The icy, cold water in the copper tub was a shock, but it was nothing compared to the shock of him. Marissa, her mind a blank surprise, was suddenly, violently, in his lap. She was soaked to the skin in an instant, her breath stolen from her by the cold and the impact.
"Derek! You are stronger than this. You have to fight…"
Her words died as his lips claimed hers.
The kiss was different. It was something else like a desperate, drowning man finding air. His mouth was hard, hot, and unforgiving, taking hers with a raw, desperate hunger that had nothing to do with tenderness and everything to do with a deep, agonizing, and primal need.
