“Tory,” he said achingly, “come here.”

“No, I’m not finished!” Victoria burst out in humiliated fury. “Go off to your mistress, if that’s what you want, but don’t blame me when you never have a son. I may be naive, but I’m not stupid enough to believe I’m supposed to produce a baby without—without some cooperation from you!”

“Tory, please come here,” he repeated hoarsely.

The raw emotion in his voice finally registered on Victoria and abruptly neutralized her anger, but she was still afraid of another rejection if she went to him. “Jason, I don’t think you know what you want. You said you wanted a son, but—”

“I know exactly what I want,” he contradicted, opening his arms to her. “If you’ll come here, I’ll show you. ...”

Mesmerized by the seductive invitation in those green eyes and the velvet roughness of his deep voice, Victoria walked slowly forward and found herself wrapped in a crushing embrace. His mouth opened over hers, slanting back and forth in a fierce, wildly arousing kiss that sent heat racing through her. She felt the intimate, rising pressure of his body against hers as his hands stroked possessively over her back and breasts, soothing her fears, igniting flames of need wherever he touched her. “Tory,” he breathed in a ragged whisper, sliding his lips down her neck and sending shivers of delight up her spine. “Tory,” he repeated achingly and buried his lips on hers again.

He kissed her slowly, deeply, and then with urgent hunger, running his hands down her sides, cupping her bottom and pulling her tightly against his rigid arousal, wringing a moan of pure, primitive desire from her.

With his lips still locked to hers, he put his arm beneath her knees and swept her into his arms. Lost in the vibrant, heated magic of his hands and mouth, Victoria felt the world tilt as he gently laid her on the bed. Clinging desperately to that special, beautiful universe where nothing existed except her husband, she closed her eyes tightly while he stripped off his clothes. She felt his weight settle onto the bed, and she fought back her panic as she waited for him to untie her robe.

Instead, he tenderly kissed her closed eyes and put his arms around her, gently drawing her against him. “Princess,” he whispered, the huskiness of his voice as sweet to her ears as the endearment, “please open your eyes. I’m not going to pounce on you, I promise.”

Victoria swallowed and opened her eyes, relieved beyond anything when she realized he had thoughtfully extinguished all but the candles on the mantel across the room.

Jason saw the fear in her wide blue eyes and he leaned up on his elbow, reaching out with his free hand to tenderly smooth the tousled red-gold curls that were spread luxuriantly across his pillow. No man but he had ever touched her, he thought reverently. Pride surged through him at the thought. This beautiful, brave, unspoiled girl had given herself to him, and him alone. He wanted to make up to her for their wedding night, to make her moan with rapture and cling to him.

Ignoring the urgent throbbing in his loins, he touched his lips to her ear. “I don’t know what you’re thinking,” he said softly, “but you look frightened to death. Nothing is different from how it was a few minutes ago when we were kissing each other.”

“Except that you don’t have any clothes on,” Victoria reminded him shakily.

He bit back a smile. “True. But you do.”

Not for long, she thought, and she heard his deep sensuous chuckle, as if he read her thoughts.

He kissed the corner of her eye. “Would you like to keep your robe on?”

The wife whose virginity he had taken with brutal, uncaring swiftness looked into his eyes, laid her hand against his cheek, and whispered softly, “I want to please you. And I don’t think you want me to keep it on.”

With a low groan, Jason leaned down and kissed her with fierce tenderness, shuddering uncontrollably when she kissed him back with an innocent ardor that sent desire roaring through him like wildfire. He pulled his mouth from hers. “Tory,” he said wryly, “if you pleased me any more than you do when you kiss me, I’d die of pleasure.”

He drew a shaky breath and untied the velvet rope at her waist, but when he started to part her robe, her hand clamped convulsively over his. “I won’t open it if you don’t want me to, sweet,” he promised, his hand unmoving beneath hers. “Only I hoped there wouldn’t be any more things separating us—not misunderstandings, not doors, not even clothes. I took mine off to show you myself, not to frighten you.”

She shivered at his tender explanation and took her hand from his; then, to his intense joy, Victoria slid her hand around his neck and offered herself up to him.

Her robe fell away beneath his questing fingers and he bent his head and kissed her, his fingers rubbing her nipple, his tongue sliding across her lips, urging them to part for his probing tongue. Instead of merely submitting to his intimate kiss, Victoria drew his tongue into her mouth, wrapped her arms fiercely around his neck, and welcomed his thrusting tongue. Against his palm her nipple rose up proudly, and Jason tore his mouth from hers, bending his head to her breast.

Victoria jumped in startled resistance, and he looked up at her in wonder as he again realized that no man had ever touched or kissed her as he was doing. “I won’t hurt you, darling,” he whispered reassuringly, and pressed his lips to the hardened little bud, kissing it, nuzzling until he felt her relax, then he slowly parted his lips, drawing her nipple into his mouth.

Victoria’s dazed amazement that he would wish to suckle at her breast gave way to a startled moan of intense pleasure as her nipple was pulled into his mouth and the drawing pressure of his mouth began to increase, tightening relentlessly on her nipple until quick, piercing stabs of desire were shooting rhythmically through her entire body. Her fingers slid into his crisp black hair, holding his head to her as if she wanted him never to leave—until she felt his hand suddenly slide downward between her legs.

“No!” The terrified whisper burst out of her, and she clamped her legs together. Instead of making Jason angry, as she feared, her resistance won a muffled, hoarse laugh from him.

In one smooth motion he shifted upward and kissed her lips with raw, dizzying hunger. “Yes,” he whispered, his lips moving back and forth against hers. “Oh, yes ...” His hand delved down again, teasing softly at the triangle between her legs, his fingers toying with her until the stiffness flowed out of her legs and her thighs relaxed, surrendering to his gentle, insistent persuasion. Jason pressed his fingers to her and the wet warmth of her welcome there almost broke his control. He could not believe the ardor in her, nor the natural ease with which she drove him wild—for as Victoria surrendered each separate part of her body to him, she gave it up wholly, holding nothing back. He moved his fingers in her and her hips lifted, arching sweetly against his hand while she clung to his shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh. Bracing his hands on either side of her, he moved partially atop her.