Gift of Gold

herself around Jonas, seeking more of the delightful sensation. Instinctively she wrapped her legs around his hard hips and her lower body strained to hold him within her.
    “
Verit
y.
”
    She felt Jonas lose what was left of his self-control. With one last agonized groan, he surged deeply into her and went rigid. His muffled shout of satisfaction filled the room.
    Time hung suspended for a few moments before Jonas sagged heavily on top of Verity, his head on her breasts.
    For a long time Verity lay trapped beneath his weight, her hands moving on his back, unconsciously stroking him as she would a cat. She looked up at the ceiling and smiled vaguely to herself. She knew enough to realize that things hadn’t gone perfectly. She had missed out on something important, but she felt strangely contented nonetheless. There was a sweet satisfaction and pleasure in knowing that Jonas had been satisfied. And common sense warned her that first times for anything seldom went exactly right. Practice made perfect, and she was determined to practice.
    Jonas was silent for a long moment, apparently enjoying the soothing feel of her hand. Then, with a low, lazy sigh, he eased himself out of her and rolled to one side. He gathered her against him and kissed her ear.
    “You should have told me this was going to be new for you,” he chided gently.
    “The subject never arose. I didn’t expect everything to happen so quickly. I thought I’d have weeks, maybe months to get to know you and be sure.”
    “Really? Do you think I could have waited even a few more days, let alone weeks or months?” He squeezed her rounded buttock. “Don’t you know what you’ve been doing to me ever since I first saw you?”
    Verity smiled dreamily against his chest. “What have I been doing to you?”
    “Driving me wild. Verity, you’re twenty-eight years old. Why in hell did you wait this long to go to bed with a man?”
    She shrugged unconcernedly. “Haven’t you heard? There’s a man shortage.”
    “Don’t give me that bull. Why, Verity?”
    “It never seemed right before,” she said with simple honesty.
    He pulled away so that he could see her face. His eyes searched her expression. “And it felt right with me?”
    “Mmm.” She tried to snuggle closer, hungry for the warmth of him.
    But Jonas continued to hold her where she was, his face intent. “Honey, I want you to know you won’t regret it.”
    “Good. I never did believe in useless regrets. When do we do it again?”
    He laughed, the sound deep and husky in the darkness. “I should have known you’d be a tyrant in bed as well as out of it. Serves me right, I guess.” He tangled his fingers in the jumbled mass of her hair. “You know, you remind me of someone.”
    “A former girlfriend?” Verity was not pleased.
    Jonas shook his head. “Nope. Not a former girlfriend. It’ll come to me one of these days.”
    “And in the meantime?” she asked invitingly. She wriggled her toes along his leg.
    “I’ll be damned. I’ve created a monster.” Jonas’s grin was wicked as he released her with a proprietary slap on her rear and climbed out of bed. “Stay where you are.”
    “Where are you going?”
    “I’ll be right back,” he promised, disappearing into the small bathroom.
    Verity saw the light come on behind the half-closed door and heard water running in the sink. Idly she stretched beneath the sheet, taking inventory of the tiny aches and pains that were the silent protest of formerly unused muscles. She felt languid and happy, eager to explore the wonderful feeling of closeness she had just discovered with Jonas.
    She felt as though she had opened the door to a whole new world tonight; a realm in which her relationship with Jonas governed everything. It was as if her life were being realigned along a new axis.
    During the short time she had known him he had dominated her thoughts, intrigued her, compelled her to learn more about him. Tonight he had taken her into the uncharted waters of physical sensation, and she had navigated by hanging on to him. In that moment Verity knew she never wanted to let go of Jonas Quarrel. The intuitive knowledge that he had wanted her and needed her filled her with unlimited delight.
    She wondered if this was what it meant to be falling in love. Somehow the notion didn’t seem nearly as anxiety-provoking as it once had.
    Verity leaned over the edge of the bed and eyed the heap of clothes Jonas had left there. He had been