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as he’d coached her to do yesterday during takeoff. It helped that the sky was blue and clear, with the sun shining brightly on the dazzling white snow, rather than the blustery blizzard of yesterday. But not as much as the heat radiating from his hand, which calmed her to an almost peaceful state.

    Once they were in the air, the flight attendant passed by with a cart and served them coffee. Kara sipped her hot drink, knowing she had only an hour left with J.M., and then they’d go their separate ways.

    Was it at all feasible that they could make a go of a relationship? Last night had been absolutely sensational. She could certainly learn a lot from him and that would be good for her column, but would he like being in a relationship where everything they did in the bedroom wound up in a major magazine? On the other hand, it wasn’t so much what he did, but how he did it. How could she convey that to her readers? Could she even figure it out?

    Damn, the man made her feel way out of her depth. She was supposed to be the expert on sex.

    “You seem deep in thought.”

    She glanced at J.M. and shrugged. “Just thinking about all the work I have ahead of me when we arrive.” In fact, she hadn’t thought about the conference once since she’d met J.M. What was stressing her right now was trying to decide whether she really wanted to say good-bye to him forever.

    “Didn’t you say you were traveling for pleasure?”

    Damn. She’d forgotten that.

    “True, but I have some work I have to finish while I’m away. I need to figure out when I’ll do that. There’s also the whole rush at the end of the trip, like getting my luggage and arranging transportation, checking into the hotel, et cetera.”

    He smiled. “Ah, the fun of modern-day travel.”

    He rested his hand on her arm, an affectionate rather than sexual contact, but still his touch sent heat thrumming through her. She wanted to fling herself into his arms and be swept away by his potent animal magnetism. Actually, that wasn’t quite right. His powerful attraction involved something more than basic physical appeal. Something less tangible . . . and far more dangerous . . . was at work.

    Dangerous because she didn’t understand it. His mere touch could send her up in flames. How could she deal with that?

    The flight attendant came by to gather their cups.

    “At least we can collect our luggage together, then . . . maybe we can share a cab?”

    “No,” she said a little too sharply. She shifted in her seat and stared at the seat in front of her. “I mean, I’ll be renting a car.”

    J.M. watched Kara, wondering why she was so tense. Although their time together last night had been spectacular, he’d sensed her withdrawal from him as the flight wore on. He wanted to ask her where she lived, to suggest they could see each other again once they both returned home, but he sensed she would not be amenable.

    Damn, he didn’t even know her last name.

    The pilot announced that they would be landing in ten minutes. That meant J.M. had precious little time to see Kara before she would disappear from his life. Unless he did something about it. Unless he could convince her to see him again.

    The plane was landing, but he’d wait until they got inside the airport to discuss this with her. They’d both have to pick up their luggage, so he still had a little time. They disembarked and followed the crowd to the luggage carousels. They moved to a position where they could see the ramp feeding the conveyor, a little away from the crowd.

    “I guess this will be good-bye soon,” he said to her.

    She sent him a quick glance, then nodded.

    “Kara, it doesn’t have to be.”

    She glanced at him again, her lips drawn tight.

    “We had a great time last night,” he continued. “We seem to be pretty compatible.”

    She frowned and his heart sank. She drew in a deep breath, then gazed at him.

    “Look, J.M. I assumed you knew this was just a