Part 8 (1/2)

”Let's go.”

He touched her arm and the moment he did so, she felt that tingling sensation that always came over her when he touched her, but now the sensations were even stronger than before.

”You okay, Gemma? You're s.h.i.+vering.”

She drew in a deep breath as they moved from the foyer toward the rest of the house. ”Yes, I'm fine,” she said, refusing to look at him. If only he knew the truth about how she was feeling. If only he knew the truth about how she was feeling.

Callum leaned against the kitchen counter and stared over at Gemma as she stood on a ladder taking measurements of a particular window. She had long ago shed her jacket and kicked off her shoes. He looked down at her feet and thought she had pretty toes.

They had been here a couple of hours already and there were still more measurements to take. He didn't mind if he could continue to keep her up there on a ladder. Once in a while, when she moved, he'd get a glimpse of her gorgeous legs and her luscious-looking thighs.

”You're quiet.”

Her observation broke into his thoughts. ”What I'm doing is watching you,” he said. ”Having fun?”

”The best kind there is. I love doing this and I'm going to love decorating this house for you.” She paused a second. ”Unfortunately, I have some bad news for you.”

He lifted a brow. ”What bad news?”

She smiled down at him. ”What I want to do in here just might break you. And, it will take me longer than the six weeks planned.”

He nodded. Of course, he couldn't tell her he was counting on that very thing. ”I don't have a problem with that. How is your work schedule back in Denver? Will remaining here a little longer cause problems for you?”

”No. I finished all my open projects and was about to take a vacation before bidding on others, so that's fine with me if you think you can handle a houseguest for a little while longer.”

”Absolutely.”

She chuckled. ”You might want to think about it before you give in too easily.”

”No, you might want to think about it before you decide to stay.”

She glanced down at him and went perfectly still and he knew at that moment she was aware of what he was thinking. Although they had enjoyed each other's company, they had practically walked on eggsh.e.l.ls around each other all day. After lunch he'd taken her on a tour of downtown and showed her places like the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens and St. Andrew's Cathedral. And they had fed seagulls in Hyde Park before coming here. Walking beside her seemed natural, and for a while they'd held hands. Each time he had touched her she had trembled.

Did she think he wasn't aware of what those s.h.i.+vers meant? Did she not know what being close to her was doing to him? Could she not see the male appreciation as well as the love s.h.i.+ning in his eyes whenever he looked at her?

Breaking eye contact, he looked at his watch. ”Do you plan to measure all the windows today?”

”No, I'd planned to make this my last one for now. You will bring me back tomorrow, though, right?”

”Just ask. Whatever you want, it's yours.”

”In that case, I'd like to come back to finish up this part. Then we'll need to decide on what fabrics you want,” she said, moving to step down from the ladder. ”The earlier the better, especially if it's something I need to backorder.”

He moved away from the counter to hold the ladder steady while she descended. ”Thanks,” she said, when her bare feet touched the floor. He was standing right there in front of her.

”Don't mention it,” he said. ”Ready to go?”

”Yes.”

Instead of taking her hand, he walked beside her and said nothing. He felt her looking over at him, but he refused to return her gaze. He had promised that the next time they kissed she would ask for it, but she'd failed to do that, which meant that when they got back to his place he would turn up the heat.

”You all right, Callum?”

”Yes, I'm fine. Where would you like to eat? It's dinnertime.”

”Doesn't matter. I'm up for anything.”

He smiled when an idea popped into his head. ”Then how about me preparing dinner tonight.”

She lifted a brow. ”Can you cook?”

”I think I might surprise you.”

She chuckled. ”In that case, surprise me.”

Whatever you want, it's yours.

Gemma stepped out of the Jacuzzi to dry herself while thinking that Callum had been saying that a lot lately. She wondered what he would think of her if she were to tell him that what she wanted more than anything was another dose of the pleasure he'd introduced her to last night.

Being around him most of the day had put her nerves on edge. Every time he touched her or she caught him looking at her, she felt an overwhelming need to explore the intense attraction between them. His mouth and fingers had planted a need within her that was so profound, so incredibly physical, that certain parts of her body craved his touch.

She'd heard of people being physically attracted to each other to the point of l.u.s.t consuming their mind and thoughts, but such a thing had never happened to her. Until now. And why was it happening at all? What was there about Callum-other than the obvious-that had her in such a tizzy? He made her want things she'd never had before. She was tempted to go further with him than she had with any other man.

In a way she had already done that last night. There was no other man on the face of this earth who could ever lay a claim to fingering her. But Callum had done that while kissing her senseless, stirring a degree of pa.s.sion within her that even now made her heart beat faster just thinking about it.

She shook her head, and tried to get a grip but failed to do so. She couldn't let go of the memories of how her body erupted in one mind-shattering o.r.g.a.s.m. Now she knew what full-blown pleasure was about. But she knew that she hadn't even reached the tip of the iceberg and her body was aching to get pushed over that turbulent edge. The thought that there was something even more powerful, more explosive to experience sent sensual s.h.i.+vers through her entire being.

There were a number of reasons why she should not be thinking of indulging in an affair with Callum. And yet, there were a number of reasons why she should. She was a twenty-four-year-old virgin. To give her virginity to Callum was a plus in her book, because, in addition to being attracted to him, he would know what he was doing. She'd heard horror stories about men who didn't.

And if they were to have an affair, who would know? He wasn't the type to kiss and tell. And he didn't seem bothered by the fact that his best friend was her brother. Besides, since he would be returning to Australia to live, she didn't have the worry about running into him on a constant basis, seeing him and being reminded of what they'd done.

So what was holding her back?

She knew the answer to that question. It was the same reason she was still a virgin. She was afraid the guy she would give her virginity to would also capture her heart. And the thought of any man having her heart was something she just couldn't abide. What if he were to hurt her, break her heart the way her brothers had done to all those girls?

She nibbled on her bottom lip as she slipped into her dress to join Callum for dinner. Somehow she would have to find a way to experience pleasure without the possibility of incurring heartache. She should be able to make love with a man without getting attached. Men did it all the time. She would enter into the affair with both eyes open and not expect any more than what she got. And when it was over, her heart would still be intact. She wouldn't set herself up like those other girls who'd fancied themselves in love with a Westmoreland, only to have their hearts broken.

It should be a piece of cake. After all, Callum had told her he was waiting to meet his soul mate. So there would be no misunderstanding on either of their parts. She wasn't in love with him and he wasn't in love with her. He would get what he wanted and she would be getting what she wanted.

More of last night.