Her heart did a fast skip and shudder. The statement was as romantic as a whispered endearment to her. “Hey, don’t get sloppy on me.”

“Crazy,” he said again, amazed and delighted at the faint blush that stole into her cheeks. “And did I mention that your body makes me wild?”

She was a great deal more comfortable with that. “No.” She tilted her head. “Why don’t you?”

“From stem to stern,” he said, letting his hand speak more eloquently. “Forward and aft. Port and starboard.”

“Oh, God.” She gave an exaggerated sigh and shiver. “Salty talk. I just love a man out of uniform.” More than willing to be aroused, she nuzzled her lips against his. “Tell me something, sailor.”

“You bet.”

“Which part is the stern?”

“I’ll show you.” Very gently, he touched his lips to her bruised throat. “Honey, we better pull that couch out before this gets out of hand again.”

“Okay.” There was something unspeakably erotic about a callused finger stroking the underside of her breast. “If you want.”

Though the idea had merit, the couch seemed entirely too far away. “Or we could do it later. Tell you what, if you’d say something in Ukrainian, I’d forget we were on the floor. And I promise to make you forget it, too.”

“Why should I say something in Ukrainian?”

“Because it drives me insane.”

She tilted her head back. “Are you putting me on?”

“Uh-uh.” His tongue traced a slow, teasing circle on her lips. “Go ahead. Say anything.”

After a little sigh, she twined her arms around his neck. Against his ear, she murmured the words, then chuckled when he groaned.

“What did it mean?” he demanded, busying himself by nibbling his way along her shoulder.

“Loosely translated? I said you were a big, pigheaded fool.”

“Mmm…are you sure you didn’t say how much you wanted my body?”

“No. This is how you say that.”

She told him, but by the time she was finished, he was already obliging her.

In the dark, he drew her close. They had managed, finally, to pull out the bed. Now they were tangled in her sheets. The afternoon had become evening, and evening night.

“I’d like to stay,” he said quietly.

“I know.” It was silly, she thought, to be unhappy that he would go. She’d always jealously prized her nights alone. “But you can’t. It’s too soon to trust Nick overnight.”

“If things were different…” Damn, he hadn’t expected it to be so frustrating. “I’d like to take you back home with me. I’d like to have you in my bed tonight, wake up with you tomorrow.”

“He’s not ready for that, either.” She wasn’t sure she was ready herself. “Until I have a chance to smooth things out with him, and make him understand, it’s probably best if he doesn’t know we’re…”