Chapter 41

Steven yanked the gym towel from around his neck and tossed it on the couch by the window of the suite.

Walking over to the bed, he sat down beside Merlyn. He gently raised her loose hair from off her face, exposing the nape of her neck, and bending, began to kiss her cheeks and neck and bare shoulders.

She shut her eyes briefly, torn between wanting to read on, and wanting to simply lie back and enjoy the intimate attention he was lavishing on her. "What is this book?"

He took The Perfumed Garden from her hand, shut it and put back on the bedside table.

"It's an education," he replied.

"You're telling me," she laughed nervously. "I thought I was pretty savvy about sex. But that book ... it opens up whole new areas I'd never even dreamed about before!"

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"About what?"

"That you never even dreamed about some of those things?"

When he saw she was silent, he went on, running the back of his hand up and down her naked thigh, pushing her slip up above her waistline.

"Everybody has some kind of sexual preference, but most of us never work up the courage to even express our desires, let alone act them out."

She thought about that. "I guess..."

"Go on."

He put his palm on her bare hip, thumb angled toward her navel. It was a possessive gesture, and it made her feel good, like he wanted her. But there were emotions coursing through her mind that she didn't know how to deal with.

He smiled. "I know what you're thinking. We only met yesterday. Things have already moved really quickly between us. You're asking yourself, how can I trust this man with my deepest darkest secrets so soon? Am I close to the mark?"

"Pretty much."

He nodded. "All right. I agree. Rushing a relationship never works. It always feels wrong later." He rose from the bed, starting to pull off his tee shirt and track pants. For a man his age, he was in excellent shape. Sean Connery would have been jealous.

She sat up, letting the strap of the slip fall off her shoulders. "You're going for a shower? Can I join you?"

His eyes travelled across her breasts. She felt them tingling under his appreciative gaze, the nipples hardening. "Sure. It's a great way to conserve water."

"Among other things." She pulled off the slip and tossed it onto the bed, going to him with her hand lowered by her side and palm open to capture him neatly.