Carpathian 02 - Dark Desire

preventing her from fastening them. "Do not bother, Shea. The pools are just ahead." He walked a few feet, then looked back over his shoulder. "I did not make it up, and I know you are staring at my backside."
    Shea tossed her mane of red hair so that it flew in all directions. "Any woman in her right mind would stare at your particular backside, so you don't need to add that to your arrogant list of virtues. And stay out of my mind unless you're invited." She was staring, but she couldn't help it. He was so beautifully masculine.
    Jacques reached behind him and captured her hand, lacing their fingers together. "But I find the most interesting things in your mind, my love. Things you do not have any intention of telling me."
    Shea could hear a sound now. Not the drip of water seeping from the earth into the tunnel, but a dull roar that began to boom louder with every step they took. She looked carefully around her, afraid the roof of the cave might come crashing down. Jacques tugged on her hand, urging her forward.
    Around the next bend he ducked into a small entrance, and Shea reluctantly followed him. The moment she straightened again, the sight nearly took her breath away. The room was huge, with rock crystals lining the walls, sparkling in the steamy chamber. Pools tiered one another, separated only by symmetrical rock walls. Steam rose from the various pools, giving the chamber an ethereal appearance. A long, steady fall of frothy water tumbled down the far wall into the deepest pool. Large boulders and long, flat rocks divided the pools, forming natural berths for sitting or lying down.
    Shea stared at the underground paradise in awe. "This is so beautiful. How come no one knows about it?"
    Jacques laughed softly. "You mean humans?" He turned to her, cupped the back of her neck, and bent to take possession of her mouth because he had to do it. She was far too tempting with her disheveled clothes, wild hair, and look of bemusement.
    Shea's body instantly went pliant and soft, melding with his harder, more muscular frame. Her mouth was hot and inviting, her breasts pressing into his bare stomach. Jacques lifted his head, his thumb trailing over her lip, her throat, to the tip of her right breast. "These caves are deep and go on for miles. It is easy to get lost and simply disappear. Few humans come near this place. It has a reputation of being dangerous."
    His hand caressed her soft skin. "Take off your jeans."
    She smiled up at him. "I can see it is dangerous. Now, why would I want to do something that is obviously going to get me in big trouble?"
    His hand stroked her waist, traced each rib under her satin skin. He could feel her tremble in answer.

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    "Because I want you to. Because you want to please me."
    Shea laughed out loud, her eyebrows winging upward. "Oh, really? That's what I want to do?"
    He nodded solemnly. "Above all else."
    She moved away from him, deliberately enticing him. "I see. I didn't know that. Thank you for pointing it out."
    "You are welcome," he countered gravely, his eyes following her every movement. Shea was graceful and seductive, a siren beckoning him to follow. His body stirred, and ruefully he decided the pools might be a safer place to watch her. He entered the nearest hot springs, wincing as the bubbles added to the sensation of fingers stroking his sensitive skin.
    Her taunting laughter followed him, brushing provocatively at his nerve endings with the very tip of a flame. Shea felt an unexpected rush of power. Jacques was such an invincible being, yet she could see his body trembling, hear his heart beating even over the roar of the falls. All for her. Deliberately she slid her jeans low, exposing her slender body, the fiery red triangle beckoning him, teasing him. Her shirt floated to the ground, and she lifted her arms skyward, a seductress tempting the heavens.
    Jacques' body tightened in anticipation. His black gaze didn't miss one graceful sway, not one rhythmic movement of her shapely form. Shea waded into the pool slowly, allowed the bubbling water to lap at her body like a sensuous tongue. She moved out into the middle of the water and finally slipped under the surface like a sleek, gleaming otter. Jacques sat on the edge of a rock, his legs under the water, bubbles lapping around his hips. He watched her swim toward him, away, her body flashing in the water, breaking the surface,