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"I rarely have tilanced furtively at hile ers slid up her side to where her tank top was bared by the ar of her overalls He stroked the side of her breast and felt the shiver thathas to take the backseat"

"Sure," heher completely"

Her chin lifted "Not everyone has the ability to have casual sex"

"I agree"

Stacey canted her torso away froht her almost face to face with him

"How do you do it?"

His nostrils flared "Why do you want to know?"

"Maybe I can use some pointers"

"Sweetheart" He yanked and pulled her chest flush to his Her drink sloshed over the lip of her glass and splashed on the porch, but neither of theasped, her parted lips just an inch or so away from his mouth "I wouldn’t teach you how to have casual sex if you paidher ether and his fingers kneaded restlessly into her flesh

Misunderstanding the dangerous possessiveness that affected hirew hard against her hip and her lashes lowered

"But then I could have casual sex with you," she flirted

Connor stared at her a rowled "I don’t want to have casual sex with you"

"You don’t?"

He shook his head and reached over to set his glass on the sht iron table which sat just outside the arc of the swing Then he cupped her spine with both hands and rubbed just to hear herto regret not enjoying you the way I should have I’ll be kickingany control when I needed it"

"I like that you ild" She blushed and lowered her gaze to where her hand touched his chest

"You’d like lass fro it beside his own He turned her to face away froed the his arms around her waist, he set his chin atop her head and pushed off, swinging the his eyes and relishing the heated weight of her sweetly curved body against him His hands slipped beneath the overalls and cupped the firm, full swell of her breasts

Mine

But in order to keep her alive, he’d have to let her go

"I need to go check on the pie," she said weakly, but she made very little effort to extricate herself

Connor frowned "I don’t kno to get past this"

"Get past what?" She struggled then, and he released her reluctantly

"Get past your shell"

"My what?" Standing, she backed away

"You’re like one of those scaly things that walk really slow and hide inside a round shell"

"A turtle?"

"Yep," he nodded gravely, "that’s the one

A snapping turtle"

The look of outrage on her face was comical, but he refused to smile They didn’t have time to skirt around the truth

"Listen" She set her fists on her hips, her chest heaving with her agitation "It’s not fair to ask "

"I know"