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had been very wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am. At first she’d enjoyed it anyway for the sheer physical pleasure and the emotional connection she thought she’d felt. Later it had become just another wearing encounter with him that she wanted to avoid.
    “I wonder if it’s worth attempting.”
    “If what is?” She’d got lost in unhappy memories about her marriage, staring through the windshield at the bare, brown desert.
    “Following the advice in the erotic paintings.” He shot a dangerous glance that made her stomach quiver.
    “I suppose there’s only one way to find out.” She lifted a brow.
    “Is that an invitation?” She saw that smile tug at his mouth.
    “Not even slightly.” Her body begged to differ. In fact he had quite literally brought her dormant libido back to life. She didn’t think she’d ever be attracted to a man again after the depressing downward spiral of her only serious relationship. For two years now she’d felt nothing, until Quasar had looked at her in that bookshop. As they talked, she’d sensed her body literally switching back on, like an electrical circuit that had been disconnected for a while and was now plugged back in so current could flow through it. Right now it was flowing to all kinds of nooks and crannies she’d all but forgotten.
    She watched his long, elegant fingers resting on the wheel, and wondered what they’d feel like on her skin. Good thing she was too sensible to find out. Her reputation was already in tatters and she certainly wasn’t going to rush headlong into another unsuitable relationship. A glance at the dashboard clock made her nervous. “Will we really be back by four?”
    She felt the car surge forward as he accelerated. “If it can be done, I’ll do it.”
    “Let me guess, that’s your personal motto.”
    He flashed those slate-blue eyes at her. “You’re not so far wrong. Lately I’ve been thinking it might be time for me to slow down, though. There may be some things I can leave undone.”
    Like seducing me
. “You plan to become more selective as you mature.”
    “Exactly. At this point I think I should focus on only the very best.”
    “Business opportunities?”
    He took his eyes off the road again and kept them on hers for far too long. After an agonizing interval that heated her blood almost to the boiling point, she glanced nervously out the windshield, half afraid they’d driven right off the narrow strip of tarmac.
    “Among other things.” When he finally looked back at the long, empty road—not a moment too soon—her heart was pounding and her lips parted. The effect he had on her was a little frightening.
    “But how do you know something is the very best until you try it?” She wanted to fill the air with conversation. Right now the thoughts in her brain and the sensations in her body were making her very uncomfortable.
    “I have a lifetime of experience. Enough to be something of a connoisseur.” He spoke softly, and glanced at her quickly this time. Just long enough to convince her that he was completely serious.
    She believed him. The desert swept past, and they climbed into the lush mountains again. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “I can’t believe how beautiful it is up here. This is the first time I’ve come to the mountains in years. My dad and brothers have no interest in nature.”
    “Let’s come back tomorrow.” He said it casually, and didn’t even look at her. “I’ll bring some binoculars and we can look for birds.”
    No. Just say no. You can’t do this
. Going out with a strange man a second time—or would it be the third, if she counted that cup of coffee?—would confirm that they were having some kind of...relationship. She wouldn’t call it an affair since there was nothing sensual or romantic about it, except in her mind.
    Her mouth wouldn’t form the simple rejection. If she said no she’d probably never see Quasar again. That would be very sensible