With her hands tangled in his hair, her body on fire, she thought only of him. No tomorrows, no yesterdays. However much she might deny it in an hour, they’d become a single unit. One depended on the other for pleasure, for comfort, for excitement. For so much more she didn’t dare think of it. She yearned for him; nothing would ever stop it. But now, he was taking her, fast and furious, through doors they’d opened together. Neither of them had gone there before with another, nor would again.

Juliet gave herself over to the dark, the heat, and to Carlo.

He drew the thin strings riding on her hips, craving the essence of her. When he’d driven her over the first peak, he knew and reveled in it. With endless waves of desire, he whipped her up again, and yet again, until they were both trembling. She called out his name as he ran his lips down her leg. All of her was the thought paramount in his mind. He’d have all of her until she was willing, ready to have all of him.

“Juliet, I want you.” His face was above hers again, his breath straining. “Look at me.”

She was staggering on that razor’s edge between reason and madness. When she opened her eyes, his face filled her vision. It was all she wanted.

“I want you,” he repeated while the blood raged in his head. “Only you.”

She was wrapped around him, her head arched back. For an instant, their eyes met and held. What coursed through them wasn’t something they could try to explain. It was both danger and security.

“Only,” she murmured and took him into her.

They were both stunned, both shaken, both content. Naked, damp and warm, they lay tangled together in silence. Words had been spoken, Juliet thought. Words that were part of the madness of the moment. She would have to take care not to repeat them when passion was spent. They didn’t need words; they had four days. Yet she ached to hear them again, to say them again.

She could set the tone between them, she thought. She had only to begin now and continue. No pressure. She kept her eyes closed a moment longer. No regrets. The extra moment she took to draw back her strength went unnoticed.

“I could stay just like this for a week,” she murmured. Though she meant it, the words were said lazily. Turning her head, she looked at him, smiled. “Are you ready for another nap?”

There was so much he wanted to say. So much, he thought, she didn’t want to hear. They’d set the rules; he had only to follow them. Nothing was as easy as it should’ve been.

“No.” He kissed her forehead. “Though I’ve never found waking from a nap more delightful. Now, I think it’s time for your next lesson.”