Texan Undercover (Romantic Suspense) by Anne Marie Novark Read Free Book Online Page A

Anderson. Keep telling yourself
that.
    "All done." He folded the ladder, fighting
the sexual pull, fighting the want. "I'll put this away, then we
can call it a night."
    He froze when Claire reached out and touched
his arm. He'd been thinking about her hands all day. Small hands.
Beautiful hands. He's been fantasizing how they'd feel on him.
Holding him. Rubbing him. He wanted to take her to bed and it was
driving him crazy.
    She plucked two short threads of wire from
his sleeve and held them up. "Sorry, couldn't resist."
    "Couldn't resist?" Hell, it was taking all of
his willpower to resist the hunger consuming him. To resist
her.
    Claire hunched her shoulders. "I'm a neat
freak. I can't stand crooked pictures on walls or pieces of lint on
people's clothes. Or pieces of wire. Things like that."
    She moved past him and started down the hall.
Expecting him to follow, no doubt. Oblivious to the fire she'd
ignited by her touch.
    The kitchen was dark except for the light
they'd left on in the storeroom. Dillon placed the ladder where
he'd found it, holding on to it for a moment, trying to douse the
flames burning inside of him.
    "Is something wrong?" Claire asked. In the
small confines of the storeroom, her voice sounded hushed. It
whispered over him like a filmy piece of silk.
    He felt his body jerk in response, felt the
tightening in his belly as Claire stepped closer. Didn't she
realize what she was doing to him?
    He couldn't stand it any longer. He grabbed
her shoulders, wanting to shake her. Wanting to kiss her. He needed
to kiss Claire. He needed to feel her kiss him back. Needed to make
the fire burn brighter between them.
    "I'll tell you what's wrong," he said, his
own voice harsh with desire. "I want to kiss you. I want to do a
whole lot more than just kiss."
    Her brown eyes widened. But not in fear. She
looked at his mouth. He nearly groaned when she bit her lip, as if
mulling over what he'd just said.
    "I don't think that would be a good idea,"
she said softly.
    "Probably not." He pulled her close. She
didn't resist.
    "We shouldn't do this, Dillon."
    "I agree."
    "You do?" He felt her hands on his chest. To
push him away? He waited a heartbeat. Then another. She didn't
push, instead she spread her fingers wide. He wondered if her touch
would burn a hole through his shirt.
    "Shut up, Claire. We're going to do
this."
    "But--"
    He didn't give her time to protest. He
covered her mouth and swallowed her words. Claire's lips were sweet
and he glided his tongue along the bottom one, urging her to open
to him. She quickly complied and he dove in, tasting her fully.
    Dillon pulled her closer, enjoying the feel
of her in his arms. Claire slid her hands over his shoulders and
clasped them behind his neck. Her firm breasts pressed against him,
making his groin tighten even more. He buried his fingers in her
hair, angled her head and deepened the kiss.
    Her whimper of pleasure made him want to take
her right there on the floor of the storeroom. He moved his hands
down her back and cupped her rear end, hauling her against him,
grinding his arousal into her heat.
    "Claire, let me inside you. I want to make
love to you." He nipped her earlobe, then spread kisses down the
column of her throat.
    She stiffened in his arms, her breath coming
in ragged gasps. He tried to take her mouth in another searing
kiss, but she turned her head and pushed him away.
    "I can't do this." Her trembling fingers
swiped several loose strands of hair out of her face. She heaved a
deep shuddering breath. "I'm sorry. I can't do this. We can't do this."
    "You're right. Not here. Not now." He stepped
back and clenched his hands at his sides to keep from grabbing her
again.
    "Not ever." Claire shook her head.
    "How can you say that after what just
happened?" How could she blow off the most explosive kiss he'd ever
experienced?
    "I'm not interested in a relationship," she
said. "I don't want to get involved with you or anyone."
    "Then why did you let me kiss