“It’s fine.” She was unbuttoning her shirt. “I don’t care.” She just wanted him to touch her again. In the way he had only minutes before, as he had last night. She unfastened her bra and threw it aside.

He was naked. She could see the gleam of his flesh in the moonlight. How had he been so quick?

“I’ll help, Eve. Lie down.”

She was on the soft wool blanket. He was pulling at her jeans. Then they were off, and he was with her on the blanket. She gasped as she felt the hardness of him against her.

“Shh, you’ll like it.” His hand was moving in and out.

She cried out, her back arching off the blanket.

“See, nothing but pleasure.” His mouth was on her breast, nibbling, sucking. “Sweet…”

Not sweet. Maddening. Insane …

His mouth on her breasts, his hand between her legs, probing.

He lifted his head, his breath coming in gasps. “I can’t take much more. I’ll take more time later. But could I—” He was over her, moving between her legs. “Don’t say no, Eve. Please, don’t—” He stopped, closing his eyes. “Wait. I knew I’d go crazy. It will be just a second. I’ve got to protect you.”

“No.” She was pulling herself up to meet him. “Do it!”

“The hell I will. I promised you that—”

“It’s okay. I’m safe. I took care of it.” She was glaring up at him. “Now do it!”

He plunged deep!

Pain. Only for a moment.

Fullness. Friction. Movement.

Yes.

She was moaning, meeting him thrust for thrust.

Deep. Deeper.

His hands were cupping her buttocks, lifting her to every thrust.

“That’s right,” his voice was ragged. “Give it to me. Burn me…”

She was the one who was burning. Every tactile surface of her body seemed hot and sensitized. Her nipples, the flesh of her stomach brushing against his, the soles of her feet that were pressed into the blanket.

Then he was moving harder, deeper. “Eve, I can’t hold off any…”

She couldn’t, either. Her lips bit into her lower lip as she felt the rising.

Madness. It was all madness …

It was only seconds later that her back arched off the blanket, her arms sliding around him to pull her to him.

He cried out and collapsed on top of her.

“You screamed.” He was gasping for breath as he lifted his head. “Did I hurt you?”

She’d screamed? She didn’t remember making a sound. But then she hadn’t been thinking, only feeling. “You didn’t hurt me.”

“You’re sure? I’ve never had a virgin. You were … tight.”

“Yes, I was.” She was gasping, too. “But it was okay. Did it bother you?”

“Hell, no.” He flexed within her at the memory. “It was fantastic.” Then he was getting off her and lying beside her. “But I should have been more careful. I thought about doing it, then it was gone, swept away.”

Everything had been swept away but the act itself, Eve thought.

And it was still here. The urgency was gone, but her body was still tingling, warm, vibrantly alive. No one had told her that the aftereffect would be like this.

John was pulling her close again, cuddling her in his arms. “Thank you,” he said softly. “It was good, the best, Eve.”

“Yes, it was.” She rubbed her cheek in the hollow of his shoulder. “I don’t see how it could be better. Do you?”

He was silent. “Don’t be hasty. There’s always a way to make anything better. Let me think about it.”

She nodded. “I’m willing to listen. You know best … for now.”

He chuckled. “But you think that may be temporary?” He smoothed her hair. “You may be right.” He was silent. “You’re sure that you’re protected?”

“I’m sure. I wasn’t going to go into this unless I knew I was safe.”

“And you didn’t trust me to do it. I meant it, Eve. I wasn’t going to let you run any risk.”

“It’s my body. I take care of it.” She lifted herself on one elbow and looked down at him. “This way I don’t have to trust you. Isn’t that what you really wanted? No strings. That’s what you said.”

“Yes, that’s what I said.” His finger traced the curve of her upper lip. “But I’ve been known to be unreasonable now and then. Maybe I’m hurt that you didn’t trust me.”

“I don’t think so.” She frowned. “But it’s too dark to see your face. I can’t tell if you’re— Where are you going?” she asked, startled, as he jumped to his feet and was heading back to the car. “What are you doing?”

“You don’t like it dark? Let there be light.” He flipped on the headlights.

She inhaled sharply as she was illuminated in the intensity of the headlights. She scrambled to her knees, staring at his dark shadow near the car. “I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Sometimes the unexpected is exciting.”

“I feel … naked. Somehow, I didn’t before.” She had only been aware of textures, scents, sensation.

“I like you naked.”

“I’m too thin.”

“You’re perfect.”

“Liar. Why did you turn on the lights?”

“I felt your burn. I wanted to see it.” He was coming toward her out of the shadow. Lord, he was beautiful. Olive skin that looked darker in contrast to the clear light. Muscular stomach and thighs. And the expression on his face … Full lips, white teeth, and glittering dark eyes that were sensuality itself. “While I was feeling it.” He fell to his knees in front of her. His fingers tangled in her red-brown hair, and he tilted her head back. “The light is turning your skin golden as if it was sunlight.” He bent his head, and his lips enveloped her nipple. “Do you feel the heat, Eve?”

“Yes.” It was happening again. This time the sensation was so erotic that the intensity was almost painful. Her nails dug into his shoulders. “What are you going to do?”

He was kneeling there, ready, tense. Both of them caught in the brilliant spotlight. She had a sudden hazy memory of the moment in the hospital the first night she’d met him.

Ready to perform …

“It’s what you’re going to do.” He lifted his head and moved her legs on either side of his hips. Then he was raising her, bringing her to him. He whispered. “Let me feel the heat. Come burn me, Eve…”

CHAPTER

5

IT WAS ALMOST DAWN WHEN they left the reservoir.

“You’re quiet.” John shot her a glance. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“Why?” She looked at him. “It would be a little late, wouldn’t it?” She didn’t know how many times they’d come together in ways that she hadn’t even known existed. “And it was my choice.”

“I could have left you alone.”

“You said it was going to happen sometime, and it might as well be you. You were right.” She gazed out the window. “You were right about a lot of things.”

“What things?”

“Chemistry. You said it didn’t happen very often like this. I don’t see how it could. Too intense. But that’s good in a way. Because it can’t happen like this very often. I’m not going to have to worry about being pulled into another … situation like this. Once you go away, I’ll be able to go back to the way things were.”

“Will you?”

“Yes, and so will you. That’s what we both want. That way this won’t hurt us, it won’t interfere.”

He didn’t speak for a moment. “You have it all worked out.”

“You exploded into my life like an atom bomb. I had to find a way to make sure that I wouldn’t be destroyed by it. How do you expect me to behave?” She looked him in the eye. “You’re the one who was hunting me, telling me how we deserved it. Well, you convinced me. As long as we don’t hurt anyone else or ourselves, then this could be a good thing. I’m going to make sure that we don’t.”

“I guess I wasn’t sure how you’d react.”

“Did you think that I was going to give you some kind of guilt trip? That I was going to beg you to tell me you loved me?” She shook her head. “That isn’t what this is about. I don’t even know what love is all about.” She shrugged. “I don’t even know if there is such a thing. I’ve never seen it. There’s a lot of talk, but it seems to go away pretty fast; and then there’s a lot of arguing. Maybe it’s only something in the movies. What do you think?”