Well, hell.

"Hey, you," Mariah said, sliding onto the rock behind him. She scooted close, bracketing his thighs with her long, bare legs. "What are you doing?"

He turned his head and glanced at her. "Waiting for you."

"Well, I'm here." She smiled and placed an affectionate, kiss on his cheek. "What do you want to do today?"

Looking at those sweet lips so close to his, and feeling her thighs tighten at his hips when she shifted to find a more comfortable position, there was only one answer that sprang to mind. He wanted to spend the entire day making love to her, in bed, on the sofa, out on the deck in nature's glory, in front of a nice, warm fire… A hundred, erotic scenarios flashed before him, but he'd made her a promise he wasn't about to break, no matter how badly he ached to be physically close to her.

So, instead, he suggested an activity certain to keep his mind off of sex. "I was thinking we could follow one of these trails around Mark's cabin and go hiking."

She shuddered. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she rubbed her palms over his flat belly. "Grey, I'm up here to relax. I refuse to let you torture me that way."

"We'll find an easy trail." Hooking his fingers beneath her knees, he lifted her legs and draped them over his thighs, so her calves were more accessible to his hands. He cupped the firm flesh in his palms and kneaded. "And when we get back we can soak any aches or pains you might have in the spa. And if that doesn't work, I'd be happy to be your personal masseur."

"Hmm." A tiny sound of pleasure escaped her and she all but melted around him. "Sounds tempting."

Grey nearly groaned at the press of her breasts against his back as she arched, and the way her hands slid to his thighs gave new meaning to the word temptation. "Give me a few more minutes, sweetheart, and you'll agree to just about anything I ask."

She laughed into his ear, the sound husky. "I'm just about there."

At that moment, three young, tow-headed boys came barreling down the path from a nearby cabin and onto the dock next to Mark's, forcing Grey to ease up on his seduction, though he didn't stop touching her. The trio hooted and hollered and jumped into the water in a succession of dive-bombs and belly flops, then came back up sputtering to splash one another. Grey chuckled at the rambunctious youths and their antics.

"Umm, that does look like fun, doesn't it?" Mariah asked.

"Feeling a little hot and bothered, are ya?" he drawled lazily. "Like maybe you need to cool off?"

"I'm perfectly fine," she said, giving him a poke in the side to behave himself. "I just meant that those boys look like they're having a good time."

Smiling, Grey watched one boy dunk another. With a war cry, the third kid jumped off the dock and into the water to join in the playful battle. "Yeah, they do."

They watched the boys for a few quiet minutes, then Mariah asked, "Did you ever miss not having a brother or sister to play with while you were growing up?"

"How can you miss something you've never had?" There was enough cynicism in his voice to contradict the casual shrug of his shoulders. Thankfully, Mariah didn't call him on it. More times than he cared to recall as a child he'd wished for a brother or sister, someone to play with and share secrets. Someone who would have been there for him, just as he would have been around for them, to make them feel wanted, cared for and maybe even loved.

Which had been a foolish whimsy…the selfish longings of a youth searching for acceptance and attention. He hadn't had much experience in feeling wanted, cared for and loved. What made him think he could offer a sibling a part of himself he didn't have to give?

Mariah laughed as one of the boys pushed another into the water, then the third snuck up from behind to shove him in. "I can't imagine what my childhood would have been like without Jade."

"Probably very peaceful and quiet," Grey said wryly.

"And lonely," she added softly.

"Yeah," he agreed, the word lonely summing up his entire childhood. "Did you two get along?"

"Not always," she admitted, amusement and sisterly affection in her voice.

He trailed a finger up her leg and beneath her knee, tickling the sensitive flesh there. She shivered and sighed. "Sibling rivalry?" he guessed.

"No, we never really competed. We fought and argued over stupid stuff, like who got the bathroom first and whose turn it was to do the dishes. And Jade was forever borrowing my clothes and not returning them." She gave a growl of frustration that lacked any real annoyance. "She'd swear she never took them, and I'd find whatever it was that was missing in her closet months later. She's one of the most disorganized persons I know."

"And I'm sure you never did anything wrong."

"I was a complete angel," she replied primly.

"Till I got hold of you." His voice dropped to a low, sexy rumble.

"Hmm." Her mild response told him that she'd willingly let him corrupt her. "No matter what, though, Jade was always there for me when I needed her. She still is. I wouldn't trade her friendship for anything, even though she does tend to get on my nerves from time to time." She propped her chin on his shoulder. "There's nothing like a sibling's love and friendship. You missed out on something special, Grey."

"And a brother or sister missed out on a lot of hurt and dejection." His voice was harsher than he'd intended.

His edge of anger didn't stop her from pursuing the sensitive subject of his childhood. "You didn't have much fun as a kid, did you?"

"Like I told you the other night, my parents weren't exactly the type to interact with children, or to have 'fun.' We never went anywhere as a family, and I didn't have many friends because my father always scared them off."

"It doesn't have to be that way. Not with your own children. Look at how much fun siblings can have together." She waved a hand toward the dock and the boys playing there. "Wouldn't you just love to watch children of your own grow up, have fun-be a part of their lives? And give them wonderful memories to share with their own children one day?"

He didn't answer, just kept watching the boys. How could he give children memories when he didn't have the first clue how to make them?

"I want that, Grey," she went on, her arms tightening around his waist. "I want kids, and I want to give them fun, laughter and even the lessons that come with the right kind of discipline. I'm sorry you never had the playful times, the laughter, the closeness."

Grey squeezed his eyes shut, trying just as hard to shut out the emotions swirling within him. He wanted to tell her not to pity him. And that he'd never chance subjecting a child to the kind of verbal and mental abuse he'd suffered.

A tall blond man strolled down the path the boys had taken earlier. He glanced toward the rock where he and Mariah sat, gave them a neighborly grin and waved, then headed toward the dock, yelling, "Come on, boys, your mother has lunch ready."

"Aw, Dad," one complained, "we haven't been in the water that long!"

"Do we have to?" another said.

"We're not done playing yet!" said the third, then pushed his brothers into the lake and dive-bombed after them. Grey clearly expected their father to get upset, but instead he laughed and let them play a few minutes longer. One of the boys climbed up the ladder onto the dock while his father was talking to one of his brothers. The youngster whooped, ran full force into the bigger man, and they both went tumbling into the water. From there, an all-out water war ensued.

The fun they were having was infectious, and Grey found himself chuckling, too, which eased the lingering tension from his conversation with Mariah. Finally their father insisted they get out and head back to the cabin, before their mother strung every one of them up.

After more grousing and a promise from their dad to return to the lake once they ate lunch and rested, the foursome disappeared up the path.

Wanting to experience some of that spontaneous fun, Grey pulled off Mariah's leather sandals and let them fall to the ground. Then he wrapped his forearms around and beneath her thighs and stood. The abrupt move made her squeal in alarm. She looped her arms around his neck to keep from falling, and hooked her legs tight around his waist. He toed off his own shoes, and proceeded to carry Mariah toward the dock, piggyback-style.

"Grey?" she asked uneasily. "What are you doing?"

Anticipation filled him with every step he took closer to the water. "I thought we might play a little."

She laughed happily, the sound warming Grey's heart. "I have to warn you," she said, her tone light and mischievous. "I've had more experience at this than you, and you might come out the loser."

Grey didn't know how he could possibly lose, not when he was already having a great time. "I'll take my chances," he said, and jumped off the dock and into the summer-warmed lake. The last thing he heard before they went under was Mariah's name on his lips, and his own wicked chuckles.

They came up laughing and absolutely drenched. As Grey took a great gulp of air, he got shot in the face with a spray of water from Mariah. He coughed, and she giggled, saying, "I told you so."

He dove after her, dunking them both beneath the water. From there, time lost meaning as Mariah showed him how to have fun, how to laugh and how to make memories.

Chapter Eight

Mariah took a bite of the raspberry crème brûlée Grey fed to her and moaned in appreciation as the sinfully rich dessert filled her mouth. She sat next to Grey in a cozy, intimate booth at the back of an elegant, expensive restaurant overlooking Lake Arrowhead. A taper candle burned in the center of their table, casting a warm, golden hue around them. They were surrounded by dining couples, but catching the wicked, I-want-to-eat-yow-up-for-dessert look in Grey's eyes, she wished they were back at the cabin alone.

"This wasn't necessary, you know. Dinner at an exclusive restaurant, a new dress, the roses," she said, still reeling from his very spontaneous suggestion to eat out, and the mini shopping spree he'd taken her on to dress for the occasion. But then again, since their escapade down at the dock two days ago, he'd been full of wonderful surprises.

"Trust me," he said, a lopsided grin canting his mouth as he watched her take another spoonful of brûlée. "It was very necessary. I'm tired of frozen meals and deli food. Roses make you smile. And you look better than a dream in that dress." His gaze roved over the garment in question, a form-fitting, pink cashmere sheath that dipped low in the back and ended midthigh. "What I'd like to know is, what are you wearing underneath that dress? Or rather, what aren't you wearing?" Boldly, he skimmed a hand over her hip, up the side of her ribs until his fingers brushed the curve of her breast.

She sucked in a breath, shocked that he'd be so brazen, though they sat at such an angle the other nearby patrons couldn't see what he'd just done. Her breasts instantly swelled, and her nipples peaked and pushed against the soft material.

"You're not wearing a bra, are you?" His voice was a soft, accusing murmur that slid down her spine like a languid caress.

Feeling reckless enough to join in the game of seduction he'd been playing all week, she dipped her finger in the dessert and brought it to his mouth. "The dress is made to be worn without one," she said, painting his bottom lip with the decadent dessert. "Are you curious about what else I might not be wearing underneath the dress?"

His gaze darkened, and he grasped her wrist before she could pull her hand away. Slowly sucking her finger into his mouth, he swirled his tongue over the tip. She nearly jumped out of her skin when his free hand flattened on her knee and began a leisurely journey upward, disappearing beneath the hem of her dress.

His fingers grazed the lace band of the stockings she'd bought for herself at the boutique in town, then brushed the inside of her thigh, gently coaxing them apart. And damned if her body didn't respond. "Grey…" She wasn't sure if his name was a warning or a whispered plea.

A wicked smile curved his mouth, and he leaned closer, blocking everyone and everything from her view but the heat and desire in his eyes. "I could find out right here, right now, exactly what you are or aren't wearing beneath this dress." His voice had changed, grown husky and enticing. There was a tension in his body, a restless sexual energy that brought her to full awareness of him and only him.