In the next instant a low, rough groan burst from his throat. His control snapped, shattered, while she ignited with fiery urgency. His lips drank in her wild moans, and they came together in a firestorm of passion.
When at last it was over, Kate collapsed bonelessly against him, their breaths rasping in harsh gasps.
It was a long while before she felt Deverill lift his head and sensed him watching her. Aware of how wanton and thoroughly pleasured she must look, she raised her gaze to find him looking flushed and pleasured also.
Furthermore, he seemed as exhausted as she felt.
With effort, he lifted her onto the ledge again, then leveraged himself up and sprawled beside her on the warm rock.
Having no energy remaining, she crawled into his arms and curled against him.
With the soft breeze flowing over them, the splintering sunlight shining through the trees to glisten on their wet bodies, she felt a perfect sense of peace.
It was a very long time before Deverill spoke. “I am waiting for your concession,” he said weakly.
“Concession?”
“That I have proven my mastery. You consider me a splendid lover, admit it.”
Kate gave a muffled laugh against his shoulder. “What shameless arrogance.”
“It is not arrogance if it’s true.”
> “Your vanity knows no bounds, I see. But since I would not want to puncture your inflated male self-esteem, I suppose I must agree. You are a splendid lover.”
The accolade was indisputable, Kate thought lazily. Deverill had reduced her to a quivering thing, begging, pleading….And it was past time for her to attempt the same thing with him.
Rousing herself, she slid one leg over his thighs so that she lay astride him. “Now it is my turn to test the skills you have taught me,” she murmured against his neck.
He huffed in a weak chuckle. “I don’t know if I can survive any more pleasure.”
Kate raised her head to survey him. “Do you mean to cry pax, then?”
“Not on your life.”
The challenging glint in his eye belied his claim of weariness. Grasping her hips, he lifted her up, then lowered her again, easing his way into her cleft with superb skill. Kate bit back a soft moan at the fullness of his penetration. He had only been waiting until her nearness could make him hard and ready again, she realized.
Impaled on his hardness, she gazed down at him. Desire was thick and raw and powerful between them once more.
Then his hands reached up to cup her breasts, and Kate caught her breath. When his fingers tightened on her nipples, the arousing caress sent renewed spasms of pleasure shuddering through her—and just like that, she was blazing hot again.
Naturally, Deverill recognized her need. Still joined at the loins, he rolled over with her, pressing himself more deeply into the sensitive depths of her body. Then he bent to kiss the swollen tips of her breasts, sucking each throbbing nipple in turn, making fresh desire twist inside her.
“Deverill…”
“Hush, love. I want you panting and mindless beneath me,” he murmured.
“I thought,” she said hoarsely, “this was my time to arouse you.”
His tongue licked a slow, tormenting path up her throat to her ear. “Oh, you will arouse me, my sweet witch, believe me. This is merely something new to add to your repertoire.”
His lips tugged suggestively on her earlobe. “What you require is a lesson in self-control,” he whispered, devil soft. “The delay will make the consummation all the more stunning, I promise you. Now pay close attention….”
—
The remainder of the week sped by for Kate. Deverill seemed determined to set her free, to make her into the passionate lover he claimed she could be.
On her part, Kate knew that the heady, intimate passion was changing her. She’d become addicted to his touch and scent; she craved him. She wanted to touch him a hundred times a day. Indeed, she had only to look at him and her body responded. The desire he ignited inside her was like wildfire, fierce and hot, and that left her unable to breathe.