‘Hot,’ Nik pronounced appreciatively, green eyes glittering like jewels in his lean, strong face. ‘Am I allowed to assume that you’ve found the nights long and unsatisfying too?’
‘You are,’ Betsy confided, quivering over him, alight with so many different sensations she was intoxicated by that physical contact.
He took her mouth, his tongue plunging deep, his hand knotted in her hair to hold her fast. His dominance excited her beyond bearing. His other hand was engaged in darting explorations of whichever part of her was within reach and she immediately shifted up higher on him, squashing her tingling breasts against the hard, solid wall of his chest, settling her hot, damp core down to ride astride a lean, powerful thigh, and attempted to rock away the tormenting ache of emptiness afflicting her.
‘Be patient...we’ve got all night,’ Nik growled urgently.
‘To heck with patience!’ Betsy almost sobbed against his wildly demanding mouth, her fingers biting into the satin-smooth width of his shoulders.
A disconcerted sound of amusement was wrenched from Nik. He reached for her and lifted her, rearranging her over him to realign their bodies. He angled up his lean hips, initially sliding against her before finding entry with a sudden precision that wrested a sob of wonder and pleasure from her parted lips.
‘Never say I can’t take a hint,’ Nik teased breathlessly, settling her over him and driving deep and then finally, with a revealing sound of frustration, he eased her over and pinned her flat to the mattress under him. ‘Better?’
He thrust into her hard and she felt every inch of him and the delicious friction of the movement sent tiny convulsive tremors rippling through her womb.
‘Perfect,’ she told him, barely able to find her voice.
And it was, absolutely perfect in every way. With every driving stroke of his possession he unleashed a storm of pleasure on her eager body. She lifted her hips and bucked beneath him, matching his insistent rhythm while the consuming, tormenting delight grew and soared to a blinding high of raw excitement. Her heart thumping like crazy in her ears, she flew higher than ever before, carried by the wild throbbing pleasure to a stormy climax that lit her up inside and out with joy and sweet release.
‘So, Cinderella shall go to the ball,’ Nik mused huskily into her damp, tumbled hair. ‘In fact if this is your response to the chance of attending a family party, I will find a party for you every night.’
A choked giggle escaped Betsy. He rolled onto a cooler patch of the bed, taking her with him, draping her over his sprawled powerful length with careful hands, fingers smoothing down her slender spine. It was a long time since anything had felt so right to her as the peace she experienced in the protective circle of his arms. She was tempted to tell him that she loved him but she swallowed the words that she had once offered so freely and with such trust, impervious to the reality that he did not return those words. She was not so naïve now. She rubbed her chin against a broad bronzed shoulder and drank in the hot, musky scent of him like an addict, happy, content but frightened that she was being foolish and short-sighted about the future.
Could she dare to trust Nik Christakis again? Could he be persuaded to make more of an effort this time around? Perhaps she should negotiate with him before she agreed to a proper reconciliation. Sometimes she thought Nik understood business deals much better than he did human relationships. If she laid out her needs as terms and conditions, would he listen then? What could she offer him in return? That second chance he had mentioned and as much sex as he could handle? Hot-faced, she grinned against his shoulder, struggling to pin her dizzy feet to planet earth again and be sensible. She had to learn to be as logical as Nik was and address future problems in a positive rather than critical way.