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His pulse pounded as he dragged his gaze up to hers and their eyes latched. And she mesmerized him with her need, seduced him with that slow, savage burn.

  The snap on her jeans popped, and his blood leaped in expectation. The zipper rasped in the scorching silence, while his blood surged hard in his ears.

  She rose to her feet and stepped aside. His gaze fell to her flat, satiny belly, to the provocative arch of her hips. Her thumbs hooked the waistband of her jeans and she inched them over her legs, down her long, lean muscles and velvet skin. His fingers curled, then flexed, yearning to skim the curving length.

  His gaze fastened on the final scrap of lace glimmering in the dim light. His breathing grew labored and his heart rammed against his rib cage.

  She pushed the lace down, then kicked it free. His feverish gaze swept over her, lingering on the dark thatch between her thighs and the luscious peaks of her breasts. Desire ripped through him, urgent and hot.

  His gaze drove into hers. And he saw the answering heat, the clawing need. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes sultry-with arousal and something more.

  She stood before him, completely naked, exposed to his fervent gaze. Hiding nothing. Vulnerable.

  The look faded from her eyes, but he felt the effects down to his soul. As if she’d reached out and twisted his heart. And instincts surged, beyond lust, to the deep-seated need to protect her, to guard her heart and keep her safe.

  Thick, fierce emotions wadded his chest, and suddenly, he knew that this moment was different. That they’d experienced a connection, an honesty they’d never shared before.

  But then she lowered herself to him, sliding her bare legs over his hips, and the sight of her naked skin on his fully clothed body emptied his mind. She rubbed against him, stroking the hard, rigid length of him in a movement so erotic that pleasure bolted straight to his groin.

  He cupped her breast and watched her limpid eyes close. Her head tipped back and her full lips parted. Her wild hair tumbled over her back.

  His body was rock hard now, his muscles rippling with impatience. “Jordan.” His voice sounded dredged from the earth.

  “Yes.” She shifted to one side and unzipped his pants. And the feel of her gentle hands on him nearly made him weep.

  Almost unable to form a coherent thought, he grasped for sanity. He forced his throat to work. “Jordan, wait. I-I don’t have anything, any protection.”

  Her eyes met his, and he saw the flash of pain. And he remembered when they hadn’t needed protection, when they’d made love skin to skin.

  “It’s all right,” she said. “It’s not the right time.”

  “But-”

  “It’s all right, Cade. I promise.” And then she slid over him and took him slowly into her body. Into the hot, tight flesh, to the delirium of pleasure. And the protests died in his throat.

  He gave in and surrendered to rapture. And she moved against him, scalding him with her heat, stoking the flames, creating a need so violent that it dragged a groan from his heart.

  He surged upward, driving into her, and felt her unravel. Her breath came in shallow gasps, her forehead furrowed. Her eyes closed and her lips parted, and she let out a keening cry.

  He hooked his arm around her neck and pulled her face down to his. And then he fused his mouth to hers, claiming her, branding her with a deep, torrid kiss with no restraints. Honest and savage and raw.

  And then he gave one last thrust and exploded inside her. Waves of pleasure jolted his senses. Dire need melded with bliss. He was where he belonged, with the woman he loved.

  And as the tremors slowly ebbed, and the urgency subsided back into need, he wondered again how she could have left him, how she could have tossed this amazing love away.

  The whomp of an approaching helicopter crept into the silence. It grew louder, its rotors thumping as it passed over the cave. Their ride home had finally arrived. And the spurt of relief he felt was mixed with a strange reluctance.

  Jordan lifted herself to her knees, looking dazed, then wobbled to her feet. Her gaze met his for an instant, guilty and grim, and then it skittered away.

  And his frustration surged. What the hell did that look mean? Was she suddenly having regrets? She was the one who’d insisted.

  Tired of her games, he rolled to his feet and zipped his pants. And without warning, the weight of the past ordeal pressed upon him. His body felt flayed, his stomach empty. Pain rammed his skull. His shoulder shuddered and ached.

  And the futility of it all overwhelmed him, draining the last trace of pleasure from his blood. And he felt angry, damned angry. He was tired of being jerked around, sick of her damned evasions. Always wondering, never knowing. And he wanted answers now.

  He turned to face her. She’d put on her jeans and bra, and had her T-shirt poised in her hand. Her gaze met his, and she paused.

  His jaw hardened. His stomach clenched, and he moved deliberately closer. She stepped back. He leaned into her space, trapping her, until her dark eyes widened and her skin paled under the ashes. The scent of their lovemaking lingered in the air, stoking his anger into rage.

  “So,” he said, his voice completely flat. “Just why the hell did you leave?”

  Chapter 15

  Jordan felt the blood drain from her face, and she froze. She stared into Cade’s furious blue eyes, her heart beating a fast, irregular rhythm against her throat. This wasn’t how she’d wanted to tell him. Not with him angry. Not with the helicopter circling outside.

  Not when the most tender, exquisite experience of her life still pulsed in her nerves, lovemaking so perfect that it had shattered her heart.

  Hardly breathing, she dropped her gaze to the T-shirt balled in her fist. She pried her fingers loose and shook it out, feeling suddenly exposed. Needing to regain some distance, she pulled the soiled shirt over her head and smoothed it down.

  And braced herself for the confrontation. Even if the timing wasn’t ideal, Cade needed to know the truth. He’d deserved to hear it ten guilty years ago.

  And she couldn’t put it off any longer.

  Her stomach tensing, she forced her gaze up to his. A muscle in his cheek ticked, and his lean jaw tightened beneath the stubble.

  She hitched in an unsteady breath. “When you left on that last trip, I…I was pregnant.”

  He blinked. Then his jaw slackened, and for a second he looked stunned, as if she’d said the last thing he’d ever expected.

  But then his expression stilled and his eyes turned blank. His wide shoulders stiffened, and she realized he’d misunderstood.

  “Cade, no.” She reached out to touch his arm and he flinched back. His rejection flayed her, like a whip on her raw nerves. “I didn’t…I mean, I lost the baby. I miscarried. I didn’t-” Oh, God. “I never would have had an abortion.”

  A dull red stain inched up his neck, but his expression only turned colder. And she realized she was botching it badly. Everything was coming out wrong.

  She twisted her hands, then rubbed her palms on her thighs, searching for a way to explain. “I found out just after you left.”

  “And you didn’t think I needed to know?”

  The flat fury in his tone made her cringe. “Of course I did. I wanted to tell you right away. I was so happy and excited, and I wanted that baby so badly. But I wanted to tell you in person, to see your face when I broke the news.”

  She had envisioned that romantic moment, had played it all out in her head. The music and candles. The tenderness in his sexy blue eyes. The joy.

  “I thought you’d be coming back soon,” she whispered.

  She searched his eyes, hoping for some sign of softness, but his hard face stayed unrelenting. And a sinking feeling filled her gut. He wasn’t going to make this easy-which was probably what she deserved.

  “And then, when you called to tell me you’d gone to Alaska, I just…I felt abandoned, betrayed.” Crushed by the anger and hurt. Dazed that the man she had trusted had left her, and that her worst fear had fin