Splendor(71)

“God, those sounds you make,” he breathed. “I’ve never heard anything so damned sexy before. I’m more than tempted to see just how loud I can make you moan.”

“Oooh,” she whimpered as he rubbed her clit with the pad of his right thumb, while twisting her nipple with his left fingers. Without his hands guiding her movements, she picked up the pace again, grinding against his hand as she felt the now familiar approach of another orgasm. He was stimulating her in too many places at once, overloading her pleasure centers, until it was all too much to take and she called out his name over and over as she quivered with sensation, still riding him hard.

Tessa barely heard Ian swear softly before he clamped down on her hips again, holding her still as he pumped himself inside of her, finding his release. His hands fell limply to his sides as if in surrender, and she slumped down to lay on his massive chest, her hands tangling in his damp hair.

“If you do manage to kill me,” he whispered hoarsely a few minutes later, “at least I’ll die a very, very happy man.”

***

She yawned sleepily as she woke, stretching her arms and legs in opposite directions, luxuriating in the feel of the plush mattress beneath her and the softness of the bedcovers over her. They felt so good, in fact, that she gave in to the temptation and snuggled deeper into the pillow, fully intending to fall back asleep.

But then a low chuckle made her stir again, as did the warm hand caressing her bare shoulder. “You are a little sleepyhead, aren’t you, love?”

Tessa’s eyes flew open to find Ian gazing down at her, his handsome features filled with amusement. She shivered as he ran one long finger over the bridge of her nose down to her lips. His stubble was even darker and heavier this morning, his hair mussed, and she thought how incredibly sexy he looked this way – quite a change from the suave, elegant man who strode through the office with such authority. He looked wilder, rougher, but at the same time softer and more approachable.

“Good morning,” she murmured, as his hand cupped the back of her head.

“Good morning to you, too, love,” he told her just before claiming her lips in a sweet, searching kiss.

“Mmm.” She turned into his arms willingly, rubbing her naked breasts against his chest and loving the indrawn hiss of breath he took at the contact.

“Easy, darling girl.” He gently broke the kiss and eased her head onto his shoulder, keeping her wrapped in his arms. “Otherwise, you’ll have me waking you up a bit more – uh, enthusiastically shall we say.”

Tessa snuggled even closer against him, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I wouldn’t complain about that. In fact, you can wake me that way whenever you like.”

Ian gave her butt a pinch, eliciting a yelp of protest from her. “What a saucy little imp you’ve become rather quickly,” he teased. “What’s happened to the shy young girl who usually blushes when I simply tell her good morning?”

She caressed his steely abs, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “You turned her into a woman practically overnight,” she confided. “A woman who’s absolutely obsessed with you.”

She gave a cry of surprise as he tumbled her onto the mattress, his big body looming almost intimidatingly over hers. She gulped as she noticed the way his eyes had darkened, and the smoldering look on his face.

“Then we make quite a pair, love, because I’ve been completely obsessed with you – your face, your body, your sweetness – since the first time I saw you,” he said raggedly. “And I’m beginning to fear that my obsession with you is only going to get stronger.” Ian gave her a quick kiss before reluctantly sliding out of bed. “But if we don’t get up and about now, I fear we’ll never leave this bed today. How does a shower sound before I take you out for breakfast?”

Lazily, she buried her face back into the pillow. “Not nearly as good as staying here in this bed with you all day. Why can’t we do that instead?”

He laughed heartily, bending over to nuzzle her neck. “Because I’m an old man, darling, and I need food if I’m going to have enough energy to ravish you again. Now, time to get up, you lazy wench.”

Tessa shook her head in protest, pulling the duvet over her body. “I don’t think I ever want to leave this bed. It’s the most comfortable one I’ve ever slept in.”

“It better be, considering what I paid for it. This is a Hypnos mattress, it was handmade and custom designed. I’m glad it passes Sleeping Beauty’s high standards,” he teased. He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You do like to cuddle, don’t you, love? You were practically on top of me when I woke.”