She felt what she did to him—felt him, hard and ready, and she gave a soft moan of excitement as she felt the blunt tip of his erection touching her intimately. She lifted her hips and felt him slide full-length inside her, his body taking instant possession of hers in a smooth, confident movement.
‘Rafael …’ She moaned his name as he drove into her with bold, sure strokes that sent frantic waves of excitement pounding through her quivering body. She couldn’t think or breathe and she wrapped her legs around him and clutched the slick, hard muscle of his shoulders, trying to hold on. Trying to stop herself from falling.
He gave a low laugh and nipped at her neck with his teeth. ‘You would leave me, minha paixao? You want me to invite the helicopter to come?’ His voice was rough with his own arousal and he slid an arm beneath her hips and altered the rhythm.
Hard and fast became slow and sensual and her body trembled and throbbed under the demanding pressure of his.
‘No.’ She couldn’t think about that now. She couldn’t think about anything except the hard, insistent demands of his body inside hers. ‘No helicopter.’
He controlled her utterly, until she could no longer speak, until she wasn’t even sure who she was any more.
And then he changed the rhythm again, dragging her upwards to a place so shockingly high that the fall back to earth could only be terrifying. Stars flashed in her head, bright and distant, and she dug her nails into smooth male flesh, holding on. Afraid to let go.
But he drove her to the very edge of that precipitous drop with a series of demanding, masculine thrusts that rode over her feeble resistance until she was aware of nothing but sensation. It was fast, desperate and primal and for a moment she hovered on the edge of ecstasy, clinging to the last threads of sanity. And then he urged her past the point of safety and there was an explosion of bright lights as her body splintered into a million glorious pieces. She held him, feeling the violent shudders of his body that signalled his own release. And for endless moments they clung together, locked in a volatile intimacy that devoured both of them.
Finally the storm receded and she was aware of his weight, of the slick warmth of his flesh against hers. Of his masculine strength.
The frantic pounding of her heart slowed and she opened her eyes to find him looking down at her with those brooding dark eyes that always made her think of danger.
‘You’re mine,’ he said thickly, shifting slightly so that his mouth hovered just a breath away from hers. ‘Remember that.’
He dropped his forehead onto her shoulder and then rolled onto his back, taking her with him. His breathing was unsteady. ‘Not only are you not leaving the rainforest,’ he murmured, stroking her damp hair away from her face with a gentle hand, ‘but you’re not leaving my bed. I’m keeping you here. Naked.’
Dizzy with happiness, her body still humming from the skill of his seduction, she gave a weak smile. ‘You’re talking like a caveman.’ But she didn’t even care. It felt so good to be held. ‘I don’t have any clothes anyway. A suit that you hate, a dress that’s ruined and a pair of combat trousers that look as though they’ve been worn through the middle of the jungle. I can’t think why.’
‘You were amazing yesterday, have I told you that?’ He shifted his weight slightly. ‘I don’t know any other woman who would have done what you did without complaining. Even when you fell in the river you refused my help. In fact you glared at me.’
‘I didn’t dare complain when you were already so angry with me.’ The memory put a slight scratch in the perfection of the day and he frowned slightly, as if he, too, was resenting the reminder of their differences.
‘That’s behind us now.’
‘Well, not exactly. We can’t just forget it.’ Reality intruded along with the sun’s reminder that it was a new day. ‘Whether we like it or not, it’s morning. I have things to sort out. Important things. I feel very responsible.’
‘I will make some calls,’ Rafael assured her with his usual confidence. ‘The dealer who sold you the coffee won’t be in business after today. I’m sure you would never have agreed to this deception had he not pushed you.’
Grace lay still for a moment, digesting his words. ‘But I didn’t agree to it. You say that he’s overcharging and keeping the profit and I have no reason not to believe you, but if he’s splitting that profit with someone then it certainly isn’t me.’
Rafael hesitated and something close to anger flickered in his eyes. Then he gave a faint shrug and slid his hand down her body in a possessive gesture. ‘Let’s not have this conversation again, minha paixao. It isn’t relevant any more. It’s in the past. Over. As you said to me, everyone makes mistakes.’ He gave her what she presumed was supposed to be an understanding smile. ‘I’m sure you’ve learned your lesson. Don’t cheat unless you’re prepared to be caught.’
Grace felt as though she’d been showered with cold water.
He still thought she was guilty. He’d slept with her thinking she was a liar and a cheat.
‘I don’t believe this.’ She sat up in bed and pushed his hand away, her breathing suddenly rapid and her heart pounding against her chest as the implication of his words sank in. ‘You still think I’m guilty, don’t you?’
His gaze was wary. ‘Grace—’
‘You still think I stole money from the company.’
His driven sigh made it clear that this topic of conversation was not of his choosing. ‘You admitted your guilt.’
Had she? Had she ever said that? She rewound the conversations that they’d had on the topic. ‘I said I felt responsible and I do, but not because I took the money myself. Because it’s my company, so I’m ultimately responsible for everything that happens within it.’
He waved a hand in a dismissive gesture designed to silence her. ‘It really doesn’t matter.’
‘It does matter because I have to go home and sort it out.’ She tried to swing her legs out of the bed but he caught her in his arms and flattened her to the bed with his body. His weight and his powerful frame made sure that she had no option but to lie there.
‘You’re not leaving. I don’t care what you did or didn’t do. Can’t you understand that?’ His tone was harsh and impatient. ‘None of this makes any difference whatsoever to the way I feel about you. It has absolutely no impact on what we share.’