He raised his head. "I love to hear you cry out like that, but it makes it hard as the devil to hold on." He lowered his lips to kiss her hand, which was still clenching desperately at his shoulders. "But it bothers me that you seem confused about how lovely you are. I think we should clear that up once and for all." He stood and pulled her to her feet. "Come on." He propelled her across the room, Ignoring her confusion as he whisked her into the Khadim suite.

"Philip, I don't understand—" She broke off. They were before a floor-length triple mirror that was standing upright against the wall. The lamps were off in the suite and the only light was that streaming from Philip's room. It came as a little shock to see her own slim nudity offset by Philip's fully clothed figure behind her.

"I remembered how excited you were in the dressing room." Philip's arms slid around her waist. "I thought you might like this." His hands slid down to slowly massage her belly. "The night I had it installed I lay in that bed just looking at it, imagining how you'd look standing here surrounded on three sides by mirrors. Do you know what that did to me?" He lowered his head to whisper in her ear. "I was hurting so much that I wanted to run to you and bury myself in you and stay forever. I've ached like that every night since then." One hand had left her and begun to unbutton his white silk shirt. She could see the tanned flesh and the dark triangle of hair on his chest emerging from the opening in the shirt, and her eyes clung helplessly. The hard, impersonal sheen of the glass contrasted with the intimate picture it was reflecting and the explosive emotions seething between them.

"See how pretty you are." His hand was tanned and graceful as it moved up to cup her breast, surrounding and lifting it. "This is what I see when I look at you. All this sweet firmness." Hepinched the pink crown with thumb and forefinger. "This lovely budding."

"I feel distinctly narcissistic." She laughed shakily as she leaned back against him. "I think I'm embarrassed." The hair on his chest brushed her naked spine and her knees began to feel as if they wouldn't hold her up.

"You shouldn't be." His hand dropped away from her as he shrugged out of his shirt and it dropped to the floor. "Are you embarrassed looking at me?"

"No." He was a beautiful shadow figure, his supple bronze muscles silhouetted by the light, which also picked up the luster of his coal black hair. "I like to look at you."

"Then we'd better make things more equal." His hands were working swiftly at his belt. She watched dreamily as he stripped off the remainder of his clothes, tossing them in a careless heap on top of his shirt. "There, now we're even. Does that make you feel better?"

She didn't know how she felt. Electricity was arcing through her, swirling about her. His hands were running over her, pausing every now and then to stroke, weigh, twine, and rub with sensual enjoyment. Her breath was coming in little jerks as her gaze clung to the mirror reflection of his narrowed eyes.

She could feel his hard arousal pressed against her, and his chest was moving heavily with the harshness of his breathing. His hands suddenly stilled on her body, and she could feel the shudder that wracked him. His lips were a thin line of tension. "It's gone on too long. I can't wait any longer."

"Then don't wait." Her voice was trembling. Her entire body was trembling. "I can't wait either. Let's ... go to bed."

He made a sound deep in his throat. "I can't wait for that either." He suddenly spun her around, lifting her, parting her legs, and wrapping them around his hips. "Hold on to me." He was searching, finding, and then plunging with one deep stroke into the heart of her.

She cried out, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He was moving, his hands cupping her bottom for even deeper penetration. "Closer," he muttered. "I can't get close enough to you." His hips bucked rhythmically, and she bit her lip, trying to stifle a moan. He lifted his eyes to the mirror. "Mine. You're mine." His hips moved again. "Say it. Pandora."

"Yes," she whispered. So full. Fire, sensation, an aching need for more.

One hand lifted to tangle in her hair and tilt back her head so he could look into her eyes. "You're going to belong to me forever. There will be no more talk about going away." His lips covered hers with a passion that contained an element of leashed savagery. His tongue entered, ravaged, possessed. She was possessed, a part of him, both physically and emotionally.

His head lifted and his nostrils flared in an effort to get his breath. "I'll never let you leave me now."

His arms were about her again and he was turning, walking toward the bed. She gasped. He looked down at her with a faint smile. "You like this? I thought you would." He sat down on the edge of the bed. His hands ran up and down her back, touching, exploring, savoring the smoothness of her. "You always did enjoy a good ride."

He was lying back on the bed, his hands on her hips. "Do I remind you of Oedipus now, love?" Then he was moving, thrusting, watching her to detect every ripple of pleasure that crossed her face. "Do I?" he repeated.

"No." The tension was building to such a fantastic degree that she scarcely realized what she was saying. "You're wilder." He thrust deeper, and a shiver of pleasure ran through her. "Much wilder."

"I told you that you didn't really know either one of us." His palms moved up to cover her breasts. "But you're learning fast. Hold on, love, we're going for the jump."

The approach was dizzying, and the jump itself incredible. They soared into the stratosphere and beyond. Exhilaration, beauty, reaching for the sky. Then they owned the sky as no one ever had before.

Her cheek was pressed to Philip's chest and his arms were holding her with such force she could scarcely breathe. His heart was pounding so hard it seemed to be trying to burst through the wall of his chest. "Are you okay?" she asked.

He laughed. "That's what I'm supposed to ask." He kissed her gently. "Yes, I am most certainly okay. I've never been better."

She suddenly giggled. "I'm sure that's true, but it's immodest of you to say so." She started to move out of his arms. "I'm too heavy for you. Let me go."

"No." His grip tightened around her. His tone was suddenly intense. "Stay. Stay forever."

"That might be a little awkward for you." She bent down and kissed him lovingly. "Though I'd be more than willing."

"I'll have to think about it." He rolled over, still holding her close. "There has to be a way."

She nestled nearer, her cheek finding the hollow of his shoulder. This deep contentment was almost as wonderful as the passion that had gone before. "I like this. The night of the dinner party you held me like this, but I fell asleep. Pinch me if I do it tonight. I want to enjoy every moment."

Tenderness swept over him, and he felt his throat tighten painfully. He hadn't realized how much he had missed her joyful eagerness. There had been an underlying element of reserve and uncertainty about Pandora since the night of the accident. He had been unable to overcome that withdrawal, no matter how hard he tried. He brushed his lips across the top of her head. "I refuse to pinch you, but I promise I'll find ways to keep you awake." His hand reached up to stroke the curve of her cheek. "Very enjoyable ways."