“If you don’t want to dance, then let’s go and see the city.”

Not wanting to let him get the best of her, she rose out of her chair. “Fine. I’ll dance with you.”

He chuckled. “Don’t sound so thrilled.”

After he stood up, he took her hand and led her over to the dance floor. She started to wrap her arms around his neck like she was accustomed to, but he put one of her hands on his shoulder and then he took the other hand in his. His other hand slid around to rest at her lower back.

The band finished the jazzier beats of a song and then switched over to another. A lone piano pounded out the opening chords. The lead singer’s sultry voice filled the air, “Like a flower waiting to bloom.” Megan immediately recognized the song as Norah Jones’ Turn Me On. The electricity between them shifted, and as Megan stared up into Pesh’s eyes, she saw desire and lust flaring in them.

Her gaze dropped down to his full lips, and she couldn’t help wanting him to kiss her. As if he read her mind, Pesh’s mouth closed over hers. Darting her tongue out, she sought to find his warmth. When she did, he tasted like a mixture of the wine and spices they’d eaten. His tongue pulled back to trace her lips as his hips jerked, pushing him against her. She followed his lead by pressing herself flush against him to where her breasts were rubbing against his chest. She shivered when he groaned into her mouth.

His thumb slid back and forth between her shoulder blades, and she couldn’t help arching into his touch. As he pulled away from their kiss, he kept his eyes locked on hers. She’d never had a man stare at her so much. It was like he was trying to see through her to her very soul. It both overwhelmed and inflamed her at the same time. It was all part of his slow seduction plan, and it was working.

“Please take me somewhere—somewhere we can be alone.”

His expression became pained. “Megan—”

She brought her hand from his shoulder to cover his lips. “Don’t make me beg to be with you anymore.”

Shaking his head, he replied, “I can’t deny you anymore, not after having a taste of you.”

Megan shuddered at the intensity of both his words and the way he delivered them. Taking her by the hand, he led her off the dance floor. They snaked around the tables in the dining area until they reached the exit. Weaving through the people, they went into the hotel that adjoined the restaurant. It was actually more of a historic bed and breakfast than a hotel. As they neared the reception area, Pesh dropped her hand to reach into his coat pocket. Once he retrieved his wallet, he stepped up to the desk. “I need a room please.”

“Credit card and identification please,” the inn keeper droned. As she sized him up, Megan couldn’t help thinking he looked rather pompous—the usual type of person who worked in a high-end place. “Would you prefer queen or—”

“A king please,” Pesh requested through clenched teeth.

“Do you need help with your luggage?”

“No, we don’t have any.”

The man typed something into the computer. “And how long will you be staying with us?”

“As long as we need,” Pesh replied, drumming his fingers on the marble counter.

Megan watched as the man’s eyes widened and a flush entered his face. He quickly finished the reservation and handed Pesh a key card. “We have you in one of our balcony king suites.”

“Thank you.” Taking her by the hand, Pesh led her over to the elevators. When Megan dared to glance over her shoulder, she saw the man peering curiously at them. As they stepped onto the car, Megan couldn’t help the nervous giggle that escaped her lips. When Pesh looked at her in surprise, she laughed even harder. “What is it?”

“By the way that conversation went down, he probably thinks I’m a prostitute.”

Pesh’s eyes widened. “You don’t seriously think that?”

“Okay, maybe a high-end escort?”

A growl came from low in his throat. “Do not demean yourself like that.”

“I’m not demeaning myself. Think about it. We come in during the middle of the day with no luggage, and we want a hotel room with a king sized bed.” She tapped her chin with her finger. “Hmm, what could we possibly be doing?”

The corners of his lips turned up in a smile. “I probably should care what the man thinks, but right now, I frankly don’t give a shit.”

She laughed. “Me either.”

The elevator dinged, signaling they had reached their floor. They stepped out and read the signs to find their room. Once Pesh opened the door, Megan walked inside. She took in the cozy décor of the room with its brick fireplace, antiques, and four-poster bed. Going to a hotel could have been sleazy, but this room had such a romantic feel to it.

When he came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, she couldn’t help suddenly feeling shy. “Are you all right?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

His breath warmed against her ear. “You tensed when I touched you.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. I guess I’m just nervous.”

Pesh turned her around to face him. “You don’t have anything to feel nervous about. If you don’t want to do this anymore, we don’t have to.”

“No, I want to do it,” she assured him.

Without another word, his fingers went to her hair. After he undid the clasp, her hair tumbled down over her shoulders. An appreciative shudder rippled through her when he nuzzled his face into the strands at her neck. From there he sought out the zipper at the middle of her back. Slowly, he slid it down. When the back of the dress gaped open, he took the spaghetti straps and eased them over her shoulders and down her arms. Megan felt his breath warming her back as the dress pooled onto the floor. She stepped out of it, and then turned to face him.

The heat of his gaze stoked the fire burning deep inside her. His expression was fierce as he drank in her strapless black bra and panties, along with her heels. “You are so beautiful.”

For some reason, she felt the urge to blush at his words. Guys had told her she was beautiful before, but it didn’t feel the same or sound the same coming from them as it did Pesh. The way he said she was beautiful, coupled with the way he looked at her, made her tingle in all the right places.

Her hands came to his tie. After she loosened it, she ripped it off him and slung it to the floor. Deftly, her fingers worked the buttons on his shirt. When she opened it, she sucked in a breath at the sight of the dusting of dark hair covering his chest. It trailed down over his washboard abs and down into his pants. “You’re pretty beautiful yourself,” she said with a smile.

As he shrugged off his shirt, her fingers went to his belt. The entire time she unbuttoned and unzipped him, his burning gaze took in everything she did. “Why do you keep staring at me?” she questioned quietly.

“I’m afraid if I look away, you won’t be real.” His hand cupped her cheek. “I’ve wanted this for so long—I’ve wanted you for so long. It’s hard to believe that you’re really here.”

“Touch me,” she urged. She took his other hand and brought it to her breast. “Touch me and feel how real I am.”

Lowering his head, his mouth hovered over hers. “Breathe me in,” he instructed, as he kneaded her breast over her bra.

At the feel of his breath against her lips, she inhaled while his heated gaze almost singed her cheeks. Even if she had wanted to, she couldn’t bring herself to look away from his eyes. When she exhaled, he inhaled, and it was like they were doing a dance. It was both relaxing and somewhat erotic. She’d never spent time just breathing and gazing into someone’s eyes. “Now you’ve had your first lesson in Tantra,” he murmured against her lips.

She jerked her head back to stare at him in surprise. “Are you going to do more?”

“Maybe.” He reached around to undo her bra. “Do you want me to?”

“I think so.”

“Then I will. I want to do whatever is pleasing for you.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. He eased her over to the four-poster bed. After removing his pants and boxers, he slid her panties down her legs. As Megan sat on the edge of the massive king sized bed, she widened her legs to allow him to step between them. When he brought his hand to stroke between her thighs, she moaned and let her head fall back. Two fingers entered her and began a slow, teasing assault. She began to rock her hips against his hand, adding the friction she desired. When she felt his erection rubbing against her leg, she reached between them to take him in her hand.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and she stared into his face as they worked each other into a sweaty, panting frenzy. When Pesh curled his fingers inside her, she bit down on her lip to keep from screaming out in pleasure. Her orgasm rocketed through her lower half, causing her head to fall forward onto his chest.

When she came back to herself, Pesh was sliding her body up the mattress. Then he was hovering over her, kissing her breasts and licking her nipples into hardened peaks. “Now, Pesh,” she urged. “I want you deep inside of me.”

Just as his head nudged against her opening, he stopped. “Oh no,” he murmured before rocking back to sit on his knees.

Megan propped herself up on her elbows and gazed up at him. “What’s wrong?” She hoped that after giving in, he hadn’t decided to back out at the last minute.

He rubbed the stubble on his cheeks. “I, uh…we can’t do this without a condom, and I don’t have one with me.”

“Oh,” she murmured. In the heat of the moment, she had totally forgotten about that.

“You don’t happen to have one?” he asked hopefully.

She shook her head. “Sorry.”

“It’s me who ought to be sorry for putting you in a position like this without protection.” When he started to pull away, she sat up to grab his shoulders, urging him to stop.

“We can still do this. Neither one of us has been with anybody in at least two years—we’ve had tests for the hospital.”

“That’s all well and good but what about pregnancy? Are you on the pill?”

“No.” She chewed on her bottom lip momentarily. “Wait a minute,” she murmured. In her mind, she began counting down the days since her last period. “Twenty.”

“Twenty what?”

“I’m on day twenty, so we should be safe.”

“I’ll still pull out.”

“If you say so,” she replied. Gripping his biceps, she urged him to cover her again with his body. She loved the feel of his chest hairs rubbing against her nipples. Pesh widened her legs, and then he eased inside her, filling and stretching her walls. It had been so long that she couldn’t help feeling a bit of a sting.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

He withdrew and flexed his hips, thrusting back inside her. This time they both moaned. Setting up a rhythm, he began rocking in and out of her. The pace was slow and sensual, and while he was hitting all the right spots, she wanted more. The entire time he moved in and out of her, he kept his eyes locked firmly on hers. His gaze was so dark with desire that she didn’t dare look away. The longer she stared into his eyes, the more connected with him she felt. The old saying was that the eyes were windows to the soul, and she was getting a pretty good glimpse into his. And that scared the hell out of her.

Wanting to make things less sensual, she gripped his biceps. “Harder,” she panted.

Rising on his knees, he slid his forearms under the backs of her knees. This enabled him to pull her back against his pounding thrusts. While their connection at first had been so intimate, this was more about lust and desire. She reached up and clasped his face in her hands, bringing his head down to hers. Their mouths and tongues met in frenzied kisses.

When he pulled out of her, Megan whimpered at the loss of feeling. He quickly flipped her over onto her stomach. Pulling on her hips, he raised her up onto her knees. When he reentered her, Megan moaned. With each thrust, he went deeper and deeper. Her fingers fisted the sheets as he leaned over her back, kissing a trail down her spine. She didn’t know how he was able to be so many places at once. While his mouth licked her back and teasingly left love bites, his hands were rubbing her thighs and then sliding under her to squeeze her breasts or tease her clit. He was giving her so much that she couldn’t stay silent. She moaned, chanted his name, and cried out as the sounds of their wet skin slapped together.

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore. Dropping her head, she screamed into the mattress as she found her release. Once her walls finished clenching, she felt Pesh withdraw from her. As he groaned, Megan felt warmth spurt onto her back and buttocks. After seeing him come before, she hated she couldn’t see his face. He was so beautiful when he was finding release.