The intensity of her body's response shocked her. Butterflies erupted in her stomach and she was sure that he must be able to feel her body quivering. Every part of her felt sensitive. She was incredibly aware of every inch of his body. Unable to help herself, she pressed closer still and he immediately lifted a hand to her face, sliding his lean fingers around her jaw and forcing her to look at him.
The laughter had long since faded and the emotion sizzling between them was intense sexual excitement. An overwhelming acknowledgement of the astonishing chemistry between them. Skin brushed against skin, breath mingled unsteadily and the heat became almost intolerable.
'P-people are staring at us,' Libby stammered, shivering as she felt his thumb trace the fullness of her lower lip.
'Let them stare,' Andreas murmured softly, supremely indifferent to the curious glances they were receiving. 'On the other hand, I could do with some fresh air. How about you?'
Libby nodded. What she really needed was a cold shower, but fresh air would probably do.
His long fingers closed around her wrist and he strode off the dance floor towards one of the exits, dragging her after him.
Feeling that just about everyone was probably staring at them, Libby didn't look left or right.
'You're behaving like a caveman,' she muttered, mortified by what people must be thinking. 'This isn't very politically correct.'
He shot her a sizzling smile of pure sexual invitation. 'That's because I'm Greek,' he drawled in that dark tone that sent shivers down her spine. 'We're not very good at being politically correct.'
He led her out into the grounds, past the small lights that added a subtle glow to the darkness and illuminated the surroundings just enough to allow them to find their way. After the heat and noise of the ballroom the air was incredibly cool and peaceful.
A few couples were seated at tables outside, but Andreas ignored them and didn't break his stride, taking her across the grass and down towards the ornamental lake.
Finally he slowed down and took a deep breath. 'That's better. It was very hot in there, agape mou.'
Libby looked at him shyly. 'What does that mean?'
He didn't answer her and, seeing the lights of the ballroom and hearing the music fading into the background, Libby felt suddenly vulnerable. All of a sudden it was just a woman alone with a man in the incredible intimacy created by the semi-darkness.
She felt breathlessly unsure as he led her down some steps and through some trees and suddenly they were on the edge of the lake.
'Oh!' She stopped dead, enchanted by the moonlight flickering on the nearly still water. 'It's magical. How did you know it was here?'
Andreas maintained his grip on her wrist. 'I saw it from the terrace when we were drinking champagne earlier.'
After the heat and noise of the ballroom it felt wonderfully peaceful and she stood for a moment, enjoying the silence, breathlessly aware of his powerful presence next to her. Even without turning her head, she sensed that he was looking at her and she felt her heart thud against her chest in a frenzy of anticipation. His fingers hadn't moved from her wrist but she could feel his touch with every part of her body.
'Libby?'
All he did was say her name but his soft tone brushed over her nerve endings and made her shiver with a sexual excitement that was as intense as it was unfamiliar.
Barely breathing, she turned to face him and collided with the raw passion in his dark eyes. Suddenly there were butterflies in her stomach and her head felt woolly. Somewhere in the back of her mind she registered that she was supposed to be resisting him but for the life of her she couldn't quite remember why.
Why would any woman in her right mind want to resist Andreas?
He was still looking down at her, dark eyes slightly narrowed in a scrutiny so shockingly sexual that she felt dizzy.
By the time he finally lowered his head to hers she was quivering with expectation, longing for his touch, and the moment his mouth found hers she moaned and lifted her hands to his chest, curling her fingers into the front of his shirt, feeling the warmth of his chest through the thin fabric.
He kissed her slowly, teasing her mouth with gentle expertise until she pressed against him, desperate for him to deepen the kiss. Every seductive stroke of his tongue drove her demented with longing and she wrapped her arms round his neck and pulled him closer.
Still kissing her, Andreas shrugged off his jacket, letting it fall onto the grass, and then his arms came round her, hauling her close.
She felt his warm hands slide down her bare back, pressing her against him, making her aware of the intensity of his desire.
And suddenly she wanted more.
He wasn't moving fast enough.
Her arms dropped from his neck to his waist and she wrenched at his shirt, tearing buttons in her need to get closer to him.
She felt his hands slide the straps of her dress down her arms, baring her breasts to the cool night air. He dragged his mouth from hers and trailed kisses down her bare neck and she threw her head back, her eyes closed, all thought suspended as she felt him move lower. Then the coolness was replaced by warmth as he took her in his mouth, teasing her nipple until she cried out, overwhelmed by the exquisite agony of his touch.
His hands were on her thighs, drawing the silken fabric of her dress upwards, and she moved her hips against him, encouraging the contact that he was clearly seeking.
And then his mouth was on hers again and he lowered her to the ground. The damp grass cooled her heated skin and she lay breathless on the bed that nature had provided, aware of nothing except the aching need low in her pelvis and the weight of his body on hers.
His breathing was ragged and he delved deep into her mouth with his tongue, shifting his body so that he lay between her thighs.
Totally abandoned, Libby moaned and kissed him back, arching against him, burning with excitement when he finally touched her where she was aching to be touched.
She gasped his name, wanting more, needing more, totally consumed by the excitement that he'd unleashed.
He lifted his head briefly and she felt his hesitation.
'Andreas … ' Her hoarse plea seemed to be the only encouragement he needed because he stared down into her eyes as he adjusted his position and dealt with the thin silk of her panties.
She was dimly aware of his strong fingers biting into her thigh, of the scrape of his rough jaw against her face and then he was there, entering her with a smooth thrust, trapping her gasp of ecstasy with his mouth. She felt his urgency as he drove deep inside her, filling her, increasing her level of arousal with each expert thrust. Dizzy with excitement, her fingers dug into the hard muscles of his back, and she arched up against him, unconsciously drawing him closer still.
The darkness ceased to exist, as did the lake and the press of the cool grass against her back. There was nothing except Andreas and the way he made her feel.
And Libby knew that nothing in her life had ever felt so totally right.
'Open your eyes.' His rough command penetrated the fog of sensation that held her in its grip and she did as he ordered, drowning in the raw sexual hunger that she read in his gaze.
Clashing with the heat of his eyes merely heightened the excitement and she struggled to breathe as he drove them both to such terrifying heights that the only way to go was down. She fell headlong into an explosive climax, aware that she was taking him with her, submitting to the wild, unfamiliar sensations that scorched her body.
Totally wiped out by the intensity of the experience, Libby closed her eyes and lay still, aware of the weight of his body on hers, his solid strength pinning her to the grass.
She could have stayed there for ever, feeling the rhythmic thud of his heart against hers, the warmth of his breath against her neck as both of them slowly returned to the present.
She was aware of the uneven ground pressing into her back through the soft grass, of the cool night air brushing her bare, heated skin, but most of all she was aware of Andreas.
He was still wearing his shirt but it hung open where she'd all but torn it apart in her haste to undress him and the edges trailed around her, hiding her semi-nakedness. Somewhere nearby lay his jacket, carelessly discarded in their fevered desperation to remove all barriers.
He muttered something in Greek that she didn't understand and shifted his weight, rolling onto his side and taking her with him.
He stroked her tangled hair away from her face with a gentle hand. 'Beautiful Libby. Look at me,' he ordered softly, and she opened her eyes and tumbled headlong into the warmth and heat of his gaze.
I love you.
The words flew into her head and out again before she had time to say them and she caught her breath.