Then Came You (The Gamblers #1)(64)

Inch by careful inch, she disentangled herself from him. There were twinges in the secret places of her body, not pain, but reminders of what had happened—the pressures and sensations, the searing invasion. She had never dreamed it would be like that. It wasn’t at all like the time with Giuseppe. It hardly seemed like the same act. She slipped from the bed, and heard a sound from Alex, an inquiring mumble. She didn’t move or answer, hoping he would fall back to sleep. There was the sound of sheets rustling, a deep yawn.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice sleep-scratchy.

“My lord,” she said awkwardly. “Alex, I thought…perhaps…I should leave now.”

“Is it morning?”

“No, but—”

“Get back into bed.”

For some reason, his drowsy arrogance amused her. “Spoken like some feudal lord addressing a peasant,” she said pertly. “I suppose the dark ages would have been an ideal time for you to—”

“Now.” He didn’t want to have a conversation.

Slowly she went toward the voice in the darkness, sliding back into the warm cocoon of damask, and linen and hair-roughened masculine limbs. She lay near him, not quite touching. Then all was still.

“Come closer,” he said.

A reluctant smile plucked at the corners of her lips. Shy but willing, she rolled to face him, her slim arm sliding over his neck, the tips of her br**sts brushing against his chest. He didn’t move to embrace her, but she heard a change in his breath. “Closer.”

She flattened herself against him. Her eyes widened as she felt the full, hot brand of him on her abdomen, throbbing insistently. His hand drifted over her body in light exploration, leaving smudges of fire wherever it lingered. Tentatively she lifted her fingers to his bristled face, touching his mouth.

“Why were you leaving?” he murmured, turning his lips to her palm, her wrist, the delicate hollow of her elbow.

“I thought we were finished.”

“You were wrong.”

“At times I can be, apparently.”

That pleased him. She felt him smile against her arm. He lifted her as if she were a toy, gripping beneath her arms and levering her over him until her br**sts were at his mouth. Her heart thudded erratically as she felt the swirling stroke of his tongue against her nipple. He moved to her other breast, and then slid his mouth between them. She squirmed until he eased her down with a soft laugh. “What do you want?” he whispered. “What?”

She couldn’t bring herself to say it aloud, but her mouth descended on his urgently. He smiled against her lips, his hands moving down to fondle her slender h*ps and the curve of her bu**ocks. Tenderly he bit at her lips, her chin, teasing her with nips and half-kisses. Gradually she joined in the play, her breath coming fast as she sought his wandering mouth with her own. When she caught it, he rewarded her with a deep thrust of his tongue. Unconsciously she tilted her h*ps forward, seeking the hard pressure of his body. She gripped his shoulders and said his name. Smiling, he turned onto his side and put his hand on her thigh, urging it high over his hip. She moved against him hungrily.

“Do you want me?” he whispered.

“Yes. Yes.”

“Then you do it.” He swept his hand over her slender back, encouraging her with a hoarse murmur. “Go on.”

Her hands stayed modestly poised on his shoulders. “I can’t,” she whispered imploringly.

Alex opened her mouth with his, circling with his tongue, stirring her excitement to a higher pitch. “If you want me, you’ll have to do it.” He waited, his pulse racing as he felt her hand lift from his shoulder. Slowly she reached down. His breath caught, and his body stiffened at the touch of her fingers. Her hand jerked back as if she’d been burned, then returned cautiously to move in a hesitant stroke along the taut surface. With a pleasured groan he shifted to help her, feeling her guide him into place. He pushed up, sliding inside her with a smooth force that made her gasp. “Is that what you want?” He moved again. “Like this?”

“Oh…yes…” She nodded and moaned, pressing her face into the hollow of his throat. He was maddeningly careful and controlled, balancing her urgency with his own restraint.

“Not so fast,” he murmured. “We have hours…and hours…” As she arched demandingly against him, he rolled her to her back with a muffled laugh, holding her down. “Relax,” he said, his lips at her throat.

“I can’t—”

“Be patient, you little devil, and stop trying to rush me.” His hands covered hers, fingers weaving together, and he pulled her arms high over her head, until she was stretched taut underneath him. Helplessly she lay pinned underneath his surging thrusts. “This is what I thought about, all last night,” he whispered, sustaining the rhythm until she groaned with pleasure. “Repaying you…for the most incredible…frustration. Making you want it…scream for it…”

She only half-understood the gently growling voice in her ear, but the veiled threat sent a tingle of fear through her. Trembling, sweating, she felt the delicious slide of his body, the measured rise and fall of his hips. There was nothing but darkness, movement, and radiant heat that clawed at her vitals until she began to struggle, breathing his name in fitful gasps.

“That’s right,” came his husky voice. “You’ll remember this…you’ll want more…and I’ll do it again…and again…”