A Warrior s Desire - By Pamela Palmer Page 0,39

stripped off the silver tunic and unfastened the laden gear vest he wore beneath.

The thought of mating with him made her pulse leap until it was pounding in her throat.

Why? Mating had never been anything but the relief of a violent need, a need forced on her by another.

Yet this felt different, a wanting as much of the heart as of the body.

Strong and seductive, this longing called to her, cajoling instead of demanding.

And her body answered, craving his touch, his kiss, and anything else he wanted to give her.

The thought of just exactly what he wanted to give her made her body weep in dark, secret places.

As Charlie removed his military vest and laid it on the grass, she sank down until the water caressed her shoulders, cooling her heated skin.

She watched him, unable to tear her gaze away, as he stripped off his T-shirt.

Her breath caught at the sheer beauty of his masculine body.

Esri were slender with little musculature.

And the few humans she'd seen without shirts last summer in D.

C.

had been soft with fat or skinny as Esri.

Charlie Rand was neither.

His shoulders were broad, his arms and chest thickly muscled, his waist trim and hard.

Wearing only his borrowed silken Esri pants and boots, he pulled his water flasks out of his vest, filled them, then drank them down one after the other.

As he filled them again, he glanced at her with a grin and a shrug.

"In case this miracle doesn't last."

Tarrys smiled, his grin loosening the last of her reserve.

Love welled up inside her, thick and strong, misting her eyes.

He returned the full water flasks to his vest, then met her gaze and held it as he pulled off his boots, then slowly removed his pants.

The evidence of his arousal sent a shudder of pleasure arcing through her at the heady realization that although she might be a slave to her desire for him, he was equally a slave to his desire for her.

The thought made her smile with a feeling of rightness and strength, with a power that had nothing to do with the energy that allowed her to free herself from the Esri's control.

And everything to do with love.

Charlie entered the pond, walking slowly toward her, making her pulse accelerate at an alarming rate.

Her breathing turned labored, her throat constricted by aching anticipation as she waited for him to reach her and take her into his arms.

But instead of swooping in to claim her as she expected him to, he stopped a few feet in front of her, his gaze questioning.

Searching.

He was asking for permission to touch her, she realized.

Asking.

Love for him overwhelmed her.

Tears sprang up in her eyes and she closed the distance between them, the cool water sloshing against her heated thighs as she moved.

Charlie watched her, his eyes hot as fire and soft with tenderness as she laid her palm on his chest.

Excitement ripped through her, but still he didn't take what she offered.

Instead, he cupped her face in his broad hands.

"Are you sure?" "Yes.

I've never been more sure of anything."

"Good."

He grinned, making her laugh, then cut off her laughter as he pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth in a kiss as hard as it was tender, as fierce as it was gentle.

The feel of his tongue sliding into her mouth, his muscled chest against the tips of her breasts, his hard erection high on her abdomen, sent her senses spinning.

This passion was like nothing in her experience.

Exquisitely pleasurable.

Gloriously perfect.

Charlie gripped her waist and lifted her until they were eye to eye.

Without hesitation, she spread her thighs, hooking her legs around his waist until his erection pressed against her sensitive flesh.

Excitement arced, and a need so fierce she could hardly stand it.

Her hands dug into his hair as his mouth slanted over hers, inhaling her as she inhaled him.

Closer.

She needed him closer.

Holding her in his arms, Charlie walked to the center of the pond until the water lapped at their waists.

Then he sank until the water reached her shoulders and she was straddling his lap.

Pulling away, he looked at her, really looked at her.

His gaze delved into her with an intensity that made her heart pound.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured, his eyes gleaming.

Sweet Esria, but she loved him.

He leaned toward her and kissed her again, as if he couldn't get enough of her, his tongue diving in to meld with her own.

As he kissed her, his hands gripped her waist and he lifted her and lowered her in the