She let her words fall away, but the word "masturbating" hung heavy in the air between them. For a long moment he didn't move, and she wondered if he was going to obey her command, knowing that even if he didn't, they would have the time of their lives in the hot, soapy water. But when he slowly made his way over to the chair, she was glad, so glad that he trusted her. That he had faith in her to take them to the moon and back. She'd never had that kind of faith in herself before. Not until Jack.

Accessing an inner coquette that she hadn't known she possessed, she forced herself to block Jack's darkly arousing figure from her mind. The more he felt like a voyeur, the more she felt the tingles of being watched by something unknown, the hotter their night would be. Turning to the mirror, she gathered her hair in her hands and lifted it up, twisting it into a knot on top of her head. Several tendrils curled around her neck, framing her face.

Already she was so wet, so ready for Jack. Self-confidence, she was quickly learning, was a powerful aphrodisiac.

She unzipped her jean skirt and let it fall to the floor in front of the pedestal sink. As she stepped out from the circle of denim, she pulled her top off and dropped it there as well. Clad in her sexy red lace bra and panties, she bent over the faucet at the end of the huge, whirlpool bathtub and turned the knobs. For the very first time, she wasn't afraid of her near nakedness. Hot water filled the porcelain, and steam rose from the tub, making the tendrils tighten and dampen against her skin. She wanted so desperately to turn to Jack, to see his expression, but she knew the payoff would be greater if she played her part. Humming softly, she undid the front clasp on her bra and shrugged it off her

boulders. It fell silently to the floor. Her panties quickly followed, and as she bent over to pick up the lingerie, her ass, her

pussy flared and opened to Jack's gaze. She heard him growl, and ,shudder of arousal shot through her, from the inside out. Her ni**les beaded though the air was moist and the mirrors were fogged with condensation.

Gingerly, she tested the water with her toe. It was hot, but wonderfully so. Stepping into the tub, she turned until she was seeing Jack, then closed her eyes and slid into the water. She moaned with pleasure as warmth enveloped her muscles. She was sore-not from the bike ride but from so much wild, wanton sex. Without opening her eyes, she felt Jack's gaze burning ugh her, and she wanted his mouth on her. His hands.

Pretending he was with her in the tub, pretending her small D's were his big, rough ones, she ran them across her collar, then up and over her br**sts. Again and again she cupped caressed her tits. She'd never really appreciated them, always thought they were too big, too heavy, until now. She was so thankful, that she could turn herself on this way. That she could turn Jack on so much. She was utterly certain that he was seconds away from diving into the water with her and thrusting his perfect c**k into her wet, ready pu**y. The vision of Jack filling her, harder, fuller, forced one hand from her br**sts, down her belly, straight to her clit. On a moan she spread her legs wider and rubbed her fingers against the aroused nub. She thought about Jack sitting in the corner watching her, about the show she was giving him, about the way his lips would feel closing over her clit, and she broke apart. Her head went back against the tiled rim of the tub and she cried out in ecstasy.

JACK HAD DONE EVERYTHING he could to play along with Rose's game. He relished her boldness, and so he'd let her strip and massage her br**sts without any interference. He'd been on the verge of taking her on the cold, tiled floor nearly every second of her tantalizing show, but when she'd started coming, well, there were some things a guy simply couldn't resist. And this was at the top of the list.

He dropped his jeans, rolled on a condom, then stepped into the water and pulled her on top of him. Her wet heat enveloped him, and he forgot to worry that it was too soon to come, that he needed to hold back to increase her pleasure. He thrust high and deep inside her and then his mouth was on hers and he was sucking at her lower lip and coming as hard as he ever had as her muscles danced and clenched at his shaft.

Their kisses were frantic, and the pleasure was so intense that he felt as if he was drowning beneath the water. Her br**sts slapped and slid against the hairs on his chest and he wanted to stay here, like this, in his bathtub with Rose forever.

Afterward, they lay panting, but when she shivered in the rapidly cooling water, he pulled them both up and wrapped a thick towel around her. "Get dressed:' he said. "There's something I want to show you." He shoved on his jeans and T-shirt and walked quickly to the kitchen, gathering up everything he needed and putting it in a basket.

Ten minutes later, they were driving up the valley into Calisa, a town at the northern tip of the county. Turning onto First steet, he pulled the truck over in front of an old, dilapidated . Helping Rose with the steep step out of his truck, he grabbed a couple of thick blankets from the truck bed. Her hand e and warm in his, together they walked up a short flight of brick stairs. Rose had been quiet since their bath, but it was a good kind of quiet, so Jack wasn't worried about the lack of conversation. He

pulled open the splitting barn door and said, "I'm thinking about turning this into my next restaurant. You're the first person see it. I want to know what you think."

"I think:' she said, giving him a dazzling smile, "that it's going to be absolutely wonderful." "A lot of hard work:' he said, loving it when she cut him off to say, "But what could be better than turning a rustic barn into a gourmet restaurant?"

He grinned. Bringing Rose here had been a good move. More glad than he could say that she shared his vision for what this big, open, hay-filled space could become, he took out the blankets and spread them on the floor.

"Would you do me the honor of the first meal?"

He held out his hand, and as she took it and they sat cross legged on the blankets, Jack's heart had never been so full. And then she reached for the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it out of the waistband of his jeans, saying, "I hope dinner can wait another hour," he pushed the basket of food aside. Damn, she was brilliant. Christening his soon-to-be restaurant with a picnic meal had merely been a good idea. Making love on the floor of it was a great one.

TEN

EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT. The gourmet picnic was so delicious that she couldn't believe Jack hadn't planned it well in advanced. Thick, crusty French bread, nutty cheeses, roast chicken in garlic and rosemary that made her mouth water all over again it thinking about it, and an off-the-cuff creme brulee that was quite possibly the best dessert she'd ever had. When they finally drove back to his house and slipped beneath the sheets, the moon was falling in the sky and they gave in to an exhausted slumber, Wrapped around each other.