Desperate to rattle her,

he grabbed her arms, shook her. “This will never work.”

Her chin lifted, her eyes all but glowed with a stubborn determination he’d never seen before.

“Yes, it will,” she whispered even as her hands settled at his waist, as her body arched to press against his. A glimmer of satisfaction and pure feminine power intensified the little hum in her throat as she felt the unmistakable evidence of his desire for her. “You just have to want it badly enough. You have to want me badly enough.”

“Candace—”

“Do you, Neal?” She rose on her toes and slid her arms up his chest to wrap around his neck. She brought her mouth within a breath of meshing with his. “Do you want me badly enough?”

“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

Her chin lifted an inch higher. “Show me.”