Excerpt from:  The Billionaire's Baby Negotiation

         Rosalyn swept a hand in a wide arc.  “All this you see around me?  It’s my legacy.  My responsibility.  It’s as much a part of me as my blood and bones.  It’s part of my flesh.  Part of who and what I am.  I promised my grandmother on her deathbed that I’d do everything within my power to protect that legacy, and I will.”  She stood, rubbing the bits of grass and dirt from her hands.  “You want my land, Joc.  Well, I’m part and parcel of this land.  You can’t separate me from it or pull my roots loose anymore than you can break the connection that joins me to every single soul in this cemetery.  I won’t sell, and that’s final.”

 

          The sun hovered on the horizon, a burning ball of red, throwing its dying rays outward in a final blazing explosion.  Joc stood within its burning embrace, sculpted in harsh contours of light and shadow, the embodiment of his Native American ancestry.  A determined expression settled over his face, one that left her shivering.

 

           “I guess there’s nothing left to discuss,” he limited himself to saying.

 

           “Then you’ll leave me alone?”

 

            He simply stared at her for a long, silent moment.  “You’re asking too much.  I won’t leave you alone.  I can’t.”

 

             “How can you think I’ll ever sell?  How can you believe for even one minute—”

 

             "I'm not talking about your ranch.  It's you I can't leave alone."

 

He came for her then, eating up the ground in a half dozen long strides.  The instant he reached her, he caught her in his arms.  “Don’t fight me.  Not on this front.”  And then he consumed her.

 

She’d always found a first kiss to be tentative.  A slow sampling, often times awkward, as lips fought to discover the right angle and pressure.  But with Joc that awkwardness didn’t exist.  His kiss was everything she’d anticipated and then some.  Their lips mated with an ease and certainty that should have taken dozens of kisses to achieve.

 

Everything about him epitomized power and strength, and she found that true of his kiss, as well.  He combined those qualities with a ruthless demand that stunned both body and mind.  His mouth slid across hers in blatant hunger, stifling any thought of protest.  She hesitated, aware that she should pull away, but wanting just another second or two of this incredible bliss.  In that moment of indecision, he slid his hand down the length of her spine to the hollow just above her backside and urged her closer, locking her in place between his thighs.

 

Their bodies melded, the fit sheer perfection.  He had a hard, muscular frame, lean and well-sculpted.  It surprised her since it seemed more suited to a fellow rancher than a man who made his living behind a desk.  Unable to resist, she measured the breadth of his shoulders, shocked to discover her fingers trembled.  He did that to her, coaxing to the surface emotions she wanted to deny, but couldn’t. 

 

He cupped her face and teased the corners of her mouth with his thumbs until her lips parted.  The instant she relaxed, he deepened the kiss, dipping inward.  She should fight her way free of their embrace, and put an end to this farce.  But she didn’t want to.  To her eternal shame, she kissed him back, allowing him to forge a connection between them that wouldn’t easily be severed, regardless of her preference in the matter.

 

She needed this moment, needed tonight.  If she were honest, she’d admit that she secretly yearned for Joc’s possession.  But a tiny rational part of her clung to reason and shouted a warning about all she stood to lose if she gave herself to this man.  The price would prove high if she weren’t careful, destroying everything she’d worked so hard to build.

 

Even knowing that, she couldn’t bring herself to put an end to their embrace.  It wasn’t until she heard the small growl of triumph that rumbled through his chest that she came to her senses.  With an exclamation of horror, she yanked free of his arms and retreated several stumbling steps.  She touched her mouth with fingers that shook, stunned by how he’d managed to turn her world from reason to insanity with a single kiss.

 

“Tell me how we’re supposed to go our separate ways now,” he demanded.

 

“I can’t…  I won’t—”  She shook her head.  “You’re not going to romance my ranch out from under me.”

 

“This has nothing to do with your ranch,” he insisted impatiently.  “This is strictly between the two of us.”

 

“There is no us.  This is nothing more than—”  She broke off, hoping the gathering shadows hid her discomfort.

 

“Sex?” he offered with a humorous smile.

 

“Fine.  Yes.  It’s nothing more than sex.  And I won’t let you use it to take my ranch.”

 

He laughed, the sound dark and dangerous, penetrating deep inside her.  “You don’t get it, Red.  I’ve changed my mind.”  Two swift steps had him within touching range again.  “It isn’t just your ranch I want, anymore.” 

 

He stroked her cheek, just as he had before dinner.  And she reacted every bit as strongly, swaying helplessly toward him, before locking her knees in place and resisting with every ounce of determination she possessed.

 

She knew.  On some deep, purely feminine level, she knew the answer before she ever asked the question.  “What do you want now?”

 

“You.”

Other Books in the Royals Trilogy:

 

The Forbidden Princess

The Prince's Mistress

The Royal Wedding Night

Plus!

The Billionaire's Baby Negotiation

From the book:

 

The Billionaire's Baby Negotiation

by Day Leclaire

Silhouette Desire #1821

September '07

ISBN:  0-373-76821-9

 

Copyright © 2007 by Day Leclaire.  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher.  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.  For more romance information surf to: http://www.eharlequin.com