There was no going back. There was no slowing the tremendous, irresistible pull they felt toward each other.

Oh God, how I want him.

She studied herself in the mirror as she fixed her hair and makeup and brushed her teeth. Minty fresh and freshened up, she reached for her nightgown and robe, only to discover that in her passion-soaked haze, she’d entered the wrong room. Her lingerie was in the other bathroom.

Merda.

She could take off her clothes and wrap herself in one of the Turkish robes hanging behind the door. But that would rather defeat the purpose of purchasing lingerie. She could try to sneak into the other bathroom, but that would mean crossing through the bedroom, and Gabriel was sure to have come in from the terrace by now. No doubt he was reclining on the bed, like King Solomon in all his glory.

Julia trembled with anticipation at the mere idea. Should I take a shower first and just wander out there in a towel? Should I strip down to my panties?

As her brain stalled on how best to make her entrance, Gabriel tidied the terrace and moved everything inside. He placed the pillar candles around the room, grouping several of them by the bed. He adjusted the music so that a playlist he’d created solely for that night filled the air. He’d entitled the playlist Loving Julia and was more than a little proud of it. He placed a few personal items on the nightstand and turned out all the lights.

Then he waited.

And waited. But she didn’t appear. He began to worry.

He walked over to the bathroom and pressed his ear against the door.

He could hear nothing, not even the sounds of running water or the rustling of silk. His heart leaped into his throat. What if she was afraid? Or upset?

What if she locked me out?

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

He was surprised to be so invited. He opened the door carefully and peeked inside. Julia was standing in front of the mirror, looking shy. “Are you all right?”

“Yes.”

He frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just — Gabriel, will you hold me? I had all these plans, and then I came in here and froze and…” She rushed over to him.

His face wore a concerned expression. “It’s only me, love. Maybe I’ve overdone it.”

She shook her head and pressed her face to his chest. “No, I’m over-thinking things, as usual.”

“Then think about how much you are loved, my sweet, sweet girl.

Tonight I will show you just how much.”

He kissed her tenderly, and when she smiled up at him and nodded, he picked her up to carry her to the bed.

Julia wasn’t afraid. She thought she might be, but as Gabriel held her in his arms, pausing with each step to kiss her, her nerves began to relax.

She loved him. She wanted him. And she knew that he wanted her too.

He placed her on the edge of the bed and looked down on her with kindness. Julia’s breathing stilled; that was the look he had given her in the orchard. In their orchard. Now she wanted him even more.

“You turned the lights out,” she said.

“You have beautiful skin. It will be particularly alluring by candlelight.”

He kissed her forehead. “A figure such as yours would have inspired cave-men to carve on walls.” He kneeled in front of her and slowly removed her high heels.

“Are you sure?” she whispered.

He sat back and looked up at her, pushing a lock of hair out of her eyes. “Only if you are, love.”

She smiled. “I meant — about the shoes. I could keep them on.”

The thought thrilled him. He couldn’t deny it. But he worried about her comfort, and there would be plenty of time for other, more playful moments.

“I shouldn’t have let you navigate the cobblestones in such high heels.

It had to be painful. No shoes tonight.”

He caressed her feet slowly, running his thumb up and down the arch of her foot, a move designed to relax but also to arouse her. She began to whimper; it felt so good. She wondered briefly how his thumb would feel on other parts of her body, and a shiver coursed up and down her spine.

Gabriel paused. “You’re quivering. We don’t have to do this.”

“It’s a pleasant kind of quivering,” she murmured.

He continued to caress her feet for a few minutes before his hands ascended the backs of her calves to rest behind her knees. His magical fingers teased the hidden erogenous zone, almost making her cry out. She couldn’t keep her eyes open as her breathing came quicker.

He knows a woman’s body the way…somebody knows something. What was I saying?

In truth, he knew her body better than she knew it herself, which was a regrettable state of affairs. Nevertheless, she trembled as she thought of what delights awaited her when he actually moved his hands a little higher.

As if he was reading her mind, he ceased his attentions to her knees and moved his hands up to her thighs, pressing and parting them slightly so he could run his thumbs up and down, pausing before coming to the tops of her stockings. He was trying his best to take his time, making sure that she enjoyed every movement, ensuring that he skipped nothing.

“Gabriel, please don’t sit on the floor.” She reached her hand out to him, and he kissed it.

“The whole evening is a gift. Simply accept it.” A smile tugged at the edge of his oh-so-perfect lips. “St. Francis of Assisi would approve.”

“But I want to make you happy too.”

“You’ve already made me happy, Julia. More than you know. Would it help if I confessed that I’m nervous too?”

“Why would you be nervous?”

“I want to please you. I haven’t been with a virgin since I lost my virginity and that was a long, long time ago. We’re going to take this slowly. I want you to relax and be as comfortable as possible. And if you’re ever — uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. Immediately. Can you do that for me?”

“Of course.”

“I care for you — you’re precious to me. And one of the most precious things to me is your voice. Please tell me what you want, what you need, what you desire…” His voice grew raspy on the final three words, and an involuntary tremor passed through Julia’s body.

She leaned down to press her lips against his. “What I desire is for you to stop kneeling to me, Gabriel. So get up off the floor.” She tried to look fierce, but he simply grinned at her.

Hello, Tiger…

“Give me a minute, and I’ll be right back.” He disappeared into the nearest washroom, and Julia could hear the sounds of the water running in the sink.

He returned momentarily to find her standing up and reaching around to the back of her dress. His hands immediately moved to cover hers.

“I’d like to do that.” His voice was husky.

He unzipped her dress slowly, staring deeply into her eyes. Then he gently pushed the green silk off her shoulders. It made a sighing sound as it floated to the floor, as if it too, had been seduced by him.

Julia stood in an ivory satin slip, whose hem ghosted the top of her gartered black stockings. Gabriel gasped at the sight of her, for she looked like an angel. A brown-eyed angel with dark upswept hair against creamy white skin, wearing an ivory slip over black lace under things. A juxtaposition of virtue and the possibility of eros.

He reached out an explorative finger to touch one of the garters. “I wasn’t expecting this.”

Julia blushed. “I know you didn’t want black, but truthfully, I wasn’t expecting you to see me in these. I thought I was going to change.”

“Hey.” He gently lifted her chin and caressed her colored cheek. “You are stunning. And I never said I didn’t like black. But if you want to change, I’ll wait.”

He gazed down at her expectantly, but she shook her head. She’d waited long enough. She ran her hands up and down his powerful chest before pulling him toward her by his tie. She kissed him deeply and slowly unknotted it, trying to be as sinuous as possible, sliding it around the back of his neck and dropping it unceremoniously to the floor. She attended to the buttons on his shirt, making short work of them and placing it and his t-shirt on top of his tie. While he stood before her, half-naked, she pressed her mouth to his chest, wrapping both arms around his upper back so she could feel the muscles in his shoulders and lower down.

“I can feel your heart beating,” she whispered.

“For you,” he said, with a smoldering expression.

She smiled as she touched his abdominals and waist. His skin was warm, much warmer than hers, and oh, so inviting. Unbuckling his belt and unfastening his trousers was slightly nerve wracking, but he placed a steadying hand over hers and helped her when they refused to cooperate.

When he stood in front of her in his boxer briefs, having already kicked off his shoes and socks, she took a deep breath, waited for his nod, and pushed his underwear over his hips.

She took a step backward to admire him. She licked her lips and grinned. Widely. Gabriel was gorgeous.

It was probably genetic, or maybe it was a gift from the gods, or a combination of both, enhanced by his diet and exercise. But as her eyes wandered over his muscular body and well-defined abdominal muscles, something inside her warmed and melted. She felt heat rushing to her womb and farther down, especially as she noticed the V that extended from his hips. He was a modern version of Michelangelo’s David, but with far finer proportions and unspeakably beautiful hands. Perhaps it was in poor taste, but she was more than a little smug when she realized how much larger he was than him.