“Please,” she whispered.
“Please what, Tess?” Yet he knew the answer because he shifted then and filled her with one maddeningly slow stroke. “Is that what you want?” He rocked into her, and she bent her knees, arching against him.
He bent his head to kiss her neck, nip at the juncture between her neck and shoulder. “Tell me,” he rasped, even as he stroked deep inside her.
“Yes.” The word emerged on a gasp.
He took her mouth, kissing her deeply, his tongue matching the thrust of his body. Need built inside her again, that delicious pull toward her release. She dug her fingers into his shoulder, and he pulled back, watching her as he took her to that peak.
She reached up, curled a hand around his neck, and he let her pull him into a kiss.
But then he lifted his head and fixed his gaze on hers again.
“I want to watch when you let go,” he whispered, his breathing ragged.
And she did, gasping and moaning through the shudders, feeling the moment he built toward his own release. When he did, he dipped his head, groaned against her neck, and withdrew from her. At the loss of him, a little sound of protest welled up in her, and yet Tess understood he was protecting her. That brought a rush of warmth in her chest. He bent, hismouth against her cheek, his harsh breaths hot against her skin.
“Tess, exquisite siren,” he murmured as he settled beside her and wrapped her in his arms.
She settled against him, feeling sated beyond anything she’d ever experienced. Nothing before had been like this. She felt safe in his arms, and that was the most exquisite feeling of all.
Chapter Sixteen
Tess woke, stretched, and let out a satisfied sound. Then she opened her eyes and looked over at Dominic as he lay on his side, tangled in her sheets, with an arm resting atop her middle.
He slept soundly, peacefully, and looked achingly handsome. His dark hair fell across his forehead and cheek, and the slightest smile softened the edges of his mouth.
That mouth. Mercy.
They’d spent a dream-like afternoon and evening, and her room had become a haven, where nothing mattered but the way it felt when they were together.
Being with him had been far more than Tess expected, unlike anything she’d experienced before. She thought she’d understood how things would be, but what they’d done was as far from what she knew as night was from day.
He’d touched her with passion, yes, but tenderness too. He’d made it feel good to be bold. To let go.
But she’d been wrong. Scratching the itch didn’t resolve anything. She wanted him more now, and not just for a few weeks of lovemaking. The longer she lay looking at him, the further her mind spun with possibilities. Images of a future with him.
Then the contentment that seemed to saturate every part of her began to ebb. She laid a hand on her chest where her heart ached sharply. Though she hadn’t moved an inch, herheart raced as if she’d run across a field, as if a cinch was being pulled tight around her body, stealing her air, ratcheting her panic.
Tess knew the cause. These feelings had assailed her before. A memory would come, or something would remind her of three years ago, and her body responded as if she was back there. The heartbreak was suddenly fresh.
In the past, deep breaths served to ease the ache in her chest and her racing pulse. She tried that, Dom’s arm lifting slightly as she filled her lungs with air.
Tears burned, threatening to fall.
She hated that the past still held her in its grip. Would she never be able to know pleasure without paying some price?
Closing her eyes, she breathed deeply again, slowly drawing in a breath and letting it go. Then she turned her head to look at Dominic again.
The man had shown her nothing but care and brought her to a peak of pleasure she’d never known, and yet her heart felt as if she was lying beside the man who’d betrayed her.
It wasn’t fair.
She didn’t want to wake him, so she slid out of bed, carefully inching from beneath his hold. Scooping up her clothes, she dressed quickly, collected her boots, and then headed out Foxdene’s side door that led to the field beyond the garden.
The land only rose and fell with the slightest of elevations, but working her muscles felt good. Rain had left the air feeling fresh and cool, and she drew in deep lungfuls as she waded through the damp grass.
This is different.
