Can't Say No by Sherryl Woods

sweet, unbearable tension. With his free hand, Blake reached out a tentative finger to brush a stray lock of dark hair out of her eyes. That finger was warm and trembling as it skimmed her cheek.
    â€œI know I promised it was going to be your choice, but I’m not sure I can keep from kissing you,” he said with such gentleness and longing that Audrey’s heart stilled.
    Despite fear, despite anger, despite everything, she wanted that kiss as much as he did. More, perhaps, because it had been so long since she’d felt this yearning, this dull, sweetly tormenting ache deep inside. Eyes locked with his, she lifted his hand to her lips and brushed a kiss across his knuckles. The gesture, meant as an answer, set off a trembling in him and a harsh moan rumbled deep in his throat.
    â€œYou’re sure I’m not pressuring you?”
    Audrey gave him a shaky grin. “Hey, don’t let that stop you now.”
    â€œI will stop, if it’s what you want.”
    â€œNo, please. It’s okay. I don’t understand it and I’m not sure I like it, but I know exactly what I want. I want you to kiss me.” She hesitated. “Very much.”
    With a deep sigh of satisfaction, Blake closed his eyes and drew her close. The urgency abated. He wanted to savor every moment she was in his arms, even if she was filled with uncertainty. He wanted to delight in her fresh, clean scent that hinted of spring flowers, in the clarity of those vivid violet eyes, the feel of her warm, gently curved body pressed against the throbbing, demanding heat of his own flesh.
    Lord, she felt so good held close like this, it was as though she belonged. The rightness astounded him, sent his senses reeling. He’d felt these same sharp stirrings of excitement before, but never the tenderness, the protectiveness that had almost immediately surfaced with Audrey. He knew the protectiveness was something he would have to deal with later, that Audrey was a woman who wouldn’t welcome him in the role of guardian. She had things to prove to herself and he had no right to stand in her way. It was the only way she would rid herself of those foolish insecurities.
    For now, though, he found the combination of feelings swirling through him irresistible. This second, more volatile kiss was inevitable.
    He searched her face for any sign of lingering hesitation or regret and, finding none, he breathed a soft sigh of relief. Able to wait no longer for the taste of her, he pressed his lips to her forehead, to the tiny furrows in her brow that came, he suspected, from fretting far too much about inconsequential things. With the touch of his lips, he hoped to ease the worrying. The silkiness of her skin lured him on, next to her cheeks, then to the tip of her nose and, when her eyelids had fluttered closed, to each of those in turn.
    By the time he reached the generous curve of her mouth, her own lips had parted for him and what began in gentleness escalated quickly into fire and hunger. Mere acceptance of his touch became ardent demand. Her teeth were sharp and teasing against his invading tongue and he felt her body tremble from head to toe. His flesh burned with the heat of her touch and his muscles tightened in anticipation of all that was to come. With that potent kiss, they shared breath and need and life.
    â€œBlake! Dammit, Blake, what the devil are you up to now?”
    John’s irritated, anxious words on the radio slashed across the moment’s tenderness, cooled passion more effectively than an icy shower.
    â€œDamn!” Blake muttered, as he grabbed the radio. He kept one arm firmly around Audrey’s waist, his hand splayed on the curve of her hip. To his relief, she didn’t draw away immediately. In fact, her gaze traveled over his face at leisure, her eyes wide, as though she’d been as startled as he was by the intensity of the kiss.
    â€œBlake!”
    â€œJohn, you’ve got a lousy sense of