Natalie eased to her feet. There was only one way to find out.

  Donovan tightened his grip on the telephone in his hand. “Okay, Morgan, thanks for keeping me in the loop. We figured sooner or later word of what we were doing would leak out,” he said. “We’re good as long as the trade secrets don’t get into the wrong hands.”

  “You’re right,” Morgan said. “But I’ll feel a lot better when that Product Trade Show is over.”

  Donovan talked to Morgan a few minutes longer before hanging up the phone. For any business, the exploitation of trade secrets was a serious matter and the protection of them was complicated at best, especially when chemical formulas were involved. One of their competitors had again tried obtaining information, which meant SC was determined more than ever to make sure that didn’t happen.

  He glanced at his watch and saw it was close to eight. He had thought about going over to the Racetrack Café for a while to hang out with Bronson and the guys, but for some reason he wasn’t in the mood. What he was in the mood for was sex. Even now, his manhood was twitching for release of the most elemental and primitive kind. He had a list of women who were amenable to a booty call tonight, but he only wanted one particular woman. Natalie.

  He sucked in a deep, satisfying breath when he recalled how earlier that day he had gone down on her, but not before feasting on her breasts. Every muscle and every fiber in his body had been attuned to her.

  He then pulled in a frustrated breath at the thought that what he’d done today might have scared her away. He didn’t want to think about the possibility that he had pushed her to the limit, and she would make good on her threat to send in a replacement, or better yet, convince her aunt to drop him as a client.

  With nothing better to do, he was about to head back to his office to finish reading the Gleeve-Ware report he’d started on earlier when there was a knock at his door. Thinking it was probably Bronson, Myles or Uri dropping by, he crossed the room in his bare feet and opened the door. His jaw almost dropped.

  Standing at his door was Natalie, and she was wearing a black miniskirt and a low-cut white blouse that clearly showed she wasn’t wearing a bra. Not that she needed one with her full and round breasts.

  He took in her outfit and how gorgeous her legs looked in it before returning his gaze back to her face. He stared at her while his manhood, which had been twitching earlier, broke out into a full-fledged throb.

  She stared back before saying in what he thought was a soft, ultra sexy voice, “You said to come back if I got to feeling restless and edgy.” She took a minute to breathe in before adding. “And I’m here.”

  Chapter 10

  Everything happened in such rapid succession that Natalie wasn’t sure who made the first move. The thing she did remember was Donovan reaching out and pulling her inside and slamming the door shut behind her. After that she recalled the moment he lowered his mouth to hers, which resulted in a heated exchange of lips and tongues. And she did remember the moment he swept her into his arms to carry her up the stairs, not breaking the kiss in the process.

  But what was kind of fuzzy was what brought on what was happening now. He had stopped halfway up the stairs and lowered her bottom to the step to lift up her skirt where he then proceeded to rip off her drenched panties.

  “I need one quick taste,” he said huskily and with an intensity that she felt all the way to her toes. And before she could blink, he had knelt between her legs and lowered his head to penetrate her deeply with his tongue.

  She fought for control, but the only thing she could do was grab the wood railing, totally helpless against the myriad of sensations that shot through her as he used his tongue to stroke her wetter. She was on the verge of exploding when he suddenly withdrew his mouth and stood up, towering over her.

  “Can’t wait to make it upstairs,” he said, lowering his zipper and then quickly removing his jeans and briefs. He held on to his jeans long enough to pull out a condom packet that he ripped opened with his teeth. Then he tossed the jeans away.

  Through passion-glazed eyes, she watched as he put the condom on his engorged shaft. She’d never seen Karl perform such a task, and watching Donovan prepare himself inflamed her senses. He was big, a lot bigger than Karl, which had her wondering if perhaps she should be worried.

  She quickly dismissed the notion from her mind when he dropped back down to his knees in front of her. He then reached out and grabbed hold of her hips in a firm grip, lifting her bottom off the step while inching his body toward hers, opening her legs wider in the process.

  A quiver of anticipation raced through every part of her body. When he leaned closer and began easing his shaft inside of her, holding her gaze while doing so, for one unguarded moment she allowed herself to let go.

  Donovan, however struggled for control. It took everything within him not to thrust hard in the wake of the excruciating pleasure being inside of her brought. Never would he have thought that passing through territory he had never been in before would give him such exquisite pleasure. Her body was tight but was stretching to accommodate his size. And his hands continued to hold tight to her hips while tilting up her bottom for a more perfect fit.

  A soft whimper, which he hoped was the result of intense pleasure, escaped from between her lips when he finally reached the hilt. Then she threw her head back and released an intense feminine groan. The sound was electrifying and sent shivers down his spine, propelling him to move within her.

  He began riding her slowly at first, absorbing her scent through his nostrils and fighting to retain control while waves of intense pleasure washed over him with pulsating intensity.

  Adrenaline rushed forward, gushed through his veins and swelled his erection inside her even more. He heard her breath catch at the same moment her inner muscles clamped down on him. They tightened, holding his shaft hostage, and he nearly lost control. He regained it and began moving within her again with a possessiveness he’d never demonstrated toward any other woman.

  He lifted her hips higher off the step, not allowing his hold to ease even the slightest bit while establishing a rhythm that taunted her and challenged him. He heard her moans, and they threatened to drive him over the edge as he thrusted back and forth inside of her with lightning speed. And she was meeting his thrusts, stroke for stroke. They were making love on the stairs of all places, but the place didn’t matter—only the outcome.

  And the outcome was more than he’d bargained for. He released a guttural moan just seconds before she screamed his name as she was plunged into a state of ecstasy. Her orgasm ignited bursts of pleasure within him at the same time his body shattered in a huge explosion of its own. She clung to him and wrapped her feet securely around his back. Desire sank deep into his pores, and he felt himself being thrown into some unknown abyss.

  He bent his head to capture her lips. Refusing to leave her body, he kept a firm grip on her hips as sensations rammed through him nonstop until his release left him feeling drained but completely satisfied. He knew he was in deep trouble when, moments later, he started getting hard again.

  This time he wanted to make love to her in a bed. His bed. He withdrew from her body, gathered her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way up the stairs.

  Natalie wondered if she would ever be able to move again. She seriously doubted it. After making love with Donovan—on of all places—the stairs, he had brought her up to his bedroom where he finished undressing her and had made love to her all over again. He made love as intensely and thoroughly as he probably did everything else, and more than once he had whispered in a deep, husky voice just how much he enjoyed it. She believed he had, which meant Karl had said all those things only to hurt her.

  “You’re awake from your nap,” that same deep, husky voice said now.

  She found the strength to glance over at Donovan. He was lying beside her, one of his legs was thrown over hers as if holding her captive. She couldn’t miss the fact that they were both naked. After making love with him, she had drifted off to sleep, too exhausted to keep her eyes open any longer. To most people dozing at this hour would equate to retiring for the night, but since she intended to sleep in her bed at her aunt’s house, Donovan was right: she had only taken a nap. A much needed one. But now she was wide awake.

  She glanced over at the clock on his nightstand. “It’s late. I need go.”

  “Not yet. We need to talk.”

  Tension settled in the back of her neck. She had a feeling she knew what he wanted to talk about. Given his reputation, she was surprised they hadn’t had the discussion before he’d taken her on the stairs. “I already know what you want to say,” she said.

  “Do you?”

  “Yes. You don’t want me to assume what we’ve done means anything of substance and that you aren’t the marrying kind and prefer short, meaningless affairs.”

  He stared at her and didn’t say anything for a moment. Then he asked, “Knowing all of that, where does it leave you?”

  She couldn’t help but smile. Lord help him, but the man actually thought every woman would be forever scarred because of his rejection. “That leaves me with what I want most, too.”

  “Which is?”

  “A good life without any man cluttering it up.”

  His brow rose before he responded. “I recall you saying you’d taken a break from men.”

  “It’s more than a break, actually,” she said, widening her smile. “I’m no more interested in a serious involvement with a man than you are with a woman, so you can lower your guard and sleep peacefully tonight.”

  He would, Donovan thought, although for some reason it bothered him that she could so easily wipe him off. Why did she have to be so accepting of his stance on affairs? Why did he feel so annoyed by hers?

  She made a move to get up, but his leg hindered her progress. She frowned. “Do you mind?”

  Yes, he did mind—about a number of things that he really wasn’t even sure about. One thing was for certain, though. He didn’t like how easy it was for her to dust off what they’d just shared. Maybe he should be relieved that she wasn’t the clingy type, that she was mature enough to engage in a meaningless affair and know how to move on. That she wouldn’t be entertaining any lingering side effects from it. But still. He had made her scream—several times. He’d given her multiple orgasms. Her leg print was probably a permanent imprint in his back. He had been inside her so much tonight that his shaft would probably be suffering from withdrawals starting tomorrow. He was beginning to get awfully pissed that the one woman who affected him like none other was acting as if he hadn’t made an impression on her at all, lasting or otherwise.

  “Donovan?”

  He met her gaze deciding she had underestimated a Steele. “Yes?”

  “Would you move your leg?”

  “I don’t think so.” Instead of moving his leg, he shifted his body to straddle her.

  Her gaze narrowed up at him. “And just what do you think you’re doing?”

  “About to get some more of you.”

  “And if I don’t want to give you more?”

  An arrogant smile touched the corners of his lips. “Then it’s up to me to convince you that you really do. Seduction is my specialty.” He leaned down and captured her mouth with his.

  Just that quick desire spiked up his spine. When she begin kissing him back with a need just as ravenous as his, he knew he had her convinced. But that wasn’t enough. Not by a long shot. He wanted to hear her scream some more.

  Moments later he broke their kiss only to trail his mouth down the base of her neck toward her chest and greedily latched onto a breast. Both were pretty, shaped with perfection, appealing to any man’s eyes, definitely a tasty treat to his tongue. As he worked that tongue to her breasts, taking the nipples in his mouth, sucking for a while and then using his tongue to give unadulterated pleasure, her moans began coming and the sound taunted his control. He knew women well enough to know she was almost over the edge, and he wouldn’t be happy until he was tumbling off the cliff with her.

  Feeling a heady rush of pleasure at the sensuous state he now had her in, he moved away from her breasts to trek further south when, in one heck of a surprising move and totally catching him off guard, she slid from beneath him and with a shove to his chest sent him tumbling on his back. He blinked to find she was now the one straddling him.

  “Are you ready to be punished, Donovan?” she asked.

  He swallowed deeply. “Depends on how you plan to dish it out.” The look in her eyes warned him that whatever she had in mind would probably be brutal and that he was in for a lot of suffering.

  “So, you want some more of me, huh?”

  He couldn’t tell a lie although admitting such a thing could be tantamount to acknowledging something he’d rather keep to himself. He was becoming addicted to her. “As much of you as I can get and then some,” he said, actually with little regret.

  “And you think you can handle whatever I give you?” she asked as her hand skittered over his chest. His reaction to her touch was instantaneous, and he watched a haughty smile touch her lips when his shaft got even more engorged. Before he could answer, she swept her hand downward and captured him in a firm, yet painless, grip.

  He suppressed the urge to groan, but that didn’t stop the shiver of arousal that shot through his body knowing she held him in her hand. He barely got the words out in a strained voice. “Yes, I can handle it,” he said, when in fact he wasn’t so sure.

  “Um, I hope for your sake that you can.” And then in a quick and surprising move, she lowered her head and went down on him.

  Chapter 11

  There was no way she was going to let him know she was a novice at this, Natalie thought, using her mouth in a way she’d only heard about and hoping she was doing it right. Apparently she was, if the way his fingers were clutching her hair was anything to go by.

  And then there was the way he was breathing—ragged, choppy and at times uneven while making a number of groaning sounds. She tried to ignore all of that while her tongue did all the things to him she would secretly admit to fantasizing about in her nightly dreams. She had never considered doing this to Karl or any man, but with Donovan there was something about his scent that enticed her to sample his taste.

  “I can’t take any more,” he said in a jagged breath while at the same time clenching her shoulders in an attempt to pry her enthusiastic mouth from him. He pulled her up over his body, and lifting his head from the pillow he met her mouth, taking it with a greedy intent and a voracious hunger.

  Supported by an arm on both sides of him, Natalie let him plunder her mouth at an insatiable will, returning the kiss with the same fervor that he was delivering, not believing that after all they’d done already that night they still were going strong with no thoughts of letting up. At least she wasn’t, and by the way he was avidly feeding on her mouth, neither was he.

  But she wasn’t through with him yet. She was determined to make her brand of torture bittersweet. Ignoring his protest, she pulled away from the heated kiss and licked her lips before saying. “You weren’t supposed to do that.”

  He flashed a wicked grin that held no remorse. “Sorry about that.”

  “I’m accepting no apologies. You’re going to pay.”

  The look he gave her was one of incredulity. “With more torture?”

  She smiled sweetly. “I’ll let you decide. Now hand me a condom, please.”

  Shifting slightly, he reached over into the nightstand and pulled out a condom packet and ripped it open with his teeth. He handed the condom to her before tossing the opened foil packet to join the others littering the floor.

  “Look at the mess you’ve made,” she said, grinning. “I’m sure your housekeeper thinks you’re a slob.”

  Donovan couldn’t help but chuckle. “Then I’m going to have to convince her otherwise,” he said, trying to retain his composure as he watched her sheath his erection and noted how fascinated she seemed with the entire process. That wouldn’t be so bad if the hands touching his shaft weren’t so warm. They reminded him of the warmth of her mouth on him.

  “There.” Finished with the task, she then eased her body in place over his and centered her feminine mound right over the head of his engorged member.

  “That’s right, sweetheart, take me on home,” he said in a tormented breath. “Lead me right inside of you.”

  “Um, what if I say that I don’t want to?”

  He arched a brow. “Then I would say you’ve got to be kidding.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at that. “No, I’m not kidding,” she said, while deliberating easing the lower part of her body down a little so that her feminine mound could lightly brush against his shaft. He sucked in a deep breath at the fleeting contact.

  “What’s the matter, Donovan? Can’t you handle it? Can’t you handle me?”

  For the first time in his life, Donovan actually wondered if perhaps there was a woman he couldn’t handle, and he was flat on his back staring up at her. The thought of that was absurd, ludicrous at best. But then, he was the one who seemed to be suffering, and she appeared to be having the time of her life increasing his misery.

  Donovan inwardly sighed. His mama always told him you could catch more flies with honey than with vinegar, and he was willing to put it to the test. He reached out and wrapped his arms around her neck. “Are you sure you want to keep agonizing me?” he asked, lifting his head up to lick the corners of her mouth with his tongue. He then used that same tongue to trace the outline of her lips and watched the simmering fire he was igniting in her gaze.

  He took a breast into his hand, fondled the nipple with his fingertips. He sensed the moment when passion instead of punishment took over her mind. Now it was time to put the icing on the cake by seducing her with words of what he wanted to do to her and how he intended to do it. He spoke deliberately low but made sure he could be heard as well as understood. He was explicit, described everything in detail, every single position, giving her an unscripted idea of just what his plans were for her. His words were breaking through. He could tell by the darkening of her eyes and the unsteady sound of her breathing. He could also tell by her feminine scent. His words had lubricated her even more.