Impatient with the layers of clothing between them, she quickly divested him of his shirt and dropped it on the floor. Her sweater and bra quickly followed and then they were wrapped in each other’s arms, her breasts crushed against his chest, their mouths fused together. She moved restlessly beneath him, her breath coming in ragged gasps between kisses as he caressed her ever more intimately.
She made a soft sound of protest when Gideon sat up, carrying her with him.
She looked at him askance. Surely he didn’t mean to stop? Not now.
Muttering, “No way,” he carried her into the bedroom.
Standing her on her feet, he stripped away her leggings and panties, then tossed her, gently, onto the bed. Quickly removing the rest of his clothing, he stretched out beside her and gathered her into his arms.
“Now, let’s see,” he drawled, “where were we?”
“Don’t you remember?” she asked with mock disappointment.
“Here, perhaps,” he said, dusting kisses along the length of her collarbone. “Or was I here?” His tongue laved her breast. “Or here.” His fingertips made lazy circles on her belly.
“How about here?” she said, and pulling him down on top of her, she cupped his face in her hands and kissed him.
“Ah, yes,” he said with a wicked grin. “I remember now.”
The pleasure of his touch, the heat of his kisses, the welcome weight of his body pressing her onto the mattress made a heady combination.
Whispering, “Now, Gideon,” she held him closer, her hips lifting to receive him. She cried out as his body melded with hers, cried again, in protest, when he withdrew.
He stared down at her. “What the hell!”
She looked up at him, her whole body throbbing with need. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?” Swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, he stood glaring down at her. “Why the hell didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?”
She blinked at him, confused by his anger.
“I thought …” He shook his head. “When you told me you were ‘engaged to be engaged’ I figured you just wanted a last fling before you settled down. I didn’t realize you were …” He made a vague gesture with his hand. “Shit.”
“Oh.” She felt a blush heat her cheeks as embarrassment overcame desire. “I … that is … since I don’t have any choice in who I marry, I thought …”
“I guess I know what you thought.” Gideon sat on the edge of the bed, his fingers idly stroking the back of her hand. “I guess I should be flattered.”
Pulling the bedspread over her nakedness, she muttered, “Do we have to have this conversation now?”
“No.” Why leave her unsatisfied when the damage was already done? It was, after all, her first time. He reached for her, determined to make her first time memorable in spite of what had just happened, then paused, nostrils flaring. “Someone’s here.”
No sooner had he said the words than the doorbell rang.
“Must be the pizza.” Kay shook her head in exasperation. Talk about bad timing!
Gideon brushed a kiss across her cheek, then pulled on his pants when the doorbell rang again. “Stay here. I’ll get it.”
Kay stared after him. Who needed food at a time like this? For once, it wasn’t food she was hungry for, but Gideon’s strong arms and passionate kisses. She smiled, remembering how incredible he had made her feel.
She let out a startled cry when Gideon suddenly materialized beside the bed.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, worried by the angry look in his eyes, the tension in his arms.
He said only one word. “Verah.”
Before she could say anything else, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. She experienced a slightly queasy sensation in the pit of her stomach, a disorienting sense of spinning through time and space as everything went black.
When her vision returned, she was cradled in Gideon’s arms. A quick glance showed they were in a large rectangular room made of cement painted light blue. Dark blue carpet covered the floor. A trio of candles in tall, wrought-iron stands provided pale, flickering light. A king-sized bed covered by a thick black quilt took up most of one end of the room. The only other furniture was an old-fashioned wardrobe made of rosewood and a good-sized, iron-bound chest that stood at the foot of the bed.
But it was the polished ebony casket on a raised wooden dais at the far side of the room that held Kay transfixed.
She had only one question, and it came out in a hushed whisper. “Where are we?”
“An underground lair near Gatlinburg, Tennessee.” He owned the property. The building overhead was empty, but it was equipped with electricity and water, which had been rerouted to his lair. Anyone breaking into the building above would find what looked like an abandoned warehouse. A large sign nailed to the front door advised would-be vandals that the building was unsafe. Nevertheless, in times past, he’d had to chase kids who were high on drugs of one kind or another out of the place, not to mention the occasional transient.