Chapter 17

They helped each other undress, piece by piece, moving silently, slowly, almost as if in a dream. Where before they'd just tossed their clothes aside carelessly, these they folded or draped carefully over a chair while accessories were left in a neat pile on the dresser. When they both stood before each other, naked, Shelby broke the solemn mood by turning toward the bed and giving Noel an impish grin back over her shoulder.

"You know," she murmured, "We never got around to using those silk scarves. How about it? You want to tie me to the bedposts?"

No red-blooded male could resist that. Noel didn't even try. He gave her a wolfish grin. "Yep." His already-rigid cock got even harder as he thought about how to arrange her for maximum enjoyment. "Lie down in the center of the bed."

"Okay." She pulled back the covers and scrambled up onto the mattress. "Now what?"

"You'll find out." He padded over to her nightstand and drew out the pile of scarlet silk, carefully sorting each of the lo