“Because there’s nowhere to go with this. I can’t touch you. I won’t risk it.” He moved his hand away from hers now that she had stopped stroking him, and swallowed hard.

“Don’t you want to know?” she asked, propping up on her elbow to look at him, her hair falling onto his shoulder. “Don’t you want just one time between us to hold on to?”

“Of course I do.” That wasn’t the issue. “I want more than once. I want every night, with you beneath me. But we can’t. I won’t touch you, Sara. I won’t turn you into Jane or Molly or Rochelle.”

“Maybe I’m strong enough to be able to handle it.”

She had no idea how tempting what she was offering was. Gabriel lay as motionless as he possibly could, afraid to brush against her, afraid to inspire her hand to start up stroking again, afraid to breathe and catch a whiff of her scent, her shampoo, her femininity. “No, Sara.”

“You don’t have to touch me,” she said, a wicked smile spreading across her face. “I can do all the touching. Just one time, that’s all I’m asking for.”

And she brushed his hair off his face, her fingers trailing all the way down to the tips, her gaze following her touch. He shivered from the feel of her gentle and reverent caress as she pulled back and did it again, starting at his scalp and sliding her fingers down his overgrown hair.

“It’s so soft,” she whispered. “So beautiful.” Her gaze shifted to his lips, to his face. “You’re beautiful.”

“Men shouldn’t be beautiful.” But it was a token protest. He enjoyed that she thought he was attractive, was proud and pleased by the look of adoration on her face. She loved him and he wanted to hold that, take it inside him.

“You are beautiful. And I want you.”

“Take me.” His resistance was gone. He couldn’t deny her what they both wanted.

She pulled back slightly. “Do you mean it?”

He nodded, knowing what he had to do was damn near impossible, but unable to say no. “But I’m not going to touch any more than I have to. I want to protect you.”

Her eyes were wide, her mouth open, tongue darting out to wet her lips. “Okay. I’ll do all the work, I promise.”