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Page 252
amusement and love softening the expression in his silver-gray eyes. Abby smiled back tremulously as his mouth dropped to hers. "I think it's bedtime, Abby," he murmured against her lips. She nodded.
They reached her room first. For a moment, common sense took over. She should not invite him in. She should tell him she was tired, that she felt ill. She should say anything but the truth: that they should do nothing to bring them closer together. Not now. Not till she knew she would not hurt him by failing to return.
But he did not wait for an invitation. He shut the door behind them, pulling her close and covering her mouth with his, no longer gentle. His hands ranged over her back, scorching her everywhere he touched. She met with urgent desire each increasingly feverish kiss, each tantalizing thrust of his tongue. He tasted of the garlic and spices of supper and of his own special, savory flavor.
Her nobler thoughts evaporated, swept away by his heated caresses, his irresistible kisses. Endearingly, his fingers trembled as they unfastened her clothing. Her body quivered in response, moistening, demanding more.
She tried to help him remove his clothes. She managed his shirt and the T-shirt beneath, then stopped to run her fingers through the thick, silken mat of dark brown chest hair. His chest was hard, deeply muscled.
As her hands continued their delighted exploration of hot flesh beneath soft hair, he grew im-

 
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