Then he climbed onto the bed.

Her pulse raced, and despite her eagerness to try something new, her hands tugged at her bonds. It was impossible to simply lie still, especially when he lifted her right leg in his two hands, and kissed the top of her foot.

“Shh,” he said. Then he kissed the top of her ankle, and with infinite patience and great care, he moved slowly up her leg, kissing, nibbling, licking.

She’d never thought of her leg as an erogenous zone, but clearly she’d been misinformed. Because every touch, every swipe of his tongue, every caress, made her insides go all gooey.

“Be still,” he said.

“I can’t.”

He stopped moving until she met his gaze. “You can.”

She understood what he was doing, and it excited her. Tonight, it was his ball game, not hers. Of course, she was the sole recipient of his total attention, which wasn’t exactly a hardship, but still, she wasn’t used to relinquishing power. In fact, her days were pretty much designed around the concept of gaining power.

Okay. She could be still. For now.

Once she acquiesced, he still didn’t resume his ministrations until she’d lowered her gaze. Interesting. A little odd, but nice.

Especially nice because he moved more quickly up her thigh, kissing, sucking her flesh. All the wonderful things a mouth and tongue can do.

But that was only a prelude. The main action came a few moments later. His hands spread her thighs. She felt super-naked, unbelievably open, and a wee bit shy about it until she saw the hunger in his gaze.

That’s all it took. That and his masterful tongue, of course. He knew exactly what to do, exactly how hard to push, when to slow down. He teased her until she begged, then rewarded her with the focus and attention of a Zen master.

She didn’t come just once. Oh, no. If she’d had her hands free, she would have shifted, treated him to something devilish. But that wasn’t what he wanted. And, in the end, it wasn’t what she wanted either.

She came, crying out so loudly they probably heard her in the Bronx, three times. He just didn’t let up. Not until she was so wiped out, her vision faded and her voice cracked.

Then he sat up. She managed to open her eyes enough to see his satisfied smile. But the biggest surprise was when her gaze moved down past his waist. He wasn’t hard anymore.

He noticed her confusion. “Uh, the duvet is washable,” he said.

Then she got it. He’d come without the slightest touch. He’d come because he’d made her crazy. Because he’d made her weep. Because he…

“Oh, God,” she said, resting her head on the pillow. She still gasped for breath, and her body continued to shiver and quake as residual effects of her workout built and released. She felt sure that whatever pleasure sensors she had in her body were totally used up, completely empty of stores. Which was a good thing, indeed.

Somewhere out there, she felt him untie her wrists, and then he was next to her in the bed, with his arms and one leg around her. He nuzzled her neck with his soft lips, and she purred her satisfaction.

“So what did you think?” he asked.

She laughed. Well, as much as a laugh as she could muster. “Couldn’t you tell?”

“Yeah, but I want to hear you say it.”

She turned her head until her eyes met his. “You are an amazing man. I’d sign up for your camp any day.”

“So the tying-up thing works for you?”

She nodded. “Maybe not as a steady diet. But the occasional dessert…”

“Or appetizer.”

“Exactly.”

“Oh, goody.”

She giggled. “Dan, what am I going to do with you?”

He lifted his head. “Do you really want me to answer that?”

She thought for a long second, the butterflies in her stomach fluttering just enough to make her quite aware that she knew what he was going to say. But she nodded anyway. “Yes.”

“You can marry me,” he said. “Jess, I want you. I want to go to bed with you every night. I want to wake up to you every morning. I want to pack your lunch, and pick out china patterns, and I want to hear everything about your day, each day.”

She studied his handsome face, the earnestness shining in his hazel eyes. He loved her. There was no doubt about it. He’d shown her in every way possible.

What he didn’t know was that she’d been doing a private research study of her own, which had nothing at all to do with work. She’d been reading about love. About marriage. About what makes it work.

What she’d discovered was that there is no magic answer. Just as Dan couldn’t hope to find the secret to understanding women, she couldn’t find the slightest hint of a happily-ever-after formula.

There were no rules to follow, no game plan to stand behind. The only guidelines she had were her own. What did her heart tell her? What were her instincts about this man, this future?

She shifted a bit, raised up on one elbow. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

“Here’s what I know. I’ve never loved anyone before, so I have no clue if I’m doing it the right way. I’ve certainly never trusted anyone with my heart. You’ve seen what I do, what I need to do, and all I’ve gotten from you is love, support and confidence.”

“But…?”

She smiled as she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips. “So what do you say, Dan Crawford, that we go up to Montana on our honeymoon?”

For a moment, his expression didn’t change. Nothing. Then he smiled. Oh, what a smile.

“You’re sure?” he asked.

She nodded. “Are you sure about me?”

“I told you once that I want to spend the rest of my life discovering the mystery of you. I haven’t changed my mind.”

She sighed. Turned once more so she was safe in the cocoon of his arms. His breath caressed her cheek. As she closed her eyes, she felt something new, something foreign. A second later it came to her…She was home.

Jo Leigh