Lady's Choice

1
    "I love you, Travis. Hold me, hold me."

    "Juliana."
    Travis Sawyer heard his own muffled shout as he shuddered heavily over the flame-haired woman in his arms. The last of his white-hot passion spent itself in a blinding, driving storm of pure release. He lost himself in his lover's arms, surrendering to her fire even as he exulted in his victory. She clung to him with all her sleek strength, drawing him into her until he felt as though he'd stepped into another universe.
    It had never been this good with anyone else. Travis Sawyer was thirty-eight years old. He'd never been a womanizer but he considered he'd lived long enough to make the judgment. This was special.
    Nothing had ever been this good before in his life.
    It was everything he had instinctively sensed it would be with this woman. Hot, wild, powerful. He had never felt so alive, so strong. Satisfaction swept through him in the wake of the slowly dissipating passion.
    She was his now. Reluctantly he disengaged himself and rolled to one side, his hand trailing heavily over the gentle curve of Juliana's breast. She smiled up at him from the pillow, the expression as dazzling as always, even here in the darkness of her bedroom.
    The thick, untamed mass of her hair was an elegant, pagan crown framing her vivid features. Travis stared down at her, captivated by huge, long-lashed eyes, a noble nose, an arrogant, yet surprisingly delicate chin and a luscious mouth. Her long leg slid between his in a languidly sensual movement.
    Then she closed her eyes and snuggled into his warmth.
    He had done it, Travis thought triumphantly as his arm tightened around her. He had claimed his red-haired, topaz-eyed queen.
    And then, in the next moment, reality settled back into place around him. What the hell was he doing here, holding her like this? He'd never intended to take his revenge this far; never intended to wind up in bed with Juliana Grant.
    He stared deeply into the shadows of the bedroom, searching for answers that weren't there. He felt dazed now that the fiery passion had receded.
    Vengeance led a man down strange paths. Juliana Grant had been an unexpected detour in the long road he'd been walking for the past five years. But he could not, would not allow the detour, no matter how exotic, to deflect him from his chosen course. He had come too far. There was no turning back now, even if he wanted to do so.
    Travis Sawyer was very good at what he did, and when he had set out to orchestrate his revenge he had left no loopholes. There was no escape for anyone, not even for himself.

    * * *
The clear, bright California sunshine danced across the bay and slammed cheerfully through the condominium's bedroom windows. Juliana opened her eyes slowly and watched the early-spring light as it bounced around the dramatic white-on-white room. It sparkled on the thick white carpet, bounded off the white walls, struck the chrome and white leather chair and tap-danced over the gleaming white lacquer