She shifted to stroke his chest. “Not even this?”
He smiled. “Yes, perhaps that.”
She kissed him. “Or perhaps this? And this…” She slid her hand down and found him, delighting in the softness, smiling when it began to change beneath her hand.
“Certainly that,” he said, lids lowered. “You win. You need never nag again. Speaking of nags…”
He shifted, encouraging her to straddle him.
Genova understood. Enjoying watching him, she rose and slowly guided him into her core, alert forsigns that she might be doing something wrong. She couldn’t imagine how when it felt so beautifully right to her.
She was deeply sensitive, but it still felt right. She settled slowly, filling herself again. “I’d certainly rather do this than nag,” she said, her voice husky.
“I’ll remember that.” His lids were almost shut and she knew his attention was on one place only.
She leaned forward, testing the sensation deep inside, the shifting fullness, the pressure against sensitive places. Her hair fell forward and he cupped her breasts in the veil of it, thumbs working her nipples. She gasped and tightened around him, already hovering near ecstasy.
He slid his hands down to her hips and moved her up and down. She began the moist movement (herself, slowly, watching him. His eyes shut tight.
“Perhaps I need to nag to provide contrast,” she said, trailing her hair across his chest.
“Beloved, you could nag with a razor-sharp tongue and I wouldn’t care right now.”
She closed her own eyes and joined him in that hot, wet whirlpool of a place, loving doing it, controlling it, making it happen for him.
Later, sticky with sweat, she said, “I’m sure I can improve my skills. At nagging, I mean.”
He simply laughed, and she knew how he felt. Too exhausted to even think. She never wanted to move, never wanted her skin to be separated from his. If only this night could last forever.
But there would be other nights.
An infinity of magical nights. She could hardly believe it yet, but it was true.
Perhaps they dozed. The clock chimed and she idly counted.
“Eleven!” she exclaimed, sitting up. “We’ll have been missed.”
Chapter Forty-one
He pulled her back down. “Everyone’s too drunk and merry to notice.” When she frowned at him, he sighed. “All right, we can return if you want, love.”
Since he was tracing circles on her belly, his words had little impact.
“I’m curious about something,” he said.
“What?” She tensed, fearing something might break the magic.
“Barbary pirates.”
Ah. She pushed him to his back and traced patterns on his belly to distract him. “It wasn’t as daring as it sounds.”
He captured her hand. “Tell me, Genova.”
“A command?”
“I’ll pay you with a kiss.” But then he added, “Because you hesitate, I want to know. Tell me, love.”
She pulled a face, but couldn’t refuse him anything. “My mother and I were sailing on a merchant ship to join my father. It was well armed, however, and the corsairs would probably never have attempted an attack if we hadn’t been limping after a storm. As it was, it only needed a little resolute resistance to drive them off.”
