him, he wouldn't be able to stop now. "Is it better now?"

"A little," she answered against his neck. Her voice sounded shy, uncertain. "It's a little better."

He continued to hesitate until she bit his earlobe and pushed against him again. It was all the encouragement he needed. His body took over. Though he vowed to be gentle with her, his thrusts became more powerful, more out of control.

Her thighs clenched him tight. Her toes arched against the backs of his legs. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades.

Caine was relentless now in his quest to push her beyond control. He drove into her and then slowly withdrew, again and again. He knew he should withdraw before he reached his own climax, for neither

of them had taken any precautions against pregnancy, but she was so hot, so tight, that noble thought became untenable. And somewhere, in the dark recesses of his mind was the honest admission that he wanted to give her his child.

The mating rhythm took over. The bed squeaked with each hard thrust. Thunder blended with their low moans of pleasure, his whispered words of love. Caine wouldn't let her give half measure. Wave after wave of intense pleasure began to spiral through her body until she was shaking with her need for fulfillment. He made her burn for completion. Jade was suddenly terrified of what was happening to her. It was as though he was trying to steal her soul. "Caine, I can't…"

He hushed her fear with another long, drugging kiss. "Let it happen, Jade. Hold on to me. I'll keep you safe."

Safe. He would keep her safe. Jade's instinctive trust in him pushed her fear and her vulnerability away. She let the storm capture her until she became one with the wind. And then she felt as though she was splintering through the air toward the sun. Her body squeezed him tight. She cried out his name, with joy, with release, and with love.

Caine buried his seed inside her at the very same moment. His head fell to her shoulder and he let out a low grunt of satisfaction.

His own climax made him shudder in wonder. Never had he felt such blissful surrender. He felt drained… and renewed.

He was never going to let her go. That sudden thought hammered through his mind with the same force of his wild heartbeat. He neither fought the truth nor tried to move.

He was content.

Jade was exhausted.

Only when her arms began to ache did she realize she was still clinging to him. She slowly released her hold, then let her arms fall to her sides. She was too astonished by what had just happened to her to speak yet. No one had ever told her it would be like this. Dear heaven, she'd completely lost control. She'd given herself to him completely, body and soul, trusting him absolutely to keep her safe.

No one had ever had such power over her. No one.

Jade closed her eyes to keep her tears hidden. Caine, she decided, was a far more cunning thief than she was. The man had dared to steal her heart. Worse, she had allowed it.

Even when he felt her tense beneath him, he couldn't find the strength or the will to move away from her.

"I think you should leave now," she whispered. Her voice trembled.

Caine sighed against her neck. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled to his side. Jade couldn't resist the urge to cuddle up against his chest for just a minute. Though she didn't understand why, she actually wanted to hear a few words of praise from him before she sent him away… just a few little lies about iove and honor, that she could pull out and savor in the future on those cold nights when she was all alone. Yes, they would be lies, but she wanted to hear them anyway.

That, of course, didn't make any sense to her. She could feel herself becoming angry with him. This was all his fault because he'd turned her into a blithering simpleton who couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to weep or shout.

"Sweet, are you already having regrets?"

She couldn't detect a shred of regret in his tone. In truth, he sounded downright amused.

When she didn't answer his question, he tugged on her hair, forcing her to look up at him.

He was thoroughly pleased by what he saw. Her face was flushed from their lovemaking, her mouth swollen from his kisses, and her eyes were still cloudy with passion.

Caine felt as though he'd left his brand on her. A wave of raw possessiveness filled him, and he arrogantly nodded. He decided to ignore her disgruntled expression, guessing it was all bluster for his benefit.

He couldn't resist kissing her again. When he slowly leaned down to claim her mouth, she tried to turn away. Caine simply tightened his hold on her hair to keep her still.

The kiss was meant to melt away her glare. As soon as his mouth covered hers, his tongue sank inside

her sweet, intoxicating heat. The erotic love play coaxed her response. It was a long, intense kiss and

she was clinging to him when he finally lifted his head to look at her again.

"You wanted me as much as I wanted you, Jade," he said. "You made the choice, love, and now you're going to have to live with it."

The man was a cad. Her eyes filled with fresh tears. His attitude was as callous as a hardened blister.

And did he have to smile at her after making such a painful statement?

She vowed he'd never know how much his words hurt her. "Yes, Caine, I did make the choice to give you my virginity, and I will live with the consequences of my actions. Now, if you don't mind, I'm really sleepy and I would like…"

"That isn't what I'm talking about," he interrupted. His voice was as ragged as lightning. "The choice you made was to belong to me, Jade. We're going to get married, sweet."

"What?"

"You heard me," he replied, his voice softer now. "Don't look so appalled, my love. It isn't as bad as all that."

"Caine, I never made any such choice," she stammered out.

He wasn't in the mood to listen to her denial. He wanted her acceptance. By God, he wasn't going to leave her bed until he had it. He rolled her onto her back, then roughly pushed her thighs apart with one of his knees. His hands held hers captive above her head. He deliberately ground his pelvis against her. "Look at me," he commanded. When she obeyed that order, he said, "What we have just shared can't be undone. You're all mine now. Accept it, Jade, and it will go a hell of a lot easier for you."

"Why should I accept?" she asked. "Caine, you don't know what you're asking."

"I'm a very possessive man," he countered. His voice had taken on a hard edge.

"I noticed," she muttered. "It's a sin, that."