‘Especially for you,’ he husked, and lowered her down.
The brush of her body against his as he set her on her feet was a sweet agony.
Chapter Twelve
PHOEBE looked up at Jed, her blue eyes sparkling with humor. ‘I never had you pegged as the romantic rose petal type.’
She shook her head, and he was stunned by the brilliance of
the smile she gave him. He made a mental note to give Cora something fabulous and tell her to keep quiet.
Jed laughed softly. ‘I am not—but for you…’ He trailed off throatily and slipped his hands beneath the light coat, easing it from her shoulders to drop it to the floor.
A warm tide of colour washed over Phoebe’s face. The fact that he had thought of the roses beguiled her, and her nervousness vanished along with her clothes as Jed’s hand reached round her back and unzipped her dress, peeled it down her body until it fell at her feet and did the same with the frill of white that passed as her briefs. He dropped to his knees to lift each foot and remove the scrap of lace.
She heard his sharp indrawn breath as he straightened up, and felt his eyes on her. His glittering gaze roved over her face and lower, to her high firm breasts, the small waist, the pale curls shielding her femininity, slowly down her long legs and finally back to her face. He reached for her, cupping her face in his hand. ‘Phoebe—my beautiful bride.’
He brushed his lips lightly against hers, threading his hands through her hair. He removed the clip she wore and smoothed the silken mass down over her shoulders and kissed her again, his hands stroking down her slender arms, and settling on her waist while his mouth worked its magic on her senses
A soft sigh of pleasure escaped her and she swayed weakly towards him, reaching for his broad shoulders. Suddenly she was swept of her feet again and placed gently in the middle of the wide bed scattered with petals.
He straightened up. ‘Never have I seen anything so perfect as you.’ His deep husky voice was almost reverent, and as she watched he stripped off his clothes in seconds.
‘Ohhh!’ She drew in a deep breath as she stared at his tall bronzed body, all taut muscle and sinew and mightily aroused. And then he lowered his long body on the bed, supporting his weight on one elbow, curving his hand round her throat, his dark gaze roaming over her.
‘You are exquisite, Phoebe,’ he husked, looking into her sparkling blue eyes. ‘And at last you are mine—my wife,’ he declared possessively, and she didn’t argue.
His thumb and finger trailed down her throat and lower, until his palm cupped her breast and his fingers rubbed gently at the nipples. ‘Ahhh…’ she breathed as his teasing fingers excited her. Her eyes, wide and luminous, scanned his darkly handsome face and, reaching up, she ran her fingers though the silken black hair of his head.
Jed groaned and his mouth found hers in a soft caress, his tongue seeking, tasting, his hands gliding, stroking over her trembling body as he kissed her with an ever deepening passion that sparked an answering passion in her.
She felt the blood flow thicker though her veins as he lifted his head and trailed kisses down her neck, her breasts, capturing a pouting nipple between his teeth to lick and suck until she cried out at the fierce pleasure he created.
With a husky growl he retuned to her mouth and kissed her with a savage need that melted her bones. She felt the power of his muscular body against her, the caress of his strong hands sliding over her heated skin. Time ceased to exist…she was drowning in a sea of sensations so intense nothing else mattered.
She writhed beneath him as his hand traced down her stomach to settle between her thighs, his long fingers finding the small point of pleasure while his mouth and tongue and teeth explored every pulse-point with an erotic expertise that drove her wild.
Her arms wound round him as he moved between her thighs, nudging her legs apart. She heard him murmuring husky foreign sounds, and then he was there where she needed him to be, thrusting slowly, deeply, into her hot slick centre. Lost in the throes of passion, Phoebe arched up to him, her hands clasping his shoulders, his neck, any part of him she could cling to. His hands grasped her buttocks, lifting her higher, driving her higher with long deep strokes, filling her, stretching her, then slowing, twisting, teasing with short sharp strokes, and plunging deep again, then stilling.
Quivering on the brink, she looked into his molten black eyes, blazing with desire, his face taut with the effort to control his passion. The heady scent of sex and roses filled the air, and Phoebe’s inner muscles flexed and clenched around him. With a low groan he thrust again, fast and firm. Phoebe cried out as her body began to convulse in climax, and she felt his body tighten, muscles locked for one long moment, and then Jed finally let go of his superhuman control and joined her, filled her with a power that went on and on in orgasmic ecstasy. She clung to him, his great body shuddering, his chest heaving, until finally he collapsed across her, his head buried in the tangled mass of her hair spread on the pillow.
Her body still quivering, she lay with her arm around his back, holding him, loving him. She felt him roll off her to lie flat on his back and her eyes fluttered closed, her breathing heavy, her body finally spent.
Later—how much later she had no idea—his strong hand stroked over her stomach and around her side to pull her close against his hard body.
‘Now you really are my wife,’ Jed murmured. ‘But just to make sure…’ And she felt his lips brush her neck and nuzzle her ear, and the magic started all over again…and again…as they rediscovered the wild, wanton passion of their past with a fervour that exhausted them both.
Phoebe opened her eyes, yawned and looked around. Jed was sprawled flat on his back beside her, one long arm stretched across the pillow above her head, the other lying at a right angle to his body, palm up. He was totally relaxed. Tentatively she moved to lean on an elbow and look down at him. His black hair curled across his brow, his long sooty eyelashes rested on the blades of his cheeks, his chiselled lips were slightly parted and he was deeply asleep.
Somehow he looked younger, the lines of strain around his mouth and eyes smoother—more like the man she’d first met and fallen in love with. Her husband, she thought with a thrill. Her gaze dropped lower to his muscular chest, and a smile twitched her lips at the rose petal stuck to his flat stomach. A sheet across his lean hips was concealing the rest of his body. She was about to reach and remove the petal, but stopped.
Jed had been awake for the past forty-eight hours—longer, in fact. It was amazing he’d had the stamina to make love at all, she thought wonderingly, never mind as many times as they had. She decided to let him sleep—he needed the rest…Sliding her legs off the bed, she silently collected her discarded clothes from the floor and entered the bathroom. She washed and cleaned her teeth—she did not want to turn on the shower in case she disturbed Jed. She filled a glass with water and drank it, then finding a comb tidied her hair. Not wanting to wear the same briefs, she popped them in the wash basket and pulled on her dress.
Carrying her coat, she tiptoed through the bedroom and into the hall to explore. She looked into the kitchen—all black and stainless steel. It looked immaculate and unused…She wandered into the living area that in the light of day looked big and surprisingly comfortable, with a big cream hide seating unit centred around a long low table, She was drawn towards the glass patio doors the length of the room, which looked out over the balcony and the city, with a superb view of the Acropolis.
She lingered awhile, simply looking, then continued her exploration and found another bedroom. She walked into the last room—what she supposed was a study, but looked more like the flight deck of a spaceship.
Two walls were lined with flashing screens—it looked like Jed’s own personal stock exchange. Another had a well-used squashy cushioned slate-grey sofa pushed against it, and centre stage was a massive desk, with two computers on top and a large chair behind it.