Read Any Thursday (Donovans of the Delta) for Free Online Page A

go.
    “I’ve known that from the beginning.”
    His free hand circled the back of her neck. She didn’t try to pull out of his embrace. Ever so slowly, he inched his hand upward, lifting her hair. He closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensations of soft, downy skin and soft, silky hair. Of all the places on a woman’s body, the back of the neck was one of his favorites, probably because it was such a vulnerable spot. If he’d cared to delve into the psychology of it, he’d most likely come up with something regarding his need to control. But psychology was as far from his mind as San Francisco. Right now he had the moment, and he had a curiously gentle Hannah in his arms.
    He opened his eyes and watched her luxuriant black hair sift through his fingers. “From the moment I saw you, I’ve known,” he whispered.
    “We’re not talking about horses now, are we?” she said.
    “No.”
    “I probably would have been better off with the snake.”
    He kept his hand on the back of her neck, gently massaging.
    “Is that what spooked your horse?”
    “Yes. A cottonmouth moccasin, I think. Sometimes they crawl up from the creek.”
    “I should be feeling very grateful to that snake.”
    “Why?”
    “You’re here . . . in my arms.” His hips shifted subtly against hers. “Where I want you to be.”
    “I’m in your arms because I choose to be.”
    He didn’t say anything; he merely quirked an eyebrow in question.
    “I barely slept last night for thinking of you,” she continued. “One of the reasons I went riding this morning was to wipe you from my mind.”
    He smiled. “Did it work?”
    “No. You were very much with me. Then, when my horse spooked and you pulled that Apache rescue stunt, I was suddenly face-to-face with the man who had haunted my dreams.”
    Her honesty delighted him. And for some strange reason, his very delight in her made him wary. The spunky, spicy, sexy woman he’d flirted with so relentlessly was finally in his arms, confessing that she was there willingly, and he felt an unusual reluctance to do anything about it.
    “I like you this way, Hannah—soft and feminine and vulnerable.”
    “I’m a woman, Jim . . .”
    “A fact that never fails to escape my notice.”
    “A woman who knows exactly what she is doing.”
    Smiling, he lifted a hand and cupped her flushed cheek. “And what are you doing, my beautiful wildcat?”
    “I’m testing myself.”
    “You call this a test?” He hauled her so hard against his chest, her breath whooshed out. “I call it an invitation.”
    “You call everything an invitation.” Slowly she put her arms around his neck. “I’m testing my control.” Pulling his head down, she traced his lips with her tongue. He waited, simmering from the heat of her nearness and from the heat of the morning sun. “You see, Jim, I once lost control with a man, and I intend to see that it never happens again. I’m in your arms to prove to myself that I can walk away— untouched.”
    “You may walk away, Hannah, but it won’t be untouched.”
    He took her mouth fiercely, savagely. His tongue slipped between her parted lips and plundered without mercy. The passion he’d sensed in her erupted. Small love sounds escaped her lips, and she pressed herself so close, their bodies seemed to be one.
    Jim exulted in the feel of her—her firm slender body, her hair, whisper-soft and silky, her lips, lush and hot. Special. The word sang through his mind. This woman was special.
    Unconsciously he gentled the kiss, slanting his lips tenderly across hers. The heady sweetness drugged him.
    “Hannah.” He sighed against her lips. “My Hannah.”
    “No.” She pulled back a fraction of an inch, her breathing heavy. “I can’t be yours . . . heaven help me . . . one last taste.” Her lips were on his again.
    She savored him for one final heart-stopping moment before pulling away. Then she drew the tattered edges of her control around her like a protective cape.