She screamed once before her teeth closed over the skin on his shoulder. Deep shudders rocked through her as her bliss pulled her completely under.
She bit him harder, her nails scouring his back as she rode the unending wave.
When her head fell back towards the pillow, he raised his head and looked at her face. The expression of wonder and ecstasy sheening her eyes finally sent him over the edge.
With a roar torn from deep inside him, he gave into the shattering release.
He clamped his mouth shut as new, confusing words threatened to burst free. Praise? Gratitude? Hell, adoration? When had he ever felt those emotions in connection to a woman he’d just bedded?
He buried his face in her neck and let the ripples of pleasure wash him away in silence. Until he could fathom just what the hell was going on beyond the chemical level with Inez, he intended to keep his mouth shut.
Inez slowly caressed her hands down his back, not minding at all that she was pinned to the bed by his heavy, muscled weight. Right at that moment, she couldn’t think of a better way to suffocate to death. The thought made her giggle.
Theo turned his head and nuzzled her cheek. ‘Not the reaction I expect after a mind-blowing orgasm but at least it’s a happy sound.’
Immediately her mind turned to the dozens of women he’d pleasured before her. Hot green jealousy burned through her euphoric haze and her hands stilled.
‘Hey, what did I say?’ His voice rumbled through her. When she didn’t immediately answer, he raised his head and stared down at her. ‘Inez?’
‘It’s nothing important,’ she replied. And it wasn’t.
Earlier this evening, she’d tried to make him see a different way. But he’d refused. This thing between them would last until his vendetta with her father was satisfied. She had no business thinking about what women had come before her or who would replace her once he was done with her family and with Rio.
She endured his intent gaze until he nodded and rose. The feeling of him pulling out of her created a further emptiness inside that made her heart lurch wildly.
Deus, she needed to get a grip. Her hormones were a little askew because she had experienced her first sexual act.
No need to descend into full melt-down mode.
She watched him leave the bed, his body in part shadow in the lamp-lit room. He entered the bathroom and returned a minute later with a damp towel. When she realised his intention, she surged up and tried to reach for the towel.
‘No,’ he murmured softly. ‘Lie back.’
Her face heating up, she slowly subsided against the pillows and allowed him to wash her.
Incredibly, the hunger returned as he gently saw to her needs and when he finally glanced back at her his nostrils were flared, a sign she’d come to recognise as a control-gathering technique.
Her nipples puckered and her body began to react to the look on his face.
‘You need time to recover.’
Her body refuted that but her head knew she needed to take time to regroup. When she nodded, he looked almost disappointed. He returned the towel to the bathroom but left the light on as he came back to bed. Getting into bed, he pulled the covers over their bodies and pulled her into his arms.
She settled her hand over his chest and felt his steady heartbeat beneath her fingers. They lay there in silence until another giggle broke free from her jumbled thoughts.
‘I’m beginning to get a complex, anjo.’ He brushed his lips over her forehead.
‘I believe this is the part where we make small talk after sex but I can’t come up with a single subject.’
She felt his smile against her temple. ‘Wrong. Normally this would be the part when I either leave or do what I just did to you all over again.’
Her heart caught. ‘And?’
‘I’m trying to rein in my primal instincts and not flatten you on your back again.’
Feeling bolder than was wise, Inez opened her mouth to tell him that he needn’t hold it back for much longer. Instead a wide yawn took her unawares.
It was his turn to laugh. ‘I think the decision on small talk has been shelved in favour of sleep.’ He turned her face up to his and pressed his mouth to hers. Within seconds the kiss threatened to combust into something else. He pulled back with a groan and tucked her against him. ‘Sleep, Inez. Now,’ he commanded gruffly.