“Adam.” Her plea was barely audible.
“Let me love you, Cath. Tell me what you want,” he said hoarsely, then touched the tip of his tongue to the bud of her desire and felt her shudder. “This?”
“Yes!” Congested and wet with arousal, the shocking sensation of his tongue was almost more than she could bear, and yet she wanted more, more.
Adam held onto her hips and moved his tongue in a leisurely circle, leaving and then returning to the spot where he knew all her nerves were concentrated. “And this?”
Cathy felt the hot tingling become a great surging tide, building, building. “Yes, yes.”
Finally, his mouth fastened on the swollen nub and tugged gently while his tongue continued to swirl, and she held onto his hair, whimpering, as the wave crested at last and seemed to explode deep inside her, spreading quivering warmth to every nerve in her body.
Just then, when she longed for it most, his powerful body was covering hers again and he was holding her, kissing her. She kissed him back with abandon and felt his erection nudging at her still-pulsing core. When he entered her, pushing in gradually to the hilt, Cathy knew a sense of bliss beyond anything she had ever imagined. She lifted her hips to meet him, and for a moment he drew back to look at her.
“I love you, more than you can ever know.”
Any lingering doubts were washed away. “I love you, too, Adam.”
He rose up, partially withdrawing from her, then slowly entered again, savoring every moment of being held so snugly inside her. Cathy’s head arched on the pillow as she met his increasingly powerful thrusts, and the sound of their breathing filled the cabin, sweat mingling with their kisses. Then, to her surprise, he braced her hips with his hands and rolled over so that she was lying on top of him.
“It’s all right, Cath, you can do it,” he murmured.
She sat up straighter, knees on either side of his powerful body, and tentatively moved back and forth. He was deeper inside her than ever, and the sensations became even more sharply arousing. Her own nakedness was forgotten as Adam’s hands came up to cup her breasts, and he bent his knees and met her movements with his thrusts. Her hair spilled in wild waves down her back as she rode him, letting herself be carried away on the waves of their passion.
At the end, as her own climax built again, she leaned forward and kissed him, panting, and he cupped her bottom with his hands. He was driving up inside of her one more time, and she felt him at her very core when the moment of his release came.
Adam held her in his arms, still pulsing, his heart pounding against hers. The air was musky with the mingled scents of sweat and sex.
“You are amazing, love.” Turning with her on his side, he kissed her damp brow.
For long minutes, they lay thus, in a state of complete fulfillment, and Cathy drowsed with her cheek against his chest. “I am so happy,” she whispered at last.
“You won’t be embarrassed to face me in the sunlight?”
“No. Never again. In fact...”
“Yes?” Adam caressed the line of her hip and derriere. “Tell me, my beauty.”
She gave him a demure smile. “I am looking forward to kissing you... more intimately.”
“Good God, you are wicked. I feel certain that can be arranged,” he teased, “but at a later date. We’ll sight the Ocean Breeze soon, and you and I must dress.”
Cathy clung to his warm strength, dreading the moment when he would withdraw from her. “I don’t want this to end.”
“Neither do I. I would prefer to have the ship sail around the island again while you and I make love for hours, but I’m afraid that’s not possible. My client, who is also the Golden Eagle’s owner, is waiting for her in Bridgetown... and I must deal with Lightfoot and fetch the treasure.”
“Are you going to offer to buy the Golden Eagle?”
He looked bemused. “You know me too well, love.”
“And what of Basil?”
“I’ll have to release him. What crime has he committed, after all? In fact, I find I have some sympathy for him. I may give him a few gold doubloons to help him get on his feet, and then he may be more inclined to leave us alone in the future.” Gently, he separated from her and rose up on an elbow. There was a damp cloth nearby, left from his bath, and he used it to blot the wetness between her legs.
“This night has been magical. I wish we could stay here...”
“We have the rest of our lives to make magic, Cath. Look at me now; I have something to ask you.” He tipped her chin up with his forefinger. “Will you marry me?”
She felt giddy. “But we are already married.”
“Are we? I don’t think any of it was done properly, from the courtship to the wedding. Let’s make it all new. Let’s have a ceremony at Tempest Hall with just a few guests...”
“Yes, oh, yes!”
He laughed as she pressed kisses to his chest. “You might want to think about it before you agree. What about Paul? We don’t know if Gemma will come back, and I’ll never forget your face the day she brought him to Tempest Hall...”
“Paul is innocent. I love him more each time I see him, and whatever the future holds, I will care for him.” Her gaze softened. “He’s your son, Adam.”
Tears stung his own eyes as he held her in his arms. “Ah, darling Cathy, you have made me so happy. I only hope I can be worthy of your love.”
“You already are,” she murmured before losing herself in the wonder of his kiss.
Epilogue
April, 1904
“My feets cryin’!” Retta exclaimed when she saw Raveneau and Alice enter the kitchen.
“Would you rather have Josephine finish the callaloo?” he asked before dipping a spoon into the fragrant soup rich with okra, crab, coconut milk, and dasheen leaves.
“On de weddin’ day? No! Now, mind yo’ hand outta my pot, sir.” Glancing over at the younger woman, who was putting the finishing touches on a coconut cake, she muttered, “Jos’phine make de callaloo? No!”
Josephine looked up and replied, “Hmph!”
It was up to him to smooth their ruffled feathers. “The callaloo is delicious, and the cake looks splendid!”
Softening, Retta reached up to pat his cheek, still slightly damp from his bath. “Take dat dog and go now!”
Standing outside under the sandbox tree with Alice by his side, Adam listened to the guinea fowl scratching and watched Simon direct the preparations that were underway beside the rose arbor. As a boy, he had helped Gran Adrienne prune the roses and had listened to her stories about her wedding to his grandfather on that very spot.
“He really didn’t want me then,” she had confided, smiling radiantly in spite of her words. “He didn’t know then that he loved me. Fortunately for both of us, love finds a way.”
The sight of Paul chasing Stripey around the arbor brought Adam back to the present. “Hey there, Button, come with me and let’s get you dressed.”
The little boy ran to his father and jumped up as he always did, trusting that Adam would reach out and catch him. As they went into the house through the gallery entrance, Byron appeared, dressed in a pale gray morning coat over a single-breasted vest and a cravat.
“You should be getting dressed yourself,” he told Adam, falling into step beside him.
“We aren’t at bloody St. Thomas’s Church this time, you know. We’re supposed to enjoy this day.”
“Yes, but—”
“A surprise guest is due to arrive at any moment, so there will be no ceremony until then.”
Byron stared, wide-eyed. “You can’t tell me who it is?”
“No. Exciting, isn’t it? It may overshadow the wedding as the highlight of the day.” He glanced over at his friend and added, “I have been meaning to ask if you’re planning to stay here on Barbados? We both hope that you will. I’m not quite sure what I would do without you!”
He laughed. “That’s kind of you, but I have one more painting to finish, then I’m going back to Europe. It’s time for me to get on with my own life. Do you suppose there is another girl out there who can hold a candle to Cathy?”
Raveneau’s eyes softened. “If there is, I’ve no doubt that you will find her. However, take a piece of advice from me and avoid heiresses. All that money only complicates matters!” The trio had reached the upstairs and went into the north bedroom where Adam turned his attention to his son. “June gave you a bath this morning, didn’t she?”
“Yes, Papa.” There were newly built shelves lined with brightly colored toys, and Paul reached for Ooh-Ah as they passed by. When they reached the bed, he stood still as Adam stripped off his rather dusty play clothes.
After Cathy had come home, she insisted that Paul continue to sleep in their bedroom for a few days. Then, very gently, she’d transitioned him into the north bedroom, praising him for being big enough to have his own bed and assuring him that he could climb out and come to them during the night if he needed to. Soon, with Alice stationed nearby in her new cushioned basket, he was sleeping happily in his own room.
Over the weeks, as Adam watched Cathy with the little boy who had done so much to help him open his own heart, he found himself falling even more deeply in love.