The Stargazer by Michele Jaffe

that making love to her would be dangerous, but now it seemed more dangerous not to give in to the pull of her charms. Yes, that was the answer, he realized, surprised that he had not thought of it earlier, the way to restore order to his life and his dreams: he must make love to her. And, if his body had any say in the matter, the sooner the better.
    “Come.” Ian took Bianca by the arm and led her from the icy room, closing the door behind them.
    Bianca was too puzzled to speak, so they walked the long hallway and descended two flights of stairs in silence. She was surprised when, instead of stopping on the floor that contained her apartments, they turned to continue their descent. Could he be making good on his promise to take her to his dungeons? she thought with alarm. She had been a bit impetuous, she admitted to herself, and had sorely tried his patience. Perhaps if she apologized he would give her another chance.
    “My lord,” she began tentatively, but Ian cut her off, laying a finger on his lips in a sign of silence. Bianca closed her mouth and followed behind him docilely, hoping that by acquiescing now she would minimize whatever tortures awaited her. The black sable cape swung gracefully with every step Ian took, giving her tantalizing glimpses of his sculpted anatomy. If she reached out to touch him, would his body feel more like stone or more like flesh? She felt her foreboding giving way to a growing sense of excitement as they walked down another set of stairs. At last they stopped before an ornately carved mahogany door twice as big as the door leading to her apartments, through which Ian preceded her.
    Moonlight streamed in through four tall windows, illuminating a vast sleeping chamber with a russet-silk bed. Without speaking, Ian gestured Bianca into the middle of the room and turned to light the fire. Although he was making love to this woman out of duty and necessity, there was no reason he had to be so cold he could not enjoy it, Ian reasoned to himself. Besides, he found the way that flames lit up her hair particularly appealing.
    When the fire was well lit, Ian reclined on a velvet divan before it, carelessly letting the cape slip to the floor. The fire accentuated the planes of his face, his high cheekbones and strong, firm chin, turning him from a man to the very image of a golden-haired god. He stretched himself to his full length, concealing nothing of his meticulously carved body, and spoke for the first time
    “Come here.” His voice was husky with arousal and expectation. Bianca stood before him willing herself not to tremble. He motioned her closer, leaning forward only long enough to tug on her tight black jacket and command, “Take this off.”
    Bianca hesitated for a minute and then began to unlace the jacket with unsteady fingers. She slipped out of it slowly, all the time aware of the moist heat collecting between her legs and of Ian’s hooded gray eyes on her. She had never undressed in front of a man before and she found the process surprisingly arousing. Despite the fire, her nipples were visibly erect, two taut nubs pressed against the fine white cambric of her blouse. It was all Ian could do to keep himself from reaching out and taking one between his thumb and forefinger and massaging it slowly through the thin fabric, but he forced himself to wait. He would do this slowly, making her body yield up all its secrets, so it would no longer hold anything to allure him. Instead, he contented himself with picking up the black jacket and throwing it on the fire.
    “But, but, that is mine,” Bianca spluttered in disbelief as she watched the flames crackle around the garment.
    “It is inappropriate for you to wear such things and I suspect the only way to keep you from doing so is to make sure you do not have access to them.” Ian tersely dispelled her complaint, much more interested in seeing her without her clothes on. “Now take off your hose.”
    “As inappropriate as it is