Stirred (47 page)

Soon, though, that was not enough, and my hands began to itch to explore Sean’s body. I had the advantage here. Perched over me, Sean had to hold himself up. The space between us allowed room for my hands to skim over the sculpted dunes that ran across each shoulder and down onto his biceps. I loved the feel of those sexy undulations in his well-conditioned muscles, the valleys that gave rise to power and strength unlike anything I’d ever felt before. They rippled beneath my fingertips, growing harder the longer he hovered above me.

His chest was bare of any hair, waxed smooth to give his swimmer’s body an edge during competition. His dragon tattoo—Praetorius, Sean called it—seemed to writhe in the fitful candlelight, its scales flowing and teeth gnashing as the eyes blazed bright and intent upon me. But I had come to see this serpent for what it was, a symbol of Sean’s undying vow to protect. Whatever torment he had gone through in the last few years had strengthened this beast into an unimaginably fierce rival, and I almost felt sorry for whoever chose to take both it and Sean on.

With the power of his commitment animating this magnificently feral creature, my fingers longed to touch it, to explore, and even antagonize it, so it would rise over and envelop me in its large, menacing wings. The feel of it beneath my fingers sent flashes of electricity coursing through my body, sparking short, gasping breaths, and beckoning Sean to kiss me once more.

I felt so alive, so charged, and, by the way his body moved against me, I was sure that energy surged back into Sean, as well. His weight collapsed to his elbows, and he rolled over so I was on top. Now
he
had the advantage, which he exploited immediately, running his hands down my back and over my buttocks, where he squeezed, kneaded, and separated the rounded flesh, pulling me upward until his erection blazed high up between my thighs. With the rock-hard head of his cock poised to enter me, I pressed a deep kiss to his mouth then walked my hands down his body, from his shoulders, to his chest, then the lean crests and furrows that rippled across his stomach like whitecaps in a storm.

I couldn’t get enough of his body, the way he felt beneath my hands and between my legs, the heat, his strength, the rigid power and animal sexuality. All of it drove me crazy with need. I wanted that power and strength deep inside me. I needed that animal driving me hard. But I wanted this one time, our first as husband and wife, to be the embodiment of all that was good and tender between us, of all the affection we shared in our hearts.

I smoothed my hand over the sharp plane of his cheek. “I love you, Sean,” I breathed, so softly, I barely heard my own words.

Not that it was even necessary, because he looked at me,
into
me, and saw what I felt,
felt
what I felt, for it emanated from every pore in my being. It had a scent he could inhale, an essence he could taste, structure he could touch, and light he could see. It was all around and deep inside us, and I smiled knowing he recognized that.

“Sean,” I whispered, then paused to hold his gaze, “I promise to hold you and honor you, through sorrow and success. I’ll be your partner in adventure and your sidekick in mischief. We’ll live and learn and love together, and your happiness will be my priority. I swear to challenge you every day, to encourage you to laugh and grow and be everything you ever wanted. And I promise to be everything
you
need, everything you want, without giving up the woman you fell in love with. I love you, Sean,” I repeated, so he’d know that was the beginning
and
the end, the alpha and the omega, my love for him, this man who saved me.

From there, we were a tangle of limbs. Arms here. Legs there. Our mouths and tongues everywhere. We tasted and touched every inch of each other’s flesh and brought pleasure we didn’t know was possible. I rode him gently and slowly, mounted across his thighs as he sat astride the low, narrow bench at the foot of the bed. He held my hand, pressed to his chest, his fingers curled into my palm, and our eyes locked in an unbreakable bond. 

And then he rode
me
hard, in every conceivable position: standing up, lying down, on our sides, face to face, from behind—my personal favorite—then with my knees slung high up over his shoulders—his preference, he said, because he could reach deeper, making me scream louder than any other way. His hand suffered quite a few bite marks for his efforts. But no matter how we did it, we made love—beautiful, fantastic, amazingly awesome love, and together, we reached higher pinnacles of fulfillment than we ever had before.

When we were done, so exhausted neither one of us could raise our heads, let alone bend our knees or hold ourselves up, we lay on our sides, facing each other, our fingers entwined, so close not even a wisp of air could slip between us. And, as the sky began to lighten outside, and the rain and wind buffeted the outside door, we finally fell deep into sleep, with our lips still pressed in one last kiss.

The phone in our room rang for what must have been the third time. I glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. Damn. It was already half-past noon. Good thing I’d reserved the suite for the entire weekend. Eden and I would need the day just to recover from last night. And a spa was the perfect place for that. When I first made the reservation, I’d prearranged several treatments for her, a body scrub, a facial, and the fitness massage, designed for those with sore muscles from working out, because I knew, without a doubt, that Eden would be tender from our marathon night of lovemaking.

Even I ached all over, especially my legs and stomach. What a workout Eden had given me, the most satisfying ever. But now I needed sustenance if I was to continue, and I was sure, once Eden woke up, she would, too. I was sure that was probably what the phone call was about. I’d arranged for a hearty breakfast to be delivered with the instructions they call first to make sure we were available. Couldn’t imagine what they must think of us, newlyweds sleeping in ‘til after noon. Just the thought made me chuckle, and that made Eden finally stir. She rolled over and faced me, her hair a wild mess, and I swore I’d never seen anyone so goddamn alluring in my entire life.

“Morning,” she crowed in a rough voice, her eyes heavy, but happy, satisfied.

I leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. “Morning, wife,” I said, making her smile.

That smile grew wide as she closed her eyes and stretched like a leopard, ‘cause that’s exactly what she looked like, all long-legged and lazy, rousing from a well-earned night of sleep. A truly magnificent creature. And she was all mine. I grinned at the thought.

I reached for the phone and dialed the front desk. “Yes, good afternoon. Could you put my standing order through now please?” I asked, then paused. “Yes, and an extra carafe of coffee, if you wouldn’t mind. Thank you.” I hung up and rolled toward Eden’s back, swiping my hand down the length of it and watching her arch backwards, her ass beckoning me to fondle the tight mounds of flesh. She even wiggled them to tease me. I smacked one side and said, “Hold that position. I’ll be right back,” then hopped off the bed and ran for the bathroom.

I’d drunk at least two gallons of water through the night, just to stay hydrated enough to perform, so I had to go like a racehorse. And I did, too. Took so long, by the time I made it back, room service was knocking at the door. Sometimes tipping well for excellent service could be a bad thing. Eden and I both sighed at the lost opportunity, but at least our stomachs would be well compensated.

Quickly pulling on my boxers first, I swung the door open as Eden pulled the sheets clear over her head with a squeal, asking me to
wait, wait, wait!
I could hear her cursing me while the waiter set our table. He pretended not to notice a thing, for which he was generously rewarded with a crisp hundred dollar bill. His face cracked with a smile, and he bowed repeatedly as he let himself out.

“Come and get it,” I called out to the wildcat in my bed.

She threw the covers off and crawled to her knees. “That’s what I was trying to do when we were so rudely interrupted.”

I stood there with my mouth half-full of a croissant and stared at my stunning leopard as she crouched on all fours, looking like she was ready to pounce on me. I lifted one brow then grabbed a freshly-grilled English banger, holding the juicy sausage up for her to see. Eden collapsed back onto the bed and broke out into a raucous laugh. But then her stomach protested loudly, and she was up, wrapped in the bedsheet, and at the table in three seconds flat. We were both too hungry to speak for the first five minutes, but as soon as the worst of our hunger was sated, we both sat back in our seats and took an appeased breath.

“So,” Eden finally said, “you do realize I haven’t anything appropriate to wear, and no panties at all, you beast. You’re quickly running through all my favorite lingerie.”

“Then you better stop wearing them, because I can’t promise not to rip each and every pair from that sexy ass of yours.”

Eden tugged up at the sheet wrapped snug around her breasts and giggled like a teenager, which made me so happy. With everything that had been going on around us, those joyful moments had been hard to come by. I wanted to preserve this treasured time for us, but I also knew, with the vows I’d spoken to Eden at the courthouse and here in the sanctity of our marriage bed, she deserved the entire truth, at least what I knew, or was sure of anyway.

“Seriously, Sean, I had no idea we were coming here, so I didn’t bring a bag, and I can’t wear that dress outside in the cold and rain.”

“Who says we’re going outside?”

She pointed at me. “You’re taking me to the falls again, buddy, whether you like it or not.”

I grinned and raised one hand in defeat, the other pressed to my chest. “Okay, okay. Your humble servant will run up the highway to North Bend. It’s only four miles. There’s a nice outlet mall there. I can pick you up a few things.”

“But we don’t have a car,” she reminded me.

“No, but we have money, and I’m sure The Lodge has a service. They’re in the wedding business after all.”

“You sure are resourceful,” she said.

I bobbed my brow. “You’ve no idea, Mrs. Bennett.”

“Why don’t you go draw a bath for two and enlighten me?”

With a sigh, I tossed my napkin down onto the table and scooted my chair back. “I’d love nothing else, but…we only have a limited amount of daylight, and we’ve already slept half of it away. So, unless you wanna go to the falls in your birthday suit, I better grab a quick shower and head on out. I’ll probably be back in less than an hour.” With a peck to the top of Eden’s head, I turned for the bathroom. “In the meantime, wrap yourself in one of these big, cozy robes and go down to the spa. You’ve a variety of appointments waiting for you. It’s all been arranged. Just give them your name—
Mrs.
Bennett.” I started the shower then returned with a robe, which I settled around her shoulders. “And not to spoil anything, but…we need to discuss a few things before we head back tomorrow.” I kissed her again and turned for my shower.

“Like what?” she asked, following after me. She stood there in the bathroom and stared as I stripped and jumped into the steaming shower.

“Just a few things I think you should know. But we’ll talk about it later, okay? I just wanna wash up real quick and head out.”

Eden shrugged the robe off her shoulders and wiggled out of the sheet, then opened the shower door and joined me. “No, it’s not okay. If it’s about our case, I want to know whatever it is you know. I think I’ve earned that right.”

I turned to face her and paused, unsure how to even start explaining when I knew damn well I should’ve told her before we married. So, instead, I leaned down and kissed her. She returned it with enthusiasm, but wasn’t the least bit deterred.

“Just spill, Sean. I’m a big girl. I can take it.”

“I know you can, it’s just, when I asked you to marry me, it was to protect us both, of course, but especially me. You see, when Lieutenant Monroe escorted me through the woods the other night, she showed me that grave…and the body in it.”