“Jason,” she cried, his name merging with the blue sky and clouds.

“Come for me,” he urged and as she moved rhythmically into his hands, she was already there.

Her breath came in shallow gasps and she forgot everything except Jason’s hands, his tongue and teeth on her neck, his fingers slipping over her clit, into her pu**y, across the tight buds of her br**sts. Her climax was wondrous and comforting all at the same time.

And as she floated back from the heavens into his arms, Emma knew that was exactly what he intended.

To relax her worries away via an orgasm. To make her forget about revisiting the past, opening up old wounds.

“Feel better?” he asked, and if she hadn’t felt so darn good she would have retaliated against the smug satisfaction fairly emanating from him.

Slightly embarrassed by how willing and easy she was for him to sexually manipulate, Emma said, “Yes,”

in a crisp voice and pulled away. She felt his grin at her back as she adjusted her bra and panties and dress.

“Nice dress, by the way,” he said and she was thrilled by his compliment.

She decided to get over herself already. After all, hadn’t he just done a bang-up job of not only making her come but getting her to forget that she was terribly afraid of heights?

She turned back to him and smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”

Realizing she finally felt stable enough to look over the edge of the basket, she slowly peered at the ground below. Her breath was taken away by the lush green vines and gorgeous mountain vistas.

“I’ve never seen anything this beautiful before.”

Jason moved beside her at the rail, putting a hand over hers. “I know. That’s why I wanted to bring you up here. And make sure you were relaxed enough to enjoy it.”

Just like they were college kids again, she elbowed him in the ribs. “Like that was your only reason for wanting to feel me up.”

He grinned and kissed her forehead and she hoped things between them were going to be all right after all. Why else would he be this affectionate with her, this easygoing and fun?

“I don’t need a reason to touch you other than wanting to,” he said and she loved the possessive tone of his voice, the way he didn’t ask if he could touch her, he just took her body in his hands and had his way with her.

Feeling giddy as they flew through the sky, she said, “As long as it’s fair game for me to attack you any time I want.”

His words, “I was hoping you’d do just that,” were like warm sun pouring through her veins. Emma’s head was immediately filled with X-rated visions of Jason pumping into her as she leaned over the rail of the balloon’s basket.

Reading her mind again, he said, “I want you to enjoy this ride first, and then I promise I’ll take you on another one. Very soon.”

She smiled and took a deep breath of the cool, clear country air. Every day with Jason just got better and better. She had to hand it to him: the anticipation of riding him later in the day, wherever he took her next, was so good that it only made her appreciate the hot air balloon ride more.

Still, while Napa Valley was beautiful, it had nothing on Jason himself.

He was enjoying himself. A lot. So much so that he didn’t want to think too much about it. He’d decided to spend the day with Emma, to introduce her to new sensual delights, and that was exactly what he was doing. Sure, since he was ultimately out for revenge perhaps he shouldn’t be having this good of a time, but what the hell. All he was doing was taking what she was giving and getting his rocks off while he was at it. That was his story and he was sticking to it.

After a delicious lunch at a gourmet deli that some good friends of his owned in Yountville, they’d driven up to the natural hot springs in Calistoga and were standing at the edge of an outdoor rock mineral bath.

On the middle of a weekday, it was unlikely that many tourists were bound to find this spot.

In under sixty, his clothes were lying on a pile of rocks and he was getting into the water.

Emma looked around the deserted forest uncertainly. “We’re going in naked?”

“It’s the only way to get the full benefits of the hot springs,” he exaggerated.

“Oh,” she said, biting her lip in that sexy way of hers. “But what if someone walks by?”

He wrapped one hand around her ankle. “Then I guess they’ll get a really good show, won’t they?”

She pulled her ankle away as if he’d burned her. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said, once again the prim and proper girl that he knew so well.

He shrugged, intent on seeing how far she would try to take the new bad girl persona she’d been trying on these past few days with the new lingerie and willingness to have sex in kinky places. He wasn’t stupid.

He knew she hadn’t changed in the past ten years. Her coming to Napa, her acting like a bad girl, it was all connected. At some point he’d find out what was up.

Or not, he thought, trying to convince himself that he really didn’t care, that payback didn’t have one single thing to with understanding the woman Emma had become. Revenge, he knew, didn’t have

anything to do with being gentle and nice to Emma. Not when it would be so much easier in the long run to let her go if he kept her at arm’s length.

“I should have known you’d be too uptight to skinny-dip.” He purposely made his words a challenge.

Instead of meekly backing down, she retorted, “After what we just did in the hot air balloon, I can’t believe you have the nerve to call me uptight.”

He merely shrugged and said, “That was earlier. This is now.” Upping the ante, he added, “Besides, if strangers show up either they’ll run screaming…or they’ll want to join us.”

Jason enjoyed watching Emma’s eyes grow huge at the thought of a ménage. Continuing to push at her innate propriety, he said, “Ever thought about a threesome? Or a foursome?”

She shook her head so quickly, her blond hair went flying and a strand got caught on her lips. “No,” she gasped. “I haven’t.”

He knew what was coming. Of course she was going to be curious. How could she not be?

Finally she said, “I’ll bet you have though, haven’t you?” her tone clearly defensive, rather than simply curious.

But he wasn’t going to let her get away with being too embarrassed to say what she really meant. “Done what? Gone skinny-dipping in a mineral bath? Sure. Lots of times.”