Darkness had been a welcome reprieve. Never before in her life had Alex so eagerly readied herself for bed. And fatigue had nothing to do with it.
She giggled as she donned one of Drake’s shirts. So much for her exotic night rail. Drake had destroyed it last night. Giddy with anticipation, she slid into bed. And waited.
&n
bsp; Drake paused outside the cabin door. He had successfully avoided her all day. But after a full day at the helm, he needed his rest. He needed his bed.
He needed his wife.
The room was dark and quiet, with no movement from the bed. Drake’s heart pounded as he undressed, his anticipation growing with each passing moment. Naked, he paused beside the berth. Her back was to him, and she appeared to be asleep. Slowly he slid in beside her, until he could feel the warmth of her body against his.
He wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Princess?” he murmured, nuzzling her hair.
She gave a soft sigh.
He grinned, recognizing the familiar texture of her night-wear. “My shirt, I presume?” he teased in a husky voice.
She smiled. “After you destroyed my night rail I had no other choice.”
“Oh, I can think of a much more suitable alternative,” he assured her, nibbling lightly on her ear, then outlining the sensitive lobe with his tongue.
She heard herself moan, whisper his name.
He rolled her onto her back, pulled her into his arms.
“I’ve thought of nothing but this all day,” he growled, his mouth coming down on hers.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, reveling in his kiss. “I missed you, too,” she breathed against his lips.
Drake lifted his head and looked down into her wide gray eyes. “Did you?” he asked, rubbing her lower lip with his thumb.
Alex nodded, barely able to breathe. “Yes.”
A slow smile spread across his handsome face, along with an expression that was a mixture of tenderness and relief. “Next time I won’t stay away so long,” he promised, lowering his head again. He stroked her lips softly with his—once, twice. She sighed with pleasure, opening her mouth to his tender exploration.
He accepted her unspoken invitation, deepening the kiss instantly, tightening his arms around her. She leaned back in his embrace, dizzy from the sensations of his plundering tongue. Slowly she touched her tongue to his, feeling the hard shudder that racked his body at the contact.
“God, how can it be like this?” he gasped. He rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him. He cupped her face in his shaking hands, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones, staring into her flushed face. They had barely begun, and already he was out of control. He shook his head in wonder. “What is it that you do to me?” He closed his eyes, overwhelmed by feelings he had tried to master, but could not.
“Drake?”
At her tentative whisper he opened his eyes.
“I want you, Alex,” he told her in a choked voice. “More than you can know, more than I can bear.” He swallowed deeply, then shook his head in denial. “But I don’t want it to be like last night. I want to take my time, to love you the way you were meant to be loved … slowly, lingeringly. I want to savor every moment, every inch of your body.” He watched Alex’s flush deepen at his words. Slowly he rolled over until she lay on her back. He raised himself up on his hands, his burning look raking her slender body, still concealed by the shirt.
“At the same time I want to take you now … this minute. I want to lift that damned shirt and drive myself into you until neither of us can breathe or think or move.”
In a slow, exaggerated gesture that contradicted the savagery of his words, Drake lifted his hand to the top button of Alex’s shirt. “But I’m not going to lose control—not this time.”
Drake held her gaze as, one by one, the buttons came undone until the shirt was entirely unbuttoned and slightly open, revealing a tantalizing amount of Alex’s soft, full breasts, rising and falling with each shallow breath she took. His own breathing harsh, Drake dropped his eyes, simultaneously tugging the shirt open, exposing Alex’s naked beauty to his hot gaze.
For a long moment there was silence as Drake stared, mesmerized by her beauty. Then he tugged the shirt off one arm, then the other, finally dropping the garment to the floor. Alex lay, quiescent, her arms at her sides, staring up at him. The predatory look on his face made her heart pound, made liquid heat gather in her body and pool between her thighs. She trembled, waiting.
“Exquisite,” he breathed, lowering his mouth to the hollow between her breasts. He inhaled her fragrance, felt the wild fluttering of her heart. “I want to touch … to taste … all of you. Tonight,” he promised darkly, “I will.”
“Drake?” Her voice was so soft she wondered if he could have heard.
Drake raised his head. “What, love?”