Midnight Jewels

his eyes gleaming. "I saw your face when you looked in the mirror last night, remember?"
    She glared at him over her shoulder. "A gentleman would . not remind me."
    "A gentleman probably wouldn't have made you look in the mirror in the first place."
    "That's an interesting point."
    "Tell me what makes you think Burleigh might have been a woman."
    Mercy held her jeans in one hand, thinking seriously. "Something about the sensitivity of the writing, I suppose. There's as much description of the main character's internal feelings during the sex scenes as there is of the actual physical activity. Male writers tend to concentrate on the mechanics of the action rather than the emotional responses."
    "You're an expert on male-oriented porn? I had no idea your professional interests were so wide-spread."
    "Well?" she challenged. "Isn't it true? Aren't men more into the physical side of things while women tend to concentrate on the emotional reactions involved? That's why an affair that's being manipulated by the man takes off with a running start for the bedroom. But I think one managed by a woman would be begun more slowly, with lots of time allowed for getting to know one another."
    "Do I sense a turn in the conversation? Are we suddenly getting personal instead of professional?" Croft didn't move, but there was a new level of intensity in the room.
    Mercy kept her chin firmly elevated although her fingers were clutched very tightly around the jeans she was holding. She met his gaze with a direct, level look. "Yes," she said, "I think we are."
    "Say it straight out, Mercy. I don't want to have to pick my way through the jumble of your mysterious thought processes."
    "All right, I will." She took a bream. "I mink we rushed things last night. It was too soon. We need more time to get to know each other, Croft. If you're serious about… about this relationship of ours, then you'll have to agree with me that we should cool the physical side of things for a while."
    "Well, hell."
    Mercy was startled by his short, picturesque exclamation of disgust. She was also offended. "If all you care about is sex than you can damn well look somewhere else for it."
    "You didn't have any objections to sex last night."
    She didn't like the forbidding expression on his face. "In the heat of the moment that sort of thing can happen. It's very easy, very common for a person to get swept up by a strong, temporary physical sensation that—"
    "Not you."
    She narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
    "It's not easy and not common for you to get swept up by a strong, temporary physical sensation. You were swimming way out of your depth last night and I was the one you hung onto to keep yourself from drowning."
    "That's a very colorful image, but it doesn't change anything!"
    He took two long strides toward her, driving her back against the wall before she could mink to dodge. His eyes were gleaming with a rare emotion that might have been anger or outrage or both. When she was backed against the wall he caged her there with a hand planted on either side of her.
    "Do you really think that all I'm interested in is sex?" Croft asked far too softly.
    Mercy made a grab for her composure. "Well, mere's the book, of course. There's no denying you're also interested in it."
    "Don't you dare mention
Valley
. Not right now. We are not discussing that damn book. We are discussing us. You and me. And I want to know if you really think my only interest in you is your performance in bed."
    She flinched at that because she was very much afraid her performance in bed as well as on the carpet had been rather amateurish. Her experience was limited, and she knew it probably showed. "I'm sure this is a very common problem in relationships," Mercy said desperately.
    "You're an expert on that subject, too?"
    "Croft, stop it. You're deliberately trying to intimidate me. I have a valid concern and you owe me the courtesy of treating it with respect and consideration."
    "Where is it written I have to treat your idiotic concerns with respect and consideration?"
    "My concerns are not idiotic. Croft, we hardly know each other. You just appeared in my shop on Friday, for pete's sake. By Sunday you had me in bed. That's moving too fast by anyone's standards. By my standards, that's moving at the speed of light. I want to slow down, and if you're serious about coming with me to Colorado, then you'll have to agree to slow down."
    "That's your final word on the