He readjusted his grip on her wrists and glided one hand along the length of her body. When he cupped her sex she almost came undone at his possessive touch. “Open your eyes.” His voice was rough with desire.
Jodie followed his command and her gaze connected with his. He stroked the wet folds of her sex before he dipped his finger inside. Her flesh gripped him tightly. He watched the pleasure chase across her face as he teased her, his eyes darkening with uncontrollable lust when she held nothing back.
He suddenly let go of her wrists and slid down her trembling body. Stergios draped her legs over his shoulders and pleasured her with his mouth. A keening cry escaped her throat as she clenched her thighs against Stergios. Her fingers dug into his hair as she encouraged him closer. His husky moans and her shallow gasps echoed in the room. Jodie went rigid as the ferocious climax stole her breath. Her body shook as the heat scorched through her.
She lay limp beneath Stergios, her lungs aching as she tried to catch her breath. Through heavy eyelids she watched him shove off his pajama bottoms. He gathered Jodie in his arms, his chest hot and damp to the touch, before he rolled over.
Jodie straddled his hips. Anticipation pulsed through her body when she felt his throbbing erection against her. She slowly sat up, dragging her hands down his broad chest.
She smiled when she saw the hungry glitter in Stergios’s hooded gaze. His angular features were drawn tight as a ruddy color stained his high cheekbones. He could no longer control the pace.
Jodie reached for the hem of her slip and slowly removed it, inch by inch. His fingers flexed on her thighs as she stretched and rolled her hips. She barely heard Stergios’s ragged breath over her pounding heart as she tossed her slip to the side.
Stergios reached up and roughly caressed her body, molding her curves. She grasped his erection and he bucked against her. She stroked him and his growl was low in his throat as he dug his fingers against her hips.
Jodie guided him inside her. She smiled, her heart overflowing, as she felt his shaky restraint. Heat poured from her as he stretched and filled her. She rocked her hips, the pleasure coiling tight inside her. Her rhythm increased as she watched Stergios’s face. Words spilled from her mouth unheeded as she rode him harder. Faster.
She cried out when the hot coil of need burst wildly and pleasure radiated from her core, streaming through her body. Stergios sat up and clasped her against him. Her nipples rubbed against his hairy chest as he held her in a tight embrace.
Love poured through her and she whispered against his ear, chanting his name. Stergios went still before he thrust wildly. She laid her head against his shoulder and clung to him before she surrendered completely.
* * *
Later that morning Jodie stood on the beach and stared at the ocean. She stuffed her hands in her coat and hunched her shoulders as the wind whipped her hair. She felt the cold through her jeans but she didn’t dare go back inside.
What had she said to Stergios? Jodie nervously bit her lip. So many thoughts had chased through her mind. She had felt loved and cherished. She hadn’t felt that way before and the sensations had overwhelmed her. But had she said those words out loud? Her stomach twisted with dread. Had she declared her love for Stergios?
She didn’t hear him approach until he stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her. Jodie jumped and gave a shriek.
“Don’t,” he told her as she tried to break free from his embrace.
“Don’t what?”
“It has taken me weeks to get you back into my bed.” His voice rumbled in her ear. “Don’t find an excuse to leave it.”
She stood stiffly in his arms. “I’m not.”
“You revealed yourself to me, pethi mou.” Stergios pressed his mouth against the back of her neck. “And now you need to hide.”
Jodie clenched her teeth and gathered her courage before she turned to face him. Heat unfurled inside her when she saw his sexy rumpled state. The dark sweater skimmed his lean body and the faded jeans clung to his powerful thighs. The shadow of a beard covering his jaw gave him a rakish edge. But it was his enigmatic brown eyes that made her want to take a step back.
She thrust out her chin. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He captured her gaze and wouldn’t let go. “You told me that you love me.”
Embarrassment pricked at her skin. Jodie felt the muscles twitching in her face as she tried to maintain an impassive expression. She had almost convinced herself that she hadn’t said it out loud because Stergios had shown no reaction. But he had responded. He had gone completely still before he claimed her with a savage wildness.
His restraint had cracked because he knew he had won. He had complete power over her body and her heart. Jodie felt the flush creep up her throat and Stergios watched with a knowing smile as the color flooded her cheeks. She had bared her soul to him and had declared her love. How did she recover from that?