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been an obsession with her from the
moment she had seen him, and she'd spent most of the past ten years running
from the power of that obsession, only to wind up practically at his mercy
anyway—if he had any mercy.
    He lifted his head in slow motion, his dark
eyes heavy lidded, his mouth moist from kissing her. Blatant satisfaction was
written across his hard face as he surveyed her. She was lying limply against
him, her face dazed with pure want, her lips red and swollen. Very gently he
put her away from him, holding her with his hands on her waist until she was
steady on her feet; then he got to his own feet.
    As always when he towered over her, Michelle
automatically retreated a step. Frantically she searched for control, for something
to say to him to deny the response she'd just given him, but what could she say
that he'd believe? She couldn't have been more obvious! But then, neither could
he. It was useless to try to regain lost ground, and she wasn't going to waste
time trying. All she could do was try to put a halt to things now.
    Her face was pale as she faced him, her hands
twisted together in a tight knot. "I won't sleep with you to pay that
debt, no matter what you decide. Did you come here tonight expecting to whisk
me straight up to bed, assuming that I'd choose to turn whore for you?"
    He eyed her sharply. "The thought
crossed my mind. I was willing."
    "Well, I'm not!" Breath rushed
swiftly in and out of her lungs as she tried to control the outrage that burned
in her at the insult. She had to control it; she couldn't afford to fall apart
now.
    "I'm glad, because I've changed my
mind," he said lazily.
    "Gosh, that's big of you!" she
snapped.
    "You'll go to bed with me, all right,
but it won't be because of any money you owe me. When the time comes, you'll
spread your legs for me because you want me just the way I want you."
    The way he was looking at her made her
shiver, and the image his rough words provoked shot through her brain like
lightning. He would use her up and toss her away, just as he had all those
other women, if she let him get too close to her. ''Thanks, but no thanks. I've
never gone in for group sex, and that's what it would be like with you!"
    She wanted to make him angry, but instead he
cupped her knotted-up hands in his palm and lightly rubbed his thumb over her
knuckles. "Don't worry, I can guarantee there'll just be the two of us
between the sheets. Settle down and get used to the idea. I'll be back out
tomorrow to look over the ranch and see what needs to be done—"
    "No," she interrupted fiercely,
jerking her hands from his grip. "The ranch is mine. I can handle it on my
own."
    "Honey, you've never even handled a
checkbook on your own. Don't worry about it; I'll take care of
everything."
    His amused dismissal set her teeth on edge,
more because of her own fear that he was right than anything else. "I
don't want you to take care of everything!"
    "You don't know what you want," he
replied, leaning down to kiss her briefly on the mouth. "I'll see you
tomorrow."
    Just like that he turned and walked out of
the room, and after a moment Michelle realized he was leaving. She ran after
him and reached the front door in time to see him sprinting through the
downpour to his truck.
    He didn't take her seriously. Well, why
should he? Michelle thought bitterly. No one else ever had, either. She leaned
on the doorframe and watched him drive away; her shaky legs needed the extra
support. Why now? For years she'd kept him at a distance with her carefully
manufactured hostility, but all of a sudden her protective barrier had
shattered. Like a predator, he'd sensed her vulnerability and moved in for the
kill.
    Quietly she closed the door, shutting out the
sound of rain. The silent house enclosed her, an empty reminder of the shambles
of her life.
    Her jaw clenched as she ground her teeth
together, but she didn't cry. Her eyes remained dry. She couldn't afford to
waste her time or strength indulging in