Instead of offering her more explanations, Luke reached out and pulled her into his arms, his eyes never leaving the ever-widening brilliance of hers.

Susan flattened her hands on his chest and tilted her head toward him with a gasp of surprise on her lips. Then he took her mouth with his own. He was neither rough nor particu­larly gentle, but he kissed her with the strength and sureness of a man who knew what he wanted. He tasted like morning coffee, a little tart, a little sweet, and kicked her adrenaline into overdrive more swiftly than caffeine.

She was stiff and unresponsive at first while her mind and body dealt with the shock of being so close to him, actually touching him for the first time in years. He was furnace hot, rock solid, and pure male.

It had been a long time since she'd been kissed, really kissed by someone intent on giving and taking pleasure. She wouldn't have expected to enjoy being so close to any man, but the scent, feel, and taste of him was unique.

His mouth was firm but surprisingly warm and tantalizing. His scent was a mixture of fresh air and pure male. His hands on her waist were hot and huge, nearly spanning it, but his grip wasn't too tight or forceful.

She'd kissed her share of men, yet she'd never enjoyed kissing anyone as much as Luke. For years now, forgetting the impact of his kisses had been a necessity of survival, but this reminder sent a flood of reaction washing over her.

Susan found herself slowly relaxing and enjoying the em­brace. Her lips softened to better fit his and responded with growing fervor. His tongue sought and gained entrance into her mouth and then everything changed with a fierce rush of long-denied passion.

Her body became more pliable as she molded herself closer to him. She slid her arms over his shoulders and then wrapped them about his neck. He drew her more firmly against his hard body, so tight that she could feel the growing evidence of his arousal.

A small gasp escaped her when he slowly ground his hips against her stomach. Something deep within her went liquid in response. She sunk the fingers of one hand into the thick­ness of his hair and clung to his head, demanding more.

When his tongue had completed a thorough exploration of her mouth, she stroked hers against it, and felt a shudder ripple over his body, fusing them even closer.

He continued to plunder her mouth while he eased her back against the wooden door of the stall. Then he held her captive with the strength of his hips while one of his hands slid beneath the hem of her shirt.

A low moan escaped Susan as his long, strong fingers sought and cupped her right breast. Currents of hot elec­tricity coursed through her, leaving her quaking in the wake. Combined moans of pleasure swirled in their mouths as his thumb stroked one nipple into pebbled hardness and then shifted to give the other nipple equal attention.

Susan trembled and her knees grew weak. She sunk both hands into his hair and clung to the thick mass while her mouth grew more insistent against his. Their kisses became deeper and longer and more intoxicating.

Luke slid a hand up her back and unclipped her bra. Then he was lifting her shirt high enough to enable him to caress both bared breasts with his big, callused hands.

She was coming apart at the seams. They'd done some petting in the past, but he’d had never taken such liberties, never made her burn so high so fast. Her hands clutched his head, drawing him closer while arch­ing her back to give him more freedom. She was stunned by the violence of her own responses, yet unwilling to stop the onslaught.

The low, primitive groans being drawn from deep in Luke's chest assured her that he was equally affected. Maybe it was just a man's reaction to a woman, two mature adults starving for human contact, but she was beyond caring.

Their kisses became more inflamed and their breathing more erratic. Susan felt the heavy thud of his heart and the throbbing thrust of his arousal. His fingers stroked and plucked at her nipples, making her wild with need. Her legs quivered until she was afraid they would crumple beneath her.

Luke solved the problem by thrusting a hard, jean-clad thigh between her legs and shifting it tightly into the cradle of her thighs to support her weight. Then he dragged his mouth from hers and pierced her with a searing gaze.

"I have to taste the rest of you," he insisted, his tone savage.

Before she could catch her breath or respond, he was simultaneously lifting her and dipping his head under her shirt. At the first touch of his lips on her breast, she nearly went wild, clawing at his shoulders, twisting and turning in reaction to the sweet torture.

"Luke!" She cried out with the sheer intensity of desire created by the sucking pressure he applied to first one nipple and then the other. She knew her breasts were sensitive, but she'd never felt a man's greedy mouth on that sensitive flesh. The reality of it was stunning.

"Luke!" She managed to whisper a strangled cry.

"Our babies would find nourishment here and so would their daddy," he told her, his tone deep with arousal as he continued to suckle at her breasts.

His words shot more heat through her limbs. She felt the emptiness of her womb and craved a fulfillment she'd never known. Her body actually ached with wanting.

There had always been an element of primitive excitement when Luke was near, but it had been carefully reined. She'd never realized how explosive the passion could be. Grasping his head, she dragged his mouth back to hers for longer, deeper, hotter kisses.

Their bodies strained closer, stroking each other from thigh to chest until they were oblivious of everything else. Heat built to incinerating levels until Mariando, offended by lack of attention, butted them strongly with her head. Their precarious balance was threatened.

He reacted swiftly, steadying her while watching her with eyes that devoured her features until she felt raw and ex­posed. His voice was hoarse when he spoke.

"We'd better put an end to this right now," he insisted, eyes burning like hot steel. He sucked in a deep breath before continuing.

"I could take you standing up right here," he insisted tersely. "And the hell with privacy."

His gruff words made Susan's stomach muscles clench and her breasts swell with heaviness. She knew that he was an extremely private person. So was she, but she'd been equally affected by their embrace.

It shocked her to realize how passionate she felt in his arms. Her body's reactions were more fierce than anything she'd ever known. It was a little frightening, and her first instinct was to completely withdraw from his embrace.

"You shouldn't be so shocked," he told her, continu­ing to support most of her weight. "I've always known the passion between us would be explosive."

Susan hadn't known, nor had any idea. She wasn't sure she liked the wild feelings he aroused, but it was a relief to learn that Shane hadn't destroyed her ability to respond to a man.

Still, she was shaken. She made a determined effort to steady herself on her own two legs and regulate her erratic breathing. He helped right her clothing with so much ease that she felt no embarrassment.