"Tell you what?"

There was an edge in her voice.

He fairly growled out the words.

"That you were a virgin."

Another mistake that was his fault.

Once he had wanted to be her first lover.

Her only lover.

Now he knew it wasn't right.

There couldn't be any special place in her life for him.

It wouldn't be fair to her.

Caitlin stared at him, hardly breathing.

She couldn't put a name to what she was feeling at the moment.

But the euphoria was a long distance away.

Had he been disappointed because she was inexperienced?

The thought tasted bitter on her tongue.

"What part o the conversation would it have fit into? 'Hello, Gray, ho

are you? By the way, I'm still a virgin."

' Her eyes darkened "Or maybe, 'Gee, Gray, did you know that I never-@ 1) He cut her off

with a single word, framed in amazement " How?

Indignant, confused, she rose up on one elbow an looked at him.

What was he asking her?

"How am I still virgin?"

"Yes.

Tugging, she pulled the sheet up from the foot of the be and covered

herself.

"The usual way, Gray."

Embarrassment urged her not to look at him.

Hurt pride demand that she did.

"I don't see how that's such a mystery to you." But it was. A total

mystery. Unable to help himself, h touched her hair, his fingers

lightly skimming the length o it as it spilled over her shoulder. Like

dark, rich honey.

Graham felt control slipping away again.

"You're beautiful woman, Caitlin. You should have..."

His voice trailed off.

She raised her eyes to his, beginning to understand "Made love with

someone else by now?"

He realized that what he was feeling was jealousy.

H hated the thought of someone else's hands on her.

But i would have been only natural.

Yes.

' Would you have cared if someone else had, Gray?

Wou you?

She wanted,him to care, the way she cared that he ha married someone

else.

She blew out a breath and shrugged, looking away "Maybe I didn't care enough about anyone to make love with them. Maybe," she said slowly,

"after you walked on of my life, that didn't seem very important anymore."

Caitlin turned her head and looked at him.

"Or maybe just couldn't share myself."

She swallowed, knowing, as always, that she had revealed too much and

he nothing at all.

She forced her voice to sound casual.

"Take any of the above."

He'd hurt her by asking.

It was there in her eyes, even though her mouth was hard.

He hadn't meant to.

Hurting her seemed to be second nature to him.

"I'd rather take you."

Slowly he skimmed his hand along her shoulder.

His fingers urged away the sheet she held against her.

His gaze warmed her.

Caitlin's somber expression dissolved into a smile.

She didn't understand him, but she did understand herself.

She knew exactly what she was feeling for him.

Caitlin turned her body toward him.

"No problem there."

"Oh, there are problems, Cait," he assured her solemnly.

"Plenty of problems."

He combed his hand through her hair, his eyes already making love to

her again.

"But I don't want to think of them now."

"That makes two of us."

Shifting, Caitlin opened her arms to him.

Inviting him.

Enticing him.

"Hold me, Gray, hold me and pretend everything is going to be just

fine."

The thought whispered seductively along his temples.

"And then maybe it will be."

She'd always had this optimism about her.

It was what had drawn him to her to begin with.

She was like this pure, white light, shining on him, chasing away the

darkness,.

of his soul.