At the sound of the shower going Taylor expelled a sigh. She then began pacing the room, needing to do something. Otherwise, she would be tempted to strip off her clothes and join Dominic.

The man had given her one h.e.l.l of an o.r.g.a.s.m just from foreplay. She didn't want to think just how explosive the real thing would be. If his aim had been to prep her for tonight then he had succeeded-she was set on go. In fact, she'd been ready for Dominic ever since he had agreed to this week.

The ache returned to her body just picturing him standing naked in the shower under a spray of water. She'd gotten a glimpse of his chest, more than a glimpse actually. Before she had left the bedroom, he had pulled her in his arms, letting her taste the essence of herself off his lips. Her naked b.r.e.a.s.t.s had pressed against his bare chest, and the contact had nearly given her another o.r.g.a.s.m. She had a history of being someone not p.r.o.ne to climax easily. In fact, usually it would take a while for any man to light her fire to the degree where she would want to make love more than once in one night.

Deciding she needed to sit down and relax she dropped down on the sofa and then out of curiosity, she picked up the book Dominic had pulled out of the gift bag earlier. Her eyes widened at each page. She hadn't known there were so many positions a couple could use. Not surprisingly, it said the best position to conceive was man on top. It didn't take much to fantasize about Dominic on top of her in bed, inside her body and...

She stood up and tossed the book on the table, deciding she'd imagined enough for now. She needed to take her mind off things, namely s.e.x and Dominic. After he finished his shower, she would take hers, and then they would get ready for dinner, which would be delivered to their room at exactly six o'clock. Once dinner arrived their night of initiating conception would begin. Lord, she hoped they made it through dinner because they would need all their strength for later.

One way to get her mind off Dominic, she decided, would be to call Vanessa and talk to her for a short minute. She had spent time with her sisters while home getting fitted for the bridesmaids' dresses. It didn't go unnoticed by her that Cheyenne wasn't as talkative as she usually was and looked a little on the thin side. Not that her sister's perfect model figure still didn't look to die for. Vanessa had picked up on it, too, and had pulled her to the side and asked her if she knew what was wrong with their baby sister. She didn't have a clue then and didn't have one now. As far as they knew it couldn't be man trouble since Cheyenne didn't have a steady beau.

Crossing the room, Taylor pulled her mobile phone from her purse and clicked on Vanessa's number. She smiled when Cameron answered. That, she noticed, was becoming a norm. "Hi, Cameron, is Vanessa around?"

"Yes. Hold on."

Moments later her sister came on the line. "Taylor, are you okay?"

Taylor lifted a brow. Vanessa sounded breathless, like someone who had run a marathon. Or someone who had just finished making love.

"Yes, I'm okay. Sounds like you're okay, as well," she couldn't help but say. She knew if she was there she would see a huge blush on her sister's face.

Vanessa gave a shaky laugh and said, "Well, yeah, I'm okay. Cameron is here."

"So I notice. Am I interrupting anything?"

There was a pause and then. "No, I'm fine. Cameron just went into the kitchen. He's going to do the cooking tonight. I was hoping you would call. How are things going?"

"Fine. I arrived here around eleven o'clock today and Dominic got here around two. We've taken a walk on the beach."

"That's all?"

She shook her head. Her sister had turned into a regular little miss hot pants since hooking up with Cameron. Vanessa figured just because she spent most of her free time in bed that everyone else should do the same. "Yes, that's all. We don't want to rush anything. We have all week."

"Nothing like getting a head start. The more you do it, the better your chances of getting pregnant, right?"

"Right, but it only takes one good time and according to the doctor I'm all set. I took my temperature early and now's the time. He said it's important for me to make love a day or two before I ovulate and then the day of."

"That sounds so technical. Just roll with the flow."

Taylor smiled. "Have you heard from Cheyenne?"

"No. Have you?"

"No."

"Really, Taylor, I'm worried about her. She looked somewhat under the weather when she was here a few weeks ago. I called last night but got her machine. I told her to call me back but so far she hasn't."

"Is she out on a photo shoot?"

"No. She talked to Mom last week and told her she had come down with the flu. She was canceling her trip to Ethiopia and remaining at her Jamaican home to get some rest. She probably hasn't been eating right and her resistance is down. I'm going to try calling her again tonight. I'm really going to give her a good looking-over when she flies in for Marcus's graduation in a few weeks."

Taylor nodded. Their cousin Marcus, Chance's oldest son, would be graduating from high school. The family was excited about his acceptance into Yale University. "Okay. Let me know if you get Cheyenne and she tells you anything. Like you, I think she hasn't been eating properly."

"Do you plan on leaving your phone turned on during the time you're on that island?"

"No, but I will make it a point to check my messages."

Vanessa laughed. "Do you think Dominic is going to give you the time to do that?"

She knew what Vanessa was insinuating. "I'm going to take the time regardless."

"If Dominic Saxon is the man I think he is, the man I read about in all those magazines, you won't have time to do much all week but stay on your back."

"Vanessa!"

"Just being honest, so get prepared."

At that moment Taylor heard a sound behind her and turned around. Dominic was standing in the doorway that separated the sitting room from the bedroom, still wet from his shower with only a towel wrapped around his waist. The heat in his eyes, the ones staring at her, were scorching. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"Vanessa, I've got to go." Taylor clicked off the phone without waiting for her sister's response. She was suddenly filled with the thought that even if she tried, there was no way to get prepared for Dominic.

"The shower is yours, Taylor. But let me go on record as saying this is the last time I plan on taking a shower alone while we're here."

Dominic didn't even attempt to understand why he was so adamant about that. Probably because all the time he had spent in the shower, standing under the jets of the water, he'd been thinking of how it would be to have Taylor in there with him, all the things they could do. Would Would do. do.

"And if I protest?" she asked with a teasing smile on her face.

Of course, she could protest, but he figured she wouldn't. He would make sure of it. Besides, any woman who got as hot as she did just from a man kissing her, stroking her intimately, wouldn't be hard to persuade. Not only had he felt her heat, he had tasted it. "Go ahead, if you think that you can."

The look that suddenly appeared in her eyes let him know he had been right-she would be wasting time to try to deny him. They clicked. They would probably burn up the sheets. And in the end, they would make a baby. For some reason he felt very confident about that.

His gaze roamed up and down her. She had fixed what he'd done to her sundress, but he much preferred seeing it down to her waist. He liked her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The feel of them in his hand. The taste of them in his mouth.

He saw she hadn't moved from the spot. "Aren't you going to take your shower now...or do you prefer we get into something else?"

She crossed her arms over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "You're blocking the doorway."

"Oh. You don't think I'd let you get by?"

She chuckled. "Not without trying something."

He smiled. "I thought one of the perks for this week is for me to try just about anything."

"Yes, but the key is perfect timing."

His smile widened. "Trust me, every time we come together will be perfect" He stepped away from the doorway. "Go ahead. I'll behave."

She gave him an I don't believe you I don't believe you look, before heading toward the bathroom. When she got close by him she slowed her steps and looked at him up and down. "Something wrong?" he asked. look, before heading toward the bathroom. When she got close by him she slowed her steps and looked at him up and down. "Something wrong?" he asked.

"No, nothing's wrong."

"Then I can only a.s.sume that you like what you see, Taylor Steele."

She met his gaze and his heart began thudding hard with the look in her eyes. "Yeah, I like what I see."

"Do you want it?" he asked, feeling a sizzle low in his belly.

She tilted her head at an angle that got his attention because it made him see just what a beautiful neckline she had. "Not only do I want it, Dominic, I plan on getting plenty of it. Later."

When she slipped by him and went into the bedroom and closed the door, a heated rush flooded his insides at her bold statement. As far as he was concerned, later couldn't get here quick enough to suit him.

Taylor leaned back against the door the moment she shut it behind her and breathed in a deep, shaky breath. How on earth was she supposed to get through dinner when Dominic exuded so much temptation? And he knew exactly what he was doing to her. She didn't have to be convinced that he was a man who knew how to please a woman in bed. There was no doubt in her mind that he would please her. And just thinking about the degree of pleasure she would receive made her weak in the knees.

When she thought her wobbly legs could support her, she moved away from the door toward the drawers where she had placed her undergarments earlier after she'd unpacked. She would get everything she needed now before coming out of the bathroom after her shower. Chances were Dominic would use the room to dress for dinner and she wasn't ready to walk in on him while she was half-naked. Grabbing a bra and a pair of panties out of the drawer, she headed for the bathroom, taking time to grab one of the courtesy bathrobes out of the closet.

After a walk on the beach she needed the shower, but more than anything, she needed to take a shower to cool off.

Except for the sound of the shower, the suite seemed quiet, Dominic thought as he finished dressing. Never before had he wanted a woman the way he wanted Taylor. He was beginning to feel restless, on edge, h.o.r.n.y. He couldn't help thinking of just how s.e.xy she was, and how much she seemed to enjoy his kisses. He took pleasure in the art of seduction and kissing was just one of the elements he used. There were numerous others and he planned to put each one into practice before leaving the island.

It didn't take much to see that Taylor was a very pa.s.sionate woman and she wasn't trying to be coy about it. He could tell she was someone who was confident with the degree of her own sensuality. But not to the point where it swelled her head. And she had to be one of the most positive people he knew. He had discovered that fact the first time they had met. She wasn't all somber and serious like most financial advisors tended to be. He recalled her saying once that she believed that one of the biggest secrets to achieving what you wanted in life was believing that you could. Just the way she believed that the two of them would make a baby this week. And because she believed it, he was convinced, as well.

There was no doubt in his mind that she would be a good mother. In his opinion his mother had been a stellar mom, and, although Taylor was fairly young, she possessed his mom's strong characteristics, as well. It amazed him at times how she had the ability to feel him out before he could utter a single word. And he liked the way she always kept her cool. She wasn't one to freak out or get frazzled easily-like the time he had invested a large sum of money without consulting her and had come close to losing it all.

Then there was her playful side. Once when she had detected him getting tense about a risky business venture, she had encouraged him to take time off and go with her to Coney Island for an afternoon of fun. Officially that had been their first date, although at the time he hadn't thought of it as such. But still, she had shown him how important it was to occasionally get in touch with your carefree side, something he failed to do often enough.

Deciding that since he had finished dressing there was no reason to linger around in the bedroom, he walked into the sitting room. For his peace of mind he felt the best thing to do was to remove himself from temptation's way. Put his mind on something else. So he thought about his parents. He had spoken to them yesterday. After spending two weeks in France they were back in the U.S. According to them, Franco Saxon's health had greatly improved. Conversely, they had known that Dominic really didn't give a royal d.a.m.n but his mother had mentioned it anyway. There had been so many times when he'd been younger, when after hearing his cla.s.smates talk about their grandparents and what a blessing they were in their lives, that he had longed for grandparents of his own. His father had told him his mother-Dominic's grandmother-had died when he was a little boy, but his grandfather was in France. As a young boy, Dominic could not understand if he had a grandfather that existed, why he never came to visit to spend time with him like his friends' grandparents had.

Much to his parents' credit, they had never spoken ill of Franco Saxon. Over the years they had accepted the older man's decision not to be a part of their lives. It was only when Dominic was grown that he discovered why his grandfather was not a part of his life. And it was a reason Dominic had found unacceptable.

His ears suddenly perked up. The shower was no longer going, which meant Taylor was finished with that particular segment of her toiletry. Dominic could imagine her damp body wrapped in one of those huge fluffy towels. He wished he was there to dry her off and thought of just how he would complete the task. He would go slow, taking time to pamper every inch of her body, starting with those luscious b.r.e.a.s.t.s he had tasted earlier, then moving lower to her flat stomach and small waist and then to that gorgeous pair of legs.

He sighed deeply. It was self-torture just thinking about all the things he would do after that. There was no denying that he wanted Taylor and he'd told her as much. But she wasn't fully aware of the intensity of that want. It had literally turned into a deep, throbbing need. A need that wouldn't go away.

Taylor looked at the outfit she had chosen to wear to dinner tonight, a black clingy halter dress. But nothing, she thought, would raise Dominic's temperature quicker than the s.e.xy red lace, sheer mesh baby-doll nightie with a matching G-string that she would put on later. It was seductive. It was daring.

Why wait till later?

She licked her lips at the thought of the sweet torment Dominic would endure if she appeared at dinner wearing it. No doubt she would become the main entree. She liked the thought of that.

Taylor stared at the outfit that hung in the closet a few seconds longer before deciding what she would do. Crossing the room, she pulled the red piece of lingerie out of the drawer and tossed it on the bed. It was time to turn the heat up a notch.

Dominic straightened in the chair, feeling his body get hard. The last thing he should be doing was sitting here looking through a book showing various s.e.xual positions while waiting for Taylor. But he couldn't help himself. The pictures were definitely s.e.xually arousing. There was not one position he couldn't picture him and Taylor trying. And if he played his cards right, before the week was out, they would try every one of them.

A faint smile touched his lips. He could just imagine the joy he would see on his parents' faces the day he told them they would be expecting a grandchild. There was no doubt in his mind that they would make wonderful grandparents. Taylor would have to be resigned to the fact that his parents would set out to make sure their grandchild was thoroughly spoiled.

"Dominic."

He turned his head to the whispered sound of his name. Holy h.e.l.l! Holy h.e.l.l! he thought, coming to his feet. he thought, coming to his feet.

His mouth dropped. Blood rushed through his veins, his heart was pounding in his chest and his pulse was beating erratically. His already hot body suddenly burst into flames. Desire. Intense chemistry. s.e.xual need. All three hung in the air like a sensuous mist and seeped through the material of his shirt to tantalize his skin and shoot his testosterone level through the roof.

And when she moved away from the door, slowly crossing the room toward him, his mouth was suddenly dry and his body flared into an erection he couldn't hide even if he wanted to. He could only stare and come to grips with the enormity of his desire for her. She had to be wearing one of the s.e.xiest sc.r.a.ps of lingerie he'd ever seen on a woman. And if Taylor thought she could sit at a table across from him wearing something like that, she definitely had another think coming.

She came to a stop in front of him and he stared into her eyes, fully understanding the message in her gaze. "Would you be terribly upset if I asked that we postpone dinner for a while?" she asked in a deep, sultry tone.

He gave her what had to be a heated smile before taking a step closer to her with his total concentration on her mouth. "Only on one condition."

"And what condition is that?"

He was still looking at her mouth. Inched his lips down closer to it. "That you let me devour you you instead." instead."

He watched her lips form into a sultry smile. "Only on one condition," she countered.

Now it was his turn to ask, "And what condition is that?"

She moved her lips closer to his and murmured in a soft, s.e.xy tone, "That I get to devour you, as well."

His body immediately responded to her words, but before he could fully react, she wrapped her hands around his neck and connected their mouths. When his lips parted on a low groan, she took full advantage of the opening and darted her tongue inside. Consumed by desire so intense that it shook him to the core, he began mating his tongue with hers in a French kiss intended to rattle her the same way she was rattling him, and destined to build a need within her to the degree he was experiencing.

Their kiss was hot. It was pa.s.sionate. It was possessive. At that moment they claimed the right to belong to each other for the next seven days. To fulfill each other's fantasies, give in to each other's desires. And most important, to create a life. Tongues mingled hotly, explored greedily and devoured incessantly.

He broke off the kiss just long enough to sweep her into his arms. "We're about to burn up the sheets, Taylor," he said on a low growl, and he began walking toward the bedroom. And that, he thought, would just be the beginning.