As for the man, a calm strength seemed to hover about him as well. He appeared relaxed yet confident, as though he was the only stud for his mare. A niggle of doubt surfaced as Savannah studied the two. Could the art of tantric sex really be all this couple claimed it was? Quite honestly, it seemed impossible to Savannah, but for the first time since she’d accepted that she’d be working on this story with Knox, Savannah wondered if she’d been too hasty in forming her opinions.
The man smiled. “Welcome. I’m Dr. Edgar Shea and this is my lovely wife and life partner, Dr. Rupali Shea. We’re so glad that you’re here.” He paused. “Some of you are here as a result of frustration, some of you are here as a result of your partner’s prodding, and some of you are here because you’re simply curious.” His grin made an encore appearance. “Regardless of why you are here, we’re exceedingly glad and are looking forward to teaching you everything we’ve learned about the art of tantric lovemaking. What we will teach you, what we’ll freely share and will graphically demonstrate for your benefit, will change your lives…if you are open to the possibilities.”
“At the beginning of each session,” Rupali began, “we like to do a little preliminary test, to see for ourselves just how much ground we need to cover, to see which couples will require one-on-one instruction.” She paused and smiled to the room at large. “Now don’t look frightened. It’s a simple test. But first we’ll introduce ourselves and share our inadequacies. No embarrassment, no boundaries,” she said. “Only truth healing.”
Savannah and Knox shared a look of dread. She almost felt sorry for him, but quickly squelched the sentiment. This was a hell of his own making. He could burn with humiliation for all she cared. The couples around them looked as miserable as she and Knox and that made Savannah feel marginally better. As she listened, one man admitted chronic masturbation as his problem. There were a couple of other women delegated to the frigid-and-couldn’t-reach-climax list, and even more men who embarrassingly mumbled impotency as their major handicap.
Rupali beamed at them when they were finished. “Now, for the test.” She paused again, garnering everyone’s attention with the heavy silence. She steepled her fingers beneath her chin. “Do any of you know what the most intimate act between lovers is?” she asked. “I’m sure that all of you are thinking about intercourse, or possibly oral sex…but you’d be wrong. It’s kissing. Kissing requires more intimacy than any other facet of lovemaking. And that will be your test. You will embrace your partner and kiss, and Edgar and I will observe.” She beamed at them. “See, that’s easy enough.”
Savannah heard several audible sighs resonate around the room, but hers and Knox’s weren’t among them. Kissing? Kiss Knox? In front of all these people? Right now? Knox seemed to be equally astounded, as he wore a frozen smile on his face. Panic ping-ponged through her abdomen, the blood rushed to her ears and every bit of moisture evaporated from Savannah’s mouth.
Knox drew her to him, anchored his powerful arms about her back and waist. Longing ignited a fire of need in her belly. “Quit looking like she’s just issued a death sentence,” he hissed through a brittle smile. “We’re supposed to be married, remember?”
Savannah made the mistake of looking up into his dark green eyes and felt need balloon below her belly button. An involuntary shiver danced up her spine and camped at her nape. Oh, hell. She was doomed. “Right,” she said breathlessly.
“It’s just a kiss,” he said unsteadily. “We can handle it.”
“On my count,” Rupali trilled. “Three, two, one…kiss!”
With equal parts anticipation and anxiety, Savannah’s eyes fluttered shut as Knox’s warm lips descended to hers. The exquisite feel of his lips slanting over hers instantly overwhelmed her and she swallowed a deep sigh of satisfaction as his taste exploded on her tongue. He tasted like soda and peanuts and the faint flavor of salt clung to his lips. And oh, mercy, could he kiss. Savannah whimpered.
His kiss was firm yet soft and he suckled and fed at her mouth until Savannah’s legs would scarcely support her. Oh, how many times had she dreamed of this? How many times had she imagined his mouth hungrily feeding at hers, his built-like-a-brick-wall body wrapped around hers? With a groan of pure delight, she pressed herself even more firmly against him and felt her nipples tingle and pearl. A similar experience commenced between her thighs as her feminine muscles dewed and tightened. Their tongues played a game of seek and retreat, and for every parlay, Savannah grew even more agitated, more needy. Knox tightened his hold around her, and she felt his hand slide from the small of her back and cup her bottom. Another blast of desire detonated, sending a bright flash of warmth zinging through her blood.
From the dimmest recesses of her mind, Savannah realized that the room had grown ominously quiet. She reluctantly dragged her lips away from Knox’s and laid her head against his rapidly rising chest.
Edgar and Rupali Shea grinned broadly at them. Their eyes twinkled knowingly. “Clearly Knox and Barbie have passed our little test with glowing marks and no one-on-one instruction will be required.”
A titter of amusement resonated around the room.
Savannah’s cheeked blazed and it took every ounce of willpower not to melt out of Knox’s embrace. She extricated herself with as much dignity as she could muster, considering she’d all but lashed her legs about his waist and begged him to pump her amid a room of confessed sexually challenged spectators.
She was pathetic. Utterly and completely pathetic. How on earth would she keep her attraction for him secret now? How? she mentally wailed.
Deciding the best defense was a better offense, Savannah leaned forward and whispered in his ear, “How about a little less tongue next time, Slick? I don’t know what you were looking for back there, but I had my tonsils removed years ago.” She patted his arm and calmly moved to pick up her plate.
Knox’s dumbfounded expression was unequivocally priceless, igniting a glow of another sort.
4
A LITTLE LESS TONGUE? Knox wondered angrily. To his near slack-jawed astonishment, he’d never enjoyed kissing another woman more. He’d been so caught up in the melding of their mouths that all he could think about was how amazingly great she tasted, how wonderful her lips felt against his, and how much he longed to have her naked and flat on her back…
It was too much to contemplate. This was Savannah.
Savannah.
Admittedly, he’d always thought her gorgeous. The first time he’d met her, he’d felt the familiar tug of attraction. But then she’d blasted him with a frigid blue stare and she’d opened her sarcastic mouth, and he’d never entertained another amorous thought about her. That’s why he’d chosen her for this trip, dammit, and yet the moment his lips had met hers he’d gone into a molecular meltdown. He’d wanted to show her how hot she made him, tell her how much he wanted her and…
And seconds after that mind-blowing kiss, Savannah had calmly offered criticism and then just as calmly returned to her lunch.
Knox was unequivocally stunned.
He’d been too bowled over by the impact of that kiss to even regulate his breathing, much less pretend that he hadn’t been affected…and she’d not only been unaffected, but apparently had been so unmoved by the experience that she’d been able to remain detached and offer advice.
Heat spreading up his neck, Knox loaded his own plate from the buffet and inwardly fumed. He’d always considered himself an attentive lover, had always prided himself on learning what techniques turned a woman on, what would give her pleasure. He liked a vocal partner, one who didn’t expect him to be a mind reader. He liked hearing what made a woman hot and enjoyed doing it for her even more. Throughout his career in the bedroom, he’d heard countless breathy pleas—harder, faster, there and there, and almost and oh, God, there! Touch, suck,