work tugging his shirt from the waistband of his shorts.
He was certain she could feel the wild beating of his heart against his chest. A heart brimming with so much feeling and emotion it was near to bursting. 'Just in case you might have some doubts,' he added, toeing off his shoes.
Her eyes sparkled with humor and love. 'Yeah, just in case,' she agreed.
Once he'd pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside, he reached between them, unbuckled his belt and released his zipper. Leaning back in his chair while she shifted her weight, he pushed both his shorts and briefs down his thighs and kicked off the restraining garments.
There was so much more he wanted to do to her, but the need to be inside her obliterated everything else. Sliding his hands inside that strategic slit in the gown, he gripped the backs of her thighs and pulled her forward the same time he thrust his hips upward. The smooth tip of his erection glided through slick folds of flesh and found its home deep, deep within her body. She arched into him with a sharp, breathless cry. Groaning roughly, he buried his face in the fragrant curve of her neck and grazed his teeth along her throat.
He let her set the rhythm of their mating, enthralled by the wanton way she took her pleasure from him. His lips and tongue paid homage to her breasts, while his hands stroked her belly, her quivering thighs and eventually where they joined. His thumb circled and rubbed, and he whispered words of encouragement, and then more explicit demands her body had no defense against.
She came apart for him on a convulsive shudder and a whimper that echoed in his soul. Capturing her mouth with his, he moaned as his own climax ripped through him, hotter than fire and sweeter than the promise of heaven.
Love, he decided, made all the difference in the world.
Mariah wrapped her arms around his neck and sank drowsily against him, heartbeat to heartbeat. Their bodies were damp, their breathing labored. After a few minutes of rest she whispered against his throat, 'Tell me again, Grey.'
Shutting his eyes, he swept his hand down her back, savoring the flood of feelings only she evoked in him. 'Oh, God, Mariah. I do love you.'
He felt her smile against his shoulder. 'I knew you did.'
'Woman, you're gonna kill me,' Grey muttered as he lay on top of Mariah, still inside her, in the aftermath of their lovemaking. He felt totally satiated and downright exhausted after she'd taken advantage of his body. Again.
He'd carried her from the kitchen to the bedroom after the first time they'd made love, and she hadn't given him much time to recuperate before she'd shimmied out of that scrap of nothing and pulled him to her with a renewed vigor he couldn't help but respond to.
'At least you'll die a happy man,' she said, skimming her palms down his muscled back to his buttocks.
Deep laughter rumbled in his chest. 'Yeah, what a way to go.' He groaned in her ear as she tensed inner muscles around him, then he lifted his head to look at her. 'Lord, where did you learn to do that?'
'Jade loaned me some interesting books of hers.' A sly smile curved her well-kissed mouth. The soft glow from the bedside lamp emphasized the mischievous gleam in her eyes. 'I wouldn't want you to get bored with the predictable stuff.'
Not in a million years, he thought. Separating their bodies, he lay back on the bed and gathered her close to his side, reveling in the simple pleasure of just holding her. 'With you, making love has never been, and never will be, predictable.'
Draping herself along his upper body, she stacked her hands on his chest and propped her chin on top. 'Yeah, well, you've pulled a few unpredictable stunts of your own lately.'
'Like?'
'All those flowers and sexy lingerie you sent me when we first broke up.'
Plucking the pins from the knot of hair on her head, he plowed all ten fingers through the mass of silk. 'Someone told me that women like to be romanced.'
She rolled her eyes, then groaned when he stroked and massaged the warm nape of her neck. 'Mark, no doubt, womanizer that he is.'
He grinned wolfishly. 'Yeah, but I have to admit his idea worked.'
Closing her eyes, she relaxed as his hands moved to rub the muscles along her shoulders and the slope of her back. 'Umm, it was kinda nice being spoiled like that,' she admitted, a dreamy quality to her voice. 'And what about kidnapping me?'
'Sheer desperation. And that worked, too.'
'Only because I felt sorry for you.'
He frowned. 'What do you mean?'
Her sigh fluttered the light sprinkling of hair on his chest. She blinked her lashes open. 'If I really wanted to find a way home I would have. I wanted to be with you, and I'm
'Yeah, me, too.' His finger traced the notches in her spine, and she arched against him like a sleek cat.
'I have to say, though, that this is the most unpredictable stunt you've pulled so far.'
'What stunt is that?' he murmured suggestively. 'The one in the chair, or the one at the foot of the bed when I pulled your legs around my-'
She gave him a playful pinch in the side, and he yelped. 'I'm talking about the ring, Grey.'
'Oh, the ring.' Smiling, he smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear, keeping his gaze on hers. 'I guess that's the kind of irrational thing you do when you're in love. Of course, I can only assume my spontaneous behavior is related to love since I've never been in love before you.'
'I'm glad I'm your first,' she said in a seductive tone, and lightly rolled his nipple between her fingers.
'Yeah, me, too.' He sucked in a breath as her fingers fluttered along his rib cage. 'It's sorta like being a virgin all over again.'
She arched a blond brow and drew sensual circles around his navel, then explored lower. 'Now there's a fantasy I'd be happy to fulfill for you. Older, more experienced woman tutoring younger virgin boy.' Her fingers wrapped around his semierect shaft, which thickened with each of her slow, measured strokes.
He moaned at the images her words projected in his mind, and grasped her hand to stop the sweet torture. 'Give me ten more minutes for my poor body to recuperate from our first two
Mariah pressed a kiss on his chest then snuggled into his side. They had the rest of their lives to indulge in fantasies. For now, she was content to bask in the triumph of Grey's declaration of love and the ring he'd put on her finger.
Lifting her left hand, she admired the band of sparkling rubies and diamonds, and the marquis set in the center of the exquisite, original design. It wasn't a traditional wedding ring by today's standards, but then Grey wasn't the traditional sort.
A grin tipped her mouth, and a giddy feeling tickled her belly. Her parents were going to be thrilled about her engagement to Grey. No doubt her mother would be anxious to help her plan the wedding, and her father wouldn't spare any expense on the grand event to finally see one of his daughters married.
She glanced up at Grey. His eyes were closed, but the fingers brushing along the curve of her waist told her he was awake. She supposed she ought to see if he had a preference for a particular date to exchange vows before they told her parents the good news.
'So, when do you want to get married, Grey?' she asked, unable to contain the excitement working its way to the surface. 'I've always wanted a winter wedding, but I wouldn't mind getting married in the spring. Which do you prefer?'
The sudden tension in his body was nearly tangible. The fingers stroking her skin stilled, and his eyes slowly opened and met hers, dark and remote.
'Mariah, I never said anything about marriage.' His voice was deceptively calm, though the muscle ticking in his jaw belied his tension.
Dread churned in the pit of her stomach, and she tamped down the knot working its way up her throat. This had to be an awful nightmare, but the pricking heat along her nerves confirmed she was wide-awake. Had she somehow misunderstood Grey's intentions? 'But you said you loved me,' she whispered, hearing the confusion in
