Page 39 of Close Pursuit

“You can’t possibly know what I want or don’t want,” she retorted.

“I know you have no idea what you’re asking for.”

“So show me. Give me a taste.”

He stared. If it had been possible for his eyes to fall out of their sockets in shock, they would have done so. Could he do it? Could he give her a taste of the darkness inside him and then back off when it got to be too much for her? Did he have that much self-control?

He muttered, “It wouldn’t be the same without a fifth of whiskey and a half-dozen lines of coke.”

“I have a good imagination. Try me.”

He surged up off the crate and stormed down to the far end of the bunker, swearing luridly in Russian.

When he finally wound down and swung around to inform Katie in no uncertain terms that he wouldn’t do it, she was watching him, looking as satisfied as a recently fed cat. He eyed her suspiciously.

“How long until the cavalry comes to rescue us?” she asked mildly.

“Six hours, give or take.”

Her mouth curved up in a smile that was pure sin.

Oh, God. “No, Katie.”

She started walking toward him, her hips swinging provocatively.

“I won’t do it. I can’t.”

“Yes. You can,” she purred.

She reached for the hem of her shirt, forcing him to dart forward and snatch her hands away from the fabric. Her body slammed against his and female curves pressed against him in every place it was wrong for them to press. He groaned in the back of his throat.

“Mmm. That’s nice,” she reported. “I think I like having my hands restrained.”

“Stop it,” he ground out.

Standing with her breasts crushed against his chest, she looked up at him. “I want it. You want it. We’re both consenting adults. What’s the problem?”

He closed his eyes. Willed himself to be strong. He would protect her if it cost him his sanity or even his soul.

“Kiss me, Alex. Show me something I’ve never done before.”

Please, Lord, give him strength. If he could get her talking. Distract her?—

“What haven’t you done?” he blurted. “Sexually.”

“It’s probably faster to list what I have done. Let’s see. I’ve had sex, of course. But it was pretty boring. Basic missionary position involving some grunting and messiness.”

“Did you like it?” he asked.

She looked up at him sidelong. “I thought we already established that I haven’t had good sex yet, given that I prefer ice cream to it.”

He grinned reluctantly. “Noted.”

“I tried to give a blow job once, but I had no idea what I was doing. The guy mentioned something about deep throating and then passed out.”

“He passed out in the middle of a blow job?” Alex exclaimed incredulously.

It was Katie’s turn to grin. “He was drunk.”

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