In the early light, she caught his faint smile as he raised his head. “I’m taking that as permission to continue.”
She luxuriated in the long, slow glide of his body. How had she lived without this? But of course, she’d waited for the right man. As Leath circled his hips, setting off a fresh cascade of sensations, she knew he was the lover that she’d dreamed of all her life.
“Yes,” she managed to say before closing her eyes on a moan as he thrust more purposefully, so deep that surely he must touch her womb. A declaration of love surged, but he shifted, withdrawing with a voluptuous languor that banished everything but pleasure from her mind.
He moved again and again with a primeval rhythm. Last night, she’d scaled the ladder to heaven. But this powerful possession of her body—a possession that extended to her heart too—proved that a thousand roads led to paradise.
Her hands trailed up and down his back, feeling his muscles tense then relax with every thrust. Ruthlessly, he tipped her, changing the angle again. Fresh heat seared her. She moaned when he kissed her tight nipples.
This time she dared to explore further. He plunged hard as her hands fluttered over the small of his back, then discovered two intriguing dimples on either side of his backbone. She’d always known he was a well-built man, but his naked form was pure power. She felt surrounded, conquered, devoured. She felt strong and fulfilled.
She ventured lower to caress firm buttocks. He jerked and bit out a curse when she scraped her fingernails across his flesh. The air was heavy with the scent of their mating.
He nipped her neck, making her shudder. The feeling that rose each time he entered her body surged. But he went still before she reached her climax.
“Not… yet,” he gasped against her damp skin.
“I want this.” She was barely aware of what she said. She plowed her fingers into his buttocks, compelling him to move. “I want you.”
“Keep wanting me.” He retreated and advanced.
She bowed up in response. His face filled her vision. Stark with arousal, flushed, mouth stretched over his teeth.
She hovered so close. So tantalizingly close. Again he stopped before she toppled over the edge. “You’re torturing me.”
His grunt might indicate frustration or amusement or both. “I want to show you what we can create together.”
The light now was bright enough to reveal every strained line on his face. Deep brackets framed his mouth. She hooked her legs across his back, linking her ankles.
“Let go,” she crooned, running her hands over his shoulders. “Let go.”
“Eleanor, you destroy me,” he gasped.
He jerked forward, claiming her, and this time as she rose, the wave was too great to stop. On a cry she broke through to the summit, then the whole world crashed around her in a rain of fire. The pleasure dashed her against the sky then back to earth then back to the sky.
Through the blinding tempest, she heard his guttural groan. Her body clenched anew against the surge of liquid heat and her fierce response drowned everything except joy.
And the fact that she’d love him until she died.
Chapter Twenty-One
Nell woke in Leath’s—James’s—embrace. Briefly, she basked in voluptuous memories of the night. When she wriggled free, he made a sleepy complaint, but didn’t wake. The morning was brisk, and she rubbed her arms as she studied her lover.
The light revealed signs of tiredness, but he looked more at ease than he had at Alloway Chase. Only last night had she realized that the sexual pull between them had worn at him as it had worn at her. She had a feeling that if she woke him, he’d assuage that sexual pull again. But the weariness in his face—and knowing that she’d have his attention later—led her to kiss his bristly cheek, then collect her clothes from the floor. She blushed to remember how they’d got there, although surely a woman who had passed such a wanton night had no right to blush.
She washed and dressed in the small room adjoining the bedroom, wincing as muscles she’d never used before protested. Not that she minded. She felt as though the world was painted bright gold.
The world in fact was dark gray. Rain struck the windows with a force that made Nell grateful to be inside with the man she loved. A faint smile curved her lips as she wondered whether he’d take her back to bed this morning. She hoped so. Last night had hinted at oceans of sensuality waiting to be discovered.
She wandered downstairs to the kitchen, set
ting up breakfast and making tea. After missing dinner, James would be hungry. Then she tidied the parlor and set the fire. The housewifery was second nature. She’d run her stepfather’s house since her mother’s death. But she’d never worked for the comfort of a man who shared her bed.
Braving the weather, she retrieved a few bedraggled late roses from the bushes around the door. Upstairs all remained quiet.
Nell turned her attention to the entry hall, where James had flung his greatcoat and luggage before he’d carried her away to heaven. Usually he was the most orderly of men. She smiled to think that he’d arrived in such a fever he hadn’t even stopped to hang his coat to dry.
For a lost moment, she hugged the damp greatcoat. This morning her progress was woefully slow. She kept stopping to recall the night: a daring caress; a tender kiss; wild sensations sizzling through her. The thought of James Fairbrother left her staring into space for minutes at a time. If she wasn’t careful, she’d turn horribly dreamy. She’d never been in love before. The emotion’s all-encompassing power astonished her.