Cool, cerulean eyes studied her quietly through a simple black strip of material. It was the mask of a highwayman. The thin, white scar curving its way across his cheek down to his jaw only enhanced the rakish air the mask gave him. The regal line of his nose emphasized the sharp, angular plane of his strong jaw, and there was just the hint of a smile tilting his sensual mouth.

She wasn't certain what historic highwayman he was supposed to be, but he played the role well as he sat there-watching her with a devil-may-care attitude. One boot-clad foot rested on the edge of his chair, his forearm balanced on top of his knee. His other leg was stretched out in front of him in a lazy display of masculine strength. There was a pure, raw sensuality about him that sent every one of her senses into flux. The aura of nonchalance he wore might have fooled others less observant, but she knew it was a deceptive picture. He was a tiger waiting for that exact moment when his unsuspecting prey came within striking distance.

"Isis herself could not have been more exquisite." The low cadence of his voice sent a disturbing shiver of excitement gliding across her skin.

Heat suffused her cheeks as she watched his gaze roam leisurely over her entire body. A flash of arousal flared in his startling blue eyes, and she struggled to swallow the knot swelling her throat. Not even Graham had ever eyed her with such unmitigated desire. In a fluid movement, he rose to his feet and she drew in a breath of surprise. He was as tall, if not taller, than all three of her brothers.

"So, my Egyptian beauty, how shall we pleasure each other this evening?" Again, the silky smoothness of his voice teased her senses.

She tensed. Beneath that seductive tone of his, there was a sardonic note. Dear Lord, did the man think she'd deliberately sought him out? She didn't even know who he was. The thought didn't stop her from imagining her mouth melding with his firm lips, which were now curled in a beguiling smile. With a slight shake of her head, she dismissed the notion.

The last thing she needed was to indulge in an affair. Besides, the man wouldn't last ten minutes when faced with the male members of the Rockwood clan. No, that wasn't true. There was something about him that said he'd be more than a match for her brothers. Butterflies stirred in her stomach as he slowly crossed the room toward her. He had almost reached her when she took a quick step back and raised her hand to keep him at arm's length. Her silent protest didn't stop his forward progression until her palm pressed into his chest.

The moment she touched him, she went rigid. Abrupt and swift, the surreal existence of her visions enveloped her. This time the world she entered was more hedonistic than anything she could have ever imagined. Erotic and vividly real, the image of her writhing eagerly beneath the stranger stole her breath away.

The moment exploded around her with intoxicating pleasure. Warm and spicy, his male scent flooded her senses as their bodies melded, and he thrust deep into her with a dark roar. Flexible steel shoulders shifted beneath her hands as she clung to him, her body moving with his as he filled her completely, withdrew, then buried himself inside her again. The intensity of the moment sent her mind reeling from the pleasure buffeting every part of her. His heat permeated her body as her pores rushed to absorb the very essence of him. Tantalized and devoured by his possession, her blood ran hot with need.

The suddenness with which she was thrown out of the surreal experience sent a jolt through her body. Muscles weak with reaction to the wicked imagery, she struggled to remain standing. She stared up at him, all too aware the vision she'd just seen would happen, and nothing she did could prevent it. The simplicity of the knowledge didn't startle her, but the anticipation skimming through her veins did. She wanted his heat burning through her, singeing her until the pleasure she'd just witnessed consumed her.