Now she stood poised to go into Gray’s bedroom for the last time. Her chest ached with sadness, and she had to work to keep the tears from forming. Gaining control over her emotions, she pushed open the door and entered.
Gray was standing at the window where he’d likely watched her pull up and turned when he heard her come in. His welcoming smile was nearly her undoing.
She walked into his arms, burrowing her head into his chest. He pulled her away, cupped her face in his hands and kissed her long and hard. She returned his kisses with ferocity born of utter despair. Her fingers wrapped into his hair, pulling him down to her, her lips moving over his with increasing passion. “Love me,” she whispered.
He swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed, following her onto it, pulling frantically at their clothing. The rapid sounds of their breathing filled the room. Finally she was free of her dress, and she worked his trousers down his legs. He kicked them off and pressed his hard chest to the soft curves of her body.
Her nails scoured his back and tangled in his hair. Danced over the rippling muscles of his back down to his firm buttocks. She slid her legs sensuously up his, her body writhing beneath his heated skin.
He parted her thighs and she wrapped her legs around his waist, arching forward, needing him, wanting him inside her. His hardness slid between the soft folds of her femininity seeking entrance to her depths. “Please,” she pleaded.
With deliberate slowness, he sank into her inch by agonizing inch. She’d never felt so full as she did now. She could feel him in the deepest recesses of her soul. When he was fully seated within her, he paused and looked deeply into her eyes. “Come with me, Jenna. Ride the tide until it returns to the sea.”
She saw the ocean mirrored in his smoky depths, saw all the dreams she’d ever dreamed, the pyramids of Giza, the sunset over the Taj Mahal, all the things, like him, she’d never have. Tears spilled over the rims of her eyes, leaving a single trail of pain down her cheek.
With a tender finger, he wiped away the dampness then kissed each lid. He began moving within her, at first slowly, then faster, with more urgency. She matched his rhythm, meeting each thrust with the arch of her hips.
She memorized every nuance of his face, the dips and hollows of his body, burning his imprint on her brain, determined to remember this night always.
As she neared the precipice, she wavered, balanced on the edge of something truly wonderful. She imagined she heard him say I love you, and catapulted into oblivion. Her tears mixed with their cries of joy. Softly she floated down from the heights they’d climbed. Back to reality.
She cuddled against his broad chest and he tucked her head under his chin. A long moment of silence settled over them then Gray whispered against the top of her head, “It’s time, isn’t it?”
She nodded, the knot in her throat too large for her to speak. He stroked her hair and kissed her forehead. “Tonight is ours then.”
How she loved him. Her heart ached with the depth of her feelings for him. If only telling him would dissolve all the obstacles standing before them. But it wouldn’t. It would only further complicate an already emotional farewell. It wouldn’t be fair to burden him with her heartache.
“Tell me more of your travels,” she murmured against his chest. If she couldn’t visit any of the places she loved to read about so much, she’d let him take her there with the soothing timbre of his voice.
“Four years ago, I booked passage aboard a ship bearing supplies to the soldiers in the colonies. I was restless, wanted something though I had little idea what it was at the time.”
He shifted beside her, turning over onto his back and pulling her into the crook of his arm. “Our ship overtook an Italian vessel that was suspected of being an American spy ship. Of course it turned out to be nothing more than an explorer on his way to chart unexplored islands in the Pacific. The captain was English and offered to let me go with him after I had expressed interest.
“We spent a year navigating around small, uninhabited islands, well, at least some of them were. We met up with some rather interesting native life on a few.”
“How exciting,” she exclaimed. “Were you ever in any danger?”
“Other than a preliminary fear of running across a tribe of cannibals, we were more eager than afraid. The islands were more beautiful than I had imagined a place could be. And for the most part, the natives were friendly and welcoming.”
“It must have been such an exciting adventure,” she said wistfully. “I’ve always wanted to go swimming in the ocean.” She finished with a laugh. “I suppose the first order of business would be to learn to swim.”
“You don’t know how to swim?”
“And where would I have learned this most important ability?”
“Sarcastic wench,” he said with a chuckle. “I can well imagine the need for ladies to learn to swim.”
“Some do. I have a friend back home in Westerleigh who sneaks out to the pond on her family’s estate and swims when no one is around. I can only imagine the scandal were someone to discover her swimming in her unmentionables.”
“Surely the world would come to an end.”
She giggled. “Now who is being sarcastic?”
He smacked her lightly on her bare bottom. “Would you like something to eat? I can have a tray brought up, and we can eat in front of the fire.”
“Sounds lovely. I didn’t eat dinner,” she admitted.
“Why not?”
