‘Your wish,’ he said, ‘is my command.’ He undid the button of her jeans, slid the zip down, and gently pushed the soft denim over her hips. She shimmied out of her jeans and kicked off her socks at the same time, so she was standing before him in nothing but a tiny pair of white lace knickers.
She was pleased to note that his pupils dilated and colour bloomed in his cheeks. ‘Katrina. I…’ He shook his head, as if clearing it, then stripped off the rest of his clothes in three seconds flat, picked her up and laid her on the bed.
His hands were sure yet gentle as he tipped her back against the pillows, and when he kissed his way down her body, she could feel the faint rasp of stubble. And somehow he found erogenous zones she hadn’t even known existed, making her wriggle beneath him, desperate for more. He circled her navel with his tongue, nuzzled her hipbones, and finally, finally slid his hands between her thighs, parting them. But when his hands moved lower, caressing the backs of her knees, she almost whimpered.
‘Rhys. Stop teasing me. Please. I need…’
‘I know. So do I. Hold that thought,’ he whispered, and stole a kiss before climbing off the bed.
Despite being completely naked, he was totally unselfconscious; Katrina couldn’t help watching him as he moved. He really was beautiful. Perfect musculature beneath that smooth skin. And she wanted. Lord, how she wanted.
He rummaged in his jeans, took the packet of condoms he’d bought earlier from the pocket and removed one.
‘My job, I think,’ she said, taking it from him as he joined her on the bed again. She undid the foil packet, then slid the condom over his erect penis, and she was gratified when he gave a sharp intake of breath. So he was in the same state as she was? Good.
He knelt between her thighs, and she sank back against the pillows. Just as she’d done that morning, when he’d tipped her over the edge of pleasure, unselfishly making sure that she was sated even though he hadn’t been.
And now…
Rhys kissed her again, then whispered, ‘Katrina?’
She opened her eyes. ‘Yes?’
‘Now?’
‘Now,’ she confirmed.
Slowly, gently, he eased his body into hers.
Katrina had had sex before. Made love before. But nothing had been like this. The way Rhys made her feel…
‘This feels like paradise,’ Rhys said softly.
That pretty much summed it up for her, too.
He slid his hands up her thighs, gently positioning her so that her legs were wrapped round his waist, and then he pushed deeper. Katrina couldn’t help giving a little ‘oh’ of pleasure. Rhys smiled, but not as if he was smugly pleased with himself—more that he was pleased he was making her feel so good.
He kissed her throat—hot, wet, open-mouthed kisses that had her quivering and clutching at his shoulders, wanting him even closer, needing the ultimate contact. She was aware of the hardness of his chest against the softness of her breasts, and the friction of the hair against her sensitised nipples was driving her crazy.
And then, as if Rhys knew she was right near the edge, he slowed everything down. Slowly, incredibly focused, he withdrew until he was almost out of her, then slid all the way back in again, putting pressure on just the right spot and making her feel as if she were floating.
When her climax hit, it felt like being in the middle of a storm, the dark skies lit by sheets of lightning.
‘Now,’ he whispered, and jammed his mouth against hers; she felt his body surge against hers, and knew that he too had just fallen over the edge.
Afterwards, she lay curled in his arms. ‘Any regrets?’ he asked softly.
‘No.’
‘Good.’
Part of her was almost too scared to ask, but she needed to know. ‘You?’
He stroked her face. ‘No.’
‘Good.’
‘But?’
It amazed her that he could read her so easily. That he’d picked up on the tiny, tiny fear. ‘I was just wondering…were you planning to go back to your own room?’
‘If you want me to.’ He shifted so he could look her in the eye. ‘But if there’s a choice of sleeping with you in my arms and waking up with you tomorrow morning…I’d definitely pick that one.’
Exactly what she wanted, too. ‘Yes,’ she said softly.
While he was in the bathroom, dealing with the condom, she removed her hearing aid and placed it in the case that she kept next to the clock. When he returned, he said something she didn’t catch.
‘Sorry. I’m minus sound,’ she said, feeling her face heat. ‘I, um, don’t sleep with my hearing aid in.’
He kissed the tip of her nose. ‘No need to apologise. I asked if you were sure about this.’
‘I’m sure.’