When Selena Kelsey flees Victorian London just before her evil stepchildren can institutionalize her for hysteria, the children ask Gavin Fletcher to bring her back home.  Feeling beholden to the family since he was responsible for Selena's husband's death, he agrees.  But when he finds her living on the island of Cyprus with a group who worship Aphrodite (the Greek goddess of sensuality and sex), his need to have her begins to block out every other impulse, including duty and even personal safety.

The Buzz:
4 1/2 Stars from Romantic Times! "...a heat rating off the charts!" **TOP PICK**

A Fallen Angel Reviews Recommended Read: "Jess Michaels entertains and enthralls with Aphrodite’s Passion..."

"...sure to please erotic readers and turns up the heat.  Jess Michaels has written another story that will transport readers back in time." -- Romance Junkies

Excerpt

Selena paced across her chamber, lighting a few lamps and straightening her bedclothes as she went. Why was she so nervous?

Stopping, she peered over her shoulder to look at Gavin. He stood by her door, appearing much as he had when he caught her pleasuring herself. A wash of desire worked through her with the memory. He was why she was nervous.

He was a stranger. Sent to take her back to a life she loathed. And yet, she ached for his touch. Her desire for him went deeper than mere physical attraction, yet she couldn’t explain it. Not to herself. And certainly not to him.

Now she was alone with him. She’d chosen him to be the first man she would take to her bed since her husband. This dangerous man who brought out needs she hadn’t realized she had, even as she allowed her sexuality to be awakened by the teachings of the temple.

She sighed. The temple. There was no doubt this man had questions about the temple, the cult and what they did here. How could she tell him enough to soothe his fears about what would happen to him without telling him so much that he could destroy the group?

When she paced passed the mirror, she caught Gavin watching her. Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. Oh, what if she did this all wrong? What if she hurt her friends? Or worse, what if she disappointed him, proving she wasn’t really a sensual being at all? Proving she belonged in the straight-laced society she hated and fled from.

“Now that you have me here,” he said softly when it became more and more apparent she couldn’t find words to speak. “What will you do?”

She struggled with an answer for a moment before her eyes fell on the large metal tub in the middle of her room. It had been filled, probably on Isadora’s orders. Steam rose from the water.

“You must be tired from your long journey. A bath has been drawn for you. First you will wash, then we’ll discuss our options.” She was surprised how cool and strong her voice sounded when nerves caused her whole body to tremble.

“Very well.” Still he didn’t move away from the door and continued to watch her cautiously. “I’ll bathe if that’s what you want, but why don’t we talk while I do so?”

She nodded once. “Fine. Undress.”

He looked around the room, then at her. “In front of you?” 

She was pleased that his eyes widened. Obviously, he was as unnerved by the situation as she was. Probably even more so since he didn’t understand where he was and his life had already been threatened.

She paused at that thought. No matter what Isadora wanted, Selena wasn’t going to allow him to be killed.

She managed a smile. “Do you have something to hide, Major?”

Now it was his mouth that quirked up with arrogance. He reached up to the collar of his shirt and slid each button free. “Absolutely not. The only one in this room who has secrets is you.”

She pursed her lips. How dare he take that taunting tone when she had saved his life not half an hour before? She opened her mouth to retort when he freed his shirt from his trouser waist and pulled it over his head. Then all words, all coherent thoughts disappeared. 

Gavin Fletcher had felt good beneath her hands when she touched him. He had looked good in his fitted clothing. But it was nothing compared to the way he looked naked. His shoulders were broad and his arms rippled with muscles. The only marring element was a long scar jutting down his left arm. His chest was magnificently muscled with a peppering of dark chest hair that tapered into a V and disappeared into the waistband of his trousers.

She shivered as she pictured rubbing her breasts against that chest. Having those muscular arms hold her. Those strong, skilled hands touch her in every aching place. It was a body made for pleasure.

Hers and hers alone...