His face was heavy and intent above her and his lips beautifully sensual as he began to flex slowly, almost lazily, within her.
'Beau.'
'Shhh,' he said huskily. 'Don't speak. You look like a lovely sacrifice to Ra in the sunlight. I couldn't resist coming into you and accepting in his place. Just relax and let me play. We have all the time in the world and I love to feel the heat of you around me.'
His hands were drifting lightly over her, touching, caressing, and touching again. Not demanding, just grasping and then releasing much as he might delicately stroke the feathers of a bird before releasing it to let it fly away. His rhythm within her had the same delicacy and possessiveness and her lashes drifted shut once more.
'That's right, Kate.' Beau's murmur was velvet soft. 'I told you I wanted to flow over you like golden rain. Just let me warm and fulfill you.' His fingers were between her thighs skillfully searching and caressing and suddenly she inhaled sharply, her lashes flying open.
'Like that?' Beau smiled lazily down at her. 'I thought you would. I love to hear you gasp and look at me all wide-eyed like a little girl who's just been given a present.' He suddenly thrust forward, touching, teasing, filling, and she was abruptly no longer even a little hit drowsy.
'I'm sorry to disappoint you but you're not warming me now, Beau.' Her voice was a trifle breathless. 'You're burning.'
'That's the risk you run when you lie naked in the sun,' he said thickly, his hands sliding around to cup her buttocks so as to bring himself deeper into that heat that was now turning molten for both of them. 'But I'll try to make this particular burn as pleasurable as possible.'
She found he was a man of his word. Burn her he did, but it was with a flame so exquisite ft would have been pure agony to quench it. It was strangely unreal to be lying here in this little circle of brilliant sunlight in the lush dusky greenness of the rain forest. It was as if the two of them were enveloped in a spotlight that was ambivalently both starkly revealing and blurred to a dreamlike haze.
Heat without, heat within. Silence except for the sound of Beau's harsh uneven breathing and her own occasional gasp and murmur of satisfaction and delight, the scent of soap, musk, and the earth beneath them. Heat without, burning within. Beau's golden eyes narrowed intently on her face, his hips moving with smooth explosive power, the patches of sky through the trees, not midnight but sapphire velvet now. Burning without, burning within. Beau's hands lifting, her own cry, almost a sob, the deepening, the power, the burning. Oh, dear heaven, the sweet heady burning! Within, without, surrounding, consuming. The burning!
Beau was collapsed upon her, his chest laboring as if he were starved for oxygen. His hands on her hips were still sealing her to him as if unwilling to relinquish possession as he had passion. She found her hands on his shoulders grasping him with that same desperation. Not yet. Let it go on. Beauty always faded so swiftly. Just this time, let it go on.
'I'm too heavy for you.' He was shifting and rolling off her, his breathing coming in gasps. 'Lord, I'm sorry, Kate. I must have nearly crushed you.'
'If you did, I didn't notice,' Kate said lightly. She nestled closer, her fingers curling in the springy thatch of hair on his chest. Her lashes demurely veiled the sudden mischief in her eyes. 'But then, I was otherwise occupied.'
He chuckled. 'But not productively, I trust.' His grin gradually faded. That unthinking remark had struck too close to home to be considered amusing. He'd been indulging in light sophisticated badinage as if she were just any woman. But she wasn't just any woman, this was Kate and must be protected and cared for. A task he hadn't been doing with any degree of success lately, he thought grimly. He sat up and then slipped from the bank into the icy water. 'I think I feel the need for a cold swim,' he said tersely. 'It would have probably been a better idea if I'd taken it first.' He struck out with brisk strokes toward the center of the pool.
Kate sat up, gazing after him in bewilderment. It was clear that Beau was upset, but the change from laughter to grimness had been so abrupt that it was difficult to comprehend. What had upset him so much? Then she experienced an icy chill that was worse than Beau had felt when he'd slipped into the pool. Pregnancy. Beau was afraid she might become pregnant and hold him responsible. It was the only explanation for his sudden withdrawal and then almost harsh rejection.
She slipped off the bank scarcely noticing the coldness of the water on her sun- warmed skin. She hadn't even considered the consequences of their lovemaking before, but it wouldn't have upset her unduly if she had. Illegitimacy didn't necessarily mean being unloved as she had been. If she did become pregnant she would be sure her child was nurtured and surrounded by love. She mustn't feel hurt at Beau's reaction to the idea of her having his child. Perhaps he didn't know her well enough. to realize that she wouldn't expect any support or help from him if that came to pass. Still, the soul-chilling depression remained and she suddenly didn't want to face Beau until the memory of that curt rejection faded a little.
She levered herself onto the bank and dried off briskly and put on the white caftan. She didn't look back as she walked swiftly down the path toward the tree house.
She was already dressed in her customary blue jeans and was buttoning up a soft white cotton shirt when Beau strode through the door. He'd slipped on his cutoff blue jeans that were still wet and obviously freshly laundered. He was frowning moodily as he shut the door. 'Why the hell didn't you tell me you were leaving? I looked away for a minute and when I looked back you were gone.'
'I didn't see any reason in staying around,' she said quietly, rolling up the long sleeves of the shirt to elbow length. 'It was time I got dressed anyway and there wasn't any need to disturb you.' She ran her fingers carelessly through her damp curls. 'I won't be gone long. I'm afraid there's nothing much to do here. All my books are in the other chest if you'd like to glance through them. If you're hungry, there's a tin of canned ham and some bottled orange juice in there as well.''
'Gone,' he echoed blankly, his eyes darkening stormily. 'And may I ask where you think you're going without me?'
'I have to go check the plane. There's no use both of us going. The glade is only a short distance from here and I should be back in less than an hour.'
The cool logic of her argument appeared not to faze him at all.
She avoided his eyes as she thrust her feet into tennis shoes and then knelt to tie them. 'There's nothing really clear between us, is there? And you certainly shouldn't feel any responsibility for me.' She stood up and her eyes met his steadily. 'I can take care of myself. I have for a number of years and there's no reason for me to stop now.' She paused meaningfully. 'No reason at all.' Her eyes widened in surprise as he muttered a curse. Now what was he upset about? She'd thought he'd be relieved to know she wouldn't be a problem to him. Perhaps he still didn't understand. 'We had a bargain. Whatever happens I'll accept it as part of it.'
'For God's sake, shut up!' he bit out. 'That idiotic bargain has nothing to do with us. Not anymore. What kind of man do you think I am? The woman I made that bargain with never really existed. You've been a damn victim all your life and if you think I'm going to continue the trend you're out of your mind.' He ran his fingers distractedly through his hair and a sun-streaked lock fell carelessly over his forehead. 'And now you're hinting that if you were to have my child, I should just turn and walk away and forget you. Quite the little martyr. Too bad your rain forest doesn't have a lion or two I could throw you to.'
'There's no reason for you to get so upset. I just wanted you to know how I felt.'
'I'm damn well aware how you feel. You're so used to coming last and letting everyone impose on you that you expect me to do the same.' His lips tightened. 'Well, I'm not about to satisfy any masochistic tendencies you might be harboring. I'm going to take care of you whether you like it or not.' He drew a deep breath. 'I know it may be too late to prevent you from becoming pregnant, but I'll do my damnedest to keep my hands off you from now on.'
She felt a pain so fierce it made her a little ill.
That's not necessary,' she said numbly. 'We made a bar-'
'Screw the bargain,' he said roughly. 'Will you listen to me? There isn't any bargain and last night and this morning didn't exist. When I get you off this island, I'm going to take you back to the
