Chapter 26

Riley gave that deep laugh that rumbled through her. Then his face turned serious. "But maybe I can take more time looking at it later, until I've looked my fill. If that ever happens."
"Take off the rest of your clothes, now," she told him. "I want a chance to look, too."
He pushed himself to his feet, toed off his shoes, and unfastened his jeans. She watched him ease the zipper down over the significant bulge pressing against the fly. Her eyes were glued to him as he pushed both his jeans and knit boxers down his thighs and kicked them off. Then he stood there, a sculpted statue of muscle and bone, with its dusting here and there of very fine dark-brown hair.
Her eyes dropped to his cock, and her mouth went completely dry. It rose proud and thick and full from the dark nest of curls at his groin, the head a deep purple, a swollen vein wrapped around the thick shaft. Below, the sac with his testicles hung weighty against his thighs. Every hormone and pheromone and other kind of 'mone surged through her, and she wanted him again with an intensity she never would have believed.
She pushed herself to a sitting position and reached for him where he stood in front of her. Tentatively at first, then more firmly, she wrapped her fingers around his mouthwatering cock. When she lowered her head and swiped her tongue across the velvety texture of the head, he sucked in a breath, and she sensed every muscle in his body tightening. Emboldened by his reaction, she did it again, sliding her fingers up and down from root to tip at the same time.
"Jesus, Lia," he ground out. "Can we save some of that for later, when I'm not quite so ready to blow?"
She chuckled, the sound vibrating against his penis and her fingers. "Maybe."
She slipped one hand around his hip to his ass, running her fingernails lightly over one taut cheek.
Riley gripped her head and lifted it away from him. "After," he said in a tight voice."
She cocked an eyebrow. "After? After what?"
"After I'm inside you and bring us both to what I know will be an orgasm to blow our minds."
"Promises, promises," she teased, but her heartbeat ratcheted up and her body hummed with anticipation.
Then, before she could realize what was happening, he lifted her, rearranged her on the bed so she was spread out like a feast before him, and took a long moment to stare at her again.
Lia frowned. "Is there something wrong? You keep looking at me in a strange way."
"Strange? Hell, no," he disagreed. "I'm trying to memorize every single curve and dip and swell so I can see it over and over again in my dreams."
What? Did that mean this was the only time they would be together? No, no, no. She wanted to shout the words. How could he deny the connection she knew they'd both felt from that first moment of contact?
He plucked a condom from the nightstand drawer and sheathed himself deftly, one-handed. Then he knelt between her thighs, bending her knees and coaxing her to plant her feet on the bed as she had done before. Again, he gave her that deep, penetrating look, as if he could see directly into her mind as well as her body. And her heart.
Heart?
Oh god. She knew all the tales of how it had happened that way with others. She just hadn't expected it to happen to her. And what if he didn't feel the same way? What would she do then?
"No thinking," he told her, touching his tongue to first one nipple then the other. "Only feeling. Thinking is for later."
He took each nipple in turn into his mouth, grazing them with his teeth and sucking them hard. The earthy scent of him was even stronger and swamped her senses. Her nipples hardened as he moved his mouth away and the cooler air hit the wet, pebbled surface.
Do it now, she wanted to shout, pushing her hips upward at him. Her body screamed to take him inside.
Finally, finally, he changed position. In seconds, the head of his cock nudged at her opening. She lifted her gaze to his and saw him giving her that same penetrating look she'd seen before, one she felt could see clear into the soul of her.
In deliberate, measured increments, he eased himself into the tight clasp of her pussy, and all the time his eyes never left hers. She closed her eyes. Her inner walls stretched to accommodate his thick girth, the pleasure of it racing through her. He pushed deeper into her until - There! He was completely inside her now, fully seated. And holy hell, did that feel good!
His shaft bumped the mouth of her womb, and he growled, "Look at me, Lia. Right now."
Her eyes flew open and, in his, she saw something so deep, so emotional it took her breath away. It gripped her body, her mind, and her heart as if it would never let go. This was way more than sex. And if she waited a year to analyze this and decide if it was right, her conclusion would be the same. And judging by the intense look in Riley's eyes, he was gripped by the same emotions.
Mate!
The muscles in his face were taut, his entire body tense as he continued to look at her in that all-encompassing way. He drew in a deep breath and let it out. "Lia, I - "
She shook her head. "I know. I know."
He slid his hands beneath her buttocks and began to take her on a long, all-consuming, devouring ride, where the only thing she could think about was this man and this joining, here and now. In and out, he plunged, thrust and retreat, slow and fast, dragging it out until she was sure she would scream.
"I don't think I can last any longer," he said between gritted teeth.
"I can't either," she breathed.
He plunged deeper, harder, faster, his strokes pushing her higher and higher. Everything fell away except the two of them and the here and now.
The orgasm hit so suddenly, it took her breath away. It was fierce, intense, an explosion of sensations like a shower of fireworks. They rocked and shuddered together, their breathing harsh in the silent air of the room. It went on and on, spasm after spasm, only subsiding at the point where she was afraid their bodies would shattered and fracture.
Riley collapsed forward, catching himself on his forearms, his heart beating against her chest. Or was it hers? It was difficult to tell. A signal they were not separate but parts of one, right? Surely he could see it and feel it. Most of all, feel it.
After a long time, Riley pushed himself up enough to lock his gaze with hers.
"Just so we're clear," he said, in a voice that still held a trace of uncertainty, "this wasn't some roll in the hay, Lia. Something happened here, and you have to tell me you feel it, too."
Exactly what I was going to say.
She wet her lips again. "You're right. And I do. I want to believe you and - "
"Then, believe me." The look in his eyes was fierce, matching the feeling gripping her. "We're going to sort it out, but we're not going to let it disappear."
"Even though Jamie - "
"Jamie trusts me. And my heart tells me I can trust you." He shook his head as if in bewilderment or amazement or both. "Go figure. This is the last thing I expected."
"I can say the same," she told him.
"Don't move." He eased himself from her body. "I'll be right back."
He padded to the bathroom to dispose of the condom. Then he was back, climbing into bed with her and spooning her against him. His now semisoft cock nestled against the crevice of her ass, and one large warm hand cradled a breast.
"I think you've bewitched me, Lia." His breath was a soft breeze against her ear. "Is that possible? Can a practical man like me be bewitched?"
She laughed. "Anything is possible."
"I know there are things going on here I don't understand, and I want to talk to you about this." He nipped the soft flesh of her ear lobe, sending shivers racing through her. "But, first, we're going to check you out of wherever you're staying and bring your things back here. Do you have someone you have to notify?"
She shook her head. "No. It's just me. I'm alone." She hadn't meant to sound so pathetic.
"It's okay. You aren't alone anymore, and this makes things simpler. So, we'll get your things at the bed and breakfast and pick up some food on our way back here. Then, we are definitely going to talk."
She stroked the soft, fine smattering of hair on his arm, relishing a security that had been missing from her life for a long time. "Whatever you say."
He smiled against her cheek. "Good. Let's keep it that way."