‘I can make you feel good, Rachel, better than before,’ he said. ‘Let me take you to bed, where I’ll make you forget all the chaos of the last few days and remind you of what it is to feel sexy. Feminine, powerful. Wanted beyond all meaning.’
He saw the capitulation in her eyes, the need to be in his arms. He lifted one eyebrow. ‘Yes?’ he prompted.
‘Yes.’
Thank God and all his angels and arch angels.
Picking up her hands, Bennett tugged her to him so that her lips were an inch from his. ‘Too much talking,’ he murmured. ‘Definitely not enough kissing.’
‘I agree,’ she replied, her sweet breath fluttering against his lips.
‘Slide your thigh over mine,’ he told her.
‘Why?’ she asked but did as he requested.
‘So that you’ll be more comfortable when I do this…’ he said before slanting his mouth over hers, tracing the seam of her lips with his tongue.
She tasted like the woman he’d met before, as an awesome memory should. But this kiss was tinged with something different, it was deeper and darker and more intense than he remembered. Rachel felt like the upgraded, full version of the woman with whom he’d spent the night in London, richer and far more interesting than he expected. She felt amazing, soft and luscious and so very feminine.
Falling into the kiss, she placed her bikini-covered core on the hardest part of him and pushed down, creating friction. His eyes rolled back in his head at the slap of pleasure as he welcomed her weight, one arm encircling her butt to hold her tight against him, letting them burn. His other hand held her jaw, his fingers tracing her sharp cheekbone as his mouth ravaged hers.
Rachel hooked her arm around his neck and pushed her breasts into his pecs, dragging her Lycra-covered nipples across his bare chest. He deepened the kiss, needing to taste her, to delve, to dip and dive, needing to explore every part of her mouth. Heat and lust ricocheted through him and, for the first time in four years, he felt his body sag, his bones melt.
Angry ninjas, machine-gun-toting Special Force soldiers and aliens could land right next to him but nothing would stop him from kissing Thadie, from exploring her satin-and-silk skin, her curves, tasting the honey between her legs, the dip of her spine.
He pulled his mouth off hers so that he could speak. ‘Bed, please.’ It was only two words but there was no way he could make complete sentences, as all his blood had left his brain.
Rachel hesitated, wrinkling her nose. She couldn’t be second-guessing this, could she?
‘Be with me for the rest of the time on Petit Frère,’ he suggested, his voice hoarse. It was all he could give her. ‘Share my bed, Rachel, let me worship your body.’
There was nothing more between them but intense chemistry. And, as he’d stated, those were two very different entities.
‘This can’t affect any decisions about the boys, and our way forward, it’s just sex,’ she insisted, her fingers still dancing over his abs. ‘It’s just between us.’
He nodded, his hands sliding up her long thighs. Annoyed by the barrier of her sarong, he yanked it off and dropped it to the floor. It fell over her book and Angus remembered that they were inside and could be interrupted by nobody, both of whom were still on the island. Swinging his legs off the lounger, he stood up, Rachel in his arms and carried her into the house, and into his bedroom, to lay her down on the white cotton duvet.
She looked, he thought, as if she belonged there.
It was a temporary thing, Bennett told himself, a flame that needed to burn out, a rogue wave that needed to slap the shore to expend all its energy. It wouldn’t last…
It couldn’t.
No, all her attention was focused on the big, intense man standing at the end of the bed, looking down at her, drinking her in. Rachel took in his tall frame, and his messy hair. His black board shorts hung low off his hips, and she licked her lips at his exposed, superhot hip muscles His skin was tanned gold from his hours in the sun. Brown scruff covered his jaw, and his bare feet were surprisingly elegant. She wanted to take big, greedy bites out of him…
Oh, she was in so much trouble, teetering on the verge of losing control.
This was about sex, about taking what she offered… a way to feel sexy again, feminine, wanted and wonderful. It had never been this good with anyone else, not even close. But she couldn’t overthink this, get carried away. This wasn’t anything more than unbelievably good sex. He was a gift to herself, a lovely distraction. She’d had some awful months and Angus was giving her a way to forget-great sex with no caveats-and she’d take it…
Rachel knelt on the bed and placed her hands on his rough jaw and moved to align her mouth with his. His hands tightened on her hips, and then his lips were under hers. Lust and need made the air between them shimmer, and she caught a glimpse of golden sunbeams as her tongue slipped between his open lips and into his mouth. He tasted like beer-flavoured sin. How had she lived for years without feeling so alive? Had she lived?
He allowed her a minute to explore his mouth before taking control of their kiss. He wound a strong arm around her waist, pulling her up against his chest-hard with muscle. He kissed her with skill and confidence, as if he knew what she needed and how to give it to her. Overwhelmed by sensation, Rachel slumped in his arms, but Bennett just tightened his grip on her.
‘I’ve got you.’ He pulled back to murmur the words against her open mouth. He hesitated, shrugged and dipped down again, and dialled up the kiss from hot to insane.