Then his hands were on her breasts, his mouth was there, and she shuddered at the overloading of exquisite sensations bombarding her body.
His tempo increased, as did her response. Their slow coupling lost its smoothness, grew faster, their movements urgent. His hands moved to her hips, clamping her hard in place against him. Still his tongue caressed her breast.
Tessa revelled in the magic that he spun for her and in the almost desperate way he held her to him, as if he had no intention of ever letting her go.
She didn’t have time to process that thought before he leaned back on the bed, his gaze holding hers, and she was mesmerised anew by the potent need glittering in his eyes.
Warm air caressed her nipples, still wet from the lap of his tongue. Suddenly she didn’t miss the caress of his mouth for a charge of energy shivered through her as he strove even higher against her.
She braced herself on his shoulders as the shiver grew to a trembling that spread right through her. Her body stiffened, awash with new delights, new pleasure. She welcomed the sense of being anchored against him by his touch and by the gaze that seemed to draw her to him, reassure and excite her at the same time.
Tessa opened her mouth to say something, she had no idea what, when out of nowhere a crescendo of escalating sensations shook her and the world tilted. Her fingers dug into his shoulders. She reached crisis point and waves of shuddering response racked her taut body. Waves of ecstasy. They rolled over her, through her, absorbing her, tossing her high. Only Stavros’ hands, his gleaming eyes, kept her safe.
On and on it went, till the breath she’d held so long whooshed out of her lungs and she collapsed against him. Instantly strong arms wrapped round her, pulling her close even as the quivering aftershocks of her climax absorbed something new—the sensation of Stavros’ body stiffening in spasm, of him shuddering, pulsing within her.
Her heart squeezed tight as she splayed her fingers over his silky, slick skin, a strange sense of protectiveness welling within her. Tessa wrapped her arms around his shoulders, as if she could hold him safe from the chaos that must surely underlie such bliss, just as he’d anchored her.
Finally, after an impossibly long time, the shuddering stopped. The only movement was his chest rising and falling beneath her and the thud of his heart like the slam of pistons.
Rough breathing filled the air.
Drowsily she was thankful that he didn’t choose to say anything. For she wanted to hold on to the utter magic of this moment, of the incredible experience they’d shared, without harsh reality intervening.
She felt warm, limp, sated and utterly blissful.
Her last cogent thought was to register pleasure as Stavros shifted his hands away from her hips and up to wrap about her back, holding her close. She fell asleep to the gentle caress of his palm sliding in tiny, reassuring circles against her bare skin.
Tessa woke to a sensation of warmth. She snuggled closer, curiously replete and with a feeling of such contentment that she didn’t want to wake. This was too nice. Too luxurious.
It was a moment before she registered the fact that it wasn’t a soft pillow beneath her head, or a hard pallet. It was a solid cushion of pure muscle. Of warm skin. Short, silky hairs tickled her cheek, making her want to turn her head and nuzzle the masculine chest supporting her.
Stavros.
The knowledge breathed through her with the salt-musk aroma of his skin and something clenched deep inside her.
Tessa barely had time to absorb the fact, to realise that the warmth she felt was his embrace, holding her close in his bare arms, against his bare body, when he spoke.
‘Wake up, Tessa.’
No! She didn’t want to lose this wonderful floating sense of wellbeing. Even in her foggy state she understood that full awareness would bring the real world crashing in. She wanted to avoid reality just a little longer.
But then he spoke near her ear, his lips moving against her hair in a way that shot a twist of delight through her. ‘Come on. Open your eyes.’
Reluctantly she lifted her lids, focusing on the sculpted male beauty of his chest just in front of her eyes and on the rounded muscles of his shoulder and biceps.
‘That’s it,’ he murmured. Then he was moving, lowering her. She opened her mouth to protest but hissed in a shocked breath as warm water closed around her. Warm water, fresh-scented with a fragrance reminiscent of forests. A bath. A very deep bath.
The hiss transformed to a sigh as she registered the luxurious comfort of the water, like a sensuous, soothing tide about her. Aches she’d barely been awake enough to notice began to ease even as she leaned back. Slowly Stavros slid his arms away and Tessa bit her tongue against the urge to protest. She wanted him to hold her. She’d felt so secure in his arms.