Lessons Learned

his passion, had always been melded with style. Now, as she took her frenzied journey over him, he had no style, only needs. He’d never been a man to rush. When he cooked, he went slowly, step-by-step.Enjoy, experience, experiment. He made love the same way. Such things were meant to be savored, to be appreciated by each of the five senses.
    It wasn’t possible to savor when you were driven beyond the civilized. When your senses were whirling and tangled, it wasn’t possible to separate them. Being driven was something new for him, something intoxicating. No, he wouldn’t fight it, but pull her with him.
    Rough and urgent, he grabbed her hips. Within moments, they were both beyond thought, beyond reason….
    His breath was still unsteady, but he held her close and tight. Whatever she’d done, or was doing to him, he didn’t want to lose it. The thought flickered briefly that he didn’t want to lose her. Carlo pushed it aside. It was a dangerous thought. They had now. It was much wiser to concentrate on that.
    “I have to go.” Though she wanted nothing more than to curl up against him, Juliet made herself shift away. “We have to be downstairs at checkout in forty minutes.”
    “To meet Big Bill.”
    “That’s right.” Juliet reached onto the floor for her robe, slipping it onto her arms before she stood up. Carlo’s lips trembled at the way she turned her back to him to tie it. It was rather endearing to see the unconscious modesty from a woman who’d just exploited every inch of his body. “You don’t know how grateful I am that Bill volunteered to play chauffeur. The last thing I want to do is fight the freeway system in this town. I’ve had to do it before, and it’s not a pretty sight.”
    “I could drive,” he murmured, enjoying the way the rich green silk reached the top of her thighs.
    “Staying alive is another reason I’m grateful for Bill. I’ll call and have a bellman come up for the bags in—thirty-five minutes. Be sure—”
    “You check everything because we won’t be coming back,” he finished. “Juliet, haven’t I proven my competency yet?”
    “Just a friendly reminder.” She checked her watch before she remembered she wasn’t wearing it. “The TV spot should be a breeze. Jacky Torrence hosts. It’s a jovial sort of show that goes after the fast, funny story rather than nuts and bolts.”
    “Hmm.” He rose, stretching. The publicist was back, he noted with a half smile, but as he reached down for his own robe, he noticed that she’d broken off. Lifting his head, he looked up at her.
    Good God, he was beautiful. It was all she could think. Schedules, planning, points of information all went out of her head. In the early morning sun, his skin was more gold than brown, smooth and tight over his rib cage, nipped in at the waist to a narrow line of hip. Letting out a shaky breath, she took a step back.
    “I’d better go,” she managed. “We can run through today’s schedule on the way to the studio.”
    It pleased him enormously to understand what had broken her concentration. He held the robe loosely in one hand as he took a step closer. “Perhaps we’ll get bumped.”
    “Bite your tongue.” Aiming for a light tone, she succeeded with a whisper. “That’s an interesting robe.”
    The tone of her voice was a springboard to an arousal already begun. “You like the flamingos? My mother has a sense of humor.” But he didn’t put it on as he stepped closer.
    “Carlo, stay right where you are. I mean it.” She held up a hand as she walked backward to the doorway.
    He grinned, and kept on grinning after he heard the click of the hallway door.
    Between Juliet cracking the whip and Bill piloting, their Houston business went like clockwork. TV , radio and print, the media was responsive and energetic. The midafternoon autograph party turned out to be a party in the true sense of the word and was a smashing success. Juliet found herself a spot in a storeroom and ripped open the oversized envelope from her office that had been delivered to the hotel. Settling back, she began to go through the clippings her assistant had air expressed.
    L.A. was excellent, as she’d expected. Upbeat and enthusiastic. San Diego might’ve tried for a little more depth, but they’d given him page one of the Food section in one spread and a below-the-fold in the Style section in another. No complaints. Portland and Seattle listed a recipe apiece and raved shamelessly. Juliet