Cole nodded in satisfaction as his fingers traced a path over her skin. “Tell me about what happened with Jeffrey.”

She started to feel claustrophobic. Gulping at the air that seemed to be disappearing at an alarming rate, she gasped, “I’d rather not.”

“Darci, if I’m going to help you slay these dragons, I need to know how dangerous they are. What happened?”

Almost desperate to be free of the sensations flaring through her, she jumped up and turned to face the window, her arms hugged across her stomach. “He only slept with another woman. And I made the mistake of walking in on them.” Her laugh echoed with the agony of the betrayal.

“I was going to surprise him with a late dinner, but I was the one who got the surprise. When I threw his ring at him and left, he had the audacity to follow me home, thinking he could explain it away. But a naked woman in his apartment was a little difficult to justify, even to someone as naive and trusting as I am.”

Darci sucked in a ragged breath, trying to hold off the pain. “We ended up in a shouting match, and he told me he was only marrying me for the company, anyway, so it didn’t make any difference.” She swallowed, trying to remove the emotions quivering in her voice. “But it did make a difference. I thought I loved him, and it hurt to find out it was all a sham.”

Cole’s hands settled on her shoulders, and very gently he turned her around. His lips touched her hair; drifting down to her forehead before touching her lips. Nibbling and coaxing, he encouraged her to open her mouth to him.

Ignoring the warnings flashing through her thoughts, she gave herself over to his touch. When his tongue delved inside to meet hers, all thoughts of Jeffrey fled from her mind. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled Cole closer, desperate for his warmth, his strength. She needed to feel wanted, and Cole was doing a very good job of accomplishing that right now.

His long fingers traced a path from her shoulders down to the small of her back, then up again. Mindlessly, she let him lead her into deeper kisses, caught up in a heat that threatened to consume her common sense.

Nothing mattered right now, not her mother, not the company. Nothing but Cole’s touch, his kiss, his heat.

Suddenly, Cole pulled away. Darci opened her eyes enough to see him through her lashes. Passion ravaged his face and burned his eyes, setting new fires to smolder deep inside her.

“This isn’t right.” His voice was a husky remnant of his usual tone.