"I won't share what belongs to me, Jade. Understand?"

"No, I don't understand," she whispered. The look in his eyes chilled her. "Is it because I was a virgin

and you feel guilty? Is that the reason you want to marry me?"

"No, I don't feel guilty," he answered. "You are going to marry me, though. I'll speak to your brother

just as soon as he returns to…"

"You are the most arrogant, unbending man I've ever had the displeasure to meet."

A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "But you like arrogant, unbending men, love. You wouldn't have let me touch you otherwise."

Odd, but she couldn't fault that argument. "Please get off me. I can't breathe."

He immediately rolled to his side. Then he propped his head up with his elbow so he could watch her expressions. Jade pulled the sheet up over the two of them, folded her hands across her breasts, and stared intently at the ceiling.

"Jade?"

"Yes?"

"Did I hurt you?"

She wouldn't look at him. Caine tugged on her hair to emphasize his impatience. "Answer me."

"Yes, you hurt me," she whispered. She could feel herself blush.

"I'm sorry, Jade."

She shivered over the tenderness in his voice, then realized she needed to get control of her emotions.

She felt like weeping and couldn't understand why. "No, you're not sorry," she announced. "Or you would have stopped when I asked you to."

"I couldn't stop."

"You couldn't?" She turned to look at him.

"No, I couldn't."

She was almost undone by the tenderness she could see in his eyes. There was a definite sparkle there, too, indicating his amusement. She didn't know what to make of him now. "Well, it's a good thing you don't feel guilty because you have nothing to feel guilty about."

"And why is that?" he drawled out.

"Why? Because you didn't make me do anything I didn't want to do. This was all my doing."

"Was I even here?" he asked. "I seem to remember being an active participant."

She ignored the laughter in his voice. "Yes, of course you were here. But I allowed you to be… active."

If she hadn't looked so damned sincere, if she hadn't been wringing her hands together, he would have shouted with laughter. Her feelings were at issue, however, and for that reason he controlled himself.

"All right," he agreed. "You were more active than I was. Happy now?"

"Yes," she answered. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome," he returned. "Now tell me why you wanted me to make love to you."

She looked back up at the ceiling before she answered him. Caine was fascinated by the blush that covered her face. His little innocent was embarrassed again. She'd been wild just minutes before when they'd been making love. His shoulders still stung from her nails. Her passionate nature more than matched his own, but it had also been the first time for her, and he assumed she was still shy and confused by what had happened.

"Because I wanted to," she answered. "You see, I've always known I would never marry and I wanted

to… Oh, you aren't going to understand. I wager that soon, after I've gone away, you won't even remember me."

She turned to judge his reaction to that statement, certain she'd made him angry.

He started laughing. "You're being very rude," she announced before returning her gaze back to the ceiling. "I do wish you'd go away."

His fingers trailed a shiver down the side of her neck. "Jade? It was inevitable."

She shook her head. "It wasn't."

He slowly pulled the sheet down until her breasts were uncovered. "It was," he whispered. "God, I wanted you for so long,"

He tugged the sheet lower until her stomach was in view. "You know what, love?"

"What?" she asked. She sounded breathless.

"I want you again."

He leaned down and kissed her before she could argue with him. Jade let him have his way until his mouth became more insistent. Then she nudged him away. She rolled with him, and when they were facing each other, she kept her gaze directed on his chest. "Caine?" Her fingers toyed with the crisp hair while she tried to find the courage to ask him her question.

"Yes?" he asked, wondering why she was acting shy again.

"Was it all right then?"

He tilted her chin up with his thumb. "Oh, yes, it was all right."

"You weren't disappointed?"

He was touched by her vulnerability. "No, I wasn't disappointed."

His expression had turned so somber, she decided he was telling the truth.

"I wasn't disappointed either."

"I know," he answered with that arrogant grin back in evidence.

"How do you know?"

"By the way you reacted to my touch, the way you found your own fulfillment, the way you shouted

my name then."

"Oh."

His smile melted away the rest of her worry. "It was a little shattering, wasn't it, Jade?"

She nodded. "I had no idea it would be so… splendid."

He kissed the top of her head. "I can smell my scent on you," he said. "I like that."

"Why?"

"It makes me hard."

"I should wash."

"I'll do it for you," he offered.

She rolled away from him and was out of the bed before he could reach for her. "You'll do no such thing," she said before she gave him her back and struggled into her robe.

Her smile was dazzling but it faded quickly when she noticed the spots of blood on the sheets.

"You made me bleed." That accusation came out in a stammer.

"Love, it was your first time."

"I know that," she returned.

"You were supposed to bleed."

She looked taken aback by that statement. "You're serious?"

He nodded.

"But only the first time, Caine? Not that there's ever going to be a second time," she rushed on. "Still,