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reasons she didn't fully grasp, his approval meant a lot to her.
    Except he didn't understand or approve. Instead, he'd tried to terrorize her into changing her plans. Maybe he wasn't the man she thought he was.
    "Look, I'm sorry." His subdued tone kept her opinion of him from sinking too far. "I have a hot temper; I'll be the first person to admit it." He heaved a sigh. "If your work means that much to you that you're compelled to travel to unstable countries, then there's obviously nothing I can do about it," he grated. "But don't say I didn't warn you."
    "It's not a compulsion," she insisted, still craving his blessing. "It's a calling. You of all people should know what a calling is."
    For a long minute, he studied her in the dark, giving her hope that understanding had dawned. "We should go back," he said and started to turn away.
    "Sam." She reached for him, tugging him back around.
    Without questioning her actions, Maddy looped both arms around his sturdy neck, rolled up on her toes, and crushed her lips to his, taking for herself the kiss she'd hoped he would unleash on her seconds earlier.
    A split-second's hesitation gave way to hungry participation. Palming her head in one hand, he angled her lips to better receive him, swept his tongue between her parting lips, and explored her mouth with a languorous, single-minded foray that stole her breath and made her head spin. With his other hand, he traced the contour of her hip, her narrow waist, and the delicate cage of her ribs, his palm sliding toward her left breast.
    Pleasure engulfed Maddy. Behind closed eyelids, her world tipped off center. Had she known on some primal level that he would kiss like this? Her intent to convince him of their commonalities took a back seat to the passion flaring between them. Thankfully it didn't require conversation, which tended to get them into trouble.
    Sliding her fingers into crisp hair at his nape, she let a whimper of want escape her lips as he slid his mouth to her cheek, her jaw, her neck, blazing a trail of pleasure as he went.
    "Christ, you smell so good," he muttered thickly. "What is that perfume?"
    "I don't wear perfume," she replied in a breathless voice.
    "No?" He lifted his head, raking her dazed expression with a predatory look before capturing her mouth again and searing her with a deep, blistering kiss.
    Maddy's toes curled inside of her high-heeled shoes. She clutched Sam's broad shoulders praying this moment would never end. "Don't stop," she begged, and he kissed her again, long and leisurely. His hand closed warmly over her breast and gently squeezed.
    He tore his lips from hers. "Don't you ever wear a bra?" he asked incredulously.
    "When it's appropriate."
    With a growl, he kissed her again, thumbing her stiff nipple and sparking shocks of pleasure at the juncture of her thighs. Sliding a hand down her spine, he grasped her bottom and pulled her hips to his, rocking her subtly against his glaring arousal.
    Dear God . She'd never been swept away like this by any man.
    He sucked her lower lip, releasing it reluctantly. "You're too much, you know that?"
    "What do you mean?"
    "I mean you're so fucking hot it's just dangerous."
    "Me, dangerous?" She'd never been called that before.
    "Are you wearing any panties?"
    She loosed an incredulous laugh. "Is that what you've been wondering all evening?"
    "Just answer the question."
    "Why don't you find out for yourself?" The brazen invitation astonished her. Clearly, the two martinis she'd imbibed had robbed her of her inhibitions. On pins and needles, she waited to see if he would take her up on the offer, half-hoping, half-afraid that he would.
    His glittering gaze raked her face then focused on the breast he was cupping. He circled the stiff peak, leaving her breathless as she anticipated his next move.
    "You sure you want to go there?" he asked, his other palm sliding up under the hem of her dress toward the curve of her derriere.
    She wet her upper lip with the tip of