She took his hand, and he smiled down at her. "No mating yet?" "It depends on how...persuasive you could be." "Hot damn, woman. I can be persuasive.

He yanked off his shift, and she kicked off her sandals. Then she was on her knees on the bed, unfastening his belt and unzipping his zipper. He was already full to bursting. She glanced up at him. "It looks like you're eager to see me." "Hell, yeah.

Sex does a body good."... "I suggest a daily dose then.

I'll never look at cake the same way again," he whispered in her ear.

Tell me you're bare underneath the dress." She gulped. "I'm bare underneath this dress." Gently dropping her arms back to her sides, he slid his finger down the center of her chest. Tingles shot out from the tips of her breasts and gathered at the base of her spine, between her legs. "Tell me you want me as much as I want you," he said, his voice husky.Never had she imagined doing something as reckless as sleeping with a guy for one night. But this wasn't any guy. And it wasn't just about her getting off--God, how she needed to do that. It was about closure. Saying goodbye on her terms. It might be a bad idea, but it was the best bad idea she'd ever had. She dropped the panties and put her hands on his chest. "I want you.

When I'm inside you, buried so deep I'm the only thing that exists in your world, that's when I'm not going to go slow. It's going to be fast and hard because I'm going to lose my mind.

I want to go slow, baby, I really do," he whispered at the side of her neck. "But I'm not going to be able to this first time." "Thank heavens.

I want to be in the water with you again, nani girl." Her knees went weak and trembles raced down her spine. Beautiful girl had been a special nickname only he used.

Hurry," she breathed. "I need you to fill me up." "Baby, I'm gonna do more than that.

Still following the rules, huh?" He grabbed his shift off the back of the kitchen chair and pulled it on."Still breaking them?" she fired back.

My date the next night brought a sock puppet with him. A. Sock. Puppet. And he talked to me with it"... "It completely freaked me out," Kalani continued. "I made it through drinks and that was more than enough. I told the guy it was a good thing he had one good hand left because if this was his usual MO for dates, he was going to need it.

His dimples should come with an advisory label: Will cause hearts to flutter and panties to spontaneously combust.

She put her hands on her hips. "You're not human." "Neither are you." "I beg your pardon?" "Ethereal comes to mind.

Busted," she said. "You pretend to be all rough and tough, but on the inside you're a big softie." "I guarantee you there is nothing soft---

Outrage steamed her brain. "I've waited three days... Do you know what day it is?" He gave a one-sided shrug, his massive shoulder muscles shifting. "Who has time to check the calendar when people are shooting at you and snakes are biting you in the ass?

No matter what her father wanted, no way was Clara going to partner up with Light Walker. He'd suggested a tarantula for a snack, for heaven's sake. The were never, ever, ever going to work together.

She had the soft presence of a fish hook in the eye.

Ah, you're warming up to me. You know what comes next." "Bitter disappointment?" she deadpanned.

Where did you grow up?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her. "Who says I've grown up?

What anger wants, it buys at the price of soul.

Flash fire." She turned her head as far as she could, trying to look at him. "I don't know what that means." He shifted on the branch. "First time I was on a submarine, we had a flash fire. It's a combustion explosion. A flammable mist builds up in the air, then suddenly, bam. Think super high temperatures and a rapidly moving flame front. It kills by asphyxiation. Burns up all the available oxygen. It's devastating.

She growled. He gave her a considering look. "That's almost sexy.

I can't find the words." She stared daggers at him. "Don't hurt yourself trying.

You're not horribly terrible." He shook his head at her. "You say the nicest things." He held her gaze for a moment. "You're not trying to get into my pants, are you?

His voice still had the rasp of desire as he asked, "If I disappear, will you come and find me?

She sighed. "You're not without fault, but you're not rotten. Although you're very disorderly. You're pigheaded, cocky beyond bearing, arrogant." She stopped when she realized she'd just said the same thing three times over. "You have a troubling obsession with vigilante justice." She cleared her throat. "Well, I'm sure there are things you don't like about me." "You're not naked, and you're not under me." His voice was thick with passion.

If we were in a spreadsheet, we'd be in different columns." She'd be under uptight/nerdy/homely girls, and he'd be under badass men with bodies of..um..Navy SEALS. He grunted. "Just so you know, I hate spreadsheets with a hot, burning passion.

I hope we'll be friends." His grin was pure sin.... She stuck with the truth. "I hope we won't be enemies.

She wasn't entirely sure if she was being rescued or kidnapped.

Something dropped on her shoulder, but even as she screamed, her heart stopping midbeat, the next oncoming branch swept the tarantula away. Aww! Ick! She manically brushed her shoulder with her free hand, every inch of her covered in goose bumps. "When running from people who're trying to kill you," Walker advised as he kept dragging her, "it's better to stay quiet. Generally speaking.

She blinked at him, mouth open. "Do you really think it's wise to insult a woman who's holdin' a needle this far away? - she held her fingers an inch apart - "From your Grand Master of Ceremonies?