The Millionaire's Revenge(42)

‘They have,’ he agreed gravely.

‘And what would that exquisite dress sense be com­prised of?’ she asked, stung by the comparisons she knew he must be making in his head between herself and his past conquests.

‘Oh, the usual. Tight little dresses with plunging neck­lines and high, high heels.’ And not one of them could light a candle next to this woman sitting right here, he thought suddenly, with her concealing clothes and lack of make-up. The thought of those heavy breasts, unfettered beneath the loose-fitting sweatshirt, turned him on in a way that no tight dresses and revealing necklines ever could. He savoured the moment when he could push up the thick cotton and feast his eyes on her bountiful body.

Laura wanted to ask him if he was so enamoured of voluptuous women in figure-hugging clothes, why then did he want to sleep with her’? But she was too afraid of his answer to ask the question. God, was she so pathetic that she preferred to ignore the truth staring her in the face? Which was that he simply wanted to revisit old pastures and prove to them both that he could still have her if he wanted, no strings attached?

‘Well, in that case, why don’t you mount Barnabus and ride back to the house so that you can get away quickly and find yourself a suitably well-dressed woman?’

‘Actually,’ Gabriel drawled, his skin positively crawling with pleasure at this show of pique, ‘there’s something that is even sexier than tight-fitting clothes on a woman...’

‘And what’s that? Not that I’m interested.’

‘No clothes on a woman.’ The words dropped into the charged pool of electricity between them and he watched as the ripples began to fan out. ‘No clothes on a woman, out in the open, surrounded by fields and trees.’ The games were done and, whether she knew it or not, she wasn’t going to slip away from him. ‘The smell of warm sun on a naked body and the feel of grass under bare skin.’

A fine film of perspiration broke out over her body as her imagination took wild flight. Her head was screaming at her to run away as fast as she could, but she couldn’t move. She could just watch him close the small distance between them, and her eyes drooped as his mouth covered hers.#p#分页标题#e#

His hunger drove her backwards until she was lying on the grass, his body half over her as he pushed his tongue against hers and explored the warmth of her mouth with an urgency that was matched by her own. Her hands pressed against the side of his face and she arched back in sheer pleasure as he began kissing her neck and behind her ear.

‘Do you want this, querida?’ he murmured hoarsely. ‘Because if you don’t, then you had better tell me now. Before we both reach the point of no return.’

‘Yes,’ Laura whispered raggedly. ‘No. Oh, I don’t know, Gabriel.’

He stopped and looked down at her until her eyes flick­ered open. ‘Tell me,’ he commanded roughly, running one thumb along her eyebrow, and she turned her face into his hand and kissed his palm.

‘Yes,’ she admitted unsteadily, I want you, I want this.’ And she knew exactly what this was, the act of making love, nothing more, nothing less.

‘And I want to hear you say it,’ Gabriel told her huskily. ‘I want to hear you moan with delight. God, I want to feel you tremble under my arms, Laura.’ Balancing on his el­bow, he began to unbutton his shirt with his other hand, his fingers trembling until the shirt was finally hanging open and Laura curved her arms beneath it, delighting in the feel of his naked torso. She had watched him and imag­ined, but actually feeling him was beyond imagination, as was the dizzying sensation of coming back to a place where she belonged.

She eased his shirt off his shoulders, savouring each glimpse of hard, bronzed skin, and watched as he shrugged if off.

‘Not exactly fair,’ he murmured with a wicked gleam in his eye that had her blushing like a virgin bride instead of a woman who had lain countless times in this man’s arms before.

‘What’s not fair?’ she responded with a wicked, teasing smile of her own. She reached up to lick his mouth with the tip of her tongue and smiled as a low moan escaped him.

‘My performing a striptease while you remain covered up like a Victorian damsel.’

He moved into a kneeling position, his legs straddling either side of her and watched, fascinated, as she drew the sweatshirt slowly upwards, exposing the firm paleness of her flat stomach, then those breasts, which he had been lusting after ever since he had first laid eyes on her again. A hot burst of desire exploded inside him, shocking him with its intensity. His hands itched to touch, but he re­strained himself, savouring the prospect of possession. Instead, he continued looking at her, breathing unsteadily whilst she lay passively and bewitchingly beneath him.