no
point trying to argue or reason with the man. He was just like Jeff – no, he was worse than Jeff because he didn’t even
bother with the pretense of polite maneuvering. Holt Sinclair simply assumed he could buy whatever he wanted or
needed.
Holt’s mouth curved subtly upward as he absorbed the anger in her and one hand left her shoulder. With
deliberate sensuality he traced the outline of her mouth with his forefinger, pausing to probe gently at the comer until
he had forced apart her lips.
Adena tried to wrench herself free as the erotic caress continued, this time along the sensitive inside of her lower
lip.
„Let me go, damn it!“
He ignored the demand, bending his head to touch her now more vulnerable mouth with his tongue. Adena’s
hands splayed across his chest, her nails sinking into the fabric of his shirt as she pushed futilely against him.
But there was no stopping the intimate search he had begun.
„Let me inside, honey,“ he growled softly, tugging her closer. „Part your lips for me, Adena. I want a taste of what I
’m getting.“
„You’re getting nothing from me, you bastard! I won’t…“
Before she could finish the scathing sentence, he was inside, using the opportunity to slide his tongue
aggressively between her teeth and into the dark warmth of her mouth. The kiss abruptly became more than a
sampling, exploring caress. Much more.
Adena felt her breath catch in her throat as the impact of the suddenly marauding, dominating caress swept over
her in a wave. It shook her in a manner she wouldn’t have believed possible, making her unexpectedly weak.
Helplessly she used the fingers with which she had been trying to push him away to steady herself instead. She
knew he must be aware of the effect he was having on her faltering defenses. He was too good a businessman not to
know, she decided wrathfully.
Telling herself that her only rational response was to let him play out his scene of masculine dominance until she
had a chance to get free, Adena tried to stand passively beneath the ocean breaker which was foaming over her and
tossing her about as if she were so much flotsam on the tide.
Predictably enough, perhaps, as soon as he sensed her unwillingness to engage in outright battle, Holt’s tactics
changed. He didn’t relinquish the hard-won territory of her mouth but there was a subtle shift in his pattern of
exploration. His tongue probed more gently, urging hers to respond, and his lips slid moistly over hers in a persuasive
manner.
Adena stiffened when his hand moved to encircle the nape of her neck and hold her in place for the remainder of
the kiss. But she didn’t try to fight him; she merely waited.
At long last he lifted his head with obvious reluctance but with equally obvious satisfaction. His gray eyes
gleamed down at her softened mouth and resentful gaze.
„Something tells me you and I are going to work very well together,“ he murmured deeply, his hand still toying
absently with her hair.
Adena refused to be goaded into saying anything. She stood mutely, waiting for an opportunity to escape.
„Don’t look so sulky, sweetheart,“ he went on in amusement „I’ll make it all worth your while.“
„Are you quite finished?“ Adena finally said in an amazingly calm voice. „May I leave now?“
He smiled with teasing mockery. „Are you sure you want to run off so soon?“
„Quite sure!“
„But we have so much to talk about,“ he growled with suppressed laughter. His gray eyes were warmer now than
they had been when she’d first met him in the study, Adena thought vaguely. There was a heat in his gaze which
could only be attributed to the incipient flames of passion.
For the first time, she experienced a twinge of genuine fear. It was definitely time to get out of Holt Sinclair’s reach.
„Perhaps,“ she whispered very daringly, knowing she needed a small diversion, „if you were to write out that check
for two