"She's with Mike," he answered in a throaty rasp. "They're out together. They won't be back for a couple of hours!"

Then, with no further warning, he abruptly tightened his enfolding arms about her and once more crushed his mouth down wetly on her trembling lips. Disregarding her indignantly mumbled protests, he slid one hand down under the fabric of her satin robe to gently stroke the firm smooth flesh of her upper thigh. He clamped his fingers greedily around one of the full, firm cheeks of her buttocks, pressing her loins even move demandingly to his own.

For a terrified moment, the raven-haired beauty thought even more desperately to escape his unwelcome caresses, but then her traitorously accepting body ceased its struggle. In spite of her fervent revolve not to, she was beginning to respond to the eager passion of his kneading hand around her tautly straining buttocks. For a wistful moment she wished she could truly let go of her inhibitions and fears, just for one time, and do what should come naturally to her as a mature woman… but the wounds that had been inflicted on her were simply too deep and still unhealed.

Somewhere, in the depths of her consciousness, Suzie felt the tempting awareness of Russ' arousing kisses, the gentle yet massaging pressure of his clenching fingers around her buttocks and slender waist, and the insistent throb of his excitedly jerking hardness against the nakedly yielding flesh of her belly… but she was still too afraid, afraid of the pain and heartless treatment she had endured twice before, to allow herself to give in now. The dedication which had turned her into an independent and self-reliant woman was built on the need to prove her worth, after men had made her doubt it.