HeatedMatch by Lynne Silver Page A

matter. Thirty minutes,
thirty seconds. I crave you.”
    Her defenses lowered against his romantic words, but she
couldn’t find a response other than her very physical one. He was correct.
Thirty minutes away from him had stretched endlessly, making her body feel it
was missing a limb. To cover her discomfort from the truth behind that
statement and its vast implications, she captured his mouth in an open, wet
kiss that went on and on as their lower bodies came together in a wave of
ecstasy.
    Twenty minutes later, they adjusted their clothes to rights.
She sat up to face him and plucked some blades of grass out of the dirt to
avoid meeting his gaze. “Will it always be like this?”
    “Like what?” His arms wrapped around his knees as he studied
her.
    “This clawing need. It’s a serious distraction.”
    He rested his chin on his forearms and frowned. “The
hormones from the water should be leaving your system soon, but we’re always
going to have a strong pull toward each other.”
    “What if we fight it? You said earlier you don’t want a
wife. I’m not really ready to be one. I think we should fight it.”
    “I have to fight it. What did Shep tell you?”
    She turned her head to see his brown eyes looking at her
seriously. “He asked me to stay on the campus for two weeks and get in your
face. In exchange, he’s going to tell me about my father’s role here and
introduce me to my brother.”
    Adam nodded. “And will you?”
    “Will I what?”
    “Get in my face?”
    A hint of a beard dotted his masculine jaw. She itched to
rub her fingers over it. “I’ll try not to. You’re the one who came running up
and grabbed me.”
    He had the decency to look chagrined. “I couldn’t help it.
I’d been watching the exit of the main office to see if you came onto the
campus or left, and when Gavin put his hand on you. Again…” He shook his head.
“I kind of lost it.”
    “That’s what I’m worried about,” she admitted softly. “I
don’t feel like myself. It’s like my body’s been taken over by some sex-crazed
maniac.”
    He grinned over her embarrassment. “You won’t hear any
complaints from me. I don’t want you to take it personally. If things were
different, I’d carry you off to my room and not let you out until you were fat
with my kid in you.”
    Her womb contracted at his words. “Assuming of course that I
wanted to have kids with you.”
    He brushed a light finger over her knuckle. “You don’t?”
    How to answer that? “I haven’t given a thought to children
before. I thought to find a man first.”
    “And now that you’ve found one?” He rose quickly to his
feet. “Forget I said that. It wasn’t fair.”
    She stood to face him, arms akimbo on her hips. “No, it
wasn’t. I don’t get you, Adam. You said all night you want nothing to do with
me, but then you say something like that.”
    “I’m sor—”
    “Just take me to my brother,” she said before he could
apologize for offering things they both may have secretly wanted but couldn’t
admit to.
     
    They strolled down the gravel path toward a three-story
nondescript brick building as Loren asked about her brother. His fast-beating
heart made him want to skip and run all at the same time. She was staying. It
would be tricky to avoid her. The compound was large, but not college-campus
big. He’d see her at meals in the dining room, unless he invited himself to
dine with his matched friends. Yes, that was a good alternative to restaurants
for every meal. Maybe he could get a long-term assignment overseas. Kabul had
nice weather this time of year. He could work on his tan.
    The lure of being with Loren was too strong. He’d felt it
the second he’d seen her at that damn ambassador’s party. The temptation to
succumb to her and the Program’s MO was strong, but all he had to do was think
of the box of angst-ridden letters from his mother to his father on his dresser
and his resolve strengthened. He’d never agree