She shuddered slightly on account of the order, but did as he asked. Labored breaths filled the air. His, not hers. As if moving through water, she raised her gaze to his and was instantly overcome by the forceful look in his eyes. “Dev?” she whispered and straightened herself for his perusal.
He licked his lips and she shuddered once more. This time, in a far more intimate way. His throat worked and his upper arm muscles flexed.
“You’re perfect, Cass.” The words were barely audible and yet she heard them anyway. “More beautiful than I ever dreamed possible. And trust me,” a wicked gleam touched his eyes, “I have dreamed.”
The words – the implication – was scandalous in the extreme. And it did something to her, something she never would have expected. It made her feel wanton.
He moved toward her, then reached out and let one finger trail down her arm. “But none of my dreams compare to this.” Setting his palm against her lower back, he pulled her flush up against him. “Reality is so much sweeter.”
What followed was unlike anything Cassandra had ever experienced. Even if she’d been given a lifetime in which to imagine what being with Devlin would be like, she would have failed. Because when it came to the bedroom, her husband was quite the scoundrel. He worshipped her with his hands and explored her with his mouth. And he didn’t let her get away with anything less, encouraging her to do things she never would have believed herself capable of.
But with every suggestive word he whispered in her ear and with each wicked touch, he made her want to be daring and bold. So by the time they finally joined, both desperate to reach the peak of their lovemaking, she’d either touched or kissed every inch of his glorious body.
“Bloody hell,” he gasped once they’d found a shared rhythm. “I can’t…Cass…I don’t think…”
She rather felt the same way. They’d spent so much time preparing themselves for this moment, during which she’d almost spiraled out of control three times already, she wasn’t sure she’d last another minute.
“It’s alright,” she managed while matching his movements. “Don’t stop. Just…” And then it happened. Like an explosion of light ripping through her and lifting her upward, it carried her off to some blissful height.
Faintly, she heard Devlin grunt, felt him tense right before he collapsed on her with a heavy sigh. Her hand settled on his back, lightly stroking across his hot skin.
“Oh my God,” he breathed.
She grinned, because she knew precisely what he meant. Oh my God, indeed.
A moment passed and then he raised himself on his forearms. His expression – the look in his eyes – was one she knew she would never forget. “That was incredible, Cass.Youwere incredible.”
His hair was adorably mussed but it was the reverence with which he regarded her that stole her breath completely. He shook his head as if unsure what else to say, then he simply leaned forward a little and kissed her lightly on her forehead.
“It surpassed my own expectations,” she confessed a couple of minutes later once he’d rolled to the side and pulled her against him. “I never imagined I’d…um…well…” Her face grew hot and words failed her.
Devlin’s hand trailed leisurely over her hip. “I’m extremely glad you did,” he murmured seductively next to her ear. “And I look forward to helping you further your skills.”
She almost choked, because really, this wasn’t the sort of conversation she’d been brought up to have. Not ever. Although she suspected it might be a bit late for inhibitions now after everything that had just passed between them. And besides, she secretly liked him whispering naughty things in her ear.
“For instance…” His fingers followed a path that ended between her thighs. “I’ve had the most interesting thoughts of you bending over my desk.”
She gasped, because of his touch and because of his words, and it didn’t take long before she was coming apart once more.
“We should probably try and get some sleep,” Devlin told her a short while later.
Cassandra’s body felt like jelly, and she rather suspected his did as well, considering what she’d just done. She smiled smugly and snuggled further into his embrace. According to the latest bell, Devlin would have to rise in another two hours while she…
She yawned as she said good night.
“You know,” Devlin murmured, “you don’t have to mind me.”
“What?” She’d no idea what he was talking about now.
“I mean, you shouldn’t let me stop you from saying your nightly prayer.”
Her stomach clenched with immense discomfort. She opened her eyes and stared into the darkness. “It’s not a prayer.” She whispered the words, almost hoping he wouldn’t hear them. But this was the second time he was bringing this up, and if she brushed it aside now or pretended she was indeed praying when she was not, then that would make her a liar.
“Then what is it?”
She closed her eyes, squeezed them shut and wished he hadn’t asked. “Can we talk about this tomorrow?”Please. Don’t make me tell you about this now.
“I don’t like putting things off. Least of all when it’s important. And something about your voice, the hesitation there and your reluctance to discuss it, suggests it is.” He’d risen onto his elbow, removing his warmth from her back as he leaned slightly over her side. “Cass?”
