Jared frowned. “That is all?” he asked, baffled and vaguely indignant that he had suffered so long, worried so much and that was all he would have had to do.
She chuckled huskily and leaned down to rest her forehead against his. “I just need to know that you want me to stay. I need for you to say it.”
He caught her head between his hands, guiding her to his lips. “I want … Ineedyou to stay, Chloe,” he murmured, sucking light kisses along her lips.
She turned her face, rubbing her cheek along his. “If I say yes, can we fuck?”
He pushed her away abruptly to stare at her. Slowly a frown creased his brows as it occurred to him that it might be a test of some kind. Damon had said there were always tests and a man could never tell how to pass the gods damned test. He swallowed with an effort, tried to put his raging needs from his mind. “If I say yes, will you believe I do not love you?” he asked cautiously.
Her breath caught in her throat. A look of wonder flickered over her face. “Say that again.”
He frowned, more uneasy. “If I say ….”
“Not that part. The last part.”
“Will you believe I do not love you if I want to fuck?”
She covered his lips with her hand. “I love you, Chloe.”
Relief hit him when he finally realized what she wanted. He turned, dumping her onto the bed beside him and pulled her fingers from his lips. “You did not answer my question, woman,” he said gruffly.
“You aren’t going to say it, are you?”
“Not when you are prompting me as if I cannot say it on my own!” he said irritably.
“Then make love to me and I’ll settle for what I did get,” she whispered, moving closer to match her lips to his.
He sealed his lips to hers, kissing her deeply, with a hunger that pushed everything from her mind except the longing she’d felt to feel his touch again. Anticipation soared through her like a flash fire. She found the opening of his suit, tearing at it to open it and trying to peel it from his shoulders. He was as anxious as she was, or he was in complete agreement that it was better to get the clothes out of the way as quickly as possible. He broke the kiss long enough to strip her suit off and his own and dragged her beneath him again for another kiss.
He broke the second heated kiss after only a moment, pushing himself downward to drive her into a state of frenzy by tugging at her breasts. They were both gasping and gulping air when he came up and settled his hips in the cradle of her thighs. He paused when he had breached her opening, grinding his teeth.
“Do not be angry with me if I come at once,” he gasped. “I have wanted you so long I had begun to think that I would come if I sneezed hard.”
Chloe chuckled and pulled him closer. “I’ll catch up the second time around if you beat me to the finish line.”
He smiled against her mouth. “That was not a joke.”
“I know. That was what made it funny—and wonderful. You didn’t go to anyone else.”
He drew back and frowned at her. “I could not do that. I wanted you … and you said that you would be angry if I did.”
“Damned straight!”
He studied her face as he sawed shallowly in and out of her and finally drove deeply. He paused again, panting for breath. “It is heaven being inside you, Chloe,” he said huskily. She felt a heady rush go through her, felt the muscles along her channel ripple in response.
He shuddered and began a driving pace that took her where she wanted to go—to heaven with him and when they floated downward into the valley of blissful peace, he gathered her against his length and nuzzled his face against hers.
Uttering a contented sigh as he drifted toward slumber, he muttered, “I love you, Chloe.”
Chloe felt a thrill of happiness rush through her. More content than she could recall, she closed her eyes, a smile still curling her lips.
The door to her cabin opened. She turned to discover that Kane had poked his head through the opening. Behind him, Sebastian had stretched to look over his shoulder.
After studying her a moment, Kane entered, shoved Jared out of the way, scooped her up, and headed for the door. Chloe looked at him with a mixture of amusement, confusion, and a tad of irritation when they reached the corridor. “What are you doing?”
“It is my turn to talk,” Kane said decisively.
Chloe looped her arms around his neck. “Somehow I don’t think you’ve got talking in mind.”
