Promise

'Will you please stop being difficult on this night of all nights? Just relax and enjoy it, okay?'

I turned around and stared at him in disbelief. He cupped his hands around my face.

'Think of it as an investment for our future. I just had to put it in your name for tax reasons…among others. Okay?'

I relaxed and smiled, knowing this was his area of expertise.

' Ours , then,' I said.

'If you prefer…' He gave me a quick kiss. 'Stay here while I get our bags and then I'll show you my favorite room.'

It took him longer than I expected. I walked around the island kitchen with its smooth granite countertops and into the family room, admiring the perfection throughout. Everything was exactly the way I'd design and decorate it myself, if I had any talent at all. Sand-colored walls, sun-bleached wood floors and furniture, fabrics in cerulean blue, coral, aqua and shell-pink—the feeling of the beach brought indoors. A wall of sliding glass doors led out to a screened-in balcony. The darkness swallowed anything beyond except the water still reflecting the moon.

'Sorry,' Tristan said, appearing in the kitchen. 'I had to get an update.'

I looked at him expectantly.

'We're fine. We can just enjoy ourselves. So, what do you think so far?'

I walked over to him and stood on my toes to kiss him. 'It's perfect!'

He let out a sigh of relief and smiled. 'Good. Come on.'

He took my hand and led me across the family room and through a door leading into a large bedroom suite. A big bed faced a small sitting area with a chaise lounge and more sliding glass doors. Everything was white except for splashes of jewel-tone colors, primarily amethyst, my favorite. It felt like a tropical island.

'I call it the Caribbean room,' he said.

'I love it!'

'I hoped you would.' He beamed, reminding me of a little kid proudly showing off his artwork.

'Oh! Tristan…did you design this house?'

His grin widened.

I stared at him in disbelief. 'You're amazing !'

' You are amazing, ma lykita ,' he said, taking me into his arms. 'And for some reason I still don't understand, you are mine.'

I placed my hands on the sides of his face, tilting it down toward me, and gazed into his sparkling eyes. 'You don't need to understand. Just know .'

I pulled his face down to me and pressed my lips to his. The passion, pent up for the last several weeks, rose quickly in both of us. Our lips moved together longingly, kissing and tugging. Our hands caressed each other's faces and necks. I pushed my fingers through his hair and pulled him closer, separating my lips and welcoming his tangy-sweet taste on my tongue. I slid my hands down his strong neck, over his broad shoulders and along his hard chest.

As we kissed more fervently, his hand moved down my back, sliding between the bodice and the skirt and resting against the small of my back. His other hand caressed my neck and slid down slowly along the plane of my chest and back up. His mouth traveled over my chin and down my throat. I arched my back, lifting my chest against his lips. His mouth was warm and wet on my skin. His hand felt along the straps, up and around the collar.

'How do I get this thing off you?' he murmured desperately.

I smiled. 'It's complicated.'

I unhooked the choker and pulled my arms through the straps and then brought his hand to the hidden zipper in the back. The bodice fell to the floor. He cupped my breasts in his hands and my nipples hardened as he kissed and licked, electricity surging everywhere he touched me, rippling across my skin. He rolled one tip with his thumb, while taking the other into his mouth, suckling and pulling it into a hard nub. My lower body squeezed as if there were a direct line from my breasts to my groin.

I frantically pulled his shirt off and my skirt fell next. He lifted me up and I pressed against him, running my lips and tongue along his smooth neck, tasting, kissing, sucking. He carried me over to the bed and gently lay me down.

'You are dangerously beautiful,' he murmured, appraising me as he slid off his slacks.

Keeping my eyes from wandering, I looked into his eyes and saw no fire—just beautiful emerald green and sparkly gold.

'You're…okay,' I said quietly.

'I am truly Amadis now. The monster is buried deeply…maybe gone forever.' His smile faltered. 'Of course, we do still need to be careful. You're still so very fragile.'

My heart raced as he climbed onto the bed and lay next to me. He placed his hand lightly around my neck and kissed my mouth with renewed fervor. His hand glided down, over and between my bare breasts, along my stomach, around the curve of my hip and along my thigh, leaving shocks of electricity along the path. His hand encircled my calf and he hitched my leg over his hip, then slid his hand up the back of my thigh. My body warmed and quivered with both yearning and fright.

My hands ran along his bare chest for the first time in way too long, feeling its smooth planes and curves. They trembled as they moved lower, along his perfect lines, his muscles flexing under my touch. He hooked his thumb under the elastic of my panties and, with a slight jerk, tore them off.

We explored new places we'd never been and we both hesitated before reaching those parts that throbbed with frantic desire. He was hard and big in my hand, exciting and scaring me at the same time as I stroked him and he moaned. His tongue flicked at my nipple as his hand separated my legs, caressing my inner thighs and then between. A finger slid into me. A small cry of surprise and pleasure escaped my throat.

'You're warm and wet,' he breathed against my breast.

I froze and looked at him, not knowing what to say, heat rising to my face. 'Um, sorry?'

He smiled. 'That's a good thing.'

He rolled over on top of me, gently moving between my legs. He must have seen the panic in my eyes.

'You okay? You look…really scared.' His voice was low, kind, gentle.

'You're just…um…' I blushed again. '…really big .'

I had a hard time imagining all of that inside little me .

A smile played on his lips. 'Sorry.'

I giggled, despite everything. 'No, you're not.'

He pressed down against me and ran his mouth across my cheek.

'No, not really,' he whispered against my ear. He shifted and I could feel his stiffness pressing against me. 'Ready?'

I stared into his eyes and nodded.

'I'll be gentle,' he said softly. And he barely moved his hips, sliding slightly inside me.

OW! I bit my lip. He must have felt me tense because he didn't move. We both remained perfectly still, but I could feel him throbbing inside me. I also felt…something. I didn't think my body could heal that …that wasn't supposed to heal. But the pain subsided and I relaxed.

'Okay?' he asked, his eyes holding mine.

I nodded again. He slid in further and I gasped, but not with pain. He knew, too, because he continued slowly, an inch at a time, until he filled me completely. Then he moved, back and forth, in and out, slow at first, then faster. And harder. And deeper. Each stroke electrified me, sending jolts of pleasure throughout my body. My back arched and I clawed at him. I climbed quickly to my first ever orgasm. But he kept going and I kept coming, again and again, each one building on the previous one, bigger, better, higher, until I thought I'd fly over some unseen edge and into oblivion to never return again. And then he thrust himself inside me harder and deeper than ever and there I went over that edge, losing all control. Every muscle in my body contracted. My back arched. My head went dizzy with euphoria. I shuddered violently with a moan, squeezing him as he convulsed inside me.

He collapsed against me and we lay still for several moments, panting, our hearts pounding against each other's chests.

He finally rolled off and lay on his side next to me, running his fingertips randomly over my breasts and