“Ashley,” he whispered, his breath feathering the sensitive skin at her ear. “I promise you will enjoy this. You will beg me to continue.” He inched her skirt higher, exposing her calves. “I will not look at your leg. Even if I did, I can’t see anything.” His mouth lowered to her neck then her breasts. He kissed her slowly, and she felt herself relenting as his hands inched her skirts higher, exposing her.
If he’d touched her leg, if he’d tried to look at it, she would have fought him, but he kept his face turned toward hers. He kissed her breasts then her belly then moved between her legs. “One day I’m going to do this in the daylight, when I can see you.” His hands moved from her hips to the inside of her thighs and she gasped in a breath. His hand stroked her inner thigh gently, and she found herself opening her legs wider. She could not seem to stop herself. It was a wanton act, but she had always liked to think of herself as a little wanton.
His hand came to rest on her core, and the feel of his skin on that sensitive spot made her jump.
“You’re wet for me,” he murmured, sounding pleased. “You want me as much as I want you.” He moved his hand against her, stroking her, and she groaned. “Tell me you want me. I promised myself you would beg me before I touched you again.”
“I want you,” she said, catching her lip between her teeth when he stroked her again. His finger delved between her legs, finding that sensitive spot he’d made such satisfying use of that silent night on the ship. And then before she knew what he was doing, he bent his head and she felt the warm, wetness of his mouth where his finger had been. The feeling was so exquisite that she almost screamed, arching off the sand with pleasure.
“Beg me,” he said, his breath on her inner thighs. “Beg me, and I’ll show you how good this can feel.”
“Please, Nick.”
His tongue rasped against her again, and she would have said, would have done anything if he would continue. “Please, please. I beg you. Do not stop.”
He bent his head again, lapping at her until her hips rose and she writhed with anticipation. She knew what was coming, knew the exquisite sensation he would bring her, but she was still shocked and awed when it slammed into her. She cried out, digging her heels into the sand and riding wave after wave of pleasure. When she finally opened her eyes and caught her breath, Nick was looking down at her, his expression intent. “That was beautiful. I may have to do it again just to see your expression.”
She could only shake her head weakly. “I cannot take any more.”
“Oh, we are not yet finished,” he teased.
She felt him thick and hard between her legs and realized he’d been waiting until she was cognizant of him again.
“There’s more pleasure to be had,” he said, eyes dark as he pressed against her. Amazingly, she felt her body respond. She did not think she had the capacity for more pleasure.
“Will you allow me to show you?” He kissed her cheek and her forehead, his lips gentle, but his body was tense. She could feel his arms shaking with the effort of his restraint. She was his wife, and they were alone and half dressed. He’d just done...well, she did not know the word for what he had done...and now he asked her if he might take what was rightly his. She could fall in love with him if he continued like this.
“Yes,” she said, wrapping her hands around his neck and kissing him back. His mouth covered hers, making her forget everything but the feel of his lips on hers. His tongue mated with hers as he entered her. He slid easily into her body, filling her with a delicious fullness that made her groan. He groaned in response, resting his forehead against hers.
“I want to take you slowly,” he said, his voice sounding tight and harsh. “But I find I am as eager as a schoolboy.”
She lifted her hips slightly, liking the new sensation that rippled through her. “I am eager too.”
“If you continue to move like that, continue to say such things, I will embarrass myself.”
But she could not seem to help herself. She could not stop her hips from pressing up and against him. “Nick.” She breathed his name, unable to form words.
“I can’t hold on.” He moved within her then, thrusting so hard she caught her breath. She cried out, and he caught her hip with one hand, holding her where he wanted her. Holding her where she could not escape the exquisite torment. The way he moved, the way he brought her to the brink of climax, then retreated again. She was sobbing by the time he cried out. “Come with me,” he ordered her, and his hand moved between them. Stars seemed to explode when he touched her, and she arched into him, feeling, for the first time, that they were truly one.
Chapter Thirteen
Nick lay in his wife’s arms, panting. His heart pounded so loudly it sounded like the blast of cannons in the midst of a battle. There had been little skill in the act, little finesse, but that did not seem to matter. He was completely undone. He had not felt like this since...since the first time he had made love to Ashley.
Had it scared him as much then as it did now? He remembered, vaguely, that it did. He’d told her he broke it off because he did not want to drag her into the sordid life he led as a pirate. That was true—in part. What was also true was that being with Ashley made him feel things he did not want to explore too closely. She made him feel vulnerable, the same way he’d felt when Nerissa had been a tiny newborn. Looking at her had been like seeing his heart outside of his body. He’d wanted to wrap her up and put her somewhere safe, where nothing and no one could hurt her because he knew if anything happened to her, it would kill him.
Without Rissa, he had no reason to live. It was far too dangerous to allow those sorts of feelings to develop for Ashley. He had to keep some part of his heart inside his body, some part of it safe and protected. But now, lying here, he felt exposed and vulnerable. At the same time, he felt complete. He felt content in Ashley’s arms. He never wanted to leave. Reluctantly, he disentangled himself and sat. She pushed her skirts down but made no move to rise or even sit. He felt inordinately pleased that she was as affected as he. He also felt a tug of regret when he considered he would have to leave her in a two days’ time to search out Yussef. It seemed the odds were always against them. Now that they had made a truce of sorts, he would leave her.
“That was—”
He looked down at her, her blond hair spilling out on the sand, her pale skin glowing in the starlight. It was too dark to see the expression she wore, but he thought she was smiling.
“Words fail you?” he said, teasing. “I doubt that has ever happened before.”
She punched him lightly. “Do not ruin the moment.” She sighed. “That was...”
“Amazing?”
“Yes! More than amazing, but I don’t know a word for something more than amazing.”
