He entered her with a powerful thrust, and she thought her sudden cry of pain had been lost in his mouth as the heat and the agony mingled inside her. But he must have felt her sudden tension because he froze and lifted his head.
‘Ally?’ He stared at her in utter confusion and she shook her head, sliding her hands over his hard buttocks to stop him withdrawing.
‘No! Don’t stop…’
‘Stop? You think I’m Superman?’ He gave a soft groan and kissed the tip of her nose, obviously fighting his hunger for her. ‘I don’t think I could stop if you begged me but that doesn’t mean I want to hurt you.’
‘You’re not hurting me now. It was just for a second.’ She gasped and stroked a hand over his satiny flesh. ‘Please, Sean…’
His breathing was laboured. ‘Why the hell didn’t you say something?’
‘It’s not relevant.’
He moved slightly and frowned as her nails curled into his skin. ‘Relax, sweetheart. It won’t hurt if you relax. Trust me angel.’
So she did. And once she relaxed the pain went, and Sean stayed very still, kissing her gently, nibbling and licking at her lips until she was desperate for more. With a mew of impatience she shifted under him and he gave a sharp intake of breath and captured her face in his hand, forcing her to look at him. And then she felt him move inside her, powerful and male yet still touchingly careful with her. He held her gaze, watching her intently, and then with a grunt he dropped his head onto her shoulder and scooped up her hips so that they were joined even more closely.
‘Oh, Sean!’ The closeness was like nothing she’d ever felt before, but like everything she’d ever dreamed of in all her secret fantasies. The feelings overwhelmed her and instinctively she wrapped her legs around him, his harsh breathing confirming just how much control it was taking for him to hold back.
But she didn’t want him to hold back. Not any more. The pain had gone, and with it any shyness and inhibition she might have had. She wanted it all, everything he could give, and she was ready to give back in full measure. She stroked her hand teasingly up his back and moved her hips under his, feeling a thrill of excitement as she felt him respond.
‘You’re a witch.’ He kissed her again, his tongue delving deeply inside her, and she moved restlessly under him.
‘Sean, please…’ Her sob of need was trapped by his searching mouth and he growled deep in his throat and thrust deeply inside her.
‘Better?’
‘Oh, yes!’ She arched towards him, their bodies moving as one until the pressure burst and her cries of fulfilment mingled with his harsh groan as he shuddered against her.
Tears seeped from under her closed lids and she heard him give a muffled curse, before wrapping her in his arms and rolling them both so that she lay almost on top of him.
‘I’m sorry, sweetheart.’ His voice was a groan of apology. ‘I was too rough.’
‘No.’ Her voice was little more than a whisper and he stroked the blonde hair away from her damp cheek and ran a thumb over her bottom lip. ‘You weren’t rough.’
His grip on her tightened. ‘I made you cry, for heaven’s sake.’
She turned her head and gave him a watery smile. ‘Because you made it so fantastic, and I never guessed it would ever feel like that.’
He stared at her for a long moment and then closed his eyes briefly. ‘There’s so much you need to tell me but somehow I just don’t want to hear it yet.’
That was fine by her. She snuggled closer into the warmth of his body, her smooth skin sliding over his rougher, muscled thighs.
‘Carry on like that and we won’t get any sleep tonight,’ Sean warned, his mouth tantalisingly close to hers.
Her heart raced. ‘Who needs sleep?’
He stared at her and his mouth curved into the sexiest smile she’d ever seen. ‘Who, indeed…’
CHAPTER EIGHT
THEY were up at first light, packing up the tent and the rest of the gear and struggling into their walking clothes.
Sean didn’t say much as they walked down the mountain and, staring at his massive shoulders leading the way down the narrow path, Ally felt a twinge of disquiet. Something was wrong. After the intimacy they’d shared during the night he should have been holding her hand or casting her the odd tender smile. Instead, his hard features were set and grim, his whole attitude one of single-minded intent as he concentrated on getting them down the mountain.
Part of her longed to put her arms round him and tell him how much she loved him, but pride stopped her. This was Sean, after all, and she knew he kept his emotions firmly in check. Except for last night. Her body warmed as she remembered the details of the night before. How he’d held her, touched her, driven them both to incredible heights of sensation and emotion. But he’d never mentioned love.