A guttural sound left his throat when he pulled her hand away. He couldn’t wait anymore. He undid her shorts and yanked them and her panties off. Then he pushed her shirt up and lowered his head to one stiff, toffee-colored peak. She arched upward, running her hand along his bare back. He grabbed her buttocks, lifted her lower body off the grass, and sank into her—deep—their mutual groans drifting on the night air.
Sweet mother . . . she felt so good . . . No woman should feel this good. He rocked into her, guiding her to take his rhythm. With each thrust he buried himself deep into the sleek wetness of her body as if his life depended on it.
Celeste wrapped her legs around his waist, a feeling of completion coming over her as he filled her. She matched each stroke with the upward tilt of her hips, but he controlled their movements. His big hands held her off the ground while his mouth continued to shower kisses on her breasts and lave her nipples with his tongue. Each possessive thrust tightened the spring of tension in her loins.
Her movements became more frantic, and his grip tightened, signaling he neared the limits of self-restraint. She strained against him, mindless, sinking her fingers into the powerful muscles of his arms. Never, ever had she known such passion like she did with him. Never had she imagined she could feel this level of awareness, as if their bodies literally became one.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he whispered roughly.
The words were a match that lit the bomb inside her. She exploded, shattering. Spasms crashed over her like the waves at the shore. Her mouth fell open in a silent scream, her nails digging into his firm flesh. With a groan, he surged forward, burying himself to the hilt. He convulsed inside her, and didn’t draw back, remaining frozen, as if he wanted to savor every blissful second.
Gradually, their breathing returned to normal, their tight, tense bodies relaxed, and he eased back.
“I’ll never get enough.”
He slowly ran his fingertips along the length of her collarbone. Celeste reached up and stroked his bearded face with the back of her hand. She wanted to tell him she loved him. After such explosive lovemaking, it seemed appropriate. The words burned the back of her throat, but she couldn’t say them. He wanted her, and they were certainly compatible sexually, but love? She couldn’t bear to experience his rejection once she said the words.
Roarke rolled onto his back in the grass and pulled her on top of him. Spent, she rested her head on his chest. He picked grass out of her hair, and she suspected her shirt would be grass-stained.
He spoke first. “We didn’t use any protection.”
“It’s okay, I’m on the Pill. And I don’t have anything.”
“I don’t, either, but I never . . .” His voice trailed off. He caressed the skin of her back, ran his hand over her bare bottom, and stroked down to her thighs. Instead of inciting erotic feelings, his touch soothed this time, comforting instead of urgent. “You drive me crazy, make me do things I wouldn’t normally do. I don’t know who the hell I am when I’m with you.”
“Is that such a bad thing?” She kissed the indentation at the base of his throat.
He cupped her chin and lifted her face so he could look into her eyes. “It’s not a good thing, and you know why.”
She didn’t want to talk about Derrick. Not so soon after. It would take her down off the high. “I don’t want to do this now,” she whispered.
“Celeste, I’m not the kind of man who sneaks around, and you’re that kind of woman, either. I don’t think I misread you when we met. We have to tell him, no matter what the fallout.”
“My relationship with Derrick isn’t what you think. It’s hard to explain.”
“Try.”
“It’s complicated.” He allowed her to pull away, and she stood up and slipped on her underwear and shorts.
By betraying Derrick, she had effectively forced a deeper wedge between the two brothers. Derrick would never forgive her or Roarke. She could feel him watching her, his eyes boring into her back.
“Celeste.” She stiffened. His arms crossed around her, and he nudged her hair from the back of her neck to place his lips in its place. “He’s my brother. We have to tell him.”
“I know.” She turned and looped her arms around him and pressed a tender kiss to his mouth.