Embrace the Night

Page 93



"You are indeed," he murmured. "Sometimes it's hard for me to remember that you're all grown up."

"Maybe this will help you remember," she suggested, and throwing her arms around his neck, she kissed him.

There was nothing childish about her kiss, he admitted. Nothing at all. He felt the taste of her spread to all his senses as desire flared between them, more potent than brandy, hotter than a thousand suns.

She moaned softly, pressing herself against him, and he had no thought to deny her.

He removed his cloak and her pelisse and dropped both over a chair; then, taking her by the hand, he led her into the bedroom. With exquisite tenderness, he undressed her, the heat in his eyes chasing away the chill of the room. She was vaguely aware that it was raining. Lightning flashed across the sky; there was a dull rumble of thunder.

Gabriel's gaze held hers as he undressed, and then he lifted her in his arms and carried her to the bed, stretching out beside her.

She looked like a porcelain angel, he thought, a seraph newly fallen to earth, her eyes the color of the daylight sky he had not seen in more than three hundred years, her hair the color of the sun at midday.

He pressed a finger to her lips when she started to speak. And then, as if she were made of delicate crystal that might shatter at any moment, he made love to her. His hands moved over her, barely touching her skin, yet her whole body sprang to life, quivering, reaching, yearning toward him. He kissed her, his lips skimming her eyelids, the curve of her cheek, the smoothness of her brow. She felt his teeth graze her throat, his breath like the desert wind, heard a groan rumble deep in his throat.

She arched beneath him in silent invitation, her hands reaching for him, wanting to touch the hard wall of his chest, to span the width of his shoulders, to draw him to her, inside her, forever.

"Forever," he whispered, and she wondered if he had read her mind.

And then he was a part of her, his breath mingling with hers, his heart beating with hers, and she knew that if he loved her forever, it would not be long enough.

Chapter Fifteen

Sara was filled with disappointment and a keen sense of loss when she woke to find him gone.

She pressed her face into the pillow and drew in a deep breath, inhaling his scent, wondering why he had refused to stay the night. It would be so wonderful to awaken in Gabriel's arms, to make love to him first thing in the morning, when the world was new.

Maybe tonight she would ask him to stay. Maybe this time he would agree. Smiling, she slid out of bed. Tonight, she thought. She would see him again tonight.

"Aren't you tired of the ballet?" she asked later.