“Not in bed, it isn’t.”
“No … not in bed.”
Trenton covered Ariana’s mouth with his, rocking slowly, sensuously, within her until he felt her heated response. “Then let’s relieve your mind of its burden,” he murmured against her parted lips. He slid his hands down the length of her legs, gliding them high around his waist. “Make love with me,” he urged softly, lowering his mouth to the curve of her breast. “All night.” He wet her hardening nipple with his tongue, waiting until she begged before he drew the achingly sensitive tip into his mouth, tugging and releasing until he felt Ariana’s nails score his back. “Until dawn … until day … until night,” he breathed, raising his hips only to plunge back inside her with a tantalizing force that made her cry out. “Again and again …” He bent to her other breast, arousing her to the point of insanity. “Until there’s nothing but this …” He withdrew and re-entered, deeper this time, her every aching pore open to his penetration, his rhythmic stroking. “And this …” He kissed her throat, her shoulders, her lips … taking her mouth with hot, lusty motions of his tongue; doubling his presence in her body with the sharp, probing lunges of his hips. “Are you still uncertain?” he whispered, cupping her soft bottom and lifting her into each deliberate thrust.
“No …” she gasped, winding her arms around his neck. “Oh, Trenton, no.”
Long hours later, Trenton rolled them gently to their sides, hauling a blanket over their joined naked bodies. “Can you wait until morning to see the barn and tour Spraystone?” he murmured into Ariana’s tangled hair.
“Ummm,” she returned, already half asleep.
Had her eyes been open, she would have seen the uncustomary tenderness on her husband’s face. As it was, she nestled against him, wondering sleepily how she could feel so safe with a madman … and how she could want him … love him … so very much.
“Sleep well, misty angel,” Trenton said softly, sifting his fingers through her thick auburn tresses. For long moments he just stared down at her, lost in thought. Then, cradling her in his arms, he closed his eyes.
Consciousness returned to Ariana in gradual stages of awareness. With a contented sigh, she sank into the downy pillows, snuggling instinctively against the solid column of warmth behind her.
“Are you awake?”
The question, accompanied by a possessive lightening of the strong arms wrapped around her waist, greatly accelerated Ariana’s waking process.
Instantly, reality returned.
“Yes.” Her voice was small, a trifle flustered. Arising with Trenton, so appealing in the gray light of dawn, seemed terribly awkward in the bright light of day—especially after her wanton behavior last night.
And it most definitely was the bright light of day. The sun streamed into the room, bathing it in lemon splendor; the hands of the clock announced that it was nearly noon.
Ariana started. “I’ve slept half the day away!”
Trenton nodded against her hair. “True.”
Something about his tone made Ariana suspicious. “How long have you been up?”
“An hour. Perhaps longer.”
“And you haven’t left the bed?”
“You prefer us to arise together,” he reminded her. “Besides”—he kissed her shoulder—“I was afraid you’d get lost if you wandered about by yourself.”
Ariana turned to face him. “You never did show
me around last night,” she reminded him.
“As I recall, I was busy doing other things last night.”
She blushed. “We both were.”
“Yes.” He grinned. “I know.” His appreciative gaze fell to her naked breasts, the harsh lines about his eyes temporarily softening. “And I remember every one of them … in detail.”
Her blush deepening, Ariana followed his stare and had to deliberately check the urge to cover herself. Seeing the knowing lift of Trenton’s brows, she gave a self-conscious sigh, aware of how childish her reaction must seem, given her wild abandon a few hours earlier. “Forgive my naïveté.”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” He nuzzled her neck. “Nor is there anything to hide. … Your body is exquisite.”
Ariana plucked at the sheet, feeling the need to explain her unwarranted shyness. “Lying naked … even just being naked … before a man is a new experience for me.”
“I know.”
“It makes me feel … awkward.”