Private Pleasures

That stubborn chin of hers lifted. 'In some ways, yes. You've always had a healthy sexual drive and I'm sure you're not used to abstinence. That is, if you have been,' she added.

His irritation level climbed a notch. 'Of course I have been!'

She looked startled by his snappish tone. 'I didn't mean that insultingly.'

'Well, it sure as hell came across that way,' he said gruffly, scowling down at her.

She let out a long sigh and turned her head away, as if it pained her to be this close to him, to look at him. 'You're free to date other women, Grey, just like I dated Richard. And what you do with those women is your own business.'

Furious with her impersonal tone, he grasped her hand, pulled it between them and pressed her palm against the erection straining the front of his sweats. Her gaze flew to his and a strangled sound hitched in her throat. The shock value was worth the pure torment of having her hand cup him so perfectly.

He leaned close, brushing his lips across her cheek, her throat, just beneath her ear. 'Thanks for your permission, sweetheart. Unfortunately there's only one woman who turns me on.' He rocked into her palm, squeezed her fingers along his ridged length and grew impossibly harder, thicker. He closed his eyes and groaned at the sensation of both pain and pleasure. 'Only you, Mariah,' he rasped. 'My reaction to any other woman pales in comparison to how you make me feel.'

Her breathing grew shallow, and when he eased up the pressure of her hand, she didn't let him go. Instead, her fingers stroked him rhythmically. 'And what do I make you feel, Grey?'

His head fell back and he tried to think with his brain, not that other part of his anatomy ready to explode. What did she make him feel? She made him feel…warm, cherished and needed. No one had ever made him feel those things, not his parents or any other woman he'd ever dated. And he had no idea how to express his emotions without sounding like a sap.

So, instead, he focused on the physical sensations rippling through his body. 'I think the answer is obvious.'

Disappointment clouded her features, and she pulled her hand away. 'Yeah, I guess it is,' she said regretfully. 'Good night, Grey.' She slipped into the bedroom and closed the door. The lock clicked softly, solidly.

He stared in bewilderment at the oak door, unable to believe she actually felt as though she needed to secure herself from him.

Resting his head against the wall, he squeezed his eyes shut, swearing at his own stupidity. 'Nothing like taking the subtle approach, Nichols,' he muttered in self-disgust.

Chapter Six

'IT'S ABSOLUTELY HUGE!'

Leaning close to Mariah's side, Grey whispered low in her ear, 'Do you want it?'

She gasped, her eyes widening in shock. 'It's much too big.'

He grinned lazily and stroked a finger over the curve of her shoulder and down her arm. She shivered in response. 'You've never had a problem handling 'big' before,' he murmured.

His innuendo earned him a not-so-subtle jab in the ribs, but the smile in Mariah's eyes soothed his wounded ego. 'We aren't talking about your swelled head or that other big part of your anatomy.'

He perfected little-boy innocence. 'We're not?'

She tapped a finger against the display window outside a jewelry store in the Arrowhead village, indicating the five-carat diamond ring glittering against black velvet. They'd been strolling along the shop fronts after a light breakfast at a gourmet coffee shop when the extravagant piece of jewelry had caught her eye. 'That is huge in a way you could never match.'

'My family jewels are more impressive than a mere diamond,' he said with feigned indignation.

She tilted her head back and laughed-the light, throaty sound warmer than the bright sun overhead. Somewhere between last night's not-so-pleasant parting and this morning, the tension between them had eased. At least the emotional tension, he thought with a grimace, knowing the physical frustration wouldn't abate until he got Mariah back where he wanted her. In his bed. And in his life.

And he had today and tomorrow to sway her to his way of thinking, to convince her that living together was far more practical than marriage.

She slanted him a look of amusement. 'I guess you haven't heard that diamonds are a girl's best friend.'

Sweeping a splayed hand up her spine, he slid his fingers beneath her silky, shoulder-length hair. Her nape was warm, and he stroked the soft skin there. 'Diamonds might be a girl's best friend, but the family jewels are far more valuable.'

She lifted a sassy brow. 'How do you figure?'

'They're nice to admire, fun to play with and provide hours of pleasure,' he said, enjoying their playful, intimate banter.

Her mouth curled into a private smile. 'A gift that keeps on giving, hmm?'

'Absolutely.'

He glanced back at the ring, impressed how it caught the light in an array of shimmering colors. Even he had to admit that the ring was stunning, in design and size. He'd never given jewelry to any of the women he'd dated before Mariah. That kind of gift seemed too personal and way too intimate. But he wanted to give Mariah this ring she seemed to admire, as a token of his affection for her. A reminder that he cared for her, liked having her in his life and wanted her there for as long as it lasted.

'Do you like it?' he asked casually.

She tilted her head, studying the ring thoughtfully. 'It's different. And for as big as it is, it's very elegant.'

Pushing his fingers into the front pockets of his navy shorts, he released a breath before saying, 'If you want the ring, it's yours.' He grimaced at his brusque tone. Way to go, Nichols. That was a real romantic gesture.

She gaped at him. 'You're serious?'

As serious as he could be about her and their relationship. 'Would I joke about something so obviously expensive?'

'It's a bridal set, Grey,' she said wryly. 'A wedding ring.'

A wedding ring? He blanched, and his stomach rebelled at the thought. He groped for his Turns before remembering he'd purposely left them at home, determined to survive the weekend without them. He should have known better.

He gave a shrug that belied the tension coiling through him. 'A ring is a ring. A trinket with only as much sentimental value as a person puts on it.'

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking mildly irritated. 'And you obviously don't put much value on this ring.'

'Sure I do,' he argued, not liking that she was discussing his feelings for her in terms of diamonds and gold. Now he knew why he'd steered away from giving jewelry to the women he'd dated in the past. 'This ring would be a token of how much I care for you. A gift that you'd be able to wear and enjoy and that would remind you of me when you looked at it.'

She lifted a brow. 'Sort of like a souvenir of our time together?'

A souvenir? He bristled, but held his aggravation in check. Why was she making this so difficult when all he'd wanted to do was give her something that would bring her pleasure? Why did there have to be any excess emotional baggage attached to the gift? 'Consider the ring a keepsake.' He mentally winced. Damn, that didn't sound right, either.

Her mouth thinned in displeasure. 'Like something you'd give a mistress.'

Frustration flared within him, needling his temper. 'I never said you were my mistress.'

'I would be if I accepted that ring under any other terms than what it's meant for,' she said passionately. 'That ring is supposed to bind two people in love, Grey.'

'Really?' A burst of cynical laughter escaped him, bringing with it an edge of hostility and defensiveness that made his voice rise. 'A ring never made my father love my mother, nor did it bind my