No matter how he tried, he could not tear his eyes from her lush beauty. He did not have to strain his imagination to recall the hue of her engorged nipples sweetly beading the cloth. He knew the richness of her soft golden skin, knew how high and ripe her breasts were, knew the precise thickness and length her dark pretty nipples would reach when she was aroused. Perspiration dampened his forehead, hunger knotted his stomach, while his sex was painfully ready for Amber.
When Ray slid his hand beneath her soft thighs in order to lift her from his lap, Amber sighed at the sweetness of his caress. Her legs parted slightly—and his hand, instead of clasping both her legs, ended up between her baby-soft inner thighs. He closed his eyes as his entire frame quivered in response to that accidental caress.
Amber, inhaling his clean male scent, recognized the husky tremor in his tone, saw the burning sparks in his dark eyes, heard the shallowness of his breath, and felt the rapid beat of his heart. Yet it was the distinct masculine pressure of his unyielding sex that caused her own heartbeat to race. Oh, yes, he wanted her, ached to be inside of her just as much as she yearned to have him there. She moved her hips against his engorged penis, unwittingly pressing her thighs together and effectively trapping his hand.
“No,” he groaned thickly, fighting the need to stroke the hard ridge of his shaft against her lush behind.
Her breasts felt swollen, heavy with want of his hands... his mouth on them. Her golden brown eyes sizzled in response to the dark flames in his gaze.
“Ray, do you remember the first time you touched me? You caressed my breasts... took them into your mouth. Oh, honey, do you remember? I’ve tried to forget, but I couldn’t. How could I ever forget the feel of your mouth on my body?” She trembled in his arms, pressing her lips against the ultrasensitive side of his throat just below his lobe.
With sudden insight he understood why he had been able to remain in control of his senses these past five years. It was quite simple. It was because Amber allowed it. One look into the depths of her eyes told him she wanted him as much as he wanted her. And this time she would have him because he could not contain the force of his need for her.
He lowered his head until his mouth covered hers, opening over hers and taking with it all the pent-up longing tearing at his soul. His tongue plunged into the sweetness of her mouth, rimming her teeth, sliding over the fleshy smoothness inside her lips, before stroking the velvet roughness of her tongue with his, over it around it against it drowning his senses in her sweetness.
Ray’s thought processes seemed to have stopped functioning. His heart and his body ruled his world as he rose with her in his arms, crossing to the bed. He was so painfully aroused that the feel of her as they came down on the bed together nearly drove him out of his mind. Somehow the belt holding his robe closed had disappeared. Ray hadn’t noticed. All he could focus on was Amber.
It had been so long... so long since he had allowed himself the sheer luxury of expressing his feelings for her. Holding her, touching her, was like heaven on earth, he decided as he crushed her against him. His body shook with the power of his need. He had to have her, every delectable inch of her.
He pushed the fabric down her arms, peeling away the bodice that hide her beauty from him. Impatient to see her, all of her, he yanked the gown away from her body.
“Baby,” he moaned as his dark eyes caressed every bare inch of her. Her breasts were larger than he remembered, the years added a lushness to her slender figure. Her waist seemed smaller, her hips and thighs more sweetly rounded. The brown curls shielding her femininity were thicker. His pulse beat wildly in his veins as he stared at her, finally accepting what could not be changed. There would be no turning back for either of them. She was his woman—had always been his, just as he belonged to her.
“You’re even more beautiful than you were as a girl. You’re all woman, Amber... my woman.” He stared into her eyes, waiting for her response, yearning for her agreement
Amber was beyond words, lost inside of the whirlwind of what he made her feel. She trembled, whispering his name.
She tightened her arms around his waist clinging to him.
His heart pounded with his excitement thundering like the rhythmic power of a thousand African drums. He felt powerful, felt like one of the countless ebony warriors who lived before him, ready to claim what was his alone.
Battling the force of his emotions, his trembling fingertips were gentle on her face as he caressed her. He followed the soft curve of her cheeks to trace over the fullness of her lips.
When he moved to rise, she held on to him. “Where are you going?”
“I won’t take you without a condom.”
“Wait.” She caught his hand, halting his movement.
Opening a drawer in the nightstand, she reached inside and handed him what he needed. At the fierce question in his eyes, she smiled. “I bought them for you. I meant what I said the other night. I want you. I want everything to be right this time.”
His kisses were fierce, almost volatile as he crushed her mouth beneath his. He bit her lips, then licked the small hurt away. She gasped at the sweet pleasure. When he slid his tongue deep inside to stroke her tongue against his, he whispered her name with a hot urgency. Amber nearly cried out when he bent his head to lick the sensitive flesh along her neck, pressing his foil masculine lips against her soft golden skin a split second before he licked her.
She could not suppress a moan as she arched her body and lifted the achy tips of her breasts toward his mouth. Ray shuddered in anticipation. He wanted... he needed to be inside of her. Amber clearly craved the pleasure only he could give her. She had waited long enough—they had both waited for this incomparable pleasure.
He bent to his task, first kissing her breasts then he cupped her in each wide palm before he squeezed her incredible softness. He played with the sensitive tips of her breasts before taking one into the hot warmth of his mouth, applying such a marvelous suction. Amber’s cries of pleasure added to his own enjoyment and caused him to tremble with urgency. He wanted her and he wanted her now.
But she was not ready for him and he knew it He was so painfully aroused, so close to losing the last bit of control, that he knew of only one way to quickly prepare her for him. He pressed hot hungry kisses down her soft frame, not stopping when she gasped as he reached her sweet thighs. There was no hesitation or indecision on his part.
Ray knew what he wanted, knew what she needed from him. He parted her thighs to caress the fleshy folds of her sex, before opening her to the hot invasion of his tongue. He was thorough in his efforts to give her the utmost enjoyment, he laved her until she shattered into a heart-stopping climax, gasping his name as she begged him to fill her emptiness.
He quickly prepared himself, thrilled by her thoughtfulness. There was no doubt in his mind that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. His penetration was slow and difficult—as ready as she was for him, he took care not to hurt her. She was too small to accommodate him easily. He groaned at the sheer pleasure he felt as he stroked her with the broad crown of his sex. He gritted his teeth as he fought against his body’s demand that he get on with it. Amber whimpered in frustration, moving against him, needing more. She arched her body hoping to force him to complete their union. “Please ... I need you.”
He growled his frustration, but he held fast to his determination. “Shush, baby. Be patient. I don’t want to hurt you.” He soothed her with his kisses.
“Ray...” she said, lifting her legs to encircle his lean waist. “Love me.”
Ray surged forward until he was surrounded by her wet tight heat. He closed his eyes against the rush of swelling emotions. He had no choice but to acknowledge the depth of his feelings for her. He was deeply, irrevocably in love with Amber. In fact he had never stopped loving her. The sheer pleasure she gave him was like none other. The force of his emotions seem to heighten his desire, thus compelling him to give her all the love he had to give. It was impossible for him to hold any of himself back from her. Amber instinctively tightened around him, causing Ray’s entire body to shudder from the erotic massage.
His control was quickly disappearing. His strokes were unrelenting as the pleasure intensified. With each driving force, he gave more and more of himself. “Amber,” he groaned, his eyes tightly closed as he focused on her. “No... not yet.” He felt his climax approaching. He fought against it held himself still. It seemed as if he’d waited an eternity to have her like this, but his body was greedy for the long-denied satisfaction. Even though his senses threatened to flare beyond his control, Ray was a man governed by self-control. He inhaled quickly, determined to rule his body with his mind.
It was a wasted effort, for Amber’s sweet heat was his undoing. As she rubbed the achy tips of her breasts against his chest and tightened herself around him, milking his hard length, Ray convulsed from the exploding force of his release.
Amber held him tight, thrilled by his keen enjoyment. It felt so right... so good. They belonged together. Surely he couldn’t doubt it now, after what they’d just shared. She rejoiced in the fact that she had given him complete satisfaction.
Ray held on to her while his heart rate slowed. He could not remember feelings so good or so infuriating. He’d lost it at the end. He had climaxed, yet his lady had not. That realization weighed heavy on his heart.
“Amber,” he said, stroking the damp hair at her temples.
“Mmm?”
“I’m sorry, baby. I lost control.”
“Don’t. It was wonderful. You were wonderful.” She pressed her kiss-swollen lips to his.
Ray’s response was immediate despite his impatience with himself. She was trying to make him feel better, trying to soothe his male ego. Ray wouldn’t have any part of that. He lay with one arm flung over his forehead, deep in thought.
His continued silence frightened her. Amber craved his assurances, his love. Did he regret their making love? She finally whispered, “Talk to me.”
A hard rush of air left his lungs before he said, “I came in here to comfort you and wound up making love to you. This was not supposed to happen.”
“Don’t say that,” she said, her heart breaking.
“It’s true.”
“I see nothing wrong with wanting or needing you. Ray, it was time... long past time. Nothing happened that we both didn’t want to happen. I needed you tonight. I needed your love.” She stroked his back. “Baby, you were here for me. Please, let’s not worry about the past or even the future.” She pressed a kiss against his jaw. “We’re here together right this second. Must we solve all our problems tonight? Can’t we just enjoy being close?”
“Sooner or later, Amber, I have to leave. We both know that. Putting off the inevitable won’t make it any easier.”
She pressed her fingertips against his lips. “Shush ...” She followed the lines of his chest with her soft lips pressing sweet little kisses on his damp skin. “It felt so right having you inside of me.” She paused to kiss his full lips. “Was it good for you?”
Ray moaned as she caressed him. She had no idea what she did to him. She had his pulse racing. Amber ,.. “Was it... good?”
“Yes,” he groaned thickly, his palm smoothing over her hips.
“Mmm,” she crooned into his ear. Her sweet tongue was so hot on his chest, circling his nipple, sucking. When she lifted her head, she whispered, “I want us to be together... whenever, however we can manage it.” She met his dark troubled gaze.
“What about next month or the one after that when I’m gone? What about then?”
“I’m not a little girl anymore. I’m a woman in need of your lovemaking. Can I have it?”
“You can have anything you want. The problem is, are you prepared to accept what an involvement with a man like me means? The success rate of married journalists isn’t good.”
“I don’t remember proposing.”
“You know what I’m trying to say.”
“Stop being my protector. Be my lover.”
“I don’t want you hurt.”
“I know,” she whispered as she kissed him, her soft hand caressing down the hard muscular lines of his body. When her fingertips played in the thick crisp hair between his thighs, his breath quickened alarmingly. His shaft lifted and hardened in readiness.
“What are you doin’?”
“I want to touch you, caress you.”
“It’s too soon for you. I don’t want to hurt you again tonight.”
“Let me ...”
Ray trembled, unable to refuse her anything.
“Baby...”
“Yes...” He couldn’t think of anything he wanted more than her hands on his body.
Amber’s own breathing accelerated as she caressed him slowly, shivering at his deep throaty groan when she sheathed him in her small palms and stroked her hands over him from the broad peak of his shaft to the thick base. When she cupped his heaviness below he growled his pleasure, covering her hands with his and showing her how to drive him out of his mind.
Amber had never felt more alive, more desired. Her smooth limbs curled over one of his hard muscled thighs. Her skin seemed to burn from contact with his.
Unable to bear any more of the sweet torment Ray caught her hands and placed them on his chest He slid his arms around her waist and lifted her up until he could take her breast into the warm wet recesses of his mouth without straining. He locked on to her hard sensitive nipple, sucking until she whimpered, trembling from head to toe—only then did he turn his attention to the other erect nipple.
He rolled over until his large frame covered hers. Her thighs were parted but not nearly enough to suit him.
“Open for me,” he said, guiding her thigh up until it rested on one of his shoulders. “Sweet... baby... sweet” he whispered throatily, his mouth returning over and over again to hers.
With quick, sure movements he tore open a small foil packet and prepared himself for her. Their gaze was locked when he carefully filled her wet sheath. She moaned, her voice husky with feminine pleasure as he took her with purposeful, strong thrusts. One long-fingered hand caressed her clitoris as he ground himself against her, giving her the hard friction she craved.
“This time is for you, baby, for you,” Ray said between tightly clenched teeth.
Amber cried out his name, tingling from his mastery. He was so wonderfully male. “Ray... please.” The pleasure was building to alarming proportions. She was so close to spiraling out of control. Amber clung to him. Ray’s breath quickened—his mouth, his hands, his manhood all seemed to be focused on one critical goal... pleasuring Amber.
“Yes, that’s it, baby,” he whispered throatily. He was panting as his lungs fought for more air. It took so little on her part to set his teeth on edge and send his blood pressure soaring.
Her small hands splayed out across his back and smoothed over his warm flesh before it curved into the powerful lines of his shoulders. Ray felt his whole body tighten with delicious expectation as she met him thrust for pulsating thrust.
“Ray...” she chanted in a desperate plea.
He tongued her, sliding down the length of her golden brown throat. He lapped at the scented hollow where her pulse beat wildly, it matched the heavy thump of his heart. He moved on to the valley between her breasts, bathing her skin with the rough heat of his caressing tongue. Ray inhaled deeply, his head filled with the erotic scent of their loving.
She trembled with pleasure as his large hands cupped her breasts, reshaping them while enjoying their weight, their softness. Desire sent sparks of pure heat through her entire system as he took his time, licking her large dark brown nipple thoroughly before he eventually took it into his mouth to suckle. She could feel the powerful sensations deep in her womb. She cried out reveling in his strength.
When his blunt fingertips returned time and time again to caress the tiny center of her feminine passion, she cried out in uncontrollable pleasure. They shared many hot sweet kisses, one right after the next.
“Angel, my angel,” he crooned in a rough whisper.
Amber pressed her lips to his, exchanging hot, sweet kisses with him. His arms tightened around her. She cried out his name as the pleasure seemed endless. There was no beginning, no end—just an endless road of sizzling hot pleasure as he took her with deep hard thrusts. Her entire body tightened around him an instant before she came apart in his arms, her soft frame quivering uncontrollably. Perspiration beaded his upper body as he rode out the crushing waves of joy that washed over her.
“Ray!” she screamed. Her heart-shattering release was his undoing. He soon followed in her wake, pouring forth his masculine offerings. They were both slick with perspiration as their bodies cooled.
She held on to him as she thought of how much she loved him, needed him. Some things a woman never forgets. Ray was her first lover... her only lover. Being with him now like this was pure magic. Twelve long years was a long time to wait, but finally she had him where she wanted him most—back in her life. She told herself she could cope with being separated by thousands of miles—that she could manage not seeing him for months at a time. What she could not bear was things going back to the way they had been.
Slowly he rolled onto his back, taking her with him by the aid of one strong arm around her waist. He held on to her, for he couldn’t even consider letting her go. His large hands were tender as he caressed the lines of her back as he watched her sleep. Her head was on his shoulder, her soft frame on top of his. Frowning, he wondered how in the world he would be able to leave her when the time came. There was no doubt in his mind that it would come... it always did.