forward, she captured one of his rigid nipples between her lips, laved the erect nub of flesh with her tongue, and grazed the tip with the edge of her teeth. A groan rumbled up from his chest as she traversed her way lower, spreading hot, wet kisses on his taut, flat belly. The scar on his hip caught her attention, and she caressed the puckered skin with her tongue, and heard him suck in a surprised breath in response to her tender ministration. Finally, she came to his thick, straining erection, and even that part of him was as gorgeous and magnificent as the man himself.

She wrapped her fingers around the hard, velvet-textured length of him, and felt him pulse in her tight grip. A drop of pre-come appeared, and she smeared the silky moisture over the big, plum-shaped head of his c.o.c.k.

She had to taste him.

She took him in her wet mouth, his skin hot and salty against the stroke of her tongue. He shuddered and tangled his hands in her damp hair, and she sucked him, taking him as deep as she could, making the fantasy he'd whispered into her ear a hard-core reality. She pleasured him with her mouth, teased him with her tongue, and aroused him to a fever pitch of need that made his entire body shake with the restraint of trying to hold back.

"Oh Christ," he breathed, and frantically tried to tug her back up. "If you don't stop now, I'm gonna come. "

Since she still had more lascivious intent in mind before she let him climax, she heeded his warning. With one last irresistible lick along his shaft, she kissed her way back up his body and crawled into his lap. She straddled his hips with her knees, and directed his shaft upward. She was very wet from all their foreplay, and with deliberate slowness she sank inch by inch on top of him, until he filled her completely and her s.e.x stretched tight around his width.

His nostrils flared, and stark male desire heated his eyes. He clutched her waist with his hands and rocked her tighter against his straining body, setting a rhythm she knew would take him quickly to his own o.r.g.a.s.m.

Feeling naughty, and a bit wicked, she grasped his wrists and pulled his hands away. "If I remember your fantasy correctly, you wanted to watch me come like this. "

He groaned like a dying man. "I don't know if I can last that long. "

Smiling, she pushed his arms to his sides. "I'll make sure you do. "

What he obviously didn't realize was that in this favored position of his, he'd given her complete control of his pleasure, of his release, and she reveled in the feminine power that was hers. With him still impaled deep within her body, she cupped her b.r.e.a.s.t.s in her hands, fondled the small mounds, and rolled her nipples between her fingers before sliding her flattened palms down her stomach and between her splayed thighs.

She made a soft purring sound of pleasure as her fingers slipped between her soft, lush folds, then strummed across her c.l.i.t. His chest rose and fell heavily, his expression fierce and hungry as he watched her caress herself and perform an erotic lap dance for his eyes only.

She felt the hot, spiraling sensation of an approaching o.r.g.a.s.m, and she rocked into Adrian, just enough to increase the friction inside of her and against her s.e.x. She pressed down on his erection, hard and deep, and came on a soft, shivery moan before collapsing against his chest.

"Nice fantasy," she murmured, a smile on her lips.

He laughed, the sound strained as he trailed his fingertips down her spine. "For you, maybe. I'm still hard as a spike. "

"Mmmm, so you are." She'd left him that way, deliberately so, and wriggled her bottom against his groin, which prompted a low growl from him.

She lifted her head and stared into his blue eyes, bright with firelight and a burning pa.s.sion she'd never seen in another man's eyes before. It was pa.s.sion for her, and the knowledge was like an aphrodisiac to her body and soul.

"In the fantasy you told me, you never said anything about you coming," she murmured. "But if you ask real nice, I think I might be able to oblige you. "

An amused smile made an appearance as he played the game her way. "Make me come, Chayse," he said, and nipped her chin, then her jaw, all the way up to her ear. "I need you real bad. "

She liked the sound of that. "How do you want it?"

"As wild as you can be," he urged.

More than eager to give this man anything he desired, she wrapped her arms around his neck, locked their bodies so that they were meshed from chest to thigh, and let her inner vixen take over. Lowering her mouth to his, she sucked and nibbled his lower lip, and when he opened for her, she slipped her tongue inside in a smooth stroke that matched the roll and glide of her hips against his.

This time when he gripped her hips, she let him, but he allowed her to set the pace, and she moved on him, enthusiastic and shamelessly uninhibited. She felt his thighs tense beneath hers, felt his stomach muscles ripple, and knew he was nearing the peak of his o.r.g.a.s.m.

Twining her fingers in his silky, rebel-long hair, she pulled his head back and dragged her damp, open mouth along his throat, then gently sank her teeth into the taut tendons where neck met shoulder, and put her mark on him.

He bucked upward one last time, hard and strong, and his groan of surrender in her ear was the s.e.xiest sound she'd ever heard.

Once his tremors subsided, he tipped her back against the mattress so that he was lying on top of her, and stared down at her with a crooked but satisfied grin on his face. "I hearby bequeath my nickname of the Wilde One to you. You've earned it. "

She laughed, happy that she'd pleased him. "I'm so honored," she replied, and ignoring the glimmer of adoration in his eyes, along with the emotional tug on her heart that warned her she was falling for this man, she pulled him down for another wanton kiss.

Chapter Four.

The early morning sunlight filtering through the living room window didn't provide adequate lighting, which Chayse would have liked, but she wasn't about to pa.s.s up the opportunity to photograph Adrian in all his glorious, morning-after s.e.xiness.

She moved silently to the air mattress with her camera in hand, and knelt down so she was more on Adrian's level where he lay sprawled facedown amidst the pillows and rumpled blankets. She probably didn't need to be so quiet, considering the man slept like a rock, and even now his breathing was deep and measured. No doubt he was exhausted after their night together, and his body was recovering. She, too, had slept soundlessly, once Adrian had allowed her to drift off to sleep, that was. The man had been utterly insatiable, she thought with a reminiscent smile.

Her stomach did a free-fall tumble that had nothing to do with being hungry for breakfast, and everything to do with her intense attraction to Adrian. G.o.d, the man was so sinfully gorgeous, he ought to be deemed illegal. Even asleep and completely mussed, he managed to exude an earthy, s.e.xual magnetism, one she was finding dangerous on so many levelsa"physically, emotion-ally, and mentally. The fact that this man had the ability to affect her so completely was a scary prospect she wasn't prepared to face or deal with.

She adjusted the settings on her camera to compensate for the lack of lighting, then glanced back at her subject, taking in his natural pose and the naked slope of his beautifully muscled back, all the way down to where the blanket was wrapped low around his hips. She'd also discovered that Adrian was extremely hot-blooded and didn't require much to keep him warm, whereas she liked to burrow beneath a mound of covers.

Yet their different levels of sleeping comfort hadn't stopped him from reaching for her during the night and tucking her tight against his body. And she'd gone to him willingly, letting his presence fill that vast loneliness that had been such a part of her life for so long. She'd allow herself that luxury, if only for a night or two, before the real world intruded on their weekend affair. And before they parted ways, she wanted to remember him just like this; these photos would be her private souvenir of their time together.

Lifting the camera and bringing Adrian into crisp, clear focus, she began taking her pictures. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for the clicking sound to rouse him from slumber. Through her lens, she watched him stir, and caught his gradual awakening on film. One eye slowly opened, then the other. A dark brow lifted lazily, as did one corner of his sensual mouth.

"Smile, you're on Candid Camera," she greeted softly.

He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that tickled the pit of her belly. Then he rolled over to his back and stretched the kinks from his long, lean body, and she took advantage of all that naked flesh and rippling muscles. His glossy hair was tousled in a messy disarray around his head, and dark stubble lined his jaw, making his eyes stand out like twin sapphires. Even the hair in his armpits was silky and s.e.xy looking.

As he flexed his legs, the blanket around his hips slipped lower on his abdomen, revealing not only his scar, but the fascinating trail of hair that led to more delightful treasures. "You better put the camera down before you get some indecent shots," he warned, his tone low and wicked.

"Don't worry, you can get as indecent as you want. I develop all my own film." It was then that she noticed the impressive tent his erection had made beneath the covers, and she glanced at him from above her camera in mock reproach. "Why Adrian, is this photo session turning you on?"

He gazed at her through lashes that had fallen to half-mast. "No, you turn me on. I can see your nipples through that T-shirt you're wearing, and I vividly remember what those panties are covering. "

She shivered, but not from the cool morning air in the cabin. The man had a way with words that made her melt, along with a natural ability to seduce the camera, and her. "Ever thought of posing for Playgirl?"

"Not on your life." He looked completely stricken by the very idea. "This beefcake calendar is as far as I go. "

She laughed, feeling carefree and flirtatious, and enjoying the private, intimate moment between them. One that would always be theirs alone. "You'd make a lot of women really happy. "

"I'm not interested in making anyone happy but you. "

Her heart stuttered, then resumed at a frantic pace. She told herself she was reading too much into his words, that she'd most definitely misinterpreted the deeper meaning she'd seen in his eyes. "Then you'll be satisfied to know that you made me deliriously happy last night."

"And I can do so again this morning," he drawled, all arrogant, presumptuous male.

And because Chayse had firsthand knowledge that he was a man who more than lived up to his provocative claims, she couldn't find fault with his very confident a.s.sumption.

An irresistible smile tipped up the corners of his mouth. "Put down the camera, come here, and let me show you how happy I can make you. "

Unable to refuse him anythinga"or herself, for that mattera"she set her camera safely aside and crawled across the mattress to him. "Think you can top delirious, do you?" she taunted playfully.

"Sweetheart, I know I can. "

He tumbled her onto her back, and before her peal of laughter could subside, he had her shirt skimmed over her head and tossed to the floor, and her panties a distant memory, as well.

He pushed her legs apart, moved in between, and slowly stroked his warm, callused palms up her thighs until his thumbs caressed her intimately. "I think the real question here is, can you survive just how happy I'm going to make you?"

Already, she was trembling in antic.i.p.ation, and the rogue knew it, too. "There's only one way to find out, now isn't there?"

"Oh, yeah," he agreed huskily, and she caught a quick glimpse of his I'm-gonna-lap-you-up-until-you-scream grin as he settled himself more comfortably between her legs. He nuzzled her thigh and applied wet suction to a patch of flesh that made her gasp and would no doubt leave a hickey behind.

"Forget delirious," he rasped, once he was done branding her, his tongue now swirling a path to where she ached for his attention the most. "We're going for blissful, ecstatic, and rapturous. "

The man was as good as his promise, and delivered on all three.

Adrian took Chayse on another long hike, though this one was not as strenuous as yesterday's trek. They followed a trail alongside the creek by the cabin that led upstream, which provided plenty of clearings and backdrops for her photos. Today he'd worn a white T-shirt, jean shorts, and hiking boots, and while she'd gotten a couple of shots with his shirt on, it didn't take her long to ask him to strip it off for another round of photographs.

Once she was done with their two-hour session and declared herself starved for the lunch he'd packed, he didn't bother putting his shirt back on. The day was cool, but the sun on his skin felt warm, soothing even. And he was beginning to learn how impetuous Chayse could be when it came to taking pictures, and he figured he might as well be ready for her spontaneous snapshots.

She helped him spread a blanket in a clearing and out in the sun, and sure enough she insisted on getting a few pictures of him stretched out on the blanket, arms behind his head, and chewing on a long piece of gra.s.s. All he had to do was think about this morning's tryst with Chayse, the hickey he'd put on her thigh, and how many times he made her come before he'd taken his own pleasure, and the s.e.xy smile she asked for appeared on his lips.

She took shots from a dozen different angles, and he watched her while she worked, his eyes following the camera as she directed. The woman had so much pa.s.sion and enthusiasm, and applied it to everything she dida"from standing up to him and following him to the cabin to get what she wanted, to taking her pictures, and even making love. It amazed him that no other man had appreciated all her qualities and s.n.a.t.c.hed her up for his own.

Then again, he guessed that just like himself, she'd kept the opposite s.e.x at arm's length to protect her emotions, and he understood that safety net she was clinging to because he'd been using one himself for the past four years. Everyone saw him as a carefree, footloose bachelor who loved adventure and thrills. But few knew the man beneath, the one who'd grown cautious and guarded after being burned by another woman.

And now, he was prepared to share that private side with Chayse, because he wanted whatever was between them to last a h.e.l.luva lot longer than just the weekend. Not just the hot chemistry and great s.e.x, but the friendship and emotional connection he felt with her that he'd never, ever experienced with another woman before. She was his match in so many ways, and after months of denying his feelings for her, he wasn't about to let her go without giving them a chance. And that meant opening up and trusting her with his past.

"Oh, d.a.m.n, I'm out of film. I left the extra rolls at the cabin. "

She sounded so disappointed, but a part of him was relieved. Between yesterday and today she must have taken ten rolls, and while he was cooperating in the name of charity, he so wasn't cut out to be a model. "Good, now we can eat." He reached out to where she stood less than two feet away and cupped his hand over her smooth calf, then moved closer and nibbled on her leg with a low, rumbling growl. "I'm so hungry I'm about ready to take a big ol' bite out of you. "

She laughed, sidestepping him before he could sink his teeth into that tempting bit of flesh, and sent him a chastising look. "You know, so much sugar really isn't good for your system. "

Sugar and spice and everything nice. Oh yes, she was especially sweet, in every way. "Okay. Lunch first, then dessert." He waggled his brows at her, making sure she knew he considered her his dessert.

While she put away her camera, he sat up and reached for the extra backpack with the lunch he'd made for the two of them. He pulled out three ham and cheese sandwichesa"one for her and two for hima"a bag of chips, and two cans of soda. She settled in beside him, and he was done with his first sandwich before Chayse finally broke the compatible silence between them.

"Okay, Mr. Wilde," she said, slanting him a speculative glance. "You owe me. "

He raised a teasing brow. "What, another o.r.g.a.s.m?"

She actually ducked her head and blushed, and he found the gesture very endearing, showing him a softer side to the woman that touched him in long forgotten places. She'd stood toe-to-toe with him during numerous heated arguments since they'd met, had let go of every inhibition with him s.e.xually, and now she'd been struck by a moment of modesty. This s.e.xy yet vulnerable woman never ceased to intrigue him.

"You've more than made up for that, especially this morning." She took a long drink of her soda, then reached for a potato chip. "Remember turnabout being fair play and all that? It's time for you to pay the piper and answer a few of my questions. "

He took a big bite of his second sandwich and glanced out at the blue, cloudless sky. He'd known this interrogation was coming, knew in his gut what she was going to ask, and had no intentions of skirting the issue as he had for the past four months with her. It was time to get everything out in the open, to let go of the bad memories and start out fresh and new.

"I'm an open book, sweetheart," he said with an engaging smile. Done with his sandwich, he shoved his empty baggie and napkin into the backpack. "What would you like to know?"

Her gaze flickered from the puckered skin on his bare abdomen to his face. "Those scarsa how did it happen?"

It wasn't often he thought back to the skiing accident that had nearly killed him, and made him realize that not many women were equipped to understand and accept his need for thrills and extreme adventures. "It happened four years ago. Me, a few friends, and our girlfriends took off for a winter vacation in Jackson Hole, and while the women were out shopping for the day, the four of us guys decided to go heli-skiing. "

He saw her confused expression and explained. "That's where a helicopter takes you to the top of a mountain peak in a remote area with virgin snow and untouched terrain. They let you out with a guide, and off you go, down five thousand vertical feet of pure adrenaline rush. "

Her eyes widened in shock. "That's absolutely insane. "

"That's the whole point of extreme sports," he agreed with a laugh. He'd always loved the challenge and risks involved, which made each adventure all the more exciting. "I've been heli-skiing before, and there's nothing like all that fresh powder, steep slopes, and speed to get your heart pumping and your blood flowing in your veins. Of course, navigating all those jagged peaks, glaciers, and Alpine bowls can be very dangerous if you're not a skilled skier. "

Unfortunately, not even his experience, expertise, and normally quick reflexes had been enough to save his sorry a.s.s that fateful day. "Everything was going great until I skirted too close to the edge of a rocky peak. I dislodged a boulder and I went down with it. I plunged over the edge of the cliff, right into a ravine, and turn-bled a good five hundred feet while being ripped apart and impaled by razor-sharp rocks. "

She sucked in a breath and pressed her hand to her heart. "OhmiG.o.d, Adriana "

He knew the horrifying images his words must have put into her mind, but there was no way around the truth of the matter, so he met her concerned gaze and finished his tale. "Unfortunately, there aren't any safety brakes on this kind of thrill ride," he said wryly. "You just have to hang on and ride it out until the very end. By the time the rough terrain spit me out at the bottom of the mountain, I'd sustained a concussion, four broken ribs, and three deep gouges from the jagged rocks that had ripped through my jacket and clothes, which accounts for the scars on my back and lower stomach. "

She shook her head in wonder, and her silky hair grazed her chin with the swift movement. "You're lucky to be alive. "

"Wearing a helmet saved my life, I'm sure. Without it, I would have ended up with more than just a concussion." He didn't go into the unpleasant details of that particular scenario, but it was obvious by her grimace that she'd come to her own gory conclusion. "It also helped that the helicopter was right there to airlift me off the mountain and take me to the nearest hospital. My girlfriend at the time, Felice, was the first person I saw once I woke up. "

A long breath unraveled out of Chayse. "She must have been frantic with worry. "

"Yes, she was." He drew up his knees, crossed his ankles, and wrapped his arms loosely around his legs. "The accident gave everyone a good scare, myself included, but I wasn't expecting to deal with an immediate ultimatum the moment I opened my eyes. I remembered trying to smile at Felice, which hurt like h.e.l.l, and the first words out of her mouth were a demand for me to choose either her, or extreme sports and my business, because she wasn't going to stick around if I continued to put my life at risk. Needless to say, she flew back home alone before I was even discharged from the hospital. "

"That would be like someone forcing me to give up photography. I could never, ever do that." Her tone was just as vehement as the violet fire flashing in her eyesa"all on his behalf. "You made the right choice. "

He should have known that Chayse would understand, and experienced a huge amount of relief that she'd jumped to his defense. "Without a doubt." At the time, it had been difficult to watch Felice walk out of his life, especially when he'd needed her the most. But in the end, she'd done him a huge favor by ending their relationship before he'd grown to resent her constant demands to give up something that was such a huge part of his life.

Chayse reached out and trailed the tips of her cool fingers along the two long slashes on his back, her gentle, intimate touch a balm to his soul. "These scarsa they give you character, Adrian. They're a part of who you are and what you do, and always will be. "

She understood so much about him, and her acceptance mattered more than he'd realized.

Since his accident, he'd never allowed himself to care what another woman thought of his scars or the extreme adventure business he ran for a living, and it was a huge, shocking revelation to realize that Chayse's opinion mattered the most. With sudden clarity, he knew that was part of the reason why he'd avoided her for four long months, because his subconscious had obviously known what his emotions hadn't been ready to face or accepta"that this woman who challenged him at every turn, who pursued him despite every attempt he'd made to reject her, and who gave of herself so openly and gen-erously when they made love, could very well be the one for him.

He felt lighter and freer than he had in years, and Chayse was the reason. He glanced at her, met her soft violet gaze, and wanted to tell her everything he'd just discovered himself and how much he wanted her to be a part of his life, but was fairly certain she wasn't ready to hear something so life-changing. If he'd learned anything about Chayse this weekend, it was that she had her own personal issues to work through, and her own past to come to terms with. That despite her outward show of determination and impetuousness, inside she was a woman who was as vulnerable and fragile as fine crystal. And he had to treat those emotions accordingly.

When she leaned toward him and her lips drifted over his shoulder and along those scars of his, arousing and distracting him, he figured he had the rest of tonight and tomorrow to help her work through those issues and state his intentions.

"You know, I'm suddenly ravenous for dessert, and I want to eat it right out here in the great outdoors," he announced, and burying his fingers in her hair, he brought her mouth to his and kissed her, long and slow and deep.

Between wet, leisurely, tongue-tangling kisses, they undressed one another, until they were both naked and the sun dappled their skin with warmth. He pressed her down on the soft blanket, proceeded to feast on every sweet inch of her, and took his time doing so. He lapped in her honeyed essence, and touched and stroked her in all the places he knew she liked to be caressed the most, until she was breathless and trembling and begging him to end the sensual torment.