“Oh,” she breathed with surprise. She gripped his bottom, worried he was going to come out, but then he pushed back, still gently, and any other thought or worry was swept away by the explosion of sensation that filled her.
Back and forth he went, pulling out and then pushing back in again. Each time, her senses ratcheted up a notch. She felt as if she were pushed to the edge of a pool of deep, sweet water, after years of drought. All she wanted was to fall into it and drown in pleasure. But Xander wasn’t in any rush, and was determined to make sure the journey to surrender was equally pleasurable. Ela might have initiated the love-making, but Xander was making sure he remained aware of every nuance or suggestion of feeling from Ela, so pleasure was her only response.
Only then, when he had no doubts, did he release his self-control enough to replace the gentleness with a more assertive passion which Ela fully appreciated.
They both came at the same time, Ela clinging on to his shoulders as he pumped with his hips—short, sharp movements—all that he had into her. In that moment she knew she couldn’t live without this. And that she’d do anything—anything—to make him hers.
He rolled onto his side and pulled her hard against him, enveloped her in his arms and kissed her. Then they both fell into a half-sleep or daze—she couldn’t have described it. She didn’t know how long it lasted. But when she came to, he was still holding her and her legs were sticky with his seed. Tentatively she touched it, and he groaned and replaced her finger with his own. She rolled onto her back, helpless under the onslaught of his clever touch.
The evening turned into night—a night of lovemaking and snatched sleep—and the night turned into day once more. It was the same, Elaheh mused as she lay, their legs tangled, her mind and body totally relaxed—as one, and yet totally different.
She swung her legs onto the floor and went to the bathroom. By the time she emerged from the shower, she was dressed.
Xander turned to her sleepily. It didn’t look as if he’d moved.
“You’re up early,” he said, sitting up.
“And I ordered coffee.” She placed a cup beside the bed.
“Hm,” he said, taking a sip of the hot, strong liquid. “I take it you’re moving on,” he said with wry grin.
She shot him an answering grin. “You know me so well.”
“Certainly better than this time yesterday.”
Didn’t she know it. The delicious soreness between her legs told her so. She nodded. “And,” she said slowly, “do you like what you know?”
He reached out and took her hand, kissing it. “I think you know I do.”
She nodded again. “I just wanted to be sure before proceeding to the next step.”
His grin faded, replaced by a frown. He put down the coffee, rose and put on his robe. He folded his arms and looked at her. “The next step, Ela?”
“Yes, the next step, Xander. It’s time to get down to business.”
Chapter 12
“What?” asked Xander in disbelief. “Ela! What are you talking about?”
“Business, Xander. It’s time to move onto business.”
Had he really ever believed Ela could change? Xander shook his head in disbelief. He’d just had the best lovemaking he’d ever experienced and all Ela could do was to say it’s time to get down to business.
“You are truly incredible!”
She frowned. “It doesn’t sound as if you mean that in a good way.”
“In this instance, you’re correct, I don’t. Tell me, why the hell did you come here anyway? Because it doesn’t sound as if you came to make love.”
“I came here,” she said as if she were a school teacher explaining an obvious fact to her school children, “to show you that we weren’t incompatible. In bed, or out,” she added, as an afterthought.
Xander could hardly believe his ears. “Notincompatible?” he repeated.
“Exactly. And I think you have to conclude that we’re not.”
He shook his head. Was he really hearing these things? But then, of course, this was Ela. “Not what? I think I’ve lost the thread here.”
She cleared her throat, looking more and more uncomfortable with each passing moment.