Page 36 of Married at Midnight

He drew her hips toward his until the broad head of his erection parted her slick folds, and he pressed in, possessing her as though their past had been another lifetime ago.

Her breath shattered as he thrust inside. Surrendering fully, she gripped his shoulders, then tipped her head back, closing her eyes, letting sensation after sensation wash across her nerves. He was hot and hard, and he filled her fully.

He lifted her bottom, spreading his fingers across her smooth flesh as he drew his erection from her sheath only to slide back in again. He penetrated her deeply until her breath came in panting gasps, matching his.

Every nerve sparking with pleasure, every muscle tightening, tensing, she cried out and plunged over the edge. Ripples of her climax caught him in its power and echoed through him. The mingled sensations continued, racked through them, until they both floated in the aftermath.

He leaned back against the wall, taking her with him in a tender embrace, still joined in the most primitive way. His chest rose and fell as he pulled her protectively into his arms, cocooning her against his chest. She concentrated on his heartbeat as it gradually slowed.

Together they drifted back to the reality of the night. The chill air touched her now, pebbling her nipples and cooling her overheated flesh.

After a long while, Connor finally managed to summon the strength to lift Ellie from him. He set her on her feet. Reaching down, he drew her abandoned blanket back over her shoulders to shield her from the cold.

He’d always been a little egotistical and stupid when it came to Ellie.

He’d been egotistical in that he actually thought he could have a physical relationship with her for fun. The stark reality stared at him now with wide brown eyes. Because now that he knew the pleasures of her body, he wanted more.

And not just for fun.

He’d been stupid in the fact that he’d wanted her so badly he’d forgotten to protect her.

“Ellie, I’m so sorry,” he said, his breathing harsh and ragged. “I didn’t use a condom. Are we okay?”

Her eyes flared momentarily before they shuttered against him. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

But it wasn’t fine. He could feel her drawing back. Desperate to maintain the closeness they’d shared, he reached for her hands. “If anything was to happen, please know I would take care of you.”

“That wasn’t in our agreement.” She looked away. “Let’s just enjoy what we had and what we’ll continue to have and let everything else just take care of itself.”

She was shutting him out. He should be happy she only wanted to have fun. He opened his mouth to respond, then froze when the air around them split with an unearthly shriek.

Ellie bent down and scooped up her clothes. “What was that?”

The sound came again, this time from overhead. Connor looked up to see Zanzibar staring at them through the hole in the roof. “How did you get up there, you crazy cat?”

Connor dressed in a rush, intent on rescuing the beast. He moved back to the window and once again scaled the scaffolding.

Zanzibar waited quietly for Connor to scoop him up. “Here,” he called to Ellie below. “Take the cat while I cover the roof again.”

Ellie appeared below the hole with a frown on her face. “That cat hates me. I don’t know about this.”

Connor lowered the cat down.

Zanzibar meowed—the sound somewhere between an angry warning and a plea.

“It’ll be fine,” Connor assured her. “Just grab him and hold him next to your body. Cats like that.”

Begrudgingly, she took the cat between her hands as Connor turned away to drag the tarp back over the hole and secure it from the wind and rain. When he made his way back through the window, he paused, surprised by the scene.

Ellie stood in the middle of the room, fully dressed. Zanzibar sat dutifully at her feet.

“He doesn’t look like he hates you,” Connor said, coming inside and sliding the window closed.

“We came to an agreement.” She bent down and picked up the cat, thrusting him into Connor’s arms.

A lock of honey-colored hair fell from her ponytail against her temple, loosened no doubt by their lovemaking. Connor wanted more than anything to tuck the strand behind her ear. Instead, he tightened his hold on the cat.

“Let’s call it a night,” Ellie said with a yawn. “You take Zanzibar downstairs. I’ll clean up here.”

“Stay with me.” The sentiment escaped before he thought about what he was saying. He paused, frowning. Those words were not light and carefree, or anything close to what he should have said as part of their temporary relationship.

In response, Ellie merely raised a brow, stacking their plates with one hand and scooping up their glasses and the wine bottle with the other. “Tomorrow will be a busy day if the rain holds off. Now that that’s out of our system, take the cat and go to bed.”

Not one damn thing was out of his system. The two of them had finally been thrust into the fiery inferno they’d always hovered on the brink of before. He could still feel with stunning clarity how she felt as she took him into her body, the feel of her hands on his overheated skin, burning him, branding him.

Ellie met his aching, desperate gaze with a satisfied smile. “Good night, Connor.”

Good night? Not likely, not when he held a cat in his arms instead of the woman who was his wife.