‘More?’ he suggested with amusement when, after the longest time, she finally grew quiet.
Her answer was a look as she bore down firmly, taking him.
Luc answered this by pinning her hands above her head. He loomed over her, and then he took her fast and hard. Her world exploded. His did too.
She wasn’t sure how long exactly they stayed in bed. The time they spent together couldn’t be measured in hours, only in pleasure, and that was extreme. She went for water in the kitchen and when he found her there, they made love again. Luc lifted her onto the counter and nudged his way between her thighs. Then he carried her back to bed and made love to her again. His stamina was inexhaustible, and when she woke the sun was streaming strongly into the room and Luc was working some magic with his hands.
‘Your needs match mine,’ he whispered as she stared at him sleepily.
‘What a great way to wake up.’
Eventually they fell asleep again, entwined in each other’s arms, and when she woke dusk had fallen, and Luc was behind her, one hand pressing her down so he could watch as he pleasured her. ‘Maybe this is the best way to wake up,’ she gasped into the pillow, crying out as he tipped her over the edge. Reaching back, she moved fiercely with him, gripping his buttocks with fingers like iron, working him mercilessly until Luc fell too. They slept some more and then they bathed together. She sat between his legs in the tub, resting back against his chest as Luc kissed her neck and lazily soaped her.
‘You’re so relaxed after sex,’ he commented, nuzzling her hair back so he could expose her sensitive skin.
‘I’m exhausted,’ she admitted, smiling.
‘At last.’ He laughed.
Leaving the water, he pulled a towel down from the heated rail and held it out for her. She was practically purring as he cocooned her in its fluffy warmth. Resting her head against his shoulder, she smiled as he wrapped his arms around her. There was nothing else on earth like this. Just being with Luc was enough.
She’d left his ranch in such a rush she hadn’t thought to bring any spare clothes with her. She borrowed his shirt—a shirt for a giant. She wore it like a dress. Her feet were bare and her hair was gathered back in a ponytail. There was no artifice between them, no tension, no pride. They made a meal together in the kitchen, laughing as they shared the tasks. It seemed like the most natural thing on earth to her. She had never been more relaxed.
‘So, soon-to-be Senhora Marcelos,’ Luc murmured, standing behind her so he could wrap his arms around her waist. ‘When you live with me and be my love, and we have a football team of children, will you still find time to work and help me build up my business?’
‘Don’t worry about my commitment to my work. I will be energised. I have every intention of adding a human touch to your increasingly efficient machine.’
‘And you’ll still find time to make love with me?’
‘If we’re going to have a team of children, I think I’ll have to,’ she pointed out pragmatically.
‘I’ll have it written into your contract, just to be sure,’ Luc said, acting stern. ‘Along with my promise to love and cherish you, even when I teach you to ride—’
‘Oh, that,’ she said.
‘Yes, that.’
‘I’ve been meaning to talk to you about those riding lessons.’ She grimaced.
Luc held out his hand to her with a wicked smile on his face that she recognised at once. ‘Come,’ he coaxed. ‘I’ll teach you the basics in the bedroom.’
‘In that case...’
Suddenly riding didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
EPILOGUE
‘NOW WE JUST have to find a man worthy of my new sister,’ Emma insisted as Karina cradled the two new additions to the Marcelos family in her arms. They were all staying on the ranch for a while to give Emma a chance to settle into her new role as the mother of twins, while Karina, who was staying in one of the guest cottages, had the opportunity to get to know her baby niece and nephew.
‘A man for me?’ Karina huffed. ‘Not interested. I’ve had enough of men to last me a lifetime. Sorry,’ she added, not sounding sorry at all as she handed over one of Emma’s twins. ‘I do realise you’ve got to put up with Lucas, and though I’d love to be a sister-in-arms at this stressful time for you, I prefer my freedom. Can’t even pretend for your sake that I’m in any hurry to bring another rampaging barbarian into my life.’