“Oh, God,” he groaned. He stripped away the covers and her gown. His robe slipped to the floor. “Meredith...!”
His mouth was all over her. She writhed on the covers, thanking God she was still on painkillers or she’d be dying of pain. She loved his hunger, holding on as he took her from one peak to another in a veritable fever of need. His mouth slid down her soft belly and pressed, hard, against her soft flesh. He was losing control very quickly. She was so responsive, as hungry as he was. She couldn’t stop him. He wasn’t sure he could stop himself.
This was wrong. She wasn’t completely well. She’d just been in the hospital. Besides that, she’d never live it down, never get over it. She’d blame him. She’d blame herself...
He drew back from her, shivering with denied hunger. “No, honey,” he whispered. “Help me.”
“What?” she stammered.
He drew her completely against him, trying to ignore the exquisite feel of her bare breasts against his chest, and he hugged her close, rocking her. “Hold on, until it passes,” he gritted. “No, baby, don’t move...against me like that. It hurts. It really hurts...you understand?”
“Not really,” she whispered. But she stopped, just the same, and let him hold her. Eventually, the hunger dissipated.
What seemed a long time later, he moved her nightgown back into place, put her back under the covers, slid into his robe and pulled her close again.
She took a deep breath. She still ached, but not so much. “How did you know...to do that?”
“Back in the dark ages, when I was a teenager, I learned how to dampen down the fires.” He chuckled. “I never liked girls who gave out to any guy who asked. The ones I dated, in those days, were sort of like you.”
She didn’t like thinking of him with other women. Especially now, when she knew how expert he was at this. He didn’t learn what he’d done to her in books. She was jealous.
He brushed her ear with his mouth. “There hasn’t been anybody in months. And there will never be anybody else except you. Not as long as I live,” he said at her ear.
She caught her breath. What he was saying was profound. “Really?”
“Really.”
She smoothed his black hair. “But you stopped...”
His mouth slid against her cheek, down into her throat. “It’s a new world, with you. Besides the fact that you’re still recovering from an attempted hit, I don’t have anything to use, and I don’t want you to look back with regret on our first time. When we make a baby, it should be after we’re married. Don’t you think?”
“Married!”
He lifted his head and gave her a sardonic look. “You’re a virgin. And your family is all over the place. Can you imagine what your sister would do if I seduced you?”
There was a sound outside the room. “Well, I imagine she’d have you taken out to sea and tossed overboard with an anchor tied to one leg,” came Sari’s amused voice from the doorway.
“Damn,” Ren sighed. “Caught in the act!”
Sari burst out laughing. She came into the room in her nightgown and robe and turned on the bedside light. She gave them a smile.
“Well, no need to ask if you were planning to do the honorable thing. You both have clothes on and the door’s wide-open. I gather Merrie couldn’t sleep?”
“No, I couldn’t,” Merrie said with a faint laugh.
“I was just telling her a bedtime story,” Ren prevaricated.
“That might be true, except for the way you both look,” Sari mused.
“You might try not to look so self-righteous,” Merrie shot back with a grin. “Or don’t you remember what you did to Paul in the Bahamas the night you were rescued? And you didn’t leave the door open!”
Sari blushed. “Mandy talks too much,” she said.
“So it’s the pot calling the kettle black,” Merrie added, laughing.
“I guess so. Well, if you’re okay, I’ll just go back to bed,” Sari said, her blue eyes twinkling.
“It really is okay,” Merrie assured her. She looked at Ren with her heart in her eyes. “He wants to marry me.”
“He does?” Sari asked, surprised.
“He does,” Ren replied, looking at Merrie. “More than he wants to go on breathing.”
“Well!” Sari exclaimed. “So I guess you’ll be living in Wyoming.”
“There’s Skype,” Merrie replied, beaming. “And we’ll come and visit. You can come out to Wyoming.”
“There’s Skype,” Sari agreed. She smiled and nodded. “I want you to be happy, sweetheart. Even if it’s in Wyoming.”
“Thanks, Sari,” Merrie said softly.
Sari sighed. “Back to bed. Apparently you’re going to be working tomorrow.”
“Apparently so,” Merrie said. She wiggled her eyebrows. “Isn’t it exciting? We have the Godfather right in our own house!”
“Make sure you do the best painting you’ve ever done in your life,” Sari teased.
“You bet I will.” She drew in a breath. “It’s such a relief, you know. God bless Mikey for setting it up.”
“I’ll agree with that,” Sari said. “Good night.”