Searching for a distraction, she reached out and grabbed a bottle of cologne from the back of the toilet, then sniffed at it. “It doesn’t smell like you,” she murmured.

“And what do I smell like?”

Eden shrugged. “Sweat. Sawdust. Seawater. It’s a very intoxicating scent.”

“There are times when I want to smell nice,” Marcus explained. He tossed the plastic bottle from the dye into the wastebasket, then ripped off the gloves.

“When you want to seduce a woman?”

“Maybe,” Marcus admitted. “Don’t you make yourself smell good when you want to be seduced?”

She unscrewed the cap and tipped a bit of the cologne onto her finger, then slowly drew it down along his naked belly, circling his belly button with her fingertip. “Sometimes,” she said, pressing her nose to the spot and inhaling deeply. “How many women have you seduced with this bottle of cologne?”

“I don’t kiss and tell.”

Eden shrugged. “Then show me how you do it. I want to know. Give me all the details.”

Marcus grinned. “You know how I do it, Eden. I’ve spent the last week seducing you.”

“Oh, really? And I thought I was seducing you.”

Marcus chuckled. “Maybe it was a joint effort.”

“But it obviously hasn’t worked,” she said.

“It hasn’t?” Marcus stepped back. “I recall some rather powerful reactions on your part. Were you faking it, Eden?”

She reached out and hooked her finger in the waistband of his jeans, drawing him closer. “I’m just saying that we haven’t done everything possible.” She nuzzled her nose against him, then bit at the fabric of his jeans.

He shook his head slowly. “I could live the rest of my life with you, Eden, and I don’t think we’d ever get to everything possible between a man and a woman.”

“True. We’ve merely scratched the sexual surface, so to speak.” She stood up and nudged Marcus aside, then bent over the sink and began to rinse her hair. “So what are your fantasies? What do you imagine we’ll do next?”

“I was thinking we’d have breakfast,” he said.

Eden stood up, water dripping from her head. Without a thought, she discarded the towel, letting it fall to the floor. Then she reached out and unbuttoned his jeans, slowly drawing the zipper down.

“What are you doing?”

“I need your help,” she said. “In the shower. I can’t get this stuff out of my hair.”

Eden turned and stepped inside the shower. She glanced over her shoulder to see him stripping his jeans off, his penis already growing hard. A moment later he joined her, standing behind her as she turned on the water and adjusted the temperature.

Eden moved beneath the water and tipped her head back while Marcus grabbed a bottle of shampoo and squeezed a measure into his hand. Slowly he worked it into her hair, massaging her scalp. Eden closed her eyes and sank back against him, his erection nestling in the small of her back.

She reached around and grabbed his hips, holding him close as she gently rocked against his body. A moment later he turned her around, his arm snaking around her waist as they both stepped beneath the shower. Warm water sluiced between their bodies, making their skin slick and sensitive.

She was here in his shower, a spot so completely familiar to him. They were no longer living a fantasy, existing on a luxurious yacht, far from the real world. This was real, and her need for him so much more intense.

Eden reached between them and slowly began to caress him, his erection hard and smooth against her palm. When she touched him, she felt the current that connected them, a desire so strong that it was like a magnetic force…undeniable…unflinching.

A soft groan rumbled in his throat and Eden looked up at him. Marcus’s eyes were closed, his lower lip caught between his teeth. She pressed her mouth to his chest, kissing and biting until she found his nipple. Every time they were together there was something new to find, some unexplored spot, some surprise sensation. But it wasn’t just physical pleasure that she took from his body.

When she was with him, naked and entwined in an embrace, she was no longer Eden Ross. All her life fell away and she became someone else, simpler, more satisfied with life.

Suddenly Marcus sucked in a sharp breath. His hands grasped her wrists and he pinned them behind her back, pressing her against the cool marble wall of the shower. “Slow,” he murmured, his breath hot against her neck.

“Show me,” Eden said, grazing her teeth along his shoulder. “Seduce me.”

He stared down at her, his gaze probing hers, water droplets clinging to his dark lashes. His lips parted and she waited for him to speak, but he didn’t. Instead he gripped her wrists in one hand, gently restraining her, and his other hand skimmed over her damp skin.

Eden’s breath caught as his thumb grazed over her nipple, drawing it taut before moving to her other breast. And still he looked into her eyes, watching her every reaction and responding to it with his touch.

Every nerve in her body was alive, awaiting his caress, aching for the sensations her body seemed to crave. She felt desperate for more, but Marcus took his time, bringing her along slowly. And when he finally slipped his fingers between her legs, Eden cried out, surprised by the shock that raced through her body. She closed her eyes as he played with her, so gentle yet intent on his purpose.

The water continued to fall, the sound of her breathing echoing against the walls of the shower. Marcus moved down her body, his lips hot against her skin, until he knelt in front of her. He parted her with his fingers and then tasted her. Eden hadn’t been aware that he’d freed her hands, and the moment she realized it, her fingers tangled in his hair.

It was delicious torment, his tongue slipping back and forth against her, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her body. Through the haze of desire, Eden pressed her hips forward, searching for her release. And when she felt it coming, she held her breath. But Marcus had sensed that she was near and stopped before she could tumble over the edge.

He slowly stood. Eden instinctively reached out and took him in her hand, stroking him gently. There wasn’t a way to stop this now, even if she wanted to. They had to finish what they’d begun the moment they’d met. They had to feel what it was like to possess each other completely.

She rubbed his penis against her, slipping it between her legs, then drawing back, tempting him to come inside her if only for a moment. She felt him hesitate, but Eden looked up at him. “Don’t stop,” she whispered.

It was all the urging he needed. He stepped out of the shower for a moment and returned with a box of condoms. He fumbled to open it, and Eden grabbed it from him and tore the box, tossing all but one foil packet aside. She gently sheathed him, his tightly held breath warning her to take care.

Then, with a low moan, Marcus spanned her waist with his hands and lifted her off her feet. He wrapped her legs around his hips, and Eden felt him pressing at her entrance, waiting.

He kissed her, his mouth devouring hers. Eden caught his lower lip between her teeth and bit, holding him still as she sank down against him. Inch by inch, she took him inside of her until he was buried entirely. She released his lip and they waited, both breathless with anticipation, gazes locked.

When he began to move, Eden moaned, the ache inside her building. She smoothed the damp hair from his forehead, intent on watching his eyes as they made love. She’d never risked such an intimacy with another man, knowing there would be nothing to see beyond lust. But with Marcus there was more. A fierce possessiveness, a desire so intense that it frightened her and a vulnerability that made her feel safe.

His gentle movements soon turned more desperate, and Eden arched back against the wall of the shower as he drove into her. His gaze dropped to her lips and he kissed her again, his tongue mimicking his lovemaking.

He gasped for breath and Eden could tell he was close. She closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the tension building inside her. He filled her so completely, a sensation that was new and unfamiliar and a bit painful. But it was the pain that made it more real, and Eden focused on that, surprised at the pleasure it brought.

She danced along the edge of release, stepping closer and then drifting away. And when Marcus suddenly stopped, she was a heartbeat from completion. Eden drew a shallow breath, and then he slipped his hand between them and touched her.

Her eyes flew open to find him gazing intently at her. A moment later she felt the first spasm strike and watched as Marcus instinctively surrendered at the very same time. He tightened his grip on her hips as pleasure washed over them both, yet he still didn’t close his eyes.

And when it was over completely, a tiny smile curved the corners of his mouth. He drew a shaky breath, then dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. “I’d like to carry you to the bed,” he murmured, “but I’m not sure I can still walk.”

Eden slowly regained her feet, Marcus wincing as he slipped out of her. She pulled him beneath the water and gently removed the condom, stroking him softly as she did. Something had changed between them, some bond had suddenly been strengthened.

A sliver of fear shot through her as Eden realized she no longer had control over her feelings for Marcus. She’d believed herself in love before but been fooled. Could this be wishful thinking or did her feelings for him run deeper? She shivered, her body trembling.

“What is it?” he asked.

Eden glanced up at him, then shook her head. “The water. It’s getting cold.”

He took her hand and led her from the shower. Wrapping a soft towel around her body, Marcus dried her. But the goose bumps still pricked her skin.