The Darkest Kiss (Riley Jenson Guardian 6)

But it wasn't his words that had my silly heart doing strange things. It was the way it sounded when he said it. It was the longing and the loneliness I saw in his eyes given voice.

"My turn," I said, and proceeded to strip him - slowly and deliciously - allowing plenty of time for my fingers to slide across his skin, remembering the contours of his golden body, the feel of all that lean muscle. It was good to be able to touch him again, to tease and arouse him as his scent swirled around me, filling every breath and making my soul sigh in pleasure.

When we were both finally naked, I caught his hand and pulled him under the water. The needle-fine water was hot, but I barely even felt it because of the heat in my own skin.

"I had a dream just like this, once," I said, as he grabbed the soap and began washing my back and butt.

He raised an eyebrow, dark eyes sparkling with the same sort of heated desire that was running riot through me. "Who said it was a dream?"

A smile teased my lips as I raised an eyebrow. "I was asleep. That makes it a dream."

"There is no such thing as sleep when our minds are able to connect so intimately."

He continued to wash me, his movements slow and sensual. Between the heat of the water and the heat of his hands, I was pretty much ready for anything.

"So it wasn't a dream?"

He shrugged, a movement so eloquent. "It was desire and fulfillment captured on a field only telepaths with a deep connection can reach. Nothing less, nothing more."

"It was a whole lot more, let me tell you."

He smiled and kissed my lips. "Would you like that dream to become a reality?"

"Please," I whispered.

"Your wish is my command."

He turned me around so that, as in the dream, my back was against the hard heat of his body, his erection nudging my butt as he began to wash my breasts and belly. The scent of lavender touched the air, filling every breath, as tantalizing as the scent of sandalwood and man.

And oh, it felt good. Better, even, than in the dream, and that had been delicious enough.

But now, as then, the sensation of being caught between the heat of his body, the drum of the water, and the caress of his hands was nothing short of tortuous.

I grabbed the soap from him and turned around. His beautiful body gleamed like sculptured pale-gold marble in the half-light of the bathroom, the water reverently caressing every muscle, every curve. I followed the water's lead, soaping every marvelous inch, until he was quivering with desire and his breathing was as fast as mine.

"Enough," he murmured, taking the soap from my hand and putting it back in the holder.

I wrapped my arms loosely around his neck and kissed him. He pressed me back against the wet, cool tiles, his mouth hungry against mine, the heat of him flowing around me, through me, burning my skin, and contrasting sharply with the coolness seeping from the tiles.

"God, I missed you," he said softly. "Missed this."

"So did I."

It came out little more than a pant of air as he slid so very slowly into me. For a moment we simply stood there, his body pressed against mine, in mine, filling me, liquefying me, the water pounding our flesh but doing little to dampen the heat that burned between us. His dark gaze came to mine and, in the ebony depths, I saw the spark of determination flare. This vampire wasn't going to be sent away again without a fight. Wasn't going to let me go again without a fight.

But that was okay, because there was nowhere else I wanted or needed to be. Not now, and not in the immediate future.

He began to move, slowly at first but gradually getting faster, until it was all passion, heat, and intensity. Until I was drowning in the storm of it but loving every minute. And as before, the sensual heat of our dance had our spirits combining, making this more than one moment of mere intimacy, more than mere pleasure. It made us one in a way that went beyond anything I'd ever experienced with anyone else. Even Kellen.

His movements became fiercer, more urgent, and so very wonderful. The rich ache grew, flaring across my body, becoming a kaleidoscope of sensations that washed through every corner of my mind. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think. I could only feel. Then the shuddering took hold and I gasped, grabbing his shoulders, clambering up his body to wrap my legs around his waist and push him deeper still. Pleasure exploded between us and my orgasm ripped through my body, shuddered through my soul. He came with me, but as his body flowed into mine, his teeth grazed my neck. I jerked reflexively when they pierced my skin, but the brief flare of pain quickly became something undeniably exquisite, and I came a second time, the orgasm shuddering on as he drank briefly from my neck.

When I finally remembered how to breathe again, I opened my eyes and stared into his.

"That was even better than the dream."

"Reality often is."

I smiled. "The reality right now is that I'm beginning to resemble a prune."