To Love & Protect Her by Margaret Watson Page A

needy woman,” she said, and the disgust in her voice almost made him smile. “Because I thought I could tough it out until we got back to the cabin. Instead, I endangered us both.”
    He pulled her against him again, and instead of trying to get away, she snuggled closer. “I don’t think of you as a weak and needy woman. In fact, you’re so strong that you terrify me. I’m not sure you need me at all. I think you can do anything you set your mind to, Willa.”
    â€œI wish that were true,” she murmured against his chest.
    â€œTell me one thing you want to do that you can’t do,” he demanded.
    When she didn’t answer, he looked down at her. She looked steadily back, although the red flags were waving in her cheeks again. And beneath the embarrassment, he saw need in her eyes. Need for him, he realized, and he felt as if he’d taken a gut punch.
    â€œWhat is it that you want to do?” he whispered. He knew he should back away, knew he should let go of her, but he couldn’t do it.
    He didn’t think she was going to answer, but she leaned closer to him. “I want to kiss you,” she said, her voice soft as the delicate breeze that caressed his face.
    He held her gaze steadily as she leaned closer to him. Her face flamed, but she didn’t stop. When she brushed his mouth with hers, his whole body clenched with desire.
    She would have backed away after that one slight touch of her mouth, but he wouldn’t let her go. Framing her face with his hands, he took her mouth again. This time, he wanted to taste her. This time, he wanted to feel her need growing inside her, to know that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. This time, he wanted to wrap himself around her and hold on tight.
    He was making a mistake, a distant voice tried to warn him. He was going down a path he would regret taking, making choices that would come back to haunt him, but he didn’t care. His need for Willa had been growing since the first time he’d seen her, and the last two days with her had only intensified his desire. The kiss they’d shared the night before had only made it worse. Now he knew what she tasted like, what she felt like.
    He plunged into her, ravaging her mouth, letting the sweetness of her seep into him and fill him. Willa was everything good, everything sweet and pure. She was everything that was missing from his life. And in his desperation to taste more of her, to take more of her, he pressed her back onto the ground and held her head steady with his hand while he plundered her mouth.
    â€œGriff,” she gasped, clutching the sleeves of his shirt.
    He jerked as if she’d hit him. She should have, he told himself savagely. He’d been on her like a rutting beast. But when he tried to ease away from her, shewouldn’t let him. Her arms curled around his neck, and she pulled him back down to her.
    â€œDon’t stop,” she whispered, and he felt as if someone had cracked his heart wide open. “Kiss me again, Griff.”
    â€œYou don’t know what you’re asking,” he managed to say.
    Her lashes fluttered open, and her blue-gray eyes were unfocused and smoky with desire. “Then show me,” she said.
    He groaned and pulled her close again. It was just the fear, he told himself. That was why he couldn’t resist her. She’d scared him half to death. He’d thought she had fallen to her death, and kissing her was just a reaction.
    But it felt like a whole lot more than a reaction. It felt as if he’d come home, as if he’d finally found the place where he belonged. He didn’t want to let Willa go, and when he finally realized that, he eased her away from him and let his arms drop to his sides.
    â€œWe need to get back to the cabin,” he said, his voice still hoarse with desire. “You took a nasty fall.”
    He heard her make a small sound of denial in the back of her