“Then give me something else,” he says quickly, and I’m not sure if I’m imagining it or not, but it seems he has been waiting to say those words all along.

“Like what?” I ask hesitantly.

“Let me watch you again. Let me watch you make yourself come. Teach me about a woman’s body, all the ways that you get pleasure, and let me watch. Teach me that way, and I’ll be satisfied.”

I just stare at Zach, floored by what he is asking. It’s still inappropriate as hell but at least there would still be a barrier. He wouldn’t be touching me… wouldn’t be sticking that massive c**k between my legs.

The look on Zach’s face is impassable. He’s drawing a line in the sand with me and if I don’t give him something, he’ll leave, and then I’ll have failed Randall. I’ll lose my grant.

I’ll lose Zach.

Before I can stop myself, I ask, “You just want to watch me. No touching?”

“Just let me watch,” Zach says in a low voice, and he licks his lips in anticipation. “It will be a true learning lesson for me.”

Oh, God… I can’t believe I’m going to agree to this, but I find myself saying, “Okay. I’ll do it. But promise me, Zach… after this… it’s done. We don’t talk about this anymore, and you agree to continue learning about this culture as we had originally planned.”

“I agree,” he says without hesitation and then grabs my hand. Pulling me toward my bedroom, he says, “I want you laid out on your bed, so I can see everything.”

Pushing me into my room, Zach releases his hold on me and commands, “Take off your clothes.”

My hands start shaking like a leaf over the raw edge in his voice and the molten look in his eyes. I take a deep breath and pull my T-shirt over my head quickly, not wanting to make this into a seductive strip tease. This isn’t anything more than a science lesson, I tell myself.

With just as much efficiency, I kick off my sandals and remove my shorts, dropping them to the ground and then kicking them away with my foot.

Zach’s eyes roam over my body, taking in the pale blue satin bra and bikini panties I put on this morning.

“You know,” he says after a few moments of staring. “I’m used to seeing women na**d all the time, but there’s something about those little scraps of material you put on your body that is very pleasing to the eye. But I want to see what’s underneath. Remove them.”

I reach my arms behind my back and undo the clasp of my bra. Leaning my shoulders forward, the silk slips from my arms and flutters to the floor. Zach pins his gaze on my br**sts, and he takes a step forward. I hold my ground, trusting in his promise there would be no touching.

“Your ni**les are pink,” he says with fascination. “Not brown like the Caraicans. And what are these little dots all over your skin?”

“Freckles,” I say, but it comes out in a harsh rasp. I clear my throat. “They’re called freckles.”

“They’re beautiful,” he says reverently. I don’t know if he’s talking about my ni**les or my freckles, but I melt inside over the tone of awe his voice.

“Take off the rest,” he says urgently, and his eyes drop down to my panties.

Slipping my thumbs in the edge, I bend over to push them down. When they reach my knees, I’m able to shimmy out of them, again kicking the silk away with my foot.

Zach’s eyes flare wide and he drops to his knees in front of me, leaning his face in to peer close. My skin heats red over his bold perusal, and I’ve never had a man look at me so closely, and with so much fervent interest.

“You don’t have any hair here,” he says, reaching a hand up to point at my smooth mound. His finger stops just a few inches from touching me, and I have to control my pelvis so it doesn’t inadvertently flex toward him.

“I wax my body,” I tell him. “To remove the hair.”

“It looks so soft,” he murmurs. “Is it soft?”

Oh, f**k. For all of his commanding sexual presence, his innocence is what is making me weak at this very moment.

“Yes, Zach. It’s very soft and smooth.”

He looks at my pu**y a moment more, and then raises his gaze to mine. Gone is the wondering look of awe, and the heat and desire are back. “Get on the bed, so I can watch.”

I do as he asks, crawling into the center and laying on my back. Zach surges up from the floor and walks to the end of my bed, raising a knee up to kneel on the end. His erection pushes at the material of his shorts, so very thick. Sitting back on his haunches, he tells me, “Spread your legs.”

My blood is racing so fast through my veins that I feel dizzy and hot. I push my legs apart when Zach’s eyes go back down again, and I practically go up in flames under his stare.

“Now show me, Moira. Show me exactly where your cl*t is. I think I know, but I want to see you touch it.”

I can’t help the moan that comes out of my throat, and Zach’s eyes immediately snap to mine. He gives me a sensual grin, and then looks back down at my pu**y. “Do it,” he commands. “Touch yourself.”

Reaching down with both hands, I use one to spread myself wide, keeping my gaze on Zach. He draws his lower lip in between his teeth and peers at me hungrily as I expose myself to him.

“Beautiful,” he murmurs when I’m splayed out. “You’re glistening down there. What does that mean?”