She perched on the edge of the chair. "I'm an accountant;' she said, and something in her voice made him look up from the freezer.

"You don't like it?"

She frowned. "No. I mean, yes, I like it. It's sort of boring, I guess:'

"Says who?" She bit her lip, and he felt like a jerk for browbeating her. So much for witty banter. "You know, lots of people hate to cook. And my job would be their private version of hell. But I love it and couldn't do anything else. I wouldn't want to. You know what I mean?"

That smile he loved so much found its way back. "I do;' she said, and he was glad when she let the rigid lines of her body relax on the bar stool. "I might as well admit it, then. I like numbers. Always have. They're the one thing I can always count on."

Abruptly, she closed her mouth, and he could see that she thought she'd said too much. She hadn't and he wanted to know more about her, but she was already changing the subject, saying, "So, what are we going to make tonight?"

"The best meal you've ever tasted was his reply as he opened the pantry door and scanned the shelves, quickly assessing his options.

"Just as long as it's low carb and low fat she muttered under her breath. He started laughing before he could stop himself.

"You don't have to laugh at me;' she said, her voice giving away her hurt feelings.

Jack's smile fell away as he turned to face her. ''I'm not laughing at you. I thought you were kidding:' "I'm on a diet;' she said, and he hated the way her face turned red in embarrassment.

"Now you're really kidding, right?"

She looked at him with surprise. "Of course not. I've been on a diet since I was ten. I've tried them all. And one day;' she added in a voice that wavered enough to break his heart, "one of them is going to work." The whole idea of this goddess depriving herself of food what he considered to be God's gift to mankindreally pissed him off.

"Why would a gorgeous woman like you do that to herself?"

His voice was rough and hard.

Rose hopped off the bar stool and took a step away from him, back toward the door. She opened her mouth to respond, and he saw the wheels turning in her head. She pressed her lips together without saying anything, and Jack had to force the vision of her lips closing over his c**k to the far recesses of his mind. Patience, Jack. His dick throbbed in his pants as he watched Rose war with herself over what she was about to say.

"Because I'm fat

Jack slammed the pantry door shut. "I don't ever want to hear you say that again. Ever. Do you hear me?" Rose's pink cheeks turned white beneath the force of his words. But even though he knew he was digging his own grave even though the Visitors Bureau was going to get an ear full, he couldn't shut up. He grabbed her shoulders. "I can't believe you? actually have the nerve to think you're fat. You are an incredibly beautiful woman. A goddess:'

"No;' she protested, but he wouldn't let her talk, wouldn't let her deny what he knew to be true with every fiber of his being. Not until he'd made his point. And somehow he knew that words alone would not make Rose a believer. He'd have to show her how amazing her body was by making it come alive beneath his hands.

"You are a lush, curvy woman. The kind of woman every man dreams of being with;' he said, then leaned down and took what he wanted more than anything else.

A taste of sweet, delectable Rose.

THREE

JACK'S LIPS TASTED LIKE CHOCOLATE and cream. Rose could hardly believe he was kissing her, that his tongue was sweeping into her mouth, claiming her, forcing her to allow the onslaught. One look at his big, hard muscles, the breadth of his shoulders, the calluses on his hands, and she'd known that he wouldn't be gentle. But oh, God. She shuddered as he sucked on her lower lip and one of his hands slid down her spine.

Rose had had her share of mast***ation fantasies over the years, but for all her knowledge of the Kama Sutra, they'd been pretty tame scenarios with movie stars and candlelight and roses. Suddenly, she could see the allure of the kinkier stuff. Jack lightly bit her lip, and she found herself hoping that he'd rip her dress from her and take her right there on the countertop. Just slide his hot, hard length into her with no thought for her needs. She'd be ready for him. Her lace panties were soaked after only thirty seconds of the most incredible kiss she'd ever experienced.

But when he pulled away from her, when she saw that he was deciding between continuing to ravage her mouth and regretting taking advantage of her, Rose knew she had to make a choice. She could let him go and they could cook dinner like two strangers.

Or she could take matters into her own hands. Ding, ding, ding. "Don't stop' she said as she pulled his face back down to hers and kissed him passionately. She pressed her full br**sts up against his chest, loving how hard and hot he felt against her.

He pulled back again, damn him, and Rose got that familiar sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. The one that said, He doesn't want you, you idiot. His kiss didn't mean anything and look how you've read so much into it. When will you learn?

"I'm sorry," she said as she tried to push away from the hard wall of his chest. But he held her firmly against him, his strong fingers wrapped around her wrists. "I shouldn't have done that. This isn't going to work. I can't take the cooking lesson with you."

She was so embarrassed, so horrified by the way she'd thrown herself at him because of one little pity kiss he'd given her that she barely heard him growl, "Don't you ever apologize again for kissing me." She looked up at him in surprise, pathetic hope flaring within her, and he added, "Not unless you want me to bend you over my knee and spank that ass of yours:'

Rose knew that she should be shocked by how forward they were being with each other. From hello to dirty sex talk in mere minutes. But she was too aroused to care about propriety, about what was right, and taking it slow.

Her sex throbbed at the image he evoked. Bent over his lap, his. huge, callused hand coming down over the bare, tender skin of her bottom. The thought of it made her so wet her inner thighs grew slick. Elliot had tried to get her into S&M, into spankings and bondage games. When he'd finally given up she'd been more relieved than anything. But tonight, everything looked different. Naughty looked nice. Bad looked good. Rose looked the sexy chef in the eye, knowing that she was playing with fire. Hoping she was, in fact. "I'm sorry' she said, daring him to make good on his offer. He looked at her for a long moment, as if he was trying to assess her response. Her heart was beating nearly out of her chest in anticipation. Somewhere in the back of her head she could hear a faint voice of reason telling her to run the other way, to not give in to her undiscovered kinky side. But for the first time in Rose's life, she refused to heed that cautious voice. She wanted to have naughty, passionate, raunchy sex with a stranger.