"Ah, newlyweds," the woman said. "Well, come on, I've had a lot of experience at settling arguments."

Neither Colin or Gemma corrected her impression that they were newlyweds.

"Hungry?" Colin asked as he pulled one of two big sandwiches from a paper bag. On the way back from the warehouse, they'd stopped for them. He'd texted Luke from the restaurant, so when they got back, Luke and Rams were waiting. The three men carried in the king-size mattress and springs Colin and Gemma'd brought back in the truck.

"You and I could have carried them," Gemma said to Colin.

"Thanks, but no," he'd said.

Gemma trailed behind the men with bags full of sheets and towels. She pulled off tags and put them in the washer while the men set up the bed.

Luke and Rams left as soon as the bed was on the floor, so Colin and Gemma were now alone, standing at the counter in the kitchen.

"Ravenous," she said. She took her sandwich and a bottle of water and went to sit on the pretty rug in the living room.

When Colin appeared, he had a cold bottle of champagne and two gla.s.ses. "Rams left this and said it was from Tess. What did you do to make her like you so much that she sent champagne?"

"Rams said it's because Mike likes me."

"That would do it for Tess. She thinks quite highly of her brother." Colin bit into his sandwich. Chewing, he picked up his bottle of water. "To more days like this one," he said.

"Truthfully, I'd rather spend four hours in the gym," she said.

"Me too," he said, and they looked at each other and smiled.

Between them pa.s.sed images of the day. There'd been a lot of laughter as they tried to envision how the furniture would look in the house-and they'd been equally bad at it. Their saleswoman, Mrs. Ellis, thirty years in the business, was used to couples like them, so she showed them how to measure and plan the arrangements in each room.

It took an hour or so for them to get the hang of what they were doing, but soon they'd adjusted and slid into a comfortable camaraderie. They were both good at compromises, and besides, as Gemma said, it was Colin's house. When Mrs. Ellis said that Gemma would be living there too, they hadn't corrected her. Instead, they'd looked away for a moment, then they went on as though nothing had been said.

The only time they halted was when they came to the third bedroom. The second had been easy, as they'd made it into a guest bedroom with twin beds.

"How about a baby's room?" Mrs. Ellis said.

Both Gemma and Colin had stood there, staring at her in silence.

"It does happen," she said, laughing. When they still said nothing, she said, "All right, we'll just leave that room empty for now."

Throughout the day, Gemma had been acutely aware of Colin's presence-and of the constant mention of their having a future together. When they started to buy a bedside table, Mrs. Ellis asked who slept on which side. Who liked to read in bed? Did they watch TV at night?

Gemma and Colin kept up the charade that they'd been a couple for a long time, might even have been recently married.

But every time the saleswoman mentioned something that hinted at their physical togetherness, Gemma and Colin had looked at each other. At first their glances had been shy, but as the day wore on, their eyes lingered. When Mrs. Ellis talked of a child's room, Colin had taken Gemma's hand in his and held it for a few moments.

Once, when they'd been leaning over the blueprints spread out on a dining table and when Mrs. Ellis had turned her back, Colin had kissed Gemma. It had been a quick kiss, as though he were a schoolboy doing something behind the teacher's back, and Gemma had laughed. After that, they'd held hands several times, and twice Colin had briefly put his arm around Gemma's shoulders.

Had anyone been looking, no one would have guessed they weren't a couple.

On the drive home, they'd gone back to just being friends and talked about what had been bought and what they liked and didn't like.

Gemma was now remembering all the touches and glances, and from what she saw in Colin's eyes, he was also remembering them.

In the next second, they were in each other's arms and kissing.

"I've wanted you all day long," Colin said.

"Me too."

She didn't say that being so near him, leaning over blueprints spread on a table, feeling his breath on her cheeks, had at times made her close her eyes.

"We said-" Colin began and started to move away from her.

"Who cares about words?" Gemma said as Colin kissed her neck. She loved the size of him, the weight. When he slipped his shirt over his head and she was confronted with all his honey-colored skin, her breath caught in her throat.

"I don't have a condom here," he said, his voice sounding tragic.

"Tris put me on pills," she replied.

He kissed her deeply. "I want to do better this time," he whispered, then picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, where he carefully put her down on the mattress cover.

It was early evening and the light through the window shade cast a golden glow through the room.

"I want to see you," he whispered as he slowly began to remove her clothing. When her shirt was off he kissed her shoulders, her arms, and he put each of her fingers to his lips. Gemma lay there, her eyes closed, and enjoyed the sensation of this delicious man making love to her.

He pulled her up, his strong hands caressing her back, his lips on hers, his tongue seeking the inside of her mouth. Her bra strap came unfastened and his big hands caressed her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, making her moan with desire.

He removed her jeans next, slowly unfastening them, kissing her legs as he moved downward. When his hands caressed her through her panties, she clutched at him, wanting him now!

"Not yet, my sweet," he whispered as he unfastened his jeans and slid them off.

Gemma loved the feel of his skin on hers. His body was hard, with great, huge muscles. His stomach was divided into ridges, without any fat over his firm muscles. She ran her fingers over his abdomen, feeling her way down lower and lower.

When her hand reached the center of him, it was his turn to groan. She pushed him back on the bed and ran her hands all over him, looking at his nude form. He was a study of what a body should look like, a centerfold of all those professional football players on TV.

Gemma slipped off her underpants and straddled him. He helped her to sit down on him, and she thought she might faint when he entered her. She had desired him for so very long.

His strong hands around her waist helped to guide her. He caressed her behind, her thighs, down to her calves. "Beautiful," he whispered. "You are truly beautiful."

He flipped her over onto her back, and for long, luxurious moments, he made velvet strokes inside her.

Based on her previous experience, Gemma expected him to finish soon, for the pleasure to end quickly. But Colin didn't quit. Instead he withdrew and kissed her more. His hand went down between her legs where he pleasured her in a way that was new to her. He seemed to know spots in her body that she had no idea she possessed. His fingers knew what to press, what to rub, what to caress.

When she was to a peak that she'd never felt before, he entered her again. His gentle strokes had her clutching at his back; her strong legs were wrapped around his waist, holding him to her.

Again, when she was close to exploding, he withdrew.

"Okay?" he asked as he moved beside her.

"I may die," she managed to say.

"Good!" he said as he flipped her onto her stomach, put his big arm around her waist, and lifted her up. He entered her from behind, and Gemma put her hands on the wall to brace herself.

When his strokes became harder, she gasped out, "Yes! Yes!"

"I don't want to hurt you," he said, his voice gentle.

"Think I'm not strong enough to take it?" she said over her shoulder.

"Yeah?" he said. "Let me know when to stop."

He pounded into her with such force that she almost couldn't hold herself against the wall. She loved it!

When she felt herself ready to explode, she turned onto her back and she opened her arms to him.

"Ready?" he asked, smiling.

"Yes," she said and he entered her again, and this time he let himself-and her with him-reach the climax.

Shudders went through her, so strong they made her body convulse.

Minutes later, Colin rolled off of her, to lie beside her, his body sweaty. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"The best I've ever been in my life," she managed to say.

He picked up her hand and kissed the palm. "I'm not sure yet, but I think I am too."

She turned on her side to look at him. His dark hair was messed up, and there was a glow of sweat on him. She thought he'd never looked better. "It was exhausting, but I had a good time today."

"In spite of arguing about couches?"

"Maybe because of that." She was running her hand over his stomach. "You'll see that I'm right about the leather. It would have been bad for this house."

"Except for my chair."

"I can't believe you found a chair that has arms that flip back to hold a beer can."

"Or a mug of tea," he said. "And you think I don't know that the coffee table you picked out can be used as a desk?"

"You bought a desk," she said in defense.

"That's because I sit in a chair. You prop your delightful little derriere on a rug."

"Old habit," she said as he put his arm out and she lay her head on it. "Actually, I like everything you bought."

"We bought," he said. "I never would have thought of sticking the old stuff in with the new."

"I guess Sara's house was still in my head."

"Sara doesn't believe anything should be new. I think all of it will look good, and thanks to your expert measuring, it'll all fit."

"Mrs. Ellis helped with the placement."

"She was good at jamming in a lot everywhere, wasn't she?" Colin looked at Gemma. "So what are we going to do about filling the kitchen cabinets?"

"Don't look at me," Gemma said. "I don't know how to cook."

"I've seen that you make a great omelet, and you've bragged incessantly about your meat loaf."

"I mentioned it once! And then only in answer to your question. So who was it who made the pot roast you were l.u.s.ting after? Jean?"

"Jealous all ready? Jean would never make anything as mundane as a pot roast. If it didn't require some special pan sold only in Paris, Jean wanted nothing to do with it. Are we going to talk about her a lot?"

"Not unless you want to," Gemma said seriously.

He kissed her palm again. "Thanks, but I may have reached my limit. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

"For me or for food?"

"Food!" he said as he got off the bed and pulled on his trousers.

As she watched him walk out, his back muscles playing under his skin, she said loudly, "Looks like the honeymoon is over."

He looked around the doorjamb. "Feed me, then I'll show you that it's only just begun."

Gemma grabbed Colin's T-shirt off the floor and put it on as she ran past him to the living room.

Colin had taken only two bites when his cell buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. "It's Roy," he said as he looked at the text message. "I have to go. There's been a robbery in Edilean."

Gemma was up in an instant. "Need this?" she asked, indicating his T-shirt, which she was wearing.

"Yeah," he said as he put on his shoes and socks. When he looked up, Gemma had removed his shirt and was standing before him naked. When he'd seen her wearing her skimpy street clothes, she'd had a beautiful body, and he'd loved touching it in bed. But now, seeing her naked, she looked like a Vargas pinup.

Colin stood there looking at her, his eyes wide, then he staggered back a step until he hit the wall. "Ooooooh," was all he could say.

Gemma, a bit embarra.s.sed but extremely pleased by his reaction, said, "You have to go."

"I can't," Colin said. "My legs are numb. My brain has died."

"I'll-" Gemma took a step.

"Freeze!" he said. "You move and make a single thing bounce and I'll fall down dead right here."

Gemma was trying not to grin, but she couldn't help it. "All right, I'll stay still, but you have to go and save Edilean. Think it was someone stealing a pie off a windowsill?"

"I don't know," he said as he went to her, bent, and kissed her sweetly on the mouth. As he stepped away, he ran his hands down her sides. "Roy better have a d.a.m.ned good reason for calling me away," he said, looking as though he were about to cry. He left.