‘Why?’ she croaked.
‘Because one night would never be enough, ma belle Ana.’ He rose and caught her in his arms, locking one hand in her hair to tilt her face to his. ‘Never enough.’
He rained kisses all over her face, his mouth almost worshipful. Nonetheless those kisses lit fires wherever they touched, making her senses whirl with desire and, yes, love. What had happened before she’d discovered her feelings had been sex.
This, for her, was making love.
She touched him, revelled in his growl of pleasure when she encountered bare skin. It took a moment for her to realise he was naked; that she was lying on top of him in his bed. The heavy throb of his erection against her belly sent a surge of need through her. She wanted him to fill her body, to fill her heart.
But first she wanted to explore him the way she’d never had the chance to before. Freeing herself from his kiss, Ana kissed along his jaw, nipped the tight flesh. His breath exploded from his lungs, his hands tightening on her back as she kissed her way down his throat, his deep chest. His flat, washboard stomach clenched as her lips and hands worshipped him.
Finally, heart thumping in her throat, Ana felt him against her cheek. She glanced up. Bastien’s gaze seared her, an untamed desperation in its depths that caused her blood to surge faster through her veins. Unable to deny herself, she closed her hand over him. His whole body jerked as she stroked him, a deep groan rumbling through his chest and filling the room with arousing sound.
‘Ana...’ Her name was part plea, part warning.
Daringly, and because she knew the alpha male in Bastien wouldn’t let her have this freedom for long, she closed her mouth over him. Ana wasn’t sure whether the moan was hers or his. But the feel of him in her mouth, on her tongue, sent her to another level of pleasure so intense she felt her clitoris throb with renewed force.
His gaze broke from hers, his head rearing back as he sucked in a long, harsh breath. Blindly, he reached out and plucked a condom off the bedside table. Strong hands reached for her, pulled her up and flipped her underneath him. His mouth smashed down on hers, tinged with a desperation that bordered on cruel.
He surged inside her with one long stroke, his arm under her hip to hold her still for his complete possession.
Tears gathered behind her closed lids as pleasure rode higher and higher.
When the gathering force of her climax drew closer Ana opened her eyes. Bastien stared down at her, his eyes darker than they’d ever been. Emotion swirled through them, but none she could fathom through the sensational rollercoaster she rode.
It gripped her, surged higher, until Ana knew she couldn’t hold back.
‘I love you.’ She gave up the words that screamed through her soul.
Blank shock covered his face before he closed his eyes and breathed deep. Then, leaning down, he claimed her mouth in another searing kiss, moments before bliss overtook them both. As they slowly returned to reality he gathered her close and breathed strangled, unfathomable words in her ear.
Long after Bastien fell asleep Ana lay awake, desperately trying to stem the fear that she’d just let herself in for a whole load of heartbreak by admitting her feelings.
Deep inside she knew they’d come a long way from sixteen years ago.
What terrified her was that Bastien would never take that last step into love.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
‘BASTIEN, I’M NOT SURE what’s going on here.’
‘What’s going on is that I want you. You want me too. Stay with me.’
Ana replayed their simple yet life-changing morning-after conversation as she rose from the bed and walked towards the log fire in the luxurious log cabin Bastien had brought her to in Chamonix.
She had been like a prisoner granted a last-minute stay of execution, and her ecstatic, ‘Yes!’ had been lost beneath the onslaught of his hungry kisses.
He’d flown them here by helicopter and that ‘yes’ had echoed throughout the passing days. They spent the mornings skiing and doing her lessons. More than once his patience and gentle attention had brought tears to her eyes. The afternoons, evenings and long nights were spent making love in front of the roaring fire.
A deep blush stung her cheeks as she recalled Bastien asking if she now had a favourite position. She’d felt decidedly wanton as she’d demonstrated which position brought her the most pleasure.
‘I can see your blush from here.’
He stood in the bathroom doorway, naked except for the towel he was using on his wet hair.
‘It’s the fire,’ she responded, unable to stop her eyes devouring his perfect male form. He dropped the towel and strode towards her. His teasing grin stopped her heart moments before it began to thunder when he captured her mouth in a slow, devastating kiss.
‘Yes, it must be. Because you’re all hot and bothered.’ His smile deepened.