“And whatisthat?” she murmured playfully, nodding to the clay pot before tipping her head back and to the side with a breathy sigh as he lightly stroked his liniment-covered finger down her throat to the hollow between her breasts, following the trail with gentle kisses.
He dipped his finger again, this time lavishing his attention on her delightfully puckered, pink nipples before answering, “It is a balm I discovered when I traveled through the Holy Land, most often used for easing sore muscles and bringing a flow of blood to the surface of the skin to aid in healing. Until now, that is,” he finished, smiling.
“Mmmmmm…it feels wonderful. And warm. Warmer than the sun,” she said, lying back onto the blanket at his urging.
“That is from the cinnamon. It is a mild warmth, though, is it not?”
She nodded, clearly relaxing under his ministrations—which was just what he wanted…at this point, anyway.
“Close your eyes now, Alissende,” he commanded softly, and as she did, he trailed his finger down her belly…closer, closer…
Her delighted gasp when his finger slid gently between the delicate folds of her most intimate flesh almost brought him to completion then and there. She was wet already, silken to the touch, and she writhed with sensuous abandon under his ministrations. His erection throbbed mercilessly. He swallowed hard and reminded himself to breathe, calling upon all of his self-control not to end this tender torment without further delay in the way that would be most fulfilling to both of them.
But not yet, he thought. Nay, not yet…
Setting the pot aside, he grabbed a few of the mint leaves and took one of the feathers—the longest and softest of the bunch. Crushing the mint between the fingers and thumb of his other hand, he retraced the path he had taken with the unguent; Alissende’s gasp of pleasure, as the cooling mint offset the liniment’s warmth, sent renewed surges of desire shooting from his tingling fingertips to settle in the raging, heavy ache of his groin. But still he waited, knowing there was more, wanting to love her in all the ways he’d envisioned for so long…
Her body rose into his touch shamelessly by the time he applied the silky edges of the feather, her nipples like sweet, ripe raspberries, tightening to points that begged to be kissed as he stroked the tip of the plume over them. But he held off a little longer, sweeping it slowly around the lush curve of each breast and down to the juncture of her thighs, until Alissende’s breath came in a shallow rasp, and she arched her back, lifting herself toward him.
“Please, Damien,” she moaned. “Do not make me wait longer. Touch me…make love to me, please…”
Her throaty plea broke the last threads of his control, and with a low growl of surrender he bent toward her, cupping his palms around the soft fullness of each breast in turn and taking her mouth in a soul-searing kiss. She threaded her fingers into his hair with another gasping moan, pulling him close to her as he trailed his lips down her throat to lavish his attention on her nipples, suckling at the delicate buds before shifting lower. His palms splayed over her smooth, sun-warmed skin as he traveled a path down the gentle curve of her belly, knowing that he never wanted to stop. That he could not stop. Nay, not if his life depended on it.
“You are so beautiful, Alissende,” he murmured between kisses, breathing in her sweet scent, tasting the heat of her skin, along with the traces of mint and cinnamon. But as he reached the apex of her thighs, she stiffened slightly, murmuring his name as her hands tightened in his hair. He paused long enough to tip his face up to murmur, “Nay, lady, do not ask that I cease, for I long to pleasure you in this way as we did long ago. Will you let me?”
She had lifted her head from the blanket to look at him, and she was so stunning in her passion, in the need he had incited in her, that his breath caught as he waited for her answer. And so when she nodded hesitantly as she gazed into his eyes, he whispered his thanks through a throat tight with emotion. Then with a tender, firm touch, he slid his palms down to her thighs, easing them apart.
The beautiful sight made his erection throb anew, and he was forced to shift his lower body in order to maintain some level of comfort. The sheen of her arousal teased him from within the swollen, pink folds, and he tormented himself with the delicacy of her spread before his gaze, until he could resist no longer. Stroking his fingers up that sensitive flesh, he paused to caress the plump bud at its apex, and Alissende gasped, writhing against his hand. Her body rose to his touch and melted into him as he tasted her at last, lavishing tender kisses interspersed with gentle strokes of his tongue along her silken woman’s flesh.
It was like a taste of heaven. Aching with the pleasure of it, Damien continued his tender ministrations until he felt her tensing, heard her breathing cease on a gasp, and then experienced the almost unbearable satisfaction of watching her crest and splinter into an orgasm so powerful he feared that she might have gone senseless from the force of it sweeping through her.
He paused for a moment in the aftermath, but she did not move. His heart pounded and his groin was demanding and heavy, as he finally lifted himself up, cradling her against him and stroking her face to murmur, “Alissende…lady, open your eyes, so that I know you are well.”
A breath later she looked at him, her lashes half-closed and her mouth curved into a smile. “Oh, I am well, Damien. Splendid, in fact.”
He smiled back at her. “I am glad.”
“However, you cannot be feeling quite so wonderful, I’d warrant.” As she spoke those words softly, Alissende rolled toward him, pressing her thigh with gentle persistence into his hard swelling and eliciting another groan that he could not keep back in time. She rubbed against him again, and he closed his eyes, this time rising to her touch as she whispered, “And I think we should remedy that as soon as possible.”
She pressed her palm to his cheek and kissed him, then, the sweetness and absolute love in that gesture undoing him in a way he knew he’d never recover from. “Be one with me, Damien,” she whispered, “as we were meant to be, before all else intervened.”
It was that gentle entreaty that did it finally, delivering the blow that cracked the last of the armor he had welded around his heart. Something splintered wide open inside him, flooding him with warmth and tenderness andneed,by heaven. Need like he had never known before, more than physical, to love Alissende, to cherish and worship her with everything he possessed. Murmuring her name, Damien capitulated to the emotions swelling through him, half-rolling atop her, slanting his mouth over hers, and letting all of what he was feeling spill into that kiss.
She pulled him closer, and he tasted her tears on her lips…heard her sweet cry of surrender as her thighs opened to cradle his hips and her body arched up, ready to accept him.
Damien’s heart pounded in his chest as he pushed himself up to balance on his forearms. He stared down at Alissende, so beautiful, so precious to him. Her eyes were half-closed in passion as she met his gaze, loving him with her expression, and without waiting any longer, he buried himself deep within her. It was incredible, the sensation hot, wet, and magnificent beyond all imagining. He cupped her face in his palms, pressing kisses over her eyelids and cheeks before taking her mouth again, the delicious agony of thrusting into her slowly, again and again, sweeping through him in powerful, rising waves.
“My God, Alissende, you feel so wonderful, so perfect,” he said hoarsely, feeling the swell of orgasm building to a knot of sensation at the base of his spine, driving him to thrust harder and faster.
In response, she arched up into him, gasping, “Ah…I cannot bear how good it is, Damien—the feel of you inside me…”
With another moan, this one of pure ecstasy, Alissende climaxed again, her slick heat clenching rhythmically around him, and the feeling of her release set off his own. Pulling back, Damien thrust once more, deeply and fully. The force of his climax ripped through him, making him cry out and blinding his vision; he felt as if his hold on his senses slipped, and all that remained was that flawless connection between himself and this astounding woman…the exquisite joining of his body, heart, and soul with Alissende, as it had been meant to be from the beginning.
Spent, he slumped over in exhaustion, trying to shift sideways enough not to crush her. His breath came in heaving gasps, and with what seemed his last ounce of strength, he rolled most of the way off her, freeing her from the bulk of his weight, though his legs remained entangled with hers, with the blanket wound around them. Aye, they were pinned together, like it or not, he realized as he slowly regained his normal awareness of the world around him. And it was marvelous.
He was facing Alissende, and after a few moments more he dared a peek from beneath his arm to look at her. She lay on her back still, eyes closed, looking replete and even more beautiful, if that was possible, than she had while they’d been making love. But as he gazed upon her, her mouth edged up into a mischievous smile, and he knew then that she was aware of his watching her.
“Vixen,” he murmured, smiling at her even more impish expression when those lashes fluttered up. He reached out and brushed back a silky tendril of hair from her brow, searching out her gaze and feeling a pleasant lurching sensation in his chest when he found it and she smiled more deeply at him.
