But then she was pulling back, her breath coming in gasps, her hands to her face.
"I'm sorry," she choked out. "Oh, Lord, I'm so sorry." She peeked at him through spread fingers. "I never should have done that. I didn't mean to imply... to make you think..."
His overpowering urge was to rip away her nightgown and make her admit she wanted him as much as he wanted her. The kiss had said it all.
A momentary rage surged through him at her denial, but he fought the primitive impulses. The last thing in the world he wanted to do was to hurt her in any way.
Instead of answering her, he leaned against the couch, his eyes tightly closed, his hands balled into fists, waiting until he could think clearly again.
"Ross?" she asked tentatively.
He grunted, not opening his eyes.
"I'm really, really sorry. That was exactly what I wanted to avoid, and then I was the one who went ahead and did it."
He opened one eye and looked at her. "Why?" he growled.
"Why? Why what?" She frowned.
"Why did you do it?" He opened both eyes and straightened to face her. "Come on, Charity," he coaxed softly. "You just gave me the most seductive kiss I've ever had." He shrugged. "You wish you hadn't done it. I'll accept that. But I want you to say it."
She looked completely uncomfortable. "Say what?"
"Why you did it." He fixed her with a savage glare. "Come on, Charity. Give."
She opened her mouth, then closed it again and avoided his eyes. "I did it because... because..." She took a deep breath. "Because I wanted to."
She glanced at him side ways, then quickly looked away again. "Because you look so good," she admitted, her voice hardly loud enough to be heard. "Because you feel so good. Because I feel so good when you touch me."
His face relaxed in a long, slow smile. "Right," he murmured, reaching out to thread his fingers through her wild hair. "My turn." His fingers tightened and he pulled her toward him.
She melted against him. Her mouth was his, and he took it as he meant to take the rest of her. The hard insistence of his probe was softened by his need to pleasure her as well as himself. His hand took her breast again, and this time she sighed and stretched to his touch, crying out softly when he dragged his thumb across the nipple. The night gown slipped easily up above her hips, and there was only the scrap of nylon beneath. His hand flattened over her smooth stomach, then lowered to pull away that last bar rier.