“Right now, I would agree to anything,” she gasped as he began slowly sliding into her.
“Now that is something I love to hear,” he said. He surged forward, knocking the breath from her as his impressive erection nestled inside her body.
“Yes, Rafe,” she called as he pulled back and then quickly began a rhythm that was thrilling for both of them.
“You’re mine, Ari. I won’t live without you. I won’t lose myself that way,” he cried as his body crashed against hers.
She knew she should shake her head, knew she should disagree, but she felt so right in this moment that she couldn’t think of why. There was nothing but pleasure lodged in her brain as he continued thrusting inside her.
Two years was too long to go without this feeling.
“I’m sorry, Ari,” he cried as he sped up, a thin sheen of sweat coating his chest.
What was he sorry for? She had no idea.
He pounded against her, and Ari’s world shattered. She shook as her body gripped him, the orgasm lasting for an eternity.
Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she heard Rafe crying out as he found his pleasure, but she could barely process it. All of her concentration was focused on the pulsing in her core, the pressure inside her br**sts, and the fire shooting through her veins.
When she finally came back down from the mountain they’d climbed together, she opened her eyes, finding herself looking into Rafe’s very satisfied expression.
“We were meant to be one, Ari,” he said as he dropped down and gently caressed her lips.
“There has never been a problem with us in this department, Rafe. It doesn’t mean anything,” she replied. She didn’t regret her decision to have sex with him again, but she needed to remember it was only sex.
“That’s where you’re wrong, Ari. What we have is beyond unusual, and beyond wonderful. I’ve never found so much pleasure with anyone else. I needed to change the sex, control it, master the woman to find any enjoyment. With you, all I need is one look, one taste, one touch. You turn my blood to fire, make me see only you and the starry night that you create. We are good together, and I will prove that to you.”
Ari saw the truth in his eyes and felt a stirring of hope inside of her. Yet that was a dangerous emotion to be feeling right now. It could end up causing her to crash so hard that she’d never recover.
When he kissed her again, Ari thrust those thoughts aside. She would take her one night with him. She would enjoy it. Tomorrow, she would allow herself to think.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Lia
“We need to go back to the beach. There are too many uninhabited islands out here, and there is no way that anyone will find us if we are hidden in this cave,” Shane said.
Lia didn’t want to leave their cave. They’d been there for two days, only venturing out to find food and materials for burning. Other than that, they’d made a lot of love and talked for hours on end.
She felt as if she knew Shane, as if he were a part of her now. She’d been so blind to the man he was, but then he’d been blind to her, as well. One could learn a lot about a person when no one else was around, and she was glad they’d finally opened up to each other.
A quiet confidence seemed to whisper to her heart that they would be OK. Maybe it was nothing more than feeling a kinship for the only other person on a deserted island, but she didn’t think so. She was in love with him. But could she trust those emotions?
“I love our little paradise,” she said while he packed the tent. She was too unhappy about having to leave to want to make departure more inevitable.
“Well, look on the bright side. It may take them several more days, or even weeks, to find us,” he said with a laugh as he took a survey of their area, making sure he had everything.
There weren’t a lot of supplies left, and they needed everything they had. He was acting flippant about how long a rescue could take, but she knew he was concerned. The island had an abundance of fruit and nuts, but still, they weren’t used to living in the wild, and they didn’t have enough to make them comfortable for long.
“I can always hope it will be a few more days, at least,” she said with a smile. And she did cherish that hope.
“I have to admit that I’m shocked, Lia. I would have never taken you for a wilderness girl. You enjoy the spas far too much.”
“Oh, I still enjoy the spas, Shane. I just love all of this time one-on-one. I’ve never felt this satisfied and this happy in my life. A spa definitely can’t satisfy me in the areas you do.” She walked up to him and pulled his head down, kissing him deeply.
When he came up for air, he smiled. “Well, not the reputable spas, at least.”
It took her a second to understand his meaning, and then she burst out laughing. “Which ones have you been hanging out in, Shane Grayson?” she asked with mock anger.
“Well…”
“Shane Grayson!” she said, horrified.
“I’m just kidding. I would never even think of entering a house of ill repute,” he assured her a bit too earnestly.
She glared at him for a moment before deciding he’d only been trying to get a reaction from her.
“You’ve been all over the world. I’m sure you have done things that would shock most people,” she said, worried about the women he had been with. One of the reasons she’d been so leery of starting up with him again is because he was a known playboy. What if he did have women waiting for him in every port on every continent?
She knew she couldn’t handle that. Lia didn’t share well with others.
“Hey, it was a stupid joke,” he said as he lifted her chin. “I promise you that my life is a lot more fictionalized than everybody believes. Yes, I’ve dated a number of women, but not as many as you might think. I’ve never been in love before — never even thought about getting married. That has always terrified me. Now, it doesn’t so much.”
Lia looked up at him in shock at his words. He wasn’t actually proclaiming his love or offering marriage, but it looked as if he was setting the groundwork for just that.
It was too soon. She felt panic rise. What if he wanted too much too fast? She knew she didn’t want to lose him all over again, but she couldn’t just jump in blind. They needed more time.
“Lia, where’d you go?” he asked softly.