was there to catch her, to begin the journey all over again. Knowing she was lost in him, in them, was the most exciting thing he'd ever experienced. Each sigh, each moan, each catch of her breath, poured through him like wine.
Whispering her name, he drew her up until they were torso to torso and the pace had to quicken or he would go mad. He found her breasts, drawing them hard into his mouth when she arched back. When she cried out his name, it was like music, with a driving beat that burned in the blood.
He had shown her she was cherished. Now he would show her she was craved.
All she could think was that the storm was coming.
Now it was wild, windy, and the waves lashed against her, threatening to drag her under, into the swirling dark. And she would go, willingly, as long as she could stay with him. So, she clung to him, her mouth desperate on his, her body straining toward each shattering fall. She plunged her hands into his hair, took greedy handfuls of it when he lifted her up to race lips and teeth down her body.
She was drowning, and glorying in it. From some dim corner of her mind, she heard her own voice begging him for more.
The moonlight was gone. Now there was only the flash of lightning, the bellow of thunder. Still he held her up, assaulting her system, destroying her nerves. She could feel the muscles in his arms quiver when he shifted. And he was under her.
'Look at me.' His voice was rough, raw, his fingers dug deep in her hips. 'Look at me. I want to see your eyes.'
She opened them, and through her wavering vision saw his face. It was tensed, strained. Beautiful. 'Come inside me. Now, for God's sake, Shane. I need you.'
'Who are you?'
'Yours,' she said, then cried out when he lowered her onto him.
She couldn't breathe, was sure her heart had stopped. Her body curved back like a pulled bowstring. Staggered, undone, she stroked her hands up her own quivering body, from belly to breasts, then up over her hair, where they linked as if to anchor her.
He'd never seen anything more beautiful, more arousing, more exciting, than Rebecca lost in pleasure. He watched her head fall back, saw the intensity of the climax that ripped through her. To savor the moment, he held himself still, let her absorb every instant of that first assault of sensation.
Then she began to rock, and that rhythmic demand spurred him to match it. Faster, until speed was all that mattered. When he could no longer wait for her, he clutched her hands, took her, and dragged her under with him.
When his mind cleared a little, he realized that the sun had set and the room was soft with shadows. And that he had never in his life felt more content.
He waited until she lay still, her body sprawled limply over his, her breathing almost steady.
'So, where do you want to go now?'
Her laugh started out low in her throat, then rumbled out, the way he liked it best. 'Why don't we try that mountain chalet? Snow would be a nice change of pace.'
'Good thinking. After dinner, we can—'
'After dinner, hell.' Eyes wicked, she lifted her head and began to nibble on him.
'Ah, listen, baby, I...' His breath hitched when she slid down and scraped her teeth over his nipple. 'Maybe if you could give me a few minutes to...' Her hand slid lower, much lower. His oath was soft, reverent.
'You've got a reputation to uphold,' she murmured, deciding she liked the idea of playing seductress with an exhausted man. 'I've heard around town that you're... let's say insatiable.'
'Yeah, well. People exaggerate. A little.' Ten minutes, he thought. No, five, he told himself, watching her neat, narrow, naked body slither over his. He just needed five minutes to recover. 'Listen, why don't we— Man, you're getting good at that.'
She looked up, laughing, thrilled with herself. 'I have a photographic memory, in case you've forgotten, and a very quick mind.'
'You're telling me. Anyway, why don't we take a shower, or maybe a little nap? I don't think I'd be much good to you at the moment.' He gulped in air when her busy mouth trailed lower. He wondered if his eyes crossed. 'Then again, maybe I could handle it after all.'
'I think we can count on it.'
They did take a shower, later. She watched Shane stick his head under the spray and groan in appreciation. From behind, she wrapped her arms tight around him and pressed her mouth to his wet back.
'Jeez, woman, do I look like a rabbit?' But he turned to her, always willing to try.
'No.' Laughing, she lifted her hands to his streaming hair. 'That was to thank you.'
'Okay.' He dumped shampoo on her hair and scrubbed. 'For what?'
She blinked as lather dripped, stinging, into her eyes. 'You must have been tired and hungry when you came in. But you wanted to take my mind off things.'
'Yeah, it was a hardship, all right. I don't know how I got through it.' Amused, he nudged her under the spray.
'I mean it.' She sputtered, tried unsuccessfully to wipe her eyes. 'You were wonderful. I'll never forget it.'
'That's what they all say.' He grinned when she turned and gave him a narrow-eyed stare. 'Kidding.'
'You know, of course, that most accidents in the home occur in the bathroom.'
'I've heard that. Gotta watch your step.'
'Watch yours.'
He put his hands on the tile and boxed her in. 'Remember the first time we made love in here? Sure you do, you don't forget anything.'
She lifted her brows. 'You're not going to distract me that way.'
'I could if I wanted.' He lowered his mouth to hers. 'But if I don't eat, I'm going to fall down.'
'How about if I make you soup?'
He looked pained. 'Do you have to?'
She sniffed, ducked under his arm and stepped out of the stall. 'Cook your own dinner then.'
'You know what I've noticed?' Casually he turned off the shower, reached for a towel. 'You pick up things in a snap. I mean, you ask a million questions, figure it out, file it all away. I'd bet you could go out there in the morning and handle the milking without a hitch.'
'Don't get any ideas,' she warned him, and toweled off, then bundled herself into a robe.
'I've seen you work a crossword puzzle in something under two minutes. That time we went to the market and you bought groceries, you had the money out before the total came up. To the penny.'
She shrugged, picked up a comb from the side of the sink and ran it through her hair. 'So, I'm good at parlor tricks.'
'You could probably build a nuclear reactor in the living room if you put your mind to it. But you can't fry an egg.' Watching her, he wrapped the towel around his hips. 'Or, more accurately, you don't want to fry an egg, so you don't bother to figure it out.'
She flicked a glance oyer her shoulder. 'Caught me. Now what's your point?'
'I'll cook, and you build the nuclear reactors.'
She smiled, but he saw the hint of clouds in her eyes. 'Rebecca.' Patient, he cupped her face in his hands. 'Your brain is only one of the very appealing things about you. I like watching you think almost as much as I like watching you when you can't think. Whatever it took to get you to this point doesn't matter. Because you're here.'
She let out a sigh. 'It's hard to stop wishing you could be normal.'
'Baby, you are normal. It doesn't mean you can't be special.'
That was so simple, she thought. And so sensible. And so like him. Rising on her toes, she touched her lips to his. 'Thanks.'
'Anytime.'
She blew out a breath. 'Okay, let's go downstairs. You can give me my first cooking lesson.'
