They stopped by his bed. Jamal turned and smiled at her. "Nervous?"

Well, duh. What did he expect?"Oh, yeah. Every cell in my body is shaking."

She held up her hand to demonstrate. He took it in his and brought her fingers to his mouth.

"I'm going to make you tremble all over," he promised, then pressed his lips to her suddenly sensitive skin. "But it won't be because you're nervous."

"Wanna bet?" she muttered, but she doubted he was listening. Not that she cared. The way he concentrated on her hand, on kissing each pad, then licking the length of her fingers, made her want to swoon. The combination of heat and dampness overwhelmed her. She swayed slightly as he exchanged one of her hands for the other and began the erotic process all over again.

When he'd finished kissing her fingers, he moved to her palm. He traced a damp circle there with his tongue then bit gently on the inside of her wrist. The trembling he'd promised began in her thighs and moved both up and down. Her knees were in danger of buckling while her belly quivered and damp heat flared between her legs. She had to hold on to him to keep from falling.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his body to hers. She placed her own arms over his shoulders, hugging him to her, savoring the familiar feel of him. He was so strong, so broad,so very male.

He bent down but didn't press his mouth against hers. Instead, he kissed her cheeks, then her nose.

"Sweet Heidi," he murmured.

By the time he moved his lips to hers, some of her trembling came from desire and frustration along with nerves. She ached for him, needing him in ways she didn't understand. She parted her lips immediately, then whimpered as his tongue entered her mouth.

With each touch, each stroke, each movement of their intimate dance, her body heated. She found herself clinging to him, wanting him. She wanted more kisses, deeper, longer, and she pressed against him, hoping he would understand.

He cupped her face,then tilted her head slightly so he could kiss her more thoroughly. Then he retreated, and she followed, doing to him all he'd done to her. Exploring, teasing, tasting. Her legs were shaking so violently, she could barely stand. She wore only the nightgown, yet she suddenly wanted the garment removed. Every part of her was on fire, and only her husband's touch would quench the flames.

"Touch me," Jamal whispered against her mouth.

She realized that her arms had fallen to her sides. She brought them up to his shoulders,then ran her fingers through his dark hair. With her other hand, she explored his strong, broad back.

How different he was from her.So much bigger. Through the layers of his jacket and shirt, she felt his muscles rippling as she slowly moved up and down from shoulders to nearly his waist. She'd never touched a man like this. To think that in time she would grow to know his body as well as she knew her own. She would recognize him by sight and scent and touch. The thought of such intimacy was nearly overwhelming but in the most perfect and lovely way.

He kissed her again, deeply, slowly,passionately . She found herself moving closer, needing to be right up against him.

Something hard pressed into her belly. The hardness flexed, which startled her. She jumped. What on earth?

Then she knew. She didn't know if the knowledge was instinctive or the result of reading those books Fatimahad given her. Either way, she understood that ridge was the result of Jamal being aroused by what they were doing.

She was two parts embarrassed and one part curious. Actually the curious part of her was gaining ground. What would he look like naked? She'd never seen a man that way. There had been a few shadowy bits in movie scenes, but she had a feeling those half-lit vaguenesses had nothing to do with reality.

Would he let her see him? Would he let her touch him? Did she want to?

Jamal pulled back and stared at her. "What on earth are you thinking?

You've completely drifted away. Obviously I've lost my technique in the bedroom, and I'm boring my virgin bride."

Heidi ducked her head. "Sorry," she murmured. "It's not what you think. I mean, I'm not bored."

She risked a glance and was pleased to see humor lurking in his eyes. For a moment she'd been afraid he was really angry.

"So what were you thinking, Princess Heidi?" he asked as he stroked his thumb across her mouth.

The contact was so light and delicate that she barely felt it, yet it made her want to thrust her hips against him, which made no sense at all.

"I, um, that is..." She looked at him. "You're making it very hard to think."

"I don't want you to think. I want you to feel."

"I did. I felt you, ah, sort of pressing against me, and it was distracting."

His dark eyes brightened. She couldn't tell if it was from passion or humor. Probably both, she thought glumly. No doubt she was doing everything wrong.

"This," he said, leaning close until their bodies touched again.

The hardness returned. Tiny butterfly shivers rippled through her, starting in her belly and moving out.

"Yes," she whispered, feeling more heat on her."Exactly that. I've never been with a man so I've never had contact with his...you know."

"Ah, the 'you know."' He chuckled. "Heidi, you are the most charming woman I've ever met."

"Really?"Charming?Her?

"Absolutely."He studied her. "Are you frightened by the fact that I'm aroused?"

Was he going to talk? Couldn't they just do it? Embarrassment flooded her, and she had to fight to keep

from staring at the ground. Despite her best efforts, her gaze did lower some, and she found herself staring fixedly at the second button below his collar. Weren't buttons a marvel? Who had inventedthem, and what had people done before they'd come into existence?

"Heidi?"

"I like that you want me," she whispered, still unable to look at his face.

"I do want you. I want to make love with you. I want to touch and kiss you and teach you all the wonders that occur between husband and wife."

At last she met his gaze. "Okay."

"Thank you for agreeing."

He was teasing her again. She was about to protest, but then they were kissing, and she found she didn't mind the humor. He picked her up in his arms and set her onto the mattress, all the while still brushing against her mouth, plunging inside and generally leaving her breathless.

He straightened long enough to shrug out of his jacket and undo his cuffs.

While he tugged on his tie, Heidi managed to undo a couple of buttons of his shirt.

She couldn't believe this was actually happening. Here she was, on Jamal's bed, wearing nothing but a nightgown while her husband undressed. Her husband! And they were going to make love. She didn't know whether to laugh in delight or to run screaming from the room.Except she didn't want to leave. Not yet. Not before she experienced the magic that occurred between a man and a woman. She liked Jamal kissing her, and she was sure she would like everything else he did.

He finished with his tie,then undid the last of the buttons. As he removed his shirt, she found herself mesmerized by the sight of his bare chest.

Light from the lamps by the bed illuminated his broad shoulders. She saw the definition of his muscles and the way his waist tapered. He was too appealing by far.And too experienced. He would know exactly what to do while she would be left unsure.

Jamal knelt next to her on the mattress and fingered the hem of her nightgown. "I'd like to take this off you."

She swallowed,then licked her suddenly dry lips. "Yes, well, I suppose that would be fine, except I'm not wearing anything underneath."

"Really?"He sounded intrigued. "So you're practically naked."

"Um, yes."

"No clothes, just bare skin for me to look at and touch to my heart's content."

"You're tormenting me on purpose."

"What's the fun in tormenting you if it's not on purpose?" he asked.

Despite her nerves, she laughed. "I didn't expect it to be like this," she said. "I thought we'd both be serious."

He leaned down and kissed her briefly. "It will get serious soon enough.

Trust me."

She did, she thought with some surprise. She trusted him to make her first time wonderful.

So when he tugged on her nightgown, she shifted so he could draw it up over her hips. Then she sat up and pulled it over her head. Her flash of bravery and trust faded the second she was naked, but before she could scream or run or even cover herself, Jamal was bending over her, kissing her, and she could think of nothing but the glory of being so close to him.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him down. She felt a burning hunger inside of her. It was a sensation she'd not experienced before, and it confused her. In some ways she felt as if she were starving-as if her life would never be complete if they didn't do this.

Jamal shifted slightly and rested his hand on her stomach. She felt each fingertip where it lightly touched her sensitized skin. When his hand began to move in a slow circle on her belly, she jumped a little,then clutched at him. She was glad he was kissing her because otherwise she would probably be making shrieky noises and they would be serious mood-breakers.

"Touch me," he murmured against her mouth. "I'll die if you don't."

His words shocked her. Intellectually she knew that he was likely to enjoy their lovemaking, but she doubted she would be able to compare with the ever-perfect Yasmin. But to think that her touching Jamal actually mattered was more than she'd hoped.

She moved her hand from his shoulder, down his arm. She explored the inside of his elbow,then retraced her path to discover his neck and the curve of his ear. She'd been about to slip her fingers into his hair when his hand began to move. It had been circling and circling while his tongue teased her mouth, but now those very masculine fingers were reaching up...toward her breasts.

She longed for that. She remembered how wonderful it had been the last time he'd touched her there. She hadn't known her body was capable of such pleasure. Just the thought of it made her nipples tighten in anticipation.

"How lovely you are," he breathed against her lips. "I want to touch you all over. I want to hold you and kiss you and taste every part of you."

Taste?Her?The thought boggled her mind. Then his hand closed over her breast, and she couldn't think. It was too lovely. The melting, the heating,the way her belly flared with liquid desire and her thighs trembled.All of her trembled. She had the strangest urge to let her legs fall open so he could touch her there even though she suspected her thoughts were wildly inappropriate.