Defying Desire. A.C. Arthur

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СКАЧАТЬ trying to hold her head up and not scream against the building pain.

      He stopped walking at her words, peering down at her with an indescribable expression. Oh no, it was describable all right. It was a mixture of hunger and danger—a deadly mix, she knew, where Trent Donovan was concerned.

      She opened her mouth to tell him to put her down, that she would get Adam or someone else to take her home. But the words died in her throat as his lips touched hers. Heat speared through her body at the contact.

      This was no sweet just-get-to-know-you kiss. It was fierce, hot, demanding, stealing. Taking from her all that she’d had pent up for days, no months, or more like years.

      She hated kissing. It was too intimate, touching parts of her she’d rather keep reserved. But again, this was no normal kiss. It was a fierce, blistering request—no, demand. Its lustful intent was clear and swept through her senses in deep, flowing waves.

      For months, since the night she’d first met him, Tia had dreamed of this, imagining how good it would feel and knowing how easy it would be to fall for this man. And as difficult as it had been, she’d kept her resolve, had refused to call him, to accept the attraction that had sizzled between them since that first touch of hands on the runway.

      Now she was powerless, not just because of the amount of champagne she’d ingested, but because as long as his hands were on her, his lips, his tongue, she had no choice but to acquiesce.

      His tongue pressed past her teeth searching for hers and claiming it with an arrogant swipe. Hungry and what felt like enraged, he took her mouth, deepening the kiss until all Tia could taste or even think was Trent Donovan.

      Chapter 4

      Trent turned his black Hummer H3 Alpha onto Redwood Street heading toward the apartment complex Tia had told him she lived in. She was in the passenger seat that he’d reclined for her just before strapping her in. Her eyes were closed and every now and then she would moan, causing him concern over whether she was in pain or whether the champagne was taking its toll and she was about to vomit. The latter wasn’t going to be a good thing, especially not in his new truck.

      Still he couldn’t help again admiring her beauty. It wasn’t such a shock to him since her profession was dependent on her looks. But there was something simple and untouched about her smooth skin, high cheekbones and long eyelashes. As she lay with her eyes closed, not speaking, not fighting with him, he was touched by a rarely-seen innocence.

      Pulling into the complex Trent frowned. The Sahara West Apartments located just within the Vegas city limits was not a bad complex. Actually, it was a rather nice one, but Tia was making enough money that she clearly could have done better. He parked and went around to the passenger side, opening the door for her.

      She hadn’t moved so he undid her seat belt and was bending over to lift her once more into his arms when she stirred.

      “You don’t have to keep carrying me. I can walk,” she said slowly.

      She was attempting to open her eyes, which didn’t look like an easy feat. Yet her speech wasn’t slurred. Trent was beginning to think that something else was bothering her, that this wasn’t just a result of too much champagne.

      “I like the feel of you in my arms,” he said as he lifted her out of the truck. The words came out sincerely, intentionally. Trent was a man who knew what he wanted and didn’t hesitate going for it. His actions all had a purpose that he carefully worked out in his mind ahead of time.

      So when she cuddled against him while he used his hip to close the door he knew the words had done what they were supposed to.

      At the door of her apartment he put her down, slowly propping her against the wall. His hands lingered on her hips just to make sure she was steady. And she was, but still he didn’t move his hands. He liked touching her. She smelled good, too, like brown sugar and honey.

      Her eyes opened easily as she looked up at him. Trent brushed his lips lightly over hers. She kept her eyes on him as if she wanted him to know that she was fully aware of what he was doing.

      Struck by a swift slice of guilt at taking advantage of a woman when she wasn’t completely herself, Trent stepped away. “Where’s your key?”

      Tia didn’t speak but reached into her small purse and retrieved the key. She tried to step around him to get to the door but he lifted the key from her hand slipping it into the door and pushing it open. Stepping to the side he let her enter first, then followed and closed the door behind them.

      She switched on a lamp that shed only a small amount of light. The living room area was actually small but appeared spacious since she had only a couch, a glass coffee table and a big-screen television on the wall opposite the patio door. In a corner to the left was what Trent assumed was her dining room. There was a counter-height table and two chairs. To say that her furnishings were sparse was an understatement.

      “Thank you for seeing me home,” she said in a quiet voice.

      She’d crossed the room to sit on the couch. Trent hadn’t even known she’d moved she’d been so quiet and he’d been so absorbed in checking out her place. “No problem.”

      In the dim light she looked frail and tired. He moved toward the couch intending to simply see that she was okay and say good-night. But once he was that close to her he couldn’t resist. He sat down next to her taking her hand in his. “Are you sure you’re all right, Tia?”

      She nodded then looked away from him quickly. That was a definite sign that she was not okay. It was also a sign for Trent to get the hell out of there. He didn’t do pity parties and he definitely didn’t do emotional females. If she had something going on that was outside of being intoxicated or that didn’t require him to hunt down and possibly shoot someone, he couldn’t help.

      “Is there someone you’d like me to call?” he asked already moving away from her.

      “No,” she whispered. “There’s no one who can fix this.”

      Yeah, that was his cue if he’d ever had one. “Okay. Well, I’ll leave you alone.”

      He was about to stand up when she grabbed his wrist and said, “No. Please stay.”

      In his lifetime Trent had heard more than his share of women saying those exact words. But none of them caused his chest to tighten the way Tia’s did. There was something in her eyes, an almost desperation that didn’t match her usual snippy attitude.

      He sat back in the chair. “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked, knowing he didn’t want to hear about whatever it was that had her looking so shaky—especially if it was about another man.

      Trent didn’t normally consider himself the jealous type. There were more than enough women in this world for all the men to have their share. So he definitely wasn’t one to hate another man for having a fine woman on his arm. But he’d be lying if he said the idea of Tia with some another guy didn’t rub him the wrong way.

      “No. I don’t want to talk,” she said letting her hand rest on his thigh.

      It was wrong, Tia knew. But in less than fifteen minutes it would be midnight. The exact time two years ago that Jake had been bleeding beside her, Jessica dying inside of her.

      However, СКАЧАТЬ