Across the River of Yesterday (9 page)

She pulled her gaze away and laughed shakily. “This is
not
a glass of orange juice. You’re steam-rolling again.”

“This is one of the important things.” He took her chin in his fingers and brought her gaze back to him. “Remember, you promised me a picture. You never painted that picture for me, Serena.”

He was wrong. She had painted a dozen pictures for him the first year after she had left him. It had been her only relief during that hellish period. “Do you want me to do a mural for the living room wall?” she asked flippantly.

“No, just one picture, but I want my choice, so you’ll have to provide me with a wide selection.” He brushed the tip of her nose with his lips. “Landscapes, portraits …” He leered clowningly. “Nudes. I want it all.” Something hot and smoky flickered in the depths of his eyes. “All.”

“You’re not going to let me out of this, are you?”

“Not on your life.”

She stepped back, already experiencing the beginning of the creative excitement she had thought she had forgotten. A blank canvas, paints, a beautifully lush tropical countryside … Oh, Lord, she shouldn’t give in to him. It was a mistake, but one she knew she was going to make anyway. In fact, she could scarcely wait to start. “You may be sorry. There’s something you should know about me. Ross once told me that one of your primary characteristics was determination. Well, one of
mine is total single-mindedness. Once I focus on something, I become obsessive and can’t let go.” She tried to smile. “Even if it rips me apart, I still can’t let go.”

He nodded resignedly, his gaze on the eagerness lighting her face. “I’ll learn to live with it. The sketch books and pencils are on the shelf beneath that work table across the room. Why don’t you grab what you need and take it to your room and change? I’d like to take you on a tour of the grounds before it gets dark, and you might want to make a few sketches, if something catches your eye.”

“I’ll do that.” The excitement was growing as she moved quickly across the room to the table. She glanced back over her shoulder and smiled. “Thank you, Gideon.”

“It’s my pleasure.” His smile held a touch of self-mockery as he turned away. “I hope. I’ll knock on your door in fifteen minutes. Okay?”

“Uhhmm.” She was examining the sketch books and pencils.

His smile deepened. “I’ll make it forty-five minutes.” He quietly closed the door, leaving her alone in the sunlit studio.

“I think I’ve created a monster.” Gideon shook his head mournfully as he pushed his chair away from the table after dinner. “You were in that studio from after dinner last night until three o’clock this morning. In the past three days you’ve scarcely poked your head out that door. How the hell do you expect me to seduce you, if I don’t see you?”

“I warned you,” Serena said with an impish grin. “You’re right. The situation is entirely of your own creation. Besides, we’ve had meals together, we’ve done dishes together, we went for a walk the first day we came and we played cards …” She frowned. “When was that?”

“My presence obviously made a deep impression on you,” Gideon said dryly. “I might just as well have been playing solitaire. Well, I’ve come to the end of my patience. The seduction begins immediately.” He leaned back in his chair, stretched
his legs in front of him, crossing them at the ankle. “And I’m not only demanding a three-day extension. I want your complete attention for at least five hours a day. I know that’s asking a lot when your new love is so absorbing but—”

“You’re jealous,” said Serena, amazed. “You’re actually jealous.”

“You bet I am. I’m jealous of everything concerning you. I was jealous of that fancy prince you married; I was jealous of the years that separated us; now I’m jealous of a damn palette of paints.”

“You handed me the palette of paints.”

“And I’ll hand them to you again—tomorrow.” He made a face. “So much for my grand gesture.”

“It was a grand gesture,” Serena said softly. He had given her back something very precious that might have been lost forever, and he had given it with a touching generosity. He had not only let her absorb herself completely in her work, but he had deliberately rid his manner of any hint of sexuality during the last three days. She might as well have been living with an indulgent older brother. “And I think perhaps, you’re a very grand man, Gideon.”

“It was all a plot, you know, to create an impression. Now that I’ve set you up, I’m ready to move in for the kill.” He stood up lithely. “Let’s go for a walk.”

“Where?”

“Down to the lake. That’s where I’m going to make love to you.”

Her eyes widened. “Now?”

“Nope. Right now I’m going through the mating rituals. Don’t worry, I’ll choose the right time.”

Serena felt a prickle of annoyance. Gideon was running things again. She stood up and faced him. “No.”

He blinked. “No?”

“You’re not going to bulldoze me, Gideon.” She placed her hands on her hips. “Let’s get a few things straight.
If
I let you make love to me, it won’t be seduction. It will be because I want to make love. And I’ll be the one to choose the time.” She turned and started from the kitchen. “Tonight you can do the dishes by yourself.”

“Where are you going?”

She glanced back over her shoulder, “To my other lover.” Then she suddenly smiled with loving sweetness. “By the way, I have every intention of giving you what you want … eventually.” Then she was gone and a moment later he heard her steps on the stairs.

He stared blankly at the door until a slow smile containing both pride and a touch of mischief lit his features. “Well, I’ll be damned.”

She didn’t look up from the canvas when she heard the door of the studio open a few hours later. “Gideon?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I’ll be through here in fifteen minutes or so. I have to get the shading at the foot of this tree right.”

“I wouldn’t think of disturbing you.” His voice was silky. She heard his steps behind her. “You just keep right on painting.”

“It will only be— What are you doing?”

“Nibbling your ear. Quite tasty.” He stopped her with his hands on her shoulders when she would have turned around to face him. “No, your work is too important to postpone. You paint away, love. I’ll find something to keep myself amused.” His tongue suddenly plunged into her ear. “Your hand jumped. Now you’ll have to take care of that little smudge, won’t you? Sorry about that.”

“I’m sure you are.” She could hardly speak through the tightness of her throat. The clean smell of soap and a minty after-shave lotion was surrounding her, and his body was emitting a masculine heat as aphrodisiac as the pungent male scent of him. She tried to steady her brush. “You’re making it very difficult.”

“Am I?” His arms reached around her and his deft fingers began to unbutton her blouse. “Well, life can be tough sometimes.” He spread the edges of her blouse back and unfastened the front catch of her bra. “We have to learn to overcome these little upsets. I’m sure if you concentrate, you can forget what I’m doing to you.” His hands suddenly closed on her bare breasts. “Oh, now you’ve made another smudge. Maybe you should make those tree roots instead of shadows.”

She swayed a little, her breasts lifting beneath his hands with every breath. “Gideon, don’t …”

“You’ve got such sweet nipples. They’re poking at my palms as if they’re nuzzling against me.” His voice was thick. “And the weight of these pretty things is driving me crazy.” He pressed his hips against her and rubbed slowly back and forth. “See?”

His length was hard and aroused as he undulated against her, and his hands were squeezing her breasts rhythmically. “Do you know what I’d like to do to you? I’d like to take all these clothes off you and try a little painting myself. I’d paint your nipples scarlet.” His hand moved down to the apex of her thighs and began to rub gently. “And this lovely thing a warm gold. I’d use a very soft, delicate brush, and I think you’d like it as much as I. I’d take a very long time and each stroke would be slow motion.” His teeth bit lightly at her earlobe. “I’d make sure you felt every bristle of the brush as it dipped into every curve and valley. Do you think you’d moan as I did that, love? I’d love to hear you moan and pant. Then I’d wash it all off and use my own brush to stroke you and make you moan.” He brought her in solid contact and held her there for an endless moment as he buried his lips in the nape of her neck. “I think you’ve dropped your brush.”

“I don’t care.” She was trembling helplessly. “Let me turn around.”

“Why?”

“I want to touch you.” The words were so faint, they were almost inaudible. “This isn’t fair, Gideon.”

“I know, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun.”

“Not for me. I feel so helpless.”

He hesitated and then his hands dropped away from her. “Touch me.”

She turned and nestled against him. Her shaking fingers quickly unbuttoned his blue chambray shirt. Then she pushed the cloth aside, and pressed her naked breasts against his hair-roughened
chest. He gasped and she could feel the shudder running through him. She didn’t seem to have the breath to gasp. Her lungs were so starved for oxygen that they felt as if they were burning up. She couldn’t seem to get close enough to him. She wasn’t conscious of the low sound of hunger she made as she thrust her breasts against him, rubbing the sensitive nipples into the springy thatch of thick brown hair that roughened his tanned chest. The fiery friction made her cry out again.

“Easy.” Gideon’s voice was a choked murmur. “I want it as much as you do, but if we’re not careful I’ll just lift you up and take you right here.”

“Okay.” Her voice was muffled. “Anywhere.”

“The lake.” He was breathing harshly, his chest lifting and falling against her lips.

“It’s too far.”

He pushed her away. “It will give us time to cool down. I want this to last a long time, love. You go change into that violet thing you wore the first night and I’ll get a blanket.”

“That’s an evening outfit,” she said, bewildered.

“It doesn’t matter. I want this to be special. Something to remember.” He smiled beguilingly. “Please.”

She stared at him helplessly. She was practically exploding and so was he, and yet he wanted to
delay
it? She opened her lips to protest, but that blasted smile was her undoing. Sunlit tenderness and little-boy pleading.

“All right.” She turned to the door. “It’s crazy, but okay. But let’s
hurry
, dammit.”

“Right.” He ran by her and tossed back over his shoulder, “Downstairs in five minutes.”

When they met in the foyer, Gideon had a quilt over one arm and an armful of towels in the other.

“Towels?” she asked. “We’re going for a swim? I must have missed something along the way. That wasn’t exactly the activity I had in mind.”

He laughed with a joyous exuberance that caused Serena’s exasperation to ebb away. “Neither do I, love. That’s why we’ve got to hurry or I might be tempted to throw you down in the bushes and ravish you. The swim is afterward.” He took her elbow and ushered her out onto the porch and down the steps.

The night was warm and balmy and heavy with the scent of jasmine and coffee beans, and Serena’s silver heels sunk into the soft earth as she kept pace with his swift steps. She began to laugh helplessly. She felt young and crazy and more exhilarated than she had in years. “Gideon, this is absolutely insane. There are beds galore back in the house, and you opt for nature in the raw.”

“I want everything perfect for you. The first time I saw the lake I knew I wanted to make magic with you there.”

“Magic?”

“Lovemaking is magic when it’s between the right people. I don’t know what kind of relationship you had with your husband, but this is going to be better.” His voice was suddenly fierce. “I’ll make damn sure it’s better. I’ll wipe him out of your mind, if it takes a lifetime.”

“Gideon …” She drew a deep breath. “I’m not about to make comparisons. You’re probably the one who’ll find me inadequate.” She paused and then continued in a little rush, “I’m not very experienced.”

He didn’t reply for a moment. “I know you haven’t had any lovers in the last two years. If there had been anyone on the horizon, I would have dropped everything and moved in right away.” His gaze narrowed on her face. “Antonio?”

“There were … problems.” She smiled with an effort. “Do we have to talk about this? I just thought you should know I don’t have all the techniques down pat. I didn’t want you to be disappointed.”

He threw back his head and laughed joyously. “Disappointed? I feel like flying over the moon. Do you know how jealous I’ve been of that bastard?” His hand tightened on her elbow and suddenly they were almost running. “There aren’t any techniques, only instinct, and we both have an abundance of that, don’t we, love?”

Her spirits rebounded to reflect the same joy she could feel in Gideon. “I’ll say we do.”

They came out of the encircling palms into a clearing and Serena caught her breath. It was such an incredibly enchanting sight. In the moonlight the waterfall tumbling over the limestone rocks was a shimmering iridescent stream of silver as it poured into the onyx mirror of the pool. The dark encircling palms enclosed and imprisoned the jewellike beauty with a jealous intimacy.

She stopped on the moss-covered bank, mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the scene. “It’s
utterly fantastic,” she said breathlessly. “I’ve never seen anything so lovely.”

“Well, you can’t paint it. Not tonight, at least.” Gideon dropped the towels on the ground and then spread the quilt with a quick billow of material. He turned to face her. “Lord, you’re beautiful. I knew when I first saw you in that outfit that I wanted to see you wear it here.” He took a step, and one finger traced the silver-scrolled trim bordering the square neckline. “This shines in the moonlight, just like I knew it would.”

She could feel the warmth of his finger on her breast through the thin material. “I thought you didn’t like it. Eleanor of Aquitaine, remember?”

“I like it. I was just jealous of all the other men who had probably seen you in it.” His gaze was fixed intently on the naked swell of her breasts above the neckline. “And I was trying like hell to keep from doing this.” His hands slowly moved behind her and loosened the back zipper. Then he pulled the neckline down, baring her breasts completely. The silver banded bodice kept them high and saucy in the moonlight, the pale globes a voluptuous invitation. “Beautiful.” His voice was harsh and thick and his eyes blazing hotly as they looked at her. “But it can be improved.”