He picked up a tendril of her hair again and wound it around his finger, his eyes holding hers in a smouldering lock that made her insides clench all over again with need. ‘I want to make love to you again but I don’t want to tire you.’
Emily pinched his chin between her finger and thumb and brought his face down to hers. ‘Did I say I was tired?’
His lips moulded themselves to hers in a leisurely kiss that had a blistering undercurrent of lust. She opened for him, making a sound of sheer pleasure when his tongue circled hers. His afternoon stubble grazed her face when he changed position, but it only heightened her awareness and need of him. He turned her so she was lying over him, giving her more control and less of his weight to worry about. He placed his hands just below her breasts, offering them gentle support.
Emily swept her hair back over one shoulder, straddling him with her thighs, her body flaring with incendiary heat as his erection rose in front of her mound. She moved against him, letting him feel how ready she was for him.
He sucked in a harsh-sounding breath and groaned. ‘You’re killing me.’
She leaned over him, planting her hands either side of his head, letting her hair fall forward and tickle his chest. ‘Kill me right back.’
Loukas’s hands gripped her by the hips and he pushed up into her with another deep groan of satisfaction. The movement of his body in hers incited her to be more daring and adventurous. She moved her body in a circular motion, delighting in the way the friction changed with each movement. Each time his body surged and withdrew, waves of pleasure built in tantalising ripples and coursed through her flesh. She was so close to flying, but couldn’t quite lift off, until he came to her rescue by massaging the swollen heart of her, sending her soaring into the abyss on an orgasm so intense she could barely register anything but the sensations ricocheting through her body.
His took his pleasure with a series of thrusts, each one sending a vicarious wave of delight through her intimate flesh. His whole body relaxed back against the mattress, and he brought her down to rest her head against his chest, one of his hands moving in a slow stroke up and down the curve of her spine.
Never had Emily felt so physically close to another person. Love-making with Daniel—when it had infrequently occurred—had often been quick and unsatisfying, for which she had mostly blamed herself. And, because Daniel had gone to any lengths to hide his secret from his overly conservative parents, he too would often allow her to feel it was her fault. For seven years she had felt hopelessly inadequate.
But ever since sleeping with Loukas she’d realised she was more than capable of experiencing earth-shattering orgasms—of being a sexually competent partner who could give and receive pleasure. The chemistry she shared with Loukas wasn’t just in bed but in every aspect of her contact with him. She was attracted to his intellect, his quiet strength of character and his dry sense of humour. His sense of responsibility impressed her, the fact that he was prepared to do whatever he could to provide for his child, even though it pushed him out of his comfort zone.
Loukas’s hand settled on the small of her back, creating a warm, soothing glow that threatened to melt her bones. Emily lifted her head and, leaning on his chest, toyed with the line of his lower lip with her fingertip. ‘I think my mother might be on to something.’
One of his brows lifted. ‘Oh? What’s that?’
She traced the shallow dip below his lip. ‘She teaches couples how to communicate better through having great sex.’
His hand began another slow stroke of her spine, his dark eyes glinting. ‘Sounds like the homework could be fun.’
Emily sent her finger over his top lip, playing special attention to the firm philtral ridge running beneath his nose to his mouth. ‘Not that it ever worked with my ex.’
‘So what happened between you and him?’
You’re talking about your ex while you’re in bed with Loukas?
I have to tell him some time, don’t I? Anyway, it’s called communication.
It’s called being a gauche idiot, that’s what it’s called.
Emily focussed on Loukas’s stubble-coated Adam’s apple rather than meet his gaze. ‘In the seven years I dated and lived with Daniel, he forgot to mention he was gay.’
Loukas frowned. ‘You didn’t suspect anything?’
Emily sighed. ‘On reflection, there were lots of indications, but I disregarded them. He comes from a really conservative background. He didn’t feel he could ever come out to his parents in case they disowned him, so he hid it since he was a teenager. I think that’s why I never suspected anything at the beginning, because he was romantic and attentive and made me feel special. It was only after we started living together that things went downhill. For all of that time I blamed our patchy sex life on myself. We seemed to only ever have sex when he’d had a few drinks. It made me feel he wasn’t attracted to me unless he had wine-or beer-goggles on. It wasn’t great for my self-esteem, that’s for sure.’
‘You didn’t think about leaving him sooner?’
She gave a self-deprecating grimace. ‘I can be pretty stubborn when I know I’m in the wrong. I dig myself in deeper and deeper because I don’t want to admit I’ve made a mistake. Don’t get me wrong—we were good friends...really good friends, but the chemistry wasn’t right. Once five years had passed, I got even more desperate to pretend everything was fine. Looking back now, I can see how I’d convinced myself everything was okay with the relationship when in fact it was anything but. The more time that passed, the more determined I was to ignore the signs. All of them were there but I point-blank refused to acknowledge them. I would’ve made a great attendant on the Titanic. I would’ve had those deck chairs repainted and handed around drinks and conducted the brass band to boot.’
‘So how did you find the courage to leave?’
‘Here’s what I’m really ashamed about,’ Emily said. ‘I didn’t find the courage. Not really. It was only when I found Daniel in bed with his lover when I came home unexpectedly from work one day, I realised I had to finally face up to what was right in front of me. He begged me to stay in the relationship to keep his cover for his parents. He even said we could have kids and the dog I’ve always wanted as long as I kept his secret. I was angry at first but then I felt so sorry for him. I knew his parents well and I knew exactly what would happen if he came out to them.’
Loukas’s forehead was still deeply furrowed. ‘You surely weren’t going
to stay with him after that?’
She pulled at her lip with her teeth. ‘I thought about it for a day or two. It was so hard, because I actually loved him, and I truly believe he loved me in his way. But I ended things and moved out and within a few weeks he finally told his parents.’
‘How did they take it?’