Jennifer carried the last box of donations into the storeroom in the rear of the soup kitchen and released a sigh of relief at being alone. Her feet and back were killing her after a day of walking and standing in those god-awful shoes. She hated them. They were lovely and extremely expensive. They made her ass look fantastic too, but she would never work wearing them if she had a choice, not this kind of work anyway. She could dance in shoes that high but her dancing shoes were far more comfortable, and she didn’t wear them all day.

She didn’t have a choice, though, did she? A few dresses and two pairs of shoes were all she had when a hasty escape from her nightmare became possible. She couldn’t do anything about it until she found a way to pay for some new clothes and shoes. Even then, she’d be afraid to go out in public to find something to wear.

If she went to her apartment, she could get the cash she’d saved from waiting tables. It would do her no good to try going to the bank with no I.D. Plus, most of her bills were on autopay, so her account was empty by now anyway. Jennifer also feared her bankcard would allow someone to track her movements. When a person went missing, the police would track their banking account activity and cell phone. Thank goodness for the pastor and his wife. They’d been so very kind to her. She wouldn’t repay them by allowing her whereabouts in the church to be discovered.

Jennifer set the box she carried down and looked around the storage room, wondering where Rourke, the delicious Viking god of war in fatigues had gone. He scared the shit out of her. The man was huge. His muscular arms and chest stretched the tee shirt he wore under that camouflage shirt he’d removed when it got hot in the kitchen. He towered over her from somewhere well above six feet tall. His pale blond hair was cut short in a military buzz. Those icy blue eyes frightened her more than anything did. He’d watched her with those cool, knowing eyes all day. She felt his stare throughout the afternoon and wondered at his interest.

He was looking at her as if he knew all of her secrets. He watched her as if he’d seen through her story and knew exactly who she was and why she was there at the church. Of course, he didn’t know anything about her. She was paranoid again. That’s what she’d been telling herself all afternoon. She’d never seen him before in her life. He couldn’t know her or her dilemma.

Rourke’s dark counterpart, however, was familiar to Jennifer. She’d only met Luc Christianson once, and they hadn’t actually been introduced. Jennifer’s murdering, lying, dream crushing ex-boyfriend had pissed Luc off by starting a fight in Hell, Luc’s private gambling club.

Jennifer’s mind drifted to the events that had brought her to her current predicament, as it often did. She’d had been in Las Vegas for a year. She’d gone to art school for dance and dreamed of making it on Broadway. She moved to New York after graduation and gave it all she had for several years. All she had, unfortunately, just wasn’t good enough, though. The competition was fierce, and Jennifer was a little too womanly when the producers were looking for willowy. The parts she did manage to land wouldn’t pay the rent. Jennifer waited tables to make ends meet. She was such a cliché.

When her roommate threw in the towel and went home to “get a real job,” like her parents insisted, Jennifer had to make a choice. She couldn’t afford to live alone. Either she, too, went home to beg her father’s forgiveness and spend the rest of her life making up for disobeying them and moving to New York to chase her dreams, or she could move on and try her career elsewhere. The latter won out. Jennifer wasn’t ready to admit defeat, yet.

Having learned her lesson in New York, Jennifer found a waitressing job and a studio apartment she could afford on her own before her hunt for a dancing gig began. It took a while, but Jennifer finally did get a great part in a show that was perfect for her. She was happy for the first time since she left her home and her family in Washington, DC. That’s when everything changed.

Evan MacGraff approached Jennifer one night at an after party in the theater. Evan was handsome and charming. He complimented her performance along with her friends. All the girls adored him. Jennifer found him attractive, but she wasn’t looking for a relationship. She could admit to being flattered when Evan tugged her off to the side to speak one on one. Jennifer worked with stunningly gorgeous women, but Evan was interested in Jennifer. It wasn’t that Jennifer was attractive. She just knew she wasn’t the loveliest of her friends in the show.

“It’s refreshing to see a beautiful woman who doesn’t feel the need to show everyone all of her charms,” Evan complimented. “I like this.” He fingered the long beaded skirt Jennifer wore.

Jennifer looked down at her breasts encased in a tight, low-cut top and gave him a disbelieving grin.

Evan followed her eye and smirked. He looked around the room at women who wore dresses that hardly deserved the name. They were tube dresses and little more than a scrap of stretchy fabric that covered them from breast to upper thighs, leaving little to the imagination. Jennifer had to concede his point.

“We’re dancers.” She defended her coworkers. “We’re not really known for being shy about our bodies.” They laughed, and the conversation moved on. 

Evan seemed so perfect, almost too perfect. When he finally asked Jennifer for a date, she graciously declined. This wasn’t her first rodeo. Many men tried to pick up the girls after shows. Jennifer was a professional, and she separated business and pleasure. Sadly, pleasure had been all but absent in her life. When Evan persisted in pursuing her, asking her out repeatedly to the exclusion of all others, Jennifer eventually gave in and agreed to a date. It wasn’t long, though, before Jennifer would regret that decision.

Evan picked Jennifer up for their final date after her performance the night she met Luc Christianson for the first time. She didn’t know then that her life was about to change. They’d been dating for over a month, and Jennifer wasn’t sure it would go much farther. There was something disconcerting about Evan that Jennifer couldn’t put her finger on, but she was giving him a chance. Evan was attractive, and he doted on her, sending flowers to her every single night after her shows. She had so many bouquets of flowers that she sent them home with the other dancers most nights because she didn’t have anywhere left in her closet of an apartment to put them, but Evan kept sending them anyway.

He’d taken her one particular date that turned into a shopping trip. Evan was a successful investment banker, and he wanted to spoil her, but Jennifer wouldn’t go for it. It was like he was trying to buy her, and that was never going to happen. When she’d refused to allow him to buy her the clothing and shoes, he insisted she deserved, Evan purchased them anyway and had them delivered to her tiny apartment.

The dresses he bought her were nothing like her own clothes and she didn’t wear them. At first, Evan had complimented her style. Then, he tried to change her, calling her a hippy and telling Jennifer, she looked homeless. Things had finally come to the point that she was ready to cut off her relationship with Evan. He was bordering on controlling, and she couldn’t deal with it. They weren’t even that serious. He didn’t need to know the name of every person she spoke with after a show.

The final straw snapped that evening after the show when Jennifer found a box waiting for her in the dressing room. Evan sent her a dress, underwear, and shoes to wear on the date. It freaked her out. Who buys lingerie for a woman they haven’t even slept with yet?

They’d been dating for such a short time, and already, he was trying to change Jennifer, after insisting she was perfection and begging for a date. She didn’t wear the damn dress, and Evan wasn’t happy about it. He explained that he had a special evening planned that called for something more formal. He swore he didn’t mean any insult by the gesture.

She should have ended it right then. She should have given him back his expensive fucking dress and walked away, but Jennifer didn’t have a rude bone in her body. She’d agreed to the date, and he was already there to pick her up. Therefore, she put on the dress and pasted on a polite smile. This was it for Jennifer, just one final date. She would say goodbye when he dropped her off at home.

Jennifer was lost in her own thoughts when Evan led her to the entrance of The Inferno Casino and Hotel. They passed the reception desk and the casino, continuing on to a short hall with an elevator that required a key card to operate. Dread filled her belly. If Evan had booked a hotel room for his idea of a romantic evening, things would get uncomfortable quickly. She was ending their relationship. There would be no sex.

To her relief, Evan informed Jennifer that they were going to a private club with a lot of security. He explained that you had to pass financial and background checks to get into the club. Jennifer entered the club with Evan after he greased the palm of the door attendant on duty. She wasn’t a member, so she shouldn’t be allowed to enter. Evan paid her way in.

She wasn’t impressed. It sounded like the country club set she’d grown up in back home. The people were snobby, and they looked down on anyone less fortunate. Jennifer couldn’t stand it. If nothing else, though, Evan must be an upstanding character if his background afforded a membership to an elite club, right? Wrong. Oh, he was wealthy, but his character came into question before the end of the evening.

When they entered the floor of Hell or the pit, as Evan called it, Jennifer thought it was a casino like many others, if swankier than most. Then the differences started to stand out. The patrons were unlike the tourists playing slots and cards on their vacation downstairs at The Inferno Casino. These people were expensively dressed regulars and the amount of money changing hands on the card tables and at the roulette wheel was obscene.

There was an inordinate amount of security roaming the floor. They also stood at attention near various doors that ranged around the perimeter of the room. While Evan played a few hands of blackjack, Jennifer people-watched. To get through the other doors, people swiped that card that opened the elevator over a security panel on the wall.

Jennifer watched as a man was denied access to a room he wanted to enter. He wasn’t pleased about it and started to get loud. The employee guarding the door tapped the device in his ear and spoke a few words. Within seconds, the man causing a scene was confronted by two other members of security, who were observing the action on the floor nearby. One of them said something that made the angry man pale. The man didn’t struggle at all when they grasped him under the arms and literally carried him away.

Jennifer watched open-mouthed while Evan whispered an explanation to her. Not everyone had the same clearance. That’s why the doors were locked. You had to have the cash flow and proper background check to get past the main floor.

It was all fascinating. Jennifer wondered what was hidden behind those mysterious portals. She didn’t have long to ponder. Evan took Jennifer’s hand and led her to one of those doors. He approached and nodded at the hulking staff member stationed at the door. The guard covertly ran his own card over the panel lock.

This was Jennifer’s first clue that something was off. Why hadn’t Evan used his own card? More palm greasing must have been done to get them past the pit. They entered a place entirely unlike any casino she’d ever known, and Jennifer began to understand the secretive nature of Hell.

Nearly naked women were wandering around with drink trays and some nearly nude men too. Jennifer gasped. Then, she made an effort to control her reaction. She wasn’t an innocent. She saw naked people backstage every day, and that never shocked her. Backstage, though, there was nothing sexual about women getting ready for a show. Just like changing your clothes at the gym, it was acceptable behavior. These men and woman were also working. Jennifer told herself to stop being a prude.

As they moved deeper into Hell, she got one surprise after another. People were openly having sex in some areas. In other parts of the club, scantily dressed servers served drinks and actually danced with the patrons. Each room they entered seemed to have a theme, and things got wilder as they moved on. There were card rooms and nightclubs, as well as a long dark hall lined with alcoves and two-way mirrors so you could view people in all sorts of sexual situations without them seeing you. Some of the alcoves had curtains drawn for privacy, but others were wide open, and couples were fucking while they watched others perform behind the glass.

Evan took it all in stride, not paying attention to any of it. He seemed to have a destination in mind, so she kept quiet as he pulled her from room to room. Evan stopped when they reached a bar area that looked typical until your eyes are adjusted to the darkness. The bar sported high-backed booths and low tables that were more like ottomans where women and men alike danced for patrons while holding onto a strap that hung from the ceiling for balance. Other booths had stripper poles.

Jennifer quickly turned away when she noticed far more than dancing happening in one booth. It was an orgy. She’d just seen an orgy with her own eyes. She was trying to focus on something else when she saw the bartenders. They were completely nude. Surely, that couldn’t be sanitary, could it?

Evan was talking to another man. Jennifer thought it was rude of him not to introduce her, but she didn’t want to speak to anyone anyway. The struggle to overcome her shock was an ongoing battle. It was quite offensive of Evan to bring her to such a place without a warning. They hadn’t even had sex yet, and at this point, they never would. He’d brought Jennifer to what amounted to a brothel! Who does that? This was her second clue that Evan wasn’t the man he pretended to be. Her decision to end things with Evan was further solidified.

While she was trying to think of a way to extricate herself from this date, Evan’s conversation turned into an argument. Evan grabbed the other guy and slammed him against the bar. There were fists thrown, and a struggle ensued, but it ended quickly when Evan reached for a holster hidden under his jacket. Evan had a gun. He was threatening the other man’s life convincingly while Jennifer watched in horror.

This whole evening was such a shock to Jennifer, but not as shocking as being hauled out of the building through dark corridors and down a private elevator by a group of none too gentle bouncers and tossed into the alley with threats of violence if they ever returned. Jennifer had never been so embarrassed or frightened in her life. At least not until that point. Things changed for her after that fateful night. She’d seen too much to frighten that easily now.

Just before she and Evan were shoved out the back door, a large man stepped out of the shadows. This man wasn’t security. He looked expensive in his tailored suit. His slightly waving black hair was perfectly styled. His equally dark eyes glittered with anger. The sound of his voice was terrifying in its calmness as he informed Evan that his membership to Hell had been permanently revoked.

It was Luc Christianson, for sure. She’d never forget that face, but he was nothing like the man she met in the soup kitchen. The man in the soup kitchen was bossy but well-mannered and had obvious respect for the homeless people he was serving. The Luc she’d crossed that night in the depths of Hell was cold, distant, and scary. Very, very scary.

When Jennifer was dragged past Luc, he looked her up and down with disgust written on his too-perfect face. The expression of pure loathing made Jennifer pray she’d never run into the man again. Then she was deposited in the alley like trash in a silk dress.

When Jennifer brushed herself off and asked Evan to explain himself, he’d told her it was just business. That was it. Just business. He refused to explain any further. What kind of business would an investment banker do in a club at one o’clock in the morning that involved a fucking gun?

On the way back to his car, Evan raged about Luc Christianson, calling him every nasty name she’d ever heard and a few she hadn’t. Evan ranted on about Luc believing he was the fucking king of Vegas. He said somebody needed to teach Luc a lesson, and Evan was going to see to it.

Then Evan blamed Jennifer for the incident. “If I hadn’t been on a date with you, my men would have been with him when he went to Hell. I’m sick to death of pussyfooting around you, Jenny!”

Jennifer didn’t know Evan had men. What kind of men would he have? He was pussyfooting around her? Who was this maniac, and where was the charming sophisticate who's been courting her?

This was her first true glimpse of who Evan MacGraff really was: a liar, a thief, and a murderer. A chill ran down her spine. Jennifer had seen things she’d never be able to forget, but she was trying to put it all behind her.

Jennifer’s thoughts returned to the present. She’d been looking forward to helping out in the soup kitchen that day until Pastor Davis introduced Jennifer to Luc. Her heart had nearly stopped on the spot. She knew it was the same man from Hell. He was unforgettable. Jennifer’s nerves had been on edge all day just waiting for him to point a long elegant finger in her direction and pronounce her trash that needed to be removed, but he hadn’t.

Luc was domineering but polite for the most part. Jennifer kept her head down and tried not to engage him at all. It was best not to nudge his memory. Her day was totally ruined by the unexpected appearance of someone connected to Evan, but she couldn’t let the pastor down now. Pastor Davis needed her to help serve the meal while he took care of other things.

Jennifer was trying to avoid Luc when she walked in on Rourke and Dolce embracing. She’d immediately believed the affectionate pair was a couple. Dolce was a stunning woman with dark eyes and hair. Her skin was so creamy and perfect, her lips a natural red hue. The overall effect brought Snow White to mind: a tall, confident version of the princess. Rourke was Dolce’s fair-haired, muscular opposite.

Jennifer couldn’t hold a candle to a woman like Dolce. Not that she had any damn business even thinking about competing with another woman for a man, even a man as striking as Rourke. She had enough trouble of her own.

As the day went on and Jennifer observed their interaction, it became apparent Dolce and Rourke weren’t a couple. They couldn’t be siblings given their differences, but that’s how they behaved, bickering and teasing each other as a brother and sister would. Maybe they were half siblings. Who knew, and who cared? Jennifer needed to mind her own business and hope they did the same.

By the time they were preparing to leave, Jennifer had thought her neck would snap from keeping her head down and her face away from Luc. She breathed a sigh of relief until she realized Rourke wasn’t going with them.

She was doing busy work, just trying to stay out of Rourke’s way, but he was still watching her. Rourke was also attempting to look busy. He was sweeping a floor that she’d just seen Dolce sweep before leaving. Rourke had seen Dolce sweep it too, so why was he stalling?

Rourke’s inquisitive gaze shifted from accusing to interest in a short time. Judging by the subconscious licking of his lips and roaming eyes, he was very interested. She’d caught him looking at her ass more than once. He was a big man, the opposite of the leaner dancer types that usually caught her eye. Maybe that was why she was so affected by him. There might be something to that whole sexy man-in-uniform thing. She’d never seen the attraction before, but holy hell, Rourke was hot in his BDUs.

It didn’t take long for Rourke to start asking questions Jennifer wasn’t prepared to answer. He was curious about this stranger at his church. He was feeling her out, too, looking for any signs of interest in him. She found Rourke dangerously attractive, and Jennifer was doing her best to hide her fascination with the sailor.

Pastor Davis interrupted Rourke’s inquisition of her with news of donations that needed to be put away. Jennifer was thankful for the disruption. Rourke chatted with her pleasantly while they carried in the boxes of food. He was solicitous and just a little flirty but not overly so. Jennifer could tell Rourke was trying not to scare her off. Little did he know, she had no place else to go.

Jennifer had to keep reminding herself that she was not in the market for a boyfriend. She’d heard Luc and Dolce talking about Rourke being fresh off the boat. He was home on leave from the Navy. If she were looking for a man, which she most certainly was not, she wouldn’t go for a man who would be returning to his Superman duties for the U.S. Navy SEALs. She was no man’s port of call. Fuck that. She needed to put him out of her mind.

Jennifer wanted to do was crawl into her bed and forget that it was a holiday. She wanted to forget the sad truth that no one in the world would be missing her. This isolation was a hard thing for a woman who longed for her family. It was Thanksgiving, and people all over the country would be gathering to celebrate and be grateful for their blessings. Jennifer didn’t have any blessings, except the kindness of a preacher and his wife. Now that was something she could be thankful for if nothing else.

Jennifer shook off her melancholy. She put on a fake smile and went to see if the pastor needed anything else done. She’d stalled in the storage room for as long as she could to avoid sex SEAL. Hopefully, Rourke would be gone by now as well. Then she could go to bed and wallow in self-pity. The holiday season was going to be hard for Jennifer, more so this year than ever before. Jennifer found Rourke and Pastor Davis in the kitchen after she deposited the last box in storage.

“There you are, Jennifer,” the pastor extended a hand to her. She took his offered hand and tried to look happy. “Rourke has just agreed to have dinner with us. Isn’t it wonderful to welcome a member of our armed forces home on such a blessed holiday?”

Jennifer’s nearly fell out of her stilettos. Dinner? Her? And Rourke? She hadn’t expected the pastor to invite her to Thanksgiving dinner. It was so tempting to spite her wish to get away from the impossibly attractive man as quickly as possible.

The pastor must have noticed her surprise. “Come now, Jennifer. You didn’t think we’d let you get away before dinner, did you? It’s Thanksgiving. You shouldn’t be alone.”

Warmth and gratefulness spread through Jennifer’s chest. She hadn’t had a holiday meal, or a family meal for that matter since her father disowned her for choosing a career in dance instead of going to the Ivy League college for the law degree he’d decided was best for her.

The pastor must have sensed she was beyond words with that lump lodged in her throat. He wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulder and gently guided her to his car. They could have walked the short distance to the pastor’s home, but Jennifer was happy to get off her aching feet.  She was also wary of being out in public for too long, so driving was better. The pastor and Rourke were talking about the delicacies Mrs. Davis had prepared for them. Rourke was pleased to put off some much-needed sleep for a hearty home cooked meal.

Jennifer missed being a part of a family. Even if hers had been demanding and overbearing, they’d been her family. It was so nice to be among people who cared for her. She swallowed hard and fought the building tears. She’d been through so much since she left the shelter of her parent’s protection. Being alone in the world was harder than she’d ever imagined. Maybe she would call her parents. Not to beg forgiveness or to admit that they might have been right. Just to tell them she loved and missed them very much.

 

After an excellent dinner accompanied by stories of past holiday celebrations and the childhood antics of Rourke and his friends at the home of Pastor and Mrs. Davis, Jennifer and Rourke did the dishes. Rourke chased Mrs. Davis out of the kitchen to go relax with her husband. She’d earned a chance to put up her dainty feet after toiling in the kitchen all day.

Rourke and Jennifer chatted and laughed while tidying the kitchen. The big, stern looking man turned out to be quite chatty with a dry but witty sense of humor. Rourke was telling Jennifer about a prank he’d pulled on a teammate that involved stretching clear cling wrap over the toilet bowl. The person who settled in to use the facilities would get a nasty surprise.

“Tank, that’s what we call him because he’s the size of a damn tank,” Rourke explained, and Jennifer wondered if Tank could possibly be larger than Rourke. “So Tank is in the latrine doing what people do in there while the rest of us tried to control our laughter. In no time, Tank was shouting and cursing. He came barreling out of the stall with his pants down. Well, needless to say, the joke was on us. I swear I’ll never get the image of a naked Tank with his junk swinging out of my head.” He shivered with male revulsion.

Jennifer laughed uncontrollably at the mental image of Rourke being chased by an angry man with his pants around his ankles and shit smeared on his ass. Rourke smiled down at her and seemed to relish her enjoyment of his outrageous tale.

Jennifer’s heart played hopscotch in her chest. He didn’t look like the kind of man who smiled often, and that was probably a good thing for womankind. His smile was devastating. Rourke was such a surprise. He was easy to talk to and even easier to look at. Her ability to withstand Rourke’s charm steadily crumbled the more time she spent in his company.

Rourke placed the last dish in the washer and turned to Jennifer. He blinked a few times as if confused, and then shook his head. Some internal struggle played out on his face before he stepped closer to Jennifer. Rourke stood squarely in her personal space. Jennifer’s mind told her body to step back. Don’t let this captivating man get too close. Her body, however, had other plans.

“You should laugh more often, Jennifer,” Rourke told her, and he sobered. His smiling eyes turned hot and hungry as they dropped to her mouth. “This mouth'” He lowered his head to brush his firm lips over Jennifer’s softer ones. “These pouty lips,” he growled. “It’s enough to drive a man insane.”

Jennifer’s lips parted in surprise, but neither of them moved to deepen the kiss beyond the teasing whisper of Rourke’s lips over Jennifer’s mouth. Their breath mingled, and she took him into her lungs. Rourke’s pupils dilated. A needy sound rose involuntarily from her throat. He was so large, so overwhelming, so perfectly shielding her from all of her fears when he wrapped those big hands around her waist and pulled her body against the long, hard planes of his.

Then, he was kissing Jennifer, really kissing her, and she wanted it. He massaged her lips with his own, nipping and teasing her with little licks. Jennifer clutched Rourke’s shoulders, trying to pull him deeper into the kiss. He chuckled, nipped her lower lip one more time, then he went in for the kill.

When Rourke’s tongue invaded her willing mouth, Jennifer opened completely to him. He consumed her entirely. He overwhelmed Jennifer with his sheer masculinity. His tongue delved and retreated again and again in a simulation of what she wanted him to do to her body.

Jennifer stretched upward to get as much contact with all that muscle as she could get. Rourke groaned and cupped her ass, pulling her hips flush against his. The straining proof of his desire pressed into her belly. Jennifer rocked her hips into his and reveled in the heat of their mutual need. His cock felt thick and rock-solid. She pressed closer, wanting what he had to give her.

Rourke tried to pull away, tried to stop the runaway train of their passion, but Jennifer refused to let him go. When he retreated, she followed, sucking and lapping at his mouth until he gave up the fight and returned the kiss.

“Jennifer, baby, I have to stop, now, before I can’t stop. You have to leave. I can’t walk away from you. I can’t,” he told her between kisses. “Oh god, you taste so fucking good.” He groaned against her mouth and kissed her frantically. Rourke was as overcome as Jennifer by the intense attraction that arched between them. 

Why should they stop? Why couldn’t she have something for herself? Rourke would hurt her eventually, and she knew it. The fact that she was letting him touch her was a testament to her weakness for him. Jennifer didn’t know him, not really. Just hours ago, she’d refused to even consider her attraction to him. He’s a military man. A Navy SEAL, who would be gone before a girl knew he’d been there. He would use her body and leave. She knew it, and she had wanted nothing to do with it.

That was before she’d heard him talk to the pastor about how much he missed his mom, his friends, and his church when he was deployed. These were things she was sure he only admitted because he was with people who have known him since he was little. Jennifer tried to deny her attraction to Rourke before they laughed over dinner and Pastor Davis told her stories of Rourke’s childhood antics. That was before he held her close and begged her to walk away before he took things too far because he didn’t have the strength to let her go. She didn’t have the strength to let him go either.

It was all different now. Jennifer needed Rourke more than she needed the air in her lungs or the heart in her chest. For this brief moment in time, she needed to feel safe, protected and wanted by a man she couldn’t resist. She had nothing left. No one to hold her. No one to care what happened to her. It wouldn’t last past this fleeting encounter, but she needed the closeness of human contact. She could let Rourke give that to her, and then he would be gone. She wouldn’t blame him. Moreover, she wouldn’t allow the danger of her situation to touch Rourke, either. He lived a dangerous life in the military. He didn’t need it at home as well.

“Please?” Jennifer clutched frantically at his biceps. She could say nothing else. Jennifer was begging Rourke to make her forget her cares for just a little while. If he rejected her, she’d walk away and never look back, but she needed him badly enough to plead. She needed him for more than just a passing physical release, though she suspected he would make that memorable as well.

“Please?” Jennifer looked into Rourke’s lust clouded eyes and pleaded for what only he could give her.