Shanal watched him from under hooded lids as he stripped away his own clothing with far less finesse than he’d undressed her. His erection jutted from his body, his flesh aching to find surcease within her. When he joined her on the bed her hands were quick to find him, to stroke his length, to cup his balls, to squeeze gently, making him close his eyes and give himself over to trust. Trust in her the way she’d trusted him.
They kissed, their lips fusing. First soft and gentle, then with increasing heat until Raif felt as though his entire body was aflame with want for her. His tongue probed the moist recess of her mouth, stroking her tongue as it met his, teasing the roof of her mouth in a kiss that was hot and wet and deep. Shanal arched her back, pressing her breasts against his chest. He tore his mouth from hers, then kissed a trail across her jawline, down her throat and farther, until he caught one nipple between his lips.
His teeth grazed the taut bud and he felt her shake beneath him, her fingers digging into his back, her nails tiny points of pleasure-pain as he drew the hardened tip deeper into his mouth and pulled with his teeth and his tongue.
“I love you, Shanal, and I’m going to show you just how much,” he growled against her skin, pressing kisses lower and lower down her body.
She moaned in delight as his hands spread her thighs, as he nuzzled her neatly trimmed thatch of dark hair. Her hips bowed upward as he licked the curve of her groin. His mouth found her center, his tongue flicking against the bead of nerve endings he knew would tip her completely over the edge. Again and again he stroked that tiny pearl. Beneath his hands he felt the muscles in her legs grow tense, then begin to tremble as a wave rode through her body, then another and another until she collapsed against the bed, gasping.
Her fingers tangled lazily in his hair, traced tiny circles against his scalp. Raif rose over her again, fitting his body against hers. When he looked down at her face he felt a deep sense of pride that he’d finally chased away her shadows—that this beautiful creature was his as much as he was hers, and that he’d made her as happy as she deserved to be.
He fitted himself between her legs, nudging his arousal against her hot, wet center. He groaned as his tip slid into her body.
“Yes,” she whispered to him, her hands at his hips, pulling him, urging him to go all the way. “Be mine.”
“Always,” he answered, kissing her and allowing his length to slide deep inside her.
She was heat and velvet, all in one. Her inner muscles tightened around him, drawing him deeper. The act of joining with another human being had never felt so perfect or so right. He pulled back and then slid home again, slow and sure—taking every second, every sensation, and savoring it as the extraordinary gift it was.
“I love you, Raif,” Shanal cried, holding him tight.
This was the ultimate in life, he thought fleetingly. This was perfection. And then he let instinct take over, and the moment became a blur of unique pleasure, of giving and receiving, and finally, of completion as they climaxed together in a kaleidoscope of sensual gratification.
When his heart rate had returned to something approximating normal, Raif rolled to his side, holding Shanal in his arms as if she was the most precious thing in his world. She was and, God willing, always would be. Only one thing more would make this moment perfect.
He pulled away slightly so he could see her face, then drew in a long breath.
“Shanal, I want you to know that I will always be here for you and—” he pressed his hand across her lower belly “—our baby. I know you are most probably sick of weddings by now, but when you’re ready, would you do me the utmost honor of becoming my wife?”
Her perfectly formed lips pulled into a smile. “I think I can find it in me to walk down the aisle once more, as long as you’re the one waiting for me at the other end. But it will definitely be the last time,” she teased, tracing the line of his nose with a fingertip. Then her expression grew serious and she nodded. “I would love to be your wife, Raif. It would be my greatest privilege to spend the rest of my life with you and to raise our children together.”
“I’m glad to hear it,” he answered with a smile. “Because if you’d said no, I might have had to whisk you away on a houseboat once again, and this time never let you go.”
She shook her head. “You don’t ever need to worry about that. I’m yours, for always. As you are mine.”
Epilogue