Show & Tell

by Rhonda Nelson

WHEN KNOX AWOKE on Monday morning, the first few tendrils of pink were spreading across the horizon, chasing away the early gray of dawn. Savannah was spooned with her back to his belly and he’d cupped her breast and slung a thigh over her inert form sometime during the night.

  Feeling her next to him, having that delectable body snuggled up against his, engendered a host of sensations, of feelings. Before he’d so much as opened his eyes a smile had unaccountably curled his lips and a light, warm emotion had filled his chest, then inexplicably crowded into his heart.

  Knox knew his heart had absolutely no business getting involved in what had happened between him and Savannah—it was supposed to have been sex and nothing more—but he gloomily suspected this feeling currently lurking in his chest was more than he’d bargained for, and definitely more than she had.

  Knox had thought that the nudge of the story had brought him here, but he knew better now. The in sistent nudge that had propelled him to this place didn’t have anything to do with a story…and never had, Knox realized belatedly.

  It had been Savannah.

  When he’d failed to act on his own, his nudge had taken over and done the business for him, had made sure that he’d found her.

  Knox recognized a good thing when he had it, and Savannah Reeves was a good thing. She was bright and witty and charming, and sexy as hell, and just being with her made him feel like a better man, made him want to be a better man. Knox didn’t have a clue what the future might bring, but the idea of a future without her in it held absolutely no appeal.

  He supposed he was in love with her, and he waited for the mental admission to jump-start a wave of panic, for the fist of anxiety to punch him in the gut, at the very least prod his insides with a finger of dread.

  It didn’t.

  Instead, his chest swelled with the sweet, foreign emotion, forcing a contented grunt from his lips. He didn’t have any idea how Savannah felt about him and wouldn’t allow himself to think about it. If she hadn’t fallen in love with him, he’d make her. It was as simple as that.

  Given her history, Knox knew he’d have his work cut out for him—she’d have to trust him before she’d love him, he knew—but he hadn’t gotten this far in life without patience and tenacity. He had the attraction working in his favor and would just build on that until she was ready for more. As far as a plan went, it might not be the best one, but it was the only one he had at present.

  Failure was not an option. Come hell or high water, he’d make Savannah Reeves his.

  A glimpse of white at the window snagged his attention. Rupali and Edgar were just scant feet outside their bedroom window. Edgar drew up short and parked a wheelbarrow filled with various shrubs and flowering plants. They were landscaping? Knox wondered. At this hour of the morning? The thought drew a reluctant smile. They were truly a bizarre pair, but this life they’d chosen seemed to fit them.

  In fact, tantric sex seemed to fit them, too.

  Knox was certain now that the Sheas believed and put into practice everything they taught. They weren’t the crooks he’d originally thought them to be. True, some of the practices and beliefs were out of the realm of his comprehension, his scope of understanding, and he seriously doubted he’d ever become a true tantrist, but he no longer believed that it lay out of the realm of possibility—just his.

  Knox watched as the Sheas joined hands, lifted their faces to the sky and chanted. An early morning breeze lifted Rupali’s long white hair, billowed their kurtas out around them. After a moment, they stepped back and Knox watched Rupali draw something from her pocket—multicolored rocks, they seemed to be—and then toss them into the air. To Knox’s astonishment, Edgar began to unload the wheelbarrow and place the plants and shrubs where the rocks had fallen.

  That explained the whimsical feel to the landscaping he’d noticed when they’d first gotten here, Knox thought with soft, disbelieving amusement.

  Savannah stirred beside him and he bent his head and pressed a kiss to her achingly smooth cheek. A lump of emotion formed in his throat, and for one terrifying instant, Knox’s considerable confidence wavered and he wondered if he’d really be able to make her love him. Could he really do it?

  A sleepy smile curled her lips and she stretched languidly beside him. “Good morning,” she murmured groggily.

  Knox’s gaze caressed her face, lingered over each and every line and curve. “So far,” he said. “I’m here with you.”

  Savannah sighed with sleepy pleasure and rolled to burrow into his chest. She nuzzled his neck and snaked an arm around his waist. The hard-on he’d awoken with promptly jerked for sport. But that was hardly surprising, was it? He was a man and, were that not enough explanation, he was a man in bed with a naked woman.

  “What time is it?” she asked.

  “It’s early. Pushing six, I’d say.”

  She smoothed her hand up his side, sending a wave of gooseflesh skittering across his skin. Smiling, Knox sucked in a trembling breath.

  “Good,” she murmured. “We’ve got time.”

  “Time for what?”

  “Here, I’ll show you.”

  Savannah rolled him onto his back and straddled him. Her wet sex rode the ridge of his erection and Knox watched her eyes flutter shut and her lips slip into one of the most sensual smiles he’d ever seen. With a growl of satisfaction, he anchored his hands on the sweet swell of her hips and rocked her against him.

  The picture she made in that moment was utterly incredible. Those jet-black bed-head curls sprouted in sexy disarray all over her head and the rosy tint of sleep clung to her creamy cheeks. Her eyes were lit with the blue flame of desire, still slumberous and heavy lidded, weighted with the vestiges of sleep. Pale pink nipples crowned the full globes of her breasts, and her belly was gently rounded and completely feminine. The thatch of silky curls at the apex of her thighs rocked against him and…

  And the rest of that thought fragmented as Savannah took him in her hand, swiftly sheathed him with a condom, then slowly sank down onto him. Her wet, tight heat gloved him so thoroughly that it ripped the very breath from his lungs.

  Savannah’s eyes fluttered shut. She smiled with sublime satisfaction and bit her bottom lip. A purr emanated from her throat as she buried his dick as far into her heat as she possibly could.

  She flexed her naughty muscles around him. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been wanting to do this? How many times I’ve done it in my dreams?” she asked. She lifted her hips and settled onto him once more.

  “N-no,” Knox breathed raggedly. “Tell me.”

  Savannah winced with pleasure, slid up and down in a long, sinuous motion. He felt the greedy clench and release of her body as she moved above him, felt the exquisite friction of their joined parts.

  “More times…than I…can conceivably count…this weekend.” Her breath came in startled little puffs as she upped the tempo, rode him harder.

  “I would have g-gladly accommodated you,” Knox replied, thrusting into her, matching his rhythm to hers. Savannah’s skin glistened, had flushed into a becoming rosy hue. She arched her neck and little nonsensical sounds—the sound of great sex—bubbled up from her throat.

  The fire in his loins rapidly became an inferno that engulfed every inch of him. He felt her tense, watched her mouth open in a silent gasp. She pumped harder and harder on top of him, rode him frantically, clearly racing for the brass ring of release. Knox leaned up, latched his mouth around one nipple and sucked hard, flattening the crown of her breast deep into his mouth. He reached down between their joined bodies and massaged the nub hidden in the wet folds of her sex.

  Savannah cried out, bit her lip and whimpered.

  He felt her muscles contract, felt her entire body still in awe of the explosion of the coming climax. The gentle pulsing and rush of heat was all it took to send Knox past the point of endurance and he joined her there in the brilliant flash of release.

  Savannah sagged against his chest, not pulling away, but
keeping him inside her. Something about the gesture made him want to roar his approval, made him feel more elementally manly. Instead, he trailed his trembling fingers down her spine, then slid his hands back up and hugged her close.

  Savannah leaned up and glanced at the top of his head. Her brow creased with perplexity.

  Knox frowned. “What? Is something wrong with my hair, because if it is,” he said, imitating her, “this is as good as it gets and—”

  He felt her laugh against him. “No, it’s not your hair. I was just looking for some lotus blossoms. I know this is going to come as a shock…but I can’t find any.”

  Knox chuckled. “Come as a shock, eh? I didn’t feel any lotus blossoms fly out of my skull, but I sure thought my head was going to blow off during that last go-around.” He lowered his voice. “That was awesome.”

  She flushed adorably. “Thank you. I try.”

  “Ah, so I’m not the only one who has learned how to take a compliment.”

  Her twinkling gaze met his and she winced with regret. “I hate to, but we’ve got to get up.”

  “I know,” Knox said reluctantly.

  “Everyone will be giving their progress reports this morning. It’ll be interesting to see what everyone will have to say.”

  He’d thought about that as well. He arched a brow and lazily swirled circles on her back. “Given any thought as to what you’re going to say?” he asked innocently.

  Savannah gently raised herself off him and rolled back onto her side of the bed. He immediately missed her warmth. “Yes, as a matter of fact I have.”

  Knox waited. “Well?” he finally prompted.

  She swiveled her head to look at him. “I’m going to say that my ‘sacred space’ has never been so magnificently illuminated, and that you have the biggest ‘wand of light’ I’ve ever seen.”

  His “wand of light” stirred at the compliment. “High praise, indeed.”

  “What about you? Surely you’re going to correct my frigid-unable-to-climax legacy.”

  Knox grinned. “You can bet your sweet ass, baby. I’m going to report a multiple orgasm breakthrough and sing the praises of your ‘sacred space.’”

  She nodded, seemingly pleased. “Ugh,” she groaned. “We’ve got to get up. They’ll be starting soon, and we really need to hear everyone’s input for the story.” She paused. “When are we going to work on this story, by the way?”

  “I thought we could work on it on the way back. Is that all right with you?”

  Savannah inclined her head. “Sure, that’ll be fine. Think we’ll have time to finish it?”

  “Yeah. I could be wrong, but I think this is going to be one of those stories that tells itself. If not, we can always finish it at my place…or yours.”

  She stilled and something in her gaze brightened and dimmed all in the same instant. What? Knox thought. Did she think that this had simply been a weekend fling? If so, he needed to swiftly disabuse her of that notion. She also needed to understand that he wasn’t the bastard who’d broken her heart—he was someone she could trust.

  “I’d, uh, planned on you spending quite a bit of time from here on out at my place, and hoped that I’d be invited to yours,” Knox said, laying it all out on the line. He didn’t want to frighten her, nor did he intend to mislead her.

  It was a short story. He wanted her. The end.

  When she didn’t readily reply, Knox felt the first prickle of unease move through his belly. Savannah just stood there, looking at him with an unreadable expression that made his insides knot with anxiety. “Have I read too much into this?” he asked.

  “No,” she replied hesitantly, and his tension lessened slightly. “I, uh…” She shrugged helplessly. “To be honest, I hadn’t let myself think beyond this weekend. I didn’t want to get my ho—I just thought it would be best to hedge my bets.”

  “And now?” he prodded.

  “And now my thoughts are along the same lines as yours.”

  “So we’ll be spending a lot of time together, then?” he queried lightly, just to be sure they were on the same page.

  He caught the feline smile that curved her lips a fraction of a second before she turned and headed toward the bathroom. “You can bet your sweet ass,” she said, giving him a wonderful view of hers.

  SAVANNAH DIDN’T KNOW what to make of Knox’s morning-after behavior. Frankly, she’d expected him to be charming but withdrawn. She’d expected him to try and put a more professional spin on their relationship, to try to regain some lost ground. In short, she’d expected him to act like a typical man…but as she’d learned over the course of this weekend, Knox Webber wasn’t a typical man.

  He’d done the one and only thing Savannah hadn’t expected—he’d expressed a wish to see her again and, though she was trying very hard not to let her heart get carried away, if she’d understood him correctly—and she thought she had—he wanted to see her a lot.

  Considering she’d fallen head over heels in love with him this weekend, Savannah decided that was very promising.

  There had been several times over the course of last night and this morning when she’d caught Knox giving her poignantly tender looks, but Savannah had convinced herself they’d been wishful thinking, the product of her imagination…anything but what they were. She’d been so careful of getting her hopes up that she’d ignored every sign of some deeper emotion—and there had been plenty, now that she thought about it. Belated delight bloomed in her chest.

  She’d have to be careful, of course. Tread carefully—she’d been burned too many times not to be a little reticent. But the idea that she might have found someone who genuinely wanted her—after almost a lifetime of being alone—was so achingly sweet.

  The back of her throat burned with emotion and her insides quivered with hesitant joy. She’d longed to be wanted, to be part of a family for what seemed like forever. Someone to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with, to help celebrate her birthday. Little things that other people simply took for granted were things that Savannah had, for the most part, never had.

  Savannah didn’t know anything about the Webber family other than that they were wealthy and that they didn’t approve of Knox’s career. Did that mean they wouldn’t approve of her either? Savannah wondered, remembering Gib’s family with a shudder. More important, would it matter to Knox if they didn’t? Savannah paused consideringly, mulling the question over. She honestly didn’t think so. If he’d gone ahead and chosen to be a journalist despite their protests, then surely he’d use the same headstrong logic when choosing a wife.

  Wife?

  Jeez, where had that thought come from? Savannah shot a surreptitious glance at Knox to make sure that the absurd thought hadn’t somehow been transmitted from her brow chakra to his via mental telepathy. Presently, Knox was working the room, subtly interrogating couples about their tantric experience. She should be doing the same thing, Savannah thought with a stab of self-disgust, instead of mooning over her new boyfriend.

  Still her shoulders drooped with relief and her heart inexplicably swelled when his gaze caught hers. Those dark green orbs shone with humor and a hint of kindled lust, but thankfully no panic or fear, which she definitely would have detected should he have been privy to her wife thought.

  So much for treading carefully, Savannah thought with a rueful smile. She absently twisted the thin gold band on her finger, and a prick of regret pierced her heart. She knew it was foolish, but she didn’t want to give it back. She wanted to keep it and wear it and be everything to Knox that the token implied.

  Knox sidled up next to her and nuzzled her ear. “Is it getting on your nerves?”

  Savannah started guiltily. “What?”

  “The ring. Is it getting on your nerves?”

  She swallowed and forced a smile. “No, not at all. I was just admiring it. Don’t let me forget to give it back to you. Maybe you can take them back and your jeweler will give you a refund.”

  “And risk bad karma?”
Knox asked playfully. He shook his head. “I think I’ll keep them. You never know when you might need a set of bands.”

  With that enigmatic comment, Knox steered her toward the front of the room where the Sheas waited to bid their farewells. “Good morning, class.” Edgar beamed. “Rupali and I have had the opportunity to speak with several of you this morning and, by all accounts, last night was a resounding success.”

  Rupali smiled serenely. “We are so very thrilled for each and every one of you. Our time together has come to an end, but please continue to use what you have learned here in your daily lives. Take the love and harmony you’ve found in our house home to yours. Remember truth and healing, sing your true songs, speak with your true voices and draw from the energy of Mother Earth. Cleanse your chakras, forbid blocks and continue to grow in spiritual and sexual health. Women, honor your man, never cease longing to please him. He will return your effort with pleasure tenfold.”

  “Likewise, men, honor your woman. Respect her, be worthy of her love, and strive to continually bring her more pleasure. For to do these things for another is to do them for yourself.”

  Edgar and Rupali joined hands. “We bid you well,” they said in unison.

  Knox threaded Savannah’s fingers through hers and squeezed. “Well, that’s that then. You ready?”

  Savannah nodded. She supposed so. They’d donned their regular clothes this morning for the journey home, and already the bra and undies seemed to chafe her skin. She never thought she’d say it but, like Knox, she’d grown rather fond of the free feeling of the kurta.

  Knox had gone out this morning and loaded the car, so everything had been packed. There was absolutely no reason to linger, and yet, for some reason, Savannah found herself curiously reluctant to leave.

  “Barbie,” Rupali called. “May I have a word before you go, please?”

  Savannah nodded. Knox gave her a perplexed look, but left at her prodding when she promised to meet him at the car.

  Savannah cleared her throat. “You wanted to speak with me?” she asked nervously. Something about this woman’s perceptive gaze unnerved her.