"Well it was, and it won't be happening again."

Although she tried, she couldn't shake off Shal's fingers as they grasped her chin and forced her to look at him.

"What?" He frowned. "I don't understand."

Jodie tried to look away from his confusion, but his hold on her chin tightened.

"Talk to me, Jodie. What's wrong?"

You are! she wanted to scream at him. You're all wrong for me, nothing like the man I'd want in my life. Instead she swallowed the truth, along with her panic, and prayed her voice sounded calm. "Like I said, last night was a mistake. It shouldn't have happened."

He was silent for so long that Jodie wondered if he was ever going to reply. His dark eyes swept the vista in front of the cabin before returning to drill into hers.

"Your head might be telling you that," he murmured, "but you're body's saying something quite the opposite." Mesmerised, she watched his eyes drop to her neck. "I can see your pulse beating, Jodie. It's racing--"

"Only cos I'm angry."

Shal's hands cupped her face and then his fingers slid up through her hair. "You're not angry, Jodie," he whispered. His lips were tantalisingly close. "You're aroused."

Unconsciously her dry lips opened, her tongue flicked across them. She felt an exhilarating sense of power when a groan escaped him as his mouth captured hers; demanding, and getting, a response.

Shal clutched her shaking body. "Last night was fantastic. Don't spoil it by denying that."

Feeling herself falling deeper and deeper into a hole, Jodie somehow gained the strength to yank herself away from his touch.