It was not what she had expected, and she felt ashamed of her own wanton presumption. 'Yes, please,' she agreed. Since they had spent a marvelous day together and he had behaved impeccably, it was her own wayward thoughts that were at fault, she told herself sternly.
They crept up the stairs in silence, not wanting to disturb the rest of the house. A concealed door in the paneling around the circular landing led to a narrow flight of stairs. Parisa followed Luc up the dim passageway, a sense of anticipation making her blue eyes sparkle.
'Mind the step,' Luc said softly as he opened the door at the top and stepped down into the room. Parisa followed, taking the hand he offered her in the semi- darkness, a single low-voltage bulb the only light.
She looked around with interest. A large telescope was mounted on a circular dais in the centre of the room. A desk and high leather chair at one side and, at the other, a long, low sofa-bed were the only furnishings.
'It's a bit stark and eerie,' she murmured. The smooth curved walls she found a bit claustrophobic.
'Watch,' Luc commanded, and at a touch of a switch by the door, the domed roof slid apart like a sliced orange to reveal another dome of pure glass and the night sky beyond.
'Oh! It's magical,' she gasped, as Luc extinguished the single light, and the room was illuminated solely by the clear silver light of the moon. She tilted her head back and stared in awe at the star-studded black velvet canopy above.
'We are lucky it is a fine night.' Luc's arm curved around her naked shoulders and, entranced, she walked with him to the centre of the room.
He released her, shrugged off his jacket, and made some adjustment to the telescope. Then, swinging the high chair into position, he sat down and pulled her on to his lap.
'Watch, learn.' She did not have to be told. With his strong arm around her waist, his masculine warmth enfolding her, she looked and listened in complete fascination as he pointed out the different stars and constellations.
He was a remarkable man, she thought, her glance straying from the telescope to study his handsome features. He was completely engrossed in the subject, and very knowledgeable. She laid her head against his shoulder, briefly closing her eyes, savouring the moment.
It was as if they were the only two people in the world. She would remember this night for the rest of her life.
'Sorry, cara, I tend to get carried away with my hobby, and you're tired.' She felt herself lifted in his strong arms.
'Luc...'
He was lowering her on to the long couch, his dark eyes soft, his sensuous mouth curled in a wry smile.
'Forgive me for a minute. I have to check only one more, I promise.' And he kissed the tip of her small nose. 'Rest.'
Parisa couldn't answer—or only with a tiny appreciative murmur. She watched him through half-closed eyes return to his precious telescope, his broad shoulders tapered to a narrow waist, firm buttocks and long, muscular legs. He was a magnificent male animal, power and virility in every line of his huge body. She smiled softly to herself, her eyelashes sweeping he
r cheeks. She had seen the respect and deference on the faces of his friends tonight. He was a large man in every way there was. His consideration for his mother, and his earlier concern for the crippled child were testament to his caring nature.
So why was he a criminal? she thought fuzzily. Perhaps he had been led into it by others. She wanted to make excuses for him, she realised, and, however much she tried to remember he was a blackmailer and a thief, one glance from those black eyes, and she went weak at the knees. She smiled. She had never actually believed in that statement until she had met Luc. 'Weak at the knees'... Good job she was lying down. Her smile widened. Too much champagne...
The pad of a finger traced the outline of her mouth and she drowsily opened her eyes, her lips parting as if to catch the finger.
'A secret smile, Parisa. What were you thinking?' Luc was sitting on the edge of the couch, one arm stretched along the back, supporting his weight as he bent over her. His other hand dropped from her lips to her throat, the back of his hand resting on her breastbone, his fingers stroking gently against her neck.
She felt the gentle caress in every cell in her body. Lazily she smiled into his dark face, and, reaching up, she placed a slender finger over his mouth. 'A gentleman does not ask such a question. A lady has to have some secrets.' She fluttered her long lashes flirtatiously, teasing him.
His answer was to open his mouth over her finger and suck it inside. The hot, slightly abrasive texture of his tongue, the tugging motion seemed to pull directly to the heart of her. She shivered at the intimacy and pulled her hand free, but only because he allowed her to.
'You're cold.' His finger found the pulse that beat madly at her throat, and rested for a moment.
He couldn't be more wrong, she thought, her whole body flushing with heat.
'Let me warm you, Parisa,' he husked.
Her breathing quickening, she reached her slender arms around his shoulders, letting her fingers curl into the black silky hair at the back of his neck, urging him down to her.
'Yes, oh, yes,' she moaned as he covered her face with hot, tiny kisses—her eyes, her cheek. But, avoiding her mouth, he pulled back. Her huge blue eyes fixed on his, a question in their depths.
Luc, in one lithe move, pressed her to the back of the wide sofa, and lay down beside her. His hand slid lower on her chest, his finger following the gentle curve of her breast against the bodice of her dress. His dark eyes glittered black with an intensity of desire, his face taut with the effort to control some emotion.
'Parisa... so athletic, and yet you are the most utterly feminine woman I have ever met,' he declared, his breathing laboured. 'Your skin is smoother than the softest silk and as pale as the moonlight. You are my moon goddess. I'm almost afraid to touch you, in case you vanish and I find it is all a dream.'