Untold Love

Oh, hell! Chrissie panicked inside, eyes glued to the stranger on her couch. What did I do last night? The man jumped back from the splash of lukewarm coffee that hit his bare chest...and then sighed patiently. “I guess that means you’re still mad at me,” he said. "And I should probably be thankful you put ice in your coffee. Otherwise, that might have burned a little.”Chrissie had no idea how he knew about her coffee or how he got into her house, or what the hell she should be mad about -- other than him being in her house -- but this had Dena written all over it. Her sister wasn’t above hijacking her ring finger for a little practical joke, so depositing a half-naked man on her couch should be small potatoes to Dena Hill. Chrissie backed away from him, searching wildly for something -- anything! -- to use as a weapon. Who knew the kinds of men Dena let sleep in her sister’s house? Unfortunately, the only items at her disposal was a round orange and cream pillow or a vase

Chrissie’s heart stopped beating the moment his lips touched hers. From fear, she told herself, but she knew she was lying. His lips were warm and strong, yet tender at the same time, and she’d not been kissed this way since...well, hell! Not even Joe kissed her this way.At first she struggled, because face it, that was a stranger attached to her mouth, and she didn’t know him from the Devil Himself. This man could be the Devil. He could be the embodiment of all things evil in this world, wrapped up in a very tempting package -- the Devil wasn’t above a little lustful provocation, after all -- and he was sucking the life right out of her. Well...maybe not her life essence, but she certainly felt the strife slowly drain from her pounding heart.His hands released her arms and drew rough, calloused palms up to cradle her head under her jaw. With gentle pressure by his thumb, he tilted her head to deepen the kiss. She jerked when his tongue slipped past her lips, but -- the Devi

Chrissie submerged her exhausted body in the hot water. Bubbles tickled her chin, and she closed her eyes, shutting out this nightmare for just these few minutes. It was a relief to finally be home, but he -- Race -- rode along in the backseat of Dena’s Explorer and had no qualms about walking right into her house again.Chrissie sighed. She guessed she should stop thinking about her house as only hers. She’d been shown proof that he owned it right alongside with her. He had a right to be here, she figured, but she didn’t feel any better about it. In different circumstances, she might have gotten along quite well with him. He was handsome, obviously caring, and he didn’t put up with her crap. She liked that in a man. She like that a lot. However, she didn’t care so much for people telling her how to live her life -- like all of a sudden being married and she just had to deal with it.Not that Dena said such a thing, but neither did she protest when he sauntered right inside

Chrissie turned away from the doorway of the dining room with a fist in her mouth to stifle her sob. She’d been on her way into the kitchen when she heard her sister and him talking. Anything for Chrissie...Those words rang and echoed back and forth inside her mind as she fled to the bedroom again. Throwing herself on the bed and grabbing the nearest pillow to hug to her middle, holding her stomach against the clenching pain and terrible disorientation that settled inside her, she rocked slowly back and forth. She’d always been the levelheaded sister. She just needed to calm down and think this through. Whenever a problem got in her way, instead of diving head first like Dena had a tendency to do, Chrissie always took a step back and looked at things from all angles.That’s what she should do here. Just breathe and think, breathe and think...But his voice bombarded her, and she couldn’t shake the fierce and possessive tone she overheard at the hospital...the anger at her deni

Two years ago...Hilltop Ski Resort, outside of Denver, Colorado...The hour was late, but Race couldn’t sleep. His mind kept going back to Chrissie Hill. And her kiss. Slipping out the back door to his suite, he stood in the frosty night air on the balcony, wearing only a pair of jeans and gazing out over the snow-covered mountain before him. The cold bit into his bare chest, but he ignored it. The sky was clear, a full moon rising and billions of stars twinkling magically. Race inhaled a deep breath. There was something about tonight...something that made his skin itch...someone who wouldn’t leave his thoughts.He’d never been this obsessed with a woman before, and honestly, he didn’t really know her. Her name, yes...her mouth, hell yes, but her? In the fifteen or so years that he’d been professionally racing bikes, he’d had his fair share of women throwing themselves at him. Bicycling, like any other sport, drew in females looking to share a bed with an athlete, earning t