What was his problem? He needed to stop with the poetry and remember that Emma was nothing more than a lying, cheating woman. One who clearly had no use for him apart from what he could do to her clit.

Don’t forget again,he counseled himself.

“Here,” he said, throwing her wet clothes at her. Instead of catching the small wet ball of fabric and underwire, Emma let it hit her smack across the chest. Her mouth opened with surprise and she jumped back a step. Her lower lip began to wobble and as she stood there naked, and confused, and so damn beautiful, Jason almost forgot that tonight meant nothing more than hot sex to Emma. That she’d likely take a quick shower and run back to her perfect little suburban world to catch up on the latest gossip, their tryst completely forgotten.

Tamping down on his newly flared anger—both at himself and the woman he couldn’t resist no matter how hard he tried—he barked, “Planning on putting your dress back on?” as he stepped out onto the shore.

He watched her struggle with his coldness. And yet, she still ate up his nakedness, need flaring up in her eyes.

Forcing himself to turn away from her obvious desire, Jason reminded himself that this was what he had wanted. For them to end their relationship once and for all.

Only this time, they were ending things on his terms.

Fighting his protective instincts every step of the way, he said, “Get dressed,” pulling on his own pants over his naked, wet skin as if giving her step-by-step instructions.

But Emma was racked with shivers, as she held her arms tightly around her waist, hiding her br**sts from him. “I…I’m all…”

Seemingly too cold and distraught to finish her sentence, Jason felt like she was imploring him with her big doe eyes to help her out.

No way.

He raised an eyebrow and waited.

Finally something inside the woman he cravedfor no good reason snapped. “I’m all wet!” she yelled.

“Wet! I’ll soak through my dress and my underwear is ruined and if you don’t want anyone to find out about this you’d better think fast!”

Jason couldn’t help it. He started laughing. He hadn’t seen Emma this riled up since, well, ever actually.

Judging by the look in her eyes, Jason guessed that Emma was pretty damn stunned by her outburst as well. If he knew her at all, she’d be apologizing in five, four, three, two…

“Sorry,” she mumbled, at which point he threw her his sweater.

“Dry off.”

Emma quickly rubbed the remaining droplets of water from her skin.Such gorgeous skin, he found

himself thinking, wishing like hell that he could turn his damn sex drive off. He pictured greasy burgers, soggy, squeaky fries, withered salads. It usually did the trick, turning his stomach with disgust, but tonight even fast food wasn’t quite the poison he needed.

Seconds later, Emma pulled her dress back over her head and Miss Priss was back in business. She finger-combed her wet hair, tucking it back behind her ears, and then slipped back into her heels. Folding his wet sweater with intense concentration, she held it out for him.

“I can’t believe this happened,” she said finally, a tremulous smile on her lips. “After so long…”

Forcing himself to hold tightly to his resolution to leave her without a backward glance, even though he knew she was trying to bridge the chasm between them, he ignored her opening to reminisce about the past.

“I have to get back to Napa.”

Her eyes held his and he thought he saw a plea in them. Something caught in his chest and he nearly reached out for her, almost blurted out,“How could you have left me? I loved you so much. I would have done anything for you. Been anyone you wanted.”

Everything went still as they faced off, a decade of emotion hanging in the air between them, and the only way Jason could find solid ground was to walk away.

Tonight had been a mistake, a beautiful mistake. One an intelligent man would never dare to repeat again.

Five

Unable to return to the party looking like a half-drowned rat, Emma drove home, replaying the evening’s events again and again in her head.

She had seen Jason again for the first time in ten years. They had made love. In the lake. She had come not once, but twice. Two incredible, mind-altering orgasms. They had finally consummated their

relationship in the most elemental way and it had been so much better than anything she could have ever imagined. Her skin felt hot and tight as she let herself into her big, empty house, still feeling impossibly turned on.

Even though her heart had been broken all over again.

From the look in his eyes, the set of his jaw before he walked away without so much as a good-bye, Emma was certain that Jason thought he had made a mistake by being with her.

One that he wouldn’t forgive either himself or her for.

She didn’t blame him for feeling that way. How could she? She’d done all the wrong things in college, made all the wrong decisions, taken the one road that she knew would hurt Jason the most.

She could see that he didn’t have one single reason to be rejoicing over their extremely sensual, private reunion tonight. Even though Emma could have named a thousand reasons to rejoice. Each one starting with Jason’s touch and ending with his kiss.

Barely aware of what she was doing, her night having taken on a surreal glow, she locked herself into her opulent master bathroom and turned on the water in the bathtub. She’d never been this impatient to touch herself, never been this unashamed of finding her own pleasure.

Jason had given her that gift tonight. The gift of pleasure. Of satisfaction. Of finally knowing what giving herself to a man, body and soul, was supposed to be like.

Sliding down under the steaming water, Emma groaned with pleasure. Feeling so much bolder than she’d ever been before, she placed her hand over her mound and summoned up a picture of Jason in her mind.

Tell me what you want,he had said.

Emma’s fingers trembled as she found her most sensitive spot and started rubbing small, light circles.

Slick wetness flooded between her legs and seemingly of its own volition, her other hand found her breast.

What do you want me to do to your clit?

Heat rushed through her. Aching, desperate arousal. Arching her body into her hand, Emma threw her head back and cried out his name as shudders racked through her.

Still in a daze, she dried off and crawled naked under her covers, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep. She woke to the insistent bleeping of her cell phone. It was Kate, it had to be.

But Emma didn’t want to talk to her friend, didn’t want anything to destroy her magical memories. When night came again she hoped she could retreat back into that special place where everything felt so good.