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was less than tactful when we first met. I promise I am
    becoming more reconciled to your presence with every moment that
    passes.'
    Strong, deft hands rid her of the encircling sheet and gathered her
    into his arms.
    Charlie's mind and body recoiled from the contact in shocked
    outrage. Her sole experience of men so far had been a few fumbling
    kisses at parties, generally from those who'd been unable to get to
    Sonia and were salving their disappointment. Charlie had put up
    with them politely, but there had never been any stir in her blood, no
    chemical reaction with any of them to cause her the slightest regret
    when they had walked away, as they inevitably had.
    All she knew of sex was what she'd learned in school biology
    lessons. And now, in a few shattering moments, that safe, sheltered
    world had been destroyed. She was in bed with a man—a stranger,
    naked in his arms, the hard urgency of his flesh against hers spelling
    out an imperative message even her innocence could interpret.
    Oh, God, this couldn't be happening to her. It couldn't...
    Some still, cold voice in her head warned her not to fight him. He
    was infinitely stronger than she was, the muscles in his shoulders
    and arms like whipcord. If she struggled then he might respond with
    violence, and she would be damaged—emotionally, at least—
    forever.
    Whereas if she... let him...
    If she closed off her mind, her senses and her emotions—everything
    that went to make up the real Charlotte Graham—then nothing
    could really happen to her. She could stop thinking...stop
    feeling...retreat to some hidden place inside herself and wait until
    the storm was over.
    It was just a meaningless physical act that was going to take place. It
    couldn't touch her as a person at all.
    He said softly, 'How sweet you feel, querida. How smooth and cool,
    like water in a desert.' His hand captured her chin, turning her face
    up to his, and he kissed her on the mouth, his lips warm and
    tinglingly sensuous.
    For a moment a shiver went through her innermost being which had
    nothing to do with fear, and she suppressed it ruthlessly, shocked at
    her own momentary weakness.
    He laid a trail of small, light kisses across her cheek to her ear,
    gently tugging at the soft pink lobe with his teeth.
    'You are trembling,' he whispered.
    'Is it any wonder?' She tried one last plea. 'I beg you—let me go,
    please...'
    'Do you truly find me so repulsive?' His tone hardened. 'Then close
    your eyes, querida, and think about the benefits instead. The thought
    of my money should make you more... amenable, if nothing else.'
    'I don't want your money.' Her head twisted in desperate negation. 'I
    don't want anything.'
    'Truly?' he jeered. 'What a paragon you must be. Then you can pay
    me instead, Carlotta. A payment in kind, in return for my
    hospitality.' His hand stroked her shoulder, then slid down to close
    with terrifying intimacy on her breast. 'A debt it will give me infinite
    joy to collect,' he added softly.
    Charlie lay, rigid and unmoving, as he began to caress her.
    The ordeal would soon be over, she tried to tell herself. He was
    hotly, eagerly aroused, and he'd probably been leading a celibate life
    in this wilderness for some time. She wouldn't have to endure this
    lingering exploration of her body for too long.
    But, as the long, suffering moments passed, she realised she was
    being naively optimistic. For Riago da Santana was in no hurry at
    all. His hands and mouth touched her as if every cell, every nerve-
    ending in her quivering flesh was a unique and fascinating
    experience for him.
    He was, she realised, the breath catching in her throat, hell-bent on
    forcing her to his own pitch of excitement. No doubt her reluctance,
    her attempted rejection of him, had piqued his male arrogance, and
    now he was determined to make her respond to him as he wanted.
    But it would take far more than determination, Charlie thought, her
    body jarring in shock as she felt his tongue lazily