‘Well, thanks very much.’ By now they were naked. She pushed and he fell back on the bed with a shout that soon became laughter. She launched herself after him. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled, trapping her beneath him. Then he set about making her go fast—taking his time to enjoy her in ways that pushed her to the limit. He caressed her from top to toe, stroking her everywhere and then right there, while he kissed her slow and deep. He worked her, taking her higher. Moving from her mouth to her breast. She felt him smile, then heard his chuckle as she writhed under him, wanting him to give her the release so badly. But he was in control and delighting in drawing it out for her. Part of her loved it. Part of her was being driven to madness. His fingers rhythmically teased; his mouth nuzzled her breasts. She moaned, on the brink.
He lifted a millimetre away from her and muttered, ‘You’ll manage the bar.’
‘Yes.’ She was rewarded with a faster stroke.
‘You’ll marry me.’
Her throat constricted. ‘Yes.’ Even faster, so she was even closer.
‘Because you love me.’
She expelled a huge breath. ‘Daniel, is there going to be some sort of interrogation every time we make love?’
‘So you’ll admit we’re making love.’
With other-world strength she pushed at him so he rolled off her and over onto his back. She quickly straddled him, taking charge. He grinned up at her, utterly unabashed. She stared down, eyes narrowing at the devilry in his gaze. Two could play at this game.
She leant forward and twirled her tongue around his nipple, trying to ignore his hands as they ran over her hips with sensual slowness. She traced her fingers down his hard-muscled chest, feeling it harden more as she did so. His abs clenched into even more defined beauty as she traced over them and then lower. She curled both hands around him, then inched her body down his strong thighs a fraction lower so she could take him in her mouth. She smiled inside as the groan came from deep within him, loving it as his hands rose and he weaved his fingers into her hair.
‘Lucy…’
She stroked him and felt him strain up to her. She lifted her head. ‘Repeat after me…Lucy can play country music any time she wants.’
He panted—half-laugh, half-gasp. ‘Never.’
She grasped him firmer, took him in deeper and then out again before back in another time. His fingers knotted in her hair. She instructed him again. ‘Repeat. After. Me…Lucy…’ Her hands kept rubbing in an ever-increasing rhythm.
‘Lucy…ah…I love you.’
Her fingers squeezed. ‘It’s about time you said so,’ she whispered, all humour gone.
He sat up sharply. He lifted her face up in his hands so he could read her expression before kissing her hotter and harder than ever before. He pulled his mouth a moment away and the words came out on a harsh wind. ‘Don’t you know already? I’ve been so obvious.’
‘Daniel!’ she squealed. ‘You’re harder to read than a Russian fighter-jet manual—in Russian!’
‘I can’t keep my hands off you. I can’t stay away from you. I’ve bought that club for you—what more do you want?’
‘Same as you. The words.’
It was his turn to force her back, coming to lie over her, his eyes not leaving hers, his fingers back in her hair, combing it from her face, his thumb caressing her forehead. ‘I’ll give you more than words, Trouble. Every action, every decision I take now is with you uppermost in mind. I care about you more than anything. More than my job, even.’
‘Your job makes you who you are, Daniel. Your drive, your passion for it is part of what excites me about you. Giving that up would mean losing part of you—I never want you to do that.’
He smiled at her. ‘Sometimes I work crazy hours.’
She smiled back, turned her head to kiss the inside of his wrist. ‘So do I.’
‘We can make it work.’
She knew he was thinking of his parents, of their failure to stick together through the stresses of his father’s career. ‘We will. When I’m too old and ugly to run a club I’ll open a diner and serve bacon and bananas.’
His gaze slid from hers to her mouth and she watched in fascination as the gold flecks burned brighter, the brown darkening. His thighs rested on hers, his erection pushing at her. She parted her legs, letting him closer, then she wrapped them around him completely and flexed her hips up at him.
‘I’m not wearing a condom.’
‘I couldn’t care less.’ She wrinkled her nose. ‘Actually I could, but I just want you.’
He hesitated and she smiled. ‘I’m on the pill, Daniel. Have been the whole time.’
He looked solemn. ‘I never thought I’d want kids. But if I can have one of each with green eyes and crazy hair then OK. In about five years.’
She smoothed away the crease in his brow. ‘We’ll need to add another two to lessen the burden of parental expectation and not for at least six years.’
He sparked with appreciation. ‘We’ll hammer out the fine details later. Right now I just want to feel you, just you and nothing but.’
She nodded. ‘Everything, Daniel. For ever. I trust you.’
The moment of connection was more sublime that she’d ever thought possible. Her breath came in on a high cry. Their eyes met, sharing the intimacy with intensity. Fearlessly revealing feelings, reading reactions.
She let go completely. ‘I love you.’ It wasn’t a whisper, wasn’t breathy, but a strong declaration that she meant with entirety.
He tensed, colour slashing his cheekbones. ‘Say it again.’
Her eyes widened as she saw the need in his, finally understanding that she had the power to make him happy—or otherwise—as he could her. The last of her cool façade shattered in the heat of him, in the need to show him her love. She wrapped her arms around him as tight as she could, drawing him in deeper with her hips. She passionately kissed her way across his jaw until she could take his mouth with her own. ‘I love you, I love you, I love you.’
It was then that he lost it. His body clenched hard, his fingers digging into her rounded flesh, holding her close as he thrust in, deeper and harder and faster and shouting out her name. The joy she felt in her heart at his unrestrained reaction radiated out to her body, tipping her over the edge, into exploding light, shaking heat and finally darkness.
Entwined they lay dozing—fitfully, but dozing nevertheless. She stirred, her mind not letting her body give in to sleep.
‘You’ve really bought the club?’
‘Mmm hmm.’
‘Because you believe in me.’
He opened his eyes, revealing his ever-alert self. ‘I would never have given you the job in the first place if I didn’t think you could do it.’
‘I thought you gave it to me because you had the hots for me.’
‘I told you at the time, you’re not my type.’
‘You’re still not mine.’
He swept his hand from her hip to breast and teased with his fingers so her nipple budded into life. ‘I know.’
Her mind leapt to another amusing possibility. ‘Are we going to have the reception at the club?’
‘Hell, no, Corey will break all the glasses.’
She giggled and then sighed as his fingers continued their teasing touches. ‘Is that outdoor bath big enough for two?’
‘So the owner tells me. Warm and wet.’
‘How about hot?’
He raised an eyebrow; she saw the twitch at the corner of his mouth.
She spoke again with studied ambivalence. ‘Sounds like it mig
ht be worth checking out.’
He caught her hand as he slipped from the bed, taking her with him. ‘Trouble, we’ve finally found something we agree on.’
*****