"You're welcome," he murmured.

He ran his fingers through her hair. Another touch she'd always loved. And he remembered. Gia moaned as he gently rubbed at her scalp, brushed his hands over her temples, applied the perfect pressure to the back of her stiff neck. He touched her as if they didn't have a care between them. It would be so sinfully easy to slip again into the fantasy of being Jason's fairy-tale soul mate.

Once upon a time, she'd fallen hard for him. It had nothing to do with his money and everything to do with the very personal way he cared for her. Insistent, yes. Hands on, definitely. But she'd never felt more adored in her life than she did with Jason.

"Relax," he whispered.

Her eyes slid shut. "You're making it impossible to do anything else."

"Excellent." He gathered her hair in his hands and clipped it atop her head.

Then she smelled something new, a blend of lavender, rosemary, chamomile, and a few other scents she couldn't identify. Suddenly, his big hands covered her shoulders and began kneading, working the oil down her arms, then back up to her neck. She gave a low groan and melted against him.

"Jason," she whispered.

He bent and brushed his lips against her ear. "You like that."

"Hmm..." she breathed. "Yes."

When Gia had first arrived, she'd been sure that he would immediately force her into bed. Not physically. After all, she'd agreed to give him her body at any time in any way he wanted until their anniversary. But instead of ordering her surrender, he seemed intent on coaxing it from her. And he was doing a d.a.m.n fine job.

"Still sore?" He ma.s.saged the tense muscles and tendons of her shoulders and arms, dissolving her acc.u.mulated stress with every gentle dig of his fingers.

"No."

"Good."

Jason dipped his hands in her bath water, rinsing them. Then he caressed his way up her hips, her waist. Gia's breath caught and held as his fingertips traced a path over her damp skin until he cradled her b.r.e.a.s.t.s in his hands.

"These are perfect," he murmured, thumbing his way toward her nipples.

They beaded in antic.i.p.ation of his touch, tightening, lengthening. He captured them in his grip. She eased her head back against the rim of the tub and drew in a shaking breath before exhaling in an aroused rush. Why did he always turn her inside out?

He slid his cheek against hers, the stubble p.r.i.c.kly soft. The slight abrasion of his skin added another layer of texture to his possession. His woodsy-musky scent surrounded her and reminded her of the hundreds of times he'd driven her to ecstasy with seeming ease. Now she was on his turf, playing by his terms...and heading for his bed again. For a blissful moment, she didn't regret it.

The last eleven and a half months had been so devastating, so stressful and terrible. Temporarily dropping all the crushing responsibilities for finding Tony's killer while juggling her small niece and nephew was such a wonderful, guilty relief. Giving Jason anything but her body wasn't smart, but Gia didn't think she could hide the fact that she still cared.

When Jason released her nipples then clamped down on them again, she arched into his hands, reveling in the way he cradled her in his grip. Pleasure clouded her thoughts, as if she'd consumed a whole bottle of wine. Tomorrow she would care that she'd given in too easily. Tomorrow she might even resent him for being so able to unravel her restraint.

Tonight, she just didn't care.

He buried his nose in her neck and inhaled. "G.o.d, I've missed your smell. For a month after we left Vegas, I sniffed the nightgown you wore on our wedding night. It made me hard and hungry to f.u.c.k you every d.a.m.n time. Just like I am right now."

"You're trying to seduce me." She couldn't seem to make her voice sound accusing.

"I don't have any plans to stop at trying. You're my wife, at least until the twenty-fourth. That's how I intend to treat you. I'm going to strip you, bind you, penetrate and possess you every chance I get."

She didn't doubt him. Jason might be motivated by revenge or a need to work through whatever residual emotions he had, and he might want to be indifferent to her in every way except s.e.xually, but she sensed he wasn't.

"Stand." He grabbed a towel from the nearby rack.

As she complied with a shiver, he wrapped the warm terrycloth around her, tucking it between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Dizzy and off balance, Gia swayed closer. Her chest met his. As Jason wrapped his arms around her, she grasped his shoulders and eased her head back. She couldn't help but stare into his eyes. They didn't look crystal cold now, but a hot, dark blue. His jaw clenched. His nostrils flared. Desire tightened his face.

It might be the stupidest thing she'd ever done, but Gia lifted her face, stood on her tiptoes, and brought her mouth toward his. Jason met her halfway, his lips crashing over hers.

He held her tight and sank deep, as if he could inhale her all at once. The inexplicable need to be close to him, along with a sense of rightness, stunned her.

Gia opened herself to him and took the aggression of his kiss. It had been such a long time, and she wanted him, craved the sense of safety and care he inevitably gave her. She'd done far too much damage to their relationship to expect much more than l.u.s.t in return, and she should probably use this time to work Jason from her system, in case he was doing the same. Problem was, she didn't want that at all.

The last year had proven that she didn't always get what she wanted.

Shoving the confusing tangle of her thoughts aside, Gia drowned in his scent, his taste. He made her body ache-and her heart yearn. Lost in him, she gave herself over.

Suddenly, Jason tore away, drew in a breath, repositioned to get deeper, fisted her towel, and devoured her once again. Gia couldn't stop herself. Desperate for more, she stumbled over the rim of the tub and pressed her body to his.

Her husband lurched back against the bathroom counter, and she finally felt every inch of his hardness-chest, abs, thighs, as well as that c.o.c.k she remembered filling her so perfectly. Gia whimpered as she curled her tongue around his, begging because she couldn't bother to part from him long enough to speak the words.

With a growl, Jason yanked back, panting. He scanned her expression for a long second with a curse before he lifted her and turned, plopping her on the counter. He ripped the corner of the towel from between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The terrycloth fell away, exposing her entirely. He remained fully clothed, and she felt so vulnerable under his hot stare. Determination stamped itself all over his face. He meant to have her now.

Gia's nipples peaked. Her stomach knotted with excitement as her blood fired hot and her p.u.s.s.y clenched. If he walked away from her again, she swore she'd shrivel up or go insane, so she did the one thing she knew would inflame him.

She lowered her gaze, noticing the big bulge beneath his fly, and spread her legs for him. "Take me."

Jason clenched his teeth. It would be so easy to do that.

But instinct told him that he had to decide whether he merely wanted his pound of flesh...or to keep his wife by his side forever.

If he let Gia into his life again, he would have to remove feeling from their arrangement or risk her hurting him once more. But if he took her to bed now only to watch her slip through his fingers again later, then what?

At the thought, Jason was torn between leaving the room once more until he could be rational or f.u.c.king her absolutely senseless.

"d.a.m.n it," he muttered.

How had she crawled under his skin again so quickly? Or had he ever truly stopped caring? Jason knew the answer. It wasn't a comfort.

So he had to find some way to induce her to stay, figure out what she wanted and give it to her, no matter the cost.

His entire life, he had wondered why his father had been stupid enough to marry Samantha, knowing she cared about his money far more than him. Sadly, Jason understood now.

"Spell it out for me," he insisted, clasping her face in his hands and spearing her gaze with his own. "Who am I and what do you want from me? Exactly. I won't have any more miscommunication between us."

"I want you inside me, Mr. Denning." Gia's voice trembled.

She gave a s.h.i.t about what happened here. If nothing but nerves caused her shaky tones, she wouldn't have sounded so d.a.m.n steady when they'd argued earlier.

"We're not sceneing right now. Try again."

"J-Jason..."

He shook his head. "Who am I to you? Just some guy you want to f.u.c.k?"

She recoiled, shock raising her brows and dropping her jaw. "No. We might not have had an ideal first year or even a honeymoon, but legally we're still married."

"But I've never had the chance to truly be your husband, so where does that leave us?"

Gia tried to back away. "I thought you wanted s.e.x."

Jason held firm. "I didn't ask what you thought I wanted. You're avoiding my question."

Her expression looked a bit guilty. "You're my husband."

"That's right. And...?"

The way Gia squirmed in his grasp told him that she wasn't ready to admit any feelings she might be having for him. Oh, she was willing to cede her body. Jason meant to use it to bind her to him. Once he'd managed that, he would work like h.e.l.l to capture at least a corner of her heart. If that didn't work...well, he had more money.

"Spit it out. What do you want from me? Does tonight mean anything or do you just have a fire that needs putting out?"

"No," she insisted. "Why are you making everything between us sound so ugly?"

"I'm simply making sure I understand what you're begging for."

Her lips tightened. She leaned back against the mirror with a huff and grabbed for her towel to gather it around her body. He slammed his hands down on either side of her hips, pinning the terrycloth to the counter.

"Let me have it," she insisted.

"Answer me."

She gave him a little growl. "You're the one who demanded we spend this time together. What do you want?"

"For you to stop hiding from me and be honest."

Gia crossed her arms over her naked b.r.e.a.s.t.s. "What do you want me to say? I've never stopped wanting you. Fine. There's the truth, but I like you much better when you're nice."

"Nice?" Jason turned her words over in his head. "What the h.e.l.l does that mean?"

"You know, like when you helped me into the bath and rubbed my shoulders, unlike when you accused me of being h.o.r.n.y or desperate for just any man."

"Did you like it when I kissed you and shoved my fingers up your c.u.n.t?"

A little flush dashed up her cheeks. "You know I did."

Her admission wasn't loud, but he heard it. And he understood. Gia opened to him every time he treated her like a treasured lover. Was there any chance she actually still cared?

The thought revved him far more than it should.

"Put your arms around me."

It took her a long moment to release the grip on her biceps. Finally, she did and scooted closer, raising her arms to him slowly until she clasped them behind his neck.

"Good."

Her body heat rose and her scent swirled all around him. h.e.l.l, just having her here made him rabid with the need to claim her now. He should probably stop, get control of himself and the situation, regroup and plan. All he really wanted to do was consume her in a blistering conflagration so she never considered leaving him again.

Jason covered her lips with his own once more. He gave up anything that resembled careful consideration and seized her mouth with a scorching kiss, stroking deep, feeling her lips mold to his kiss. Gia's breath caught, and she grabbed at his hair. Desire pinged from her body to his and back, revving with enough charge to power Dallas on a sweltering day.

Gathering her thighs in his desperate grip, he pulled them wide and dragged her closer until his aching fly rested against her p.u.s.s.y. Jason cursed the zipper separating them. Why the h.e.l.l hadn't he taken his clothes off, too?

Dragging in a determined huff, he broke away and pulled at his shirt, not really caring how he got the d.a.m.n thing off. As he tugged, some of the b.u.t.tons pinged onto the floor, but BFD. Claiming his wife again was far more important.

His jeans fell victim next to his blazing need to be inside Gia. He ripped at the snap and yanked down the zipper, then shoved them off until he, too, stood naked and needy.

Some part of him really hated wanting her so much. That voice screeching in his head sounded like his father-calculating and remote. But he wondered how he'd last another hour without her, much less the rest of his life. Jason had never been good at forming attachments, but with Gia it had just...happened.

f.u.c.k, these feelings were so foreign. Even if they gave her too much power, he wanted to be inside her in the next sixty seconds or less.

Jason reached into the bathroom cabinet and grabbed a condom. "Tell me again you want this."

Gia nodded. "I do."

"Tell me you want me."

Her gaze clung to him as her face softened. "I haven't wanted anyone else since I met you."

At her trembling admission, his c.o.c.k ached even more. If he hadn't had the same experience, he probably would have bowed to his inner cynic and a.s.sumed she was lying. But he knew firsthand how true those words could be.

"No regrets afterward," he warned.

Hesitation flitted across her expression. It bothered Jason. Worried him, even.

Finally, she shook her head. "No. I'm not going to feel whole until I'm with you again, at least this once."

Once, my a.s.s. After he took her, there'd be no letting her go again. But no way was he going to argue when he could be immersing himself inside the slickest, hottest heaven he'd ever lost himself in.

"I won't hold back." He tore into the foil and rolled the condom down his aching c.o.c.k.

"I wouldn't want you to."

And I won't let go. For better or worse...until death do us part.

The silent vow made, Jason swiped a pair of fingers through Gia's folds. She moaned, and her wet heat put all his worries to rest. His wife was every bit as ready as he felt, and later he would touch her at will, delight in seeing her flush and pant and whimper for the o.r.g.a.s.ms he vowed to give her. He'd also take her properly in the bed he intended to share with her for the rest of their lives. Right now, he needed to make her his again.

Jason clasped her thighs and dragged her a.s.s to the very edge of the counter. He was d.a.m.n thankful that he was tall and had long legs. And then he didn't think anything at all as he wrapped his hand around his c.o.c.k and guided it to her swollen, weeping c.u.n.t.

As soon as he buried the head inside Gia's sweltering opening, he clutched her hips, fused his stare to hers, and began to tunnel inside. She gripped him like hot silk and made his eyes cross as pleasure instantly blazed through his body.

As he pushed deeper, she tensed and gasped. Jason gritted his teeth. It had been nearly a year for both of them. Of course she was tight. He fought the urge to shove his way b.a.l.l.s deep and pound at her p.u.s.s.y. d.a.m.n it, he didn't want to be wearing this condom. Taking her bare and feeling her walls clench down on him in climax before he spilled his seed deep inside her, hoping she would swell with their child...