If You Believe

He pinned her with eyes as cold as a winter sky. "You pawed through my things?"

His voice was quiet.

She licked her lips nervously, wishing she could melt into the floorboards.

Anything—anywhere—so she didnt have to look into his eyes. "Not p-pawed. I just—"

Then, as quickly as it had come, his anger dissolved. The dark intensity in his gaze vanished, leaving sparkling gray pools that whispered of passion. Screamed of passion. He gave her a crooked grin. "Oh, well. Im hardly in a position to be angry. "

The heat of that smile hit Mariah hard, worming through her insides like a trail of fire.

He sauntered around the bed toward her, his fingers looped casually inside the towel. A silvered droplet of water clung tenaciously to the end of his hair.

Mariah stared at the tiny bubble, focused on it, trying to drown out the rest of him.

But she couldnt quite succeed. With every step he took, she was acutely aware of him. The soft thud of his bootheels on the floorboards; the quiet, even tenor of his breathing; the easy rise and fall of his bare chest.

"Mariah . . . " On his lips, her name was a whispered caress, a promise of something yet to be.

He stopped in front of her.

She stared at the drop of water, watched it quiver for a moment at the wet tip of his hair, then plummet downward. It splashed in the thicket of chest hair and zigzagged down the hard, washboard length

of his stomach, disappearing in the thick white fabric of the towel.

Her gaze followed it, lingering a half second too long at the sagging waistband of the fabric.

His hands moved to the towel. "I could take it off. . . . "

Fear chilled her. She snapped her chin up and met his smoldering gaze. "No!"

A slow, mocking smile curved his lips. "Ah, Mariah . . . "

She stumbled backwards and hit the wall.

He moved toward her. "Dont be afraid. I wont hurt you. "

A hysterical bubble of laughter escaped her. She clamped a hand over her mouth, mortified that the insipid, childish sound had come from her.

He leaned toward her, slowly—so slowly—bringing his hands toward her face.

She pressed against the wall. The erratic, pounding beat of her heart thundered in her ears.

Casually he placed his fists against the wall, one on either side of her head. Then he leaned toward her. The tip of his nose brushed hers.

The simple touch jolted Mariah to the core. Her eyes widened. She swallowed hard, unable to tear her gaze away from his face. "Wh-What do you want?"

He kissed the end of her nose. "You know what I want. "

She cleared her throat and tried desperately to sound calm. "N-No, Im sure I do not. "

His head lowered, just a fraction.

Mariahs heart stopped beating. Time seemed for a moment to pause.

He kissed her, a soft, gentle brushing of lip against lip that lasted no longer than a heartbeat. "I want you, Mariah. " He drawled the words against her mouth. He closed his eyes, leaned infmitesimally toward her. "God help me, I shouldnt want you, but I do. "

She felt the tender movement of his lips against hers, and a violent shiver cascaded through her body, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their wake.