“Tell me about that,” she said, leaning her chin in her hand.

And so he had, trying to keep the high drama of it all out of the story. Really, some of the things he went through with Annalee were not to be believed. He’d been a complete fool and he wasn’t proud of it.

Before he left her that night, very reluctantly, he made good use of her lips. He pulled her tight against him so she knew he was completely turned on. He was more than a little grateful—he hadn’t been that turned on in a while, and it was fantastic. All that night in his little cabin by the river he thought about Erin, dreamed about her.

The next day they went for a walk through a redwood grove, although poor Erin was still stiff and sore from her marathon bike ride down the beach. They held hands and talked about their families. Aiden learned about Erin’s remodel by e-mail. “I’d done some remodeling around my dad’s house the past several years, so I had an idea what I wanted. And the builder, a local guy, was easy to work with.”

Aiden found himself telling her about how his brothers Luke and Sean met and married their wives, about his widowed mother who hadn’t had a date in a dozen years, and George, about how Art came to live on Luke’s property and his recent declaration that he had a girlfriend. And in between these stories, their arms were around each other and they kissed: deep, hot, passionate kisses that lasted a long time. “I love kissing you,” he told her.

“I don’t think this is kissing,” she said. “I think this is making out. I haven’t done this in a really long time.”

He pressed her up against one of those majestic redwoods. With a finger, he stroked back some of that silky reddish-blond hair over her ear. “I should talk to you about something. About me, about what I do for a living.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said, shaking her head.

“It must matter, Erin. Aren’t you a little concerned about getting involved with some sailor you’ve only known a few weeks? Kissed a few times?”

“Because of something as unimportant as income?” She shook her head again.

“What if there’s more to me than meets the eye?” he asked her.

She smiled. “Lucky me. Here’s what I want to know about you, Aiden. I have a good income—are you after it?”

“I’m not after that, no,” he said suggestively.

“Are you likely to use me? Treat me abusively? If we were involved, cheat on me?”

“Never. And we are going to be involved.”

“Want to know what I like best about you? That you aren’t afraid to be yourself. When I met you, I’m pretty sure I was insulting—making cracks about your appearance, your smell…” She giggled. “Lord, did you stink! My brother-in-law, Ian, he said that until he got to know me a little better, he thought I was snooty. I’m not. But I know I can be judgmental. I was pretty hard on him, too.”

“And stubborn,” he said with a smile.

“And that. And the truth is—I’m always afraid to be myself. I’m always trying to measure up.”

“There’s no reason for that,” he said. “You’re perfect.”

“I was fighting for my life in school, Aiden. My way of dealing with the pressure was to be perfect. Or maybe better than perfect. And then later, in my practice? My clients are my clients because they’re incredibly successful and are closely scrutinized by the IRS.”

“Understandable.”

“I apologize if I offended you when we were first getting to know each other….”

He grinned. “And I apologize if I gave you a concussion.”

“You chased away my bear. That zeros the debt. Can we go home soon?”

“Aren’t you enjoying the redwoods?”

“I love the redwoods. But I’m hungry and it’s a very busy weekend coming up. I’m having company and I want you to pick a time to come over and meet them.”

“There’s a town party for the Fourth,” Aiden said. “Monday at Jack’s. Well, behind Jack’s. Preacher’s going to fire up the barbecue and my whole family will be there. Will you and your family come?”

“Do we have to be invited? Because no one told me about it…”

He was shaking his head. “Everyone is invited. I think your sister and brother-in-law know a lot of the folks from town. They’d probably enjoy that.”

“The point is,” she said, “there will be lots of people around all weekend. Starting tomorrow evening for me, when Marcie arrives. So before all that starts, I want a little time alone with you.”

He was quiet for a moment; his eyes shone intensely into hers. “Are you ready for that, Erin?” he asked solemnly. “To be alone with me?”

“We’ve been alone plenty of times,” she said in a whisper.

“This time it’s going to be different.”

And she swayed toward him, offering her lips again. Her eyes drifted closed. In a breath she said, “Okay…”

All the way back to Virgin River the only thing Aiden could think about was Erin, her delicious mouth, the sweet scent of her skin and hair. While they made small talk about what they could have for dinner, he anticipated the satiny feel of her skin against his and he couldn’t wait to get past this first time with her so they could have so many, many more times. They stopped at a Fortuna grocery and bought a roasted chicken, salad greens, shoestring fries for the oven and a bottle of wine. And as they drove and made more small talk—about the town party, the number of people who would want their undivided attention and how inconvenient that suddenly was—all Aiden could think about was how many different times, ways, places and positions he wanted to get her in. He was trying to remind himself that women didn’t like to be rushed.

But, when they got to the cabin, he shoved the groceries into the refrigerator, grabbed her wrist and said, “Come on.” She laughed as he dragged her to the bedroom. When he got her beside the bed, he pulled her against him so she’d know that he was as hard as a baseball bat…as if she hadn’t gotten that message the previous few hours, especially when pressed up against a redwood. He covered her mouth in a searing, desperate, hungry kiss that made her moan. The moan came from so deep inside her that he was anxious to chase it, find it, please it and worship it. “God,” he said. “Oh man, oh God…”

“Just how long has it been, Aiden?” she asked him softly.

“I can’t even remember. But don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you.”

“I’m not worried,” she said.

He began pulling at her clothes while he kissed her. His hand was on the back of her head, his fingers splayed and threaded through her silky hair, his tongue in her mouth as he devoured her. He fell with her onto the bed, tugging her shirt off. Pretty soon she was helping him. They kicked off tennis shoes; shorts and shirts went flying and they were writhing together in just underwear. To his absolute delight, it was her hand that slipped under the waistband of his boxers, grasping him. And with that, he groaned and she gasped. That was always a good sign, he thought. A little gasp. He was pretty sure that meant he was of sufficient size to please her.

He struggled with her bra—it wasn’t the easy kind. The clasp was in the back, so he rolled her a bit and worked it clumsily, but it finally gave way. She had to let go of him to let the straps slip off her shoulders and he heard a sound of disappointment come from himself. Then he heard his groan of pleasure when she put her hand back on him. Next, her panties. Where were the panties? His hands ran down her belly and hips. “Where are your panties?” he asked breathlessly.

“I think they went with the shorts,” she whispered.

He chuckled against her mouth. “That was smart. Did I do that? Because that was smart!”

“I can’t remember which one of us took off my shorts….”

“It’s best when it happens like that,” he said sagely. “I like it like that—working together as a team.” Then he paused briefly to look down at her. She was nude and in the late-afternoon light, she was golden. He smiled; that strawberry-blond hair was the real deal. “Erin,” he said almost reverently. “You’re so beautiful. Magnificent. Hot.” And then he dipped his mouth to her nipple, licked gently before he sucked, and made her almost cry out with pleasure.

He slipped his hand between her legs and gently probed. She was wet. She’d gotten wet fast. That was so fantastic. He massaged her a little bit and she squirmed against his hand, pushing against him, wriggling and whimpering. He loved those sounds. And she held on to him, stroking. Something had to give.

“Okay, baby,” he whispered. “Stop for a minute.” He pulled her hand away. “Don’t get ahead of me here. I need a condom.”

“Yes,” she said. “Yes, please.”

He pulled away from her, found his shorts on the floor and the condom in his pocket. He ditched the boxers, suited up and poised above her, kneeling between her legs. Then he dipped to her mouth and kissed her, deeply and lovingly. Against her open mouth he asked, “Feel ready?”

She nodded.

He gave her clitoris a few more strokes, felt her squirm beneath him, heard her murmurs and whimpers, and then slid in. “Ahhhhh….” came from him. “Ah, God! Oh, Erin!”

And he started to move. He grabbed her beautiful bottom so he could get the right friction, and he pumped. He pumped hard, he pumped slow. He went gentle and then fast. He lowered his lips to her nipple and sucked while he moved. He slipped his hand between their bodies and massaged her clitoris as he moved in and out. He covered her mouth with his and invaded with his tongue. He licked her ear and neck. Then he pulled out and went down on her, licking her there. He felt her nails bite into his shoulders and after a while he came back to her breast, then to her mouth. He was inside again, trying a slow and steady rhythm. He moved evenly, waiting for a hint from her. Finally he said, “Want to tell me what you like, honey?”

She shrugged. It was unmistakably a shrug. He was inside her, but he stilled and rose above her, looking into her eyes. He gave her a gentle little kiss. “You going to come for me, baby?”

“Go ahead,” she said softly. “It’s okay.”

He felt a smile come to his lips. “A little tough getting there?”

“It’s okay. You can go ahead. Really…I don’t mind…”

He pushed her silky hair away from her face. “You don’t have orgasms easily?” She shook her head. “Can you have them on your own?”

“That doesn’t count,” she said, glancing away from him.

He laughed sweetly. “They all count. I’m not in a hurry, honey. I’m sorry if I made you think that. Tell me what you like. Tell me what feels good.”

She shrugged again. “I don’t know. Exactly.”

“Well…you have them on your own. Tell me what does it for you. Or show me. We’ll get there.”

“It’s okay…you can—”

“Erin, baby, it is okay. I’m not bored. Let’s try it together. Tell me. Show me.”

She wrestled a hand free and held up two fingers. And she actually flushed. This sophisticated lawyer, who he knew wasn’t afraid to take on the feds, blushed at the thought of telling her lover what would make her feel good.

“On the outside?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Oh, honey, that’s easy.” He brushed her hair back again. “I think you’re worried about it. Now, listen, we have lots of time. I didn’t mean to rush you. Just enjoy. And if my fingers aren’t in exactly the right spot—move them. Take charge—it’s all good.” And then he slipped his hand between their bodies again, going after that erogenous nub, softly at first, then harder and faster.

He kissed, he suckled, he moved easily and rhythmically. He’d never been in a place like this before and he suddenly hated all the men of the world for making this sexy, hot woman think she had a problem because they were in a hurry. He stroked, he took a break to lick, he sucked and stroked. They were at it a long time and he made sure he took every second she needed. When he felt as if he was losing her or when he was getting too close and feared losing his erection, he changed his routine and pulled out for a while. He went to her breast, her neck, her sex. He tried to imagine what previous lovers had said to her, things that would make her feel inadequate because she didn’t come for them. They would have told her to just relax, or to let go. Or, “Sorry.”

While he was moving rhythmically inside her, his fingers on her clitoris, lips on her br**sts and neck, he whispered, “You ever drive a standard transmission?”

“Huh?”

“You heard me. Ever drive a stick shift?”

“Uh-huh…”

“You know how impossible it feels when you’re learning, trying to find that fit, that slot, that place where the gears don’t strip? Trying to keep the engine from dying? But once you find it—you find it every time. Move my hand, baby. Let’s find the gear….”

“Ohhhh,” she said, pushing his hand just a little bit lower. Her h*ps began moving against him. “Ohhhh.”

He stroked her and pumped into her. “That’s…nice…” And he moved some more.

“More,” she whispered. “Harder.”

“That’s what I thought,” he whispered back. He pounded into her, gritting his teeth to hang on.

“Ohhhh,” she cried. “Oh, God. Oh, God!”