“You are so beautiful,” he murmured against her skin.
The words may have been clichéd, but to him, at this moment, there was nothing better to be said. She was beautiful, and right now she was his. He had waited years for this moment and he wasn’t about to rush any part of it. He wanted to burn this night into his memory forever. And not just this one night, if he had any say about it. Every night from now on sounded just about perfect.
“You make me feel beautiful,” she whispered in return, her voice tinged with wonder. “You make me feel.”
The unspoken message in her words hung in the air between them. He made her feel? What did she mean by that? Had no one ever taken the time to make her feel beautiful, desirable before? Not even the man she had promised to marry? Raif found that hard to believe, but then again, he’d thought there had always been an untouchable air about Shanal. Maybe he needed to revise that thinking. Maybe she carried more of an air of being untouched?
“Shanal? You’re not—?”
“A virgin? No. But I don’t have a great deal of experience. No one has ever...moved me the way I feel right now,” she admitted shyly.
Whoever she’d been with and whatever the circumstances, Raif would make sure that this time, with him, she felt everything that lovemaking could be between two people. She would be as engaged in what they did together as a person could possibly be.
With that in mind, he transferred his attention to her other breast, sucking and pulling gently at her dark brown nipple until it, too, was as taut as its twin. He shifted so he could kiss her lips again, his hands never leaving her breasts, his fingers rolling and tugging at their tips until she began to squirm beneath him.
She kissed him back with a ferocity that made his blood burn in his veins, scorching him until his entire body was aflame. He’d thought to keep the barrier of his clothing to remind him not to rush things, but found he could no longer wait to feel her body against his, skin on skin, heat on heat, hardness on softness. Her hands were there to help him as he sat up and pulled his sweatshirt and T-shirt off in one sweep, his skin prickling in tiny goose bumps as her fingertips swept over his torso.
He felt ridiculously clumsy as he fought with the button fly of his jeans and finally shimmied out of the restrictive denim. His briefs, too, came off in haste. He almost groaned in relief as his straining erection was finally free of constraint, but the sense of freedom was short-lived as Shanal’s fingers closed around him like a velvet glove.
His eyes slid closed and Raif clenched his jaw with the strain it took not to thrust against her gentle caress, not to give in to the base need that threatened to overwhelm him. Her touch was tentative, exploratory—though she was clearly gaining confidence with each stroke, each featherlight touch. When she reached the aching head of his penis a shudder ran through his body. He opened his eyes and caught the smile of satisfaction on her face.
“You’re driving me over the edge,” Raif warned, his voice low and tight with need.
“I love that I can do this to you,” she answered, her eyes glowing with need. “You’re always so confident, so sure of yourself, but like this? In this moment you’re vulnerable, and I can’t help but wonder at the fact that it’s because of me.”
Did the woman have no idea of the allure she’d held for him all these years? Clearly, she hadn’t the faintest clue that from the first day he’d met her he’d alternated between teenage angst and fighting some crazy hormonal response to her nearness every time they’d been in the same room. She’d always had this effect on him, long before tonight. Hell, even thinking about her had given him a raging hard-on—then and now.
“I’m at your disposal. All yours,” he said. “Do what you want with me.”
There, he’d handed over the reins to her, to let her act rather than be acted upon. She gestured for him to lie on the bed beside her, and kissed him the moment his head hit the pillow. Her mouth was hot and wet and demanding; her teeth gently abraded his lower lip before she began her exploration of his body.
“I’ve wondered what you felt like, what you tasted like,” she said, positioning herself over him and rising onto her knees.
Her hands were spread like small fans over his chest, her fingertips tracing the shape of his nipples. Raif found himself ultrasensitive to her touch, not to mention the heat of her lower body as she settled over his groin. Shanal leaned down to mimic the movements of her fingers with the tip of her tongue, and he felt her touch all the way to the soles of his feet, his body attuned to her every movement, her every caress.
“Mmm,” she murmured, “I like the way you taste.”
Her mouth closed over his nipple and she bit gently on the sensitive skin, sending another bolt of sensation plummeting through him. Her long hair slid over him like a drift of silk. He didn’t know how much longer he could take this and not lose control, but he reminded himself to stay strong, to let her take the lead the way he’d promised she could.
Somehow he found the strength to hold back, to allow her to continue her voyage of discovery as she followed the contours of his ribs, his abdomen, his belly. But when she began to slide farther down, he knew it was time to take charge again, or it would be all over before it truly began.
Raif flipped her so she lay on her back, her glossy black hair a wave of darkness across the pristine white pillow, her eyes glazed with desire for him. A smile curved those beautiful, sweet lips of hers as she looked up.
“So, I can do to you what you do to me.” She said it as a statement, as if she’d discovered some incredible phenomenon.
“And what is that, exactly?” he asked, bending his head to nip at the lushness of her smile.
“Drive you crazy.”
“Completely and utterly over the edge.”
Even as he spoke, his hands were busy, one supporting most of his weight, the other sliding inexorably down to the apex of her thighs. He felt her heat, her wetness, and groaned.
“You’re so ready.”
“Then take me,” she urged, pressing her mound against the palm of his hand. “Make me feel some more.”
“You want me?”
He circled her center with the pad of his thumb, his fingers cupping her moist entrance.
“Yes, oh yes.”
Shanal’s breath came in short sharp gasps as he increased the pressure of his thumb, incrementally nearing that point of pleasure, taking delight in the uninhibited yearning that spread across her face. He eased one finger inside her, felt her instant response as she clenched tight around him.
“You like that?” he asked, brushing his lips over hers again.
“More, give me more, please,” she begged.
Her hands cupped his face and held him to her. Her lips, her tongue, responded to his in feverish delight. He eased a second finger inside her welcoming sheath, and increased the tempo of his thumb, his tongue now mimicking the movement of his fingers as he dipped and dived into the cavern of her mouth in tandem with the center of her core. He felt the moment she tipped over the edge as her body went rigid and strained against him, her fingers now curled tight in his hair, tugging against his scalp as, with a keening cry, she fell into the abyss of orgasm. Her body shook and trembled beneath him and he ached to follow her into that moment of bliss, barely managing to hold himself back. Slowly, gently, he quieted his movements.
After a few moments Shanal moved beneath him. “So that’s what everyone raves about? I had no idea. I mean, I’ve enjoyed sex before but...wow, not like that.”
He couldn’t help but feel an inordinate amount of pleasure that he should be the one to shatter her past experience into oblivion.
“That’s just the beginning,” he said. “We’ve got all night long.”
“Thank goodness,” she said with a small laugh. “Because I really want to do that again.”
“I’ve created a monster,” he groaned theatrically.
“Then I suggest you do something to soothe the beast,” Shanal responded, her hands back at his erection. “Because there was something missing in that last effort.”
“Missing?”
“Yes, you.”
“Well, let’s see about correcting that, shall we?”
* * *
Shanal laughed softly, still amazed at the level of response this incredible man had coaxed from her body, and how, instead of leaving her sated, it had left her wanting more. More of him. And the laughter. She’d never laughed in such intimate circumstances with anyone before, yet with Raif everything was okay—natural. She shifted again so she was astride him, and positioned herself over his straining flesh.
“Shanal, wait, we don’t have—” Raif started.
But then she lowered herself onto him, taking him into her body, into her heart.
“Shanal,” he said again. “We—”
Again his voice cut off as she clenched his length with her inner muscles, the movement sending off ripples of exquisite sensation to spiral through her body. It was as if, having reached that miraculous height he’d brought her to just a little while before, her body now knew exactly what it wanted and exactly how to get it. It was liberating, and he’d done this for her. She moved, rocking and allowing him to withdraw slightly, before plunging down and rocking forward again and again and again, until she lost track of reason and time and could feel only pleasure as it built and built within.
Raif’s hands were at her hips, her breasts, everywhere. She felt her body straining toward completion and then it began—that starburst of intense joy, that sense of complete rightness. She looked down, lost in her voyage of discovery, her gaze locked with Raif’s. His hips pumped in unison with the movements of her body, his hands now clenched on her hips as he strained upward as if he wanted to lose himself in her forever. And then he hit his peak, his hips jerking, his arms closing around her to pull her down over him, crushing her against his chest as their bodies pulsed in unison.
It felt like eons later that Raif’s hands drifted to her back, to caress the length of her spine, to cup her buttocks. Her head rested on his chest, and beneath her ear she could hear his heart still pounding, as hers no doubt did, too. She felt him withdraw from her and made a sound of objection.
“Shanal,” Raif said, lifting a hand to brush her hair off her face.
“That was incredible,” she sighed against the warmth of his skin, before pressing a kiss right there.
“It was, but sweetheart, we didn’t use protection. Are you on the pill?”
“Yes, of course.”
She was on a low-dose contraceptive. Anything else created unpleasant side effects for her.
“But you don’t have your pills with you.”
“True,” she acknowledged, and while the scientist in her told her she’d been all kinds of crazy to have sex with Raif unprotected, the woman inside her told her that everything would be fine. “I’ll be okay, I’m sure.”
“From here on in, we use condoms.”
“You brought some with you?” she asked, lifting her head and raising an eyebrow in surprise.
“No, silly.” He gave her a gentle slap on her behind. “There are some in the bathroom.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” she teased, sliding off him. “They’re no good to us in there.”
Eight
Shanal eased from the bed as daylight began to trickle through the windows. Her body felt well used and she could barely keep the smile from her face as she made her way to the bathroom. After relieving herself, she studied her body in the mirror. She should look different after the transformative experience she’d shared with Raif last night, and yet she was still the same old Shanal. Short, neat figure—nothing spectacular. And yet in his arms she’d felt like one in a million—a rare prize to be cherished. No one had ever made her feel this way or taken her to such heights before in her life. In fact, she never wanted to even think about making love with anyone other than Raif after last night.
Locked in the band of intimacy they’d created, Shanal had come to realize some truths in the night. The first being an understanding of why she’d always kept Raif at arm’s length for the whole time they’d known one another. She’d instinctively sensed, somehow, just how shattering an effect he would have on her.
How would she have met her educational goals if she’d succumbed to him before she’d completed her doctoral degree? Where would she be right now? Having tasted the glory he offered, she had no doubt that he would have clouded her mind so much that she would have been happy to sacrifice the personal goals she’d always used to drive herself. No, their time and place had not been back then, in the past. But it was here and it was most definitely now.
Raif appeared in the doorway behind her, closing the short distance between them and wrapping her in his arms. He rested his chin on top of her head and met her eyes in the mirror.
“You okay?”
“Never better.” She smiled.
“No regrets?”
“None.”
“Then come back to bed.”
She could already feel his arousal pressing against her, and in that short sweet moment she felt her body react in kind. In the mirror she saw her nipples bead into taut points and a flush of warmth spread over her chest. He did this to her—no, she thought, he did this for her. She turned in his arms and lifted her face for his kiss.
They were both starving when they eventually woke again. After a leisurely shower together they made breakfast and ate it on the rear deck of the boat, looking out over the river. Shanal felt tired but invigorated at the same time. And for the first time in the past several weeks she felt as if she could tackle all the worries in her life head-on. A solution to her father’s problems had to be able to be found, in a way that would preserve his dignity and still allow for both her parents to enjoy the years they had left together—without requiring Shanal to sacrifice her own life.
“Where are we headed to next?” she asked as they cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast.
“We’ll get through Lock 1 and stop at Blanchetown if you like. We could do the historical walk around town or go a little ways out and visit the conservation park.”
“Both sound good. Let’s play it by ear, shall we?”
They continued up the river. Raif gave three long blasts on the boat’s air horn to signal the lock attendant as they approached. Shanal watched with interest as a red flashing light on top of the control box let Raif know a chamber was being prepared for them. Once it was filled with water, they were given a green flashing light to proceed. The whole process went incredibly smoothly and before long they’d passed under the Sturt Highway bridge and were tied up at a new mooring.
Shanal and Raif got off the boat and, arms linked and laughing, headed toward town. She hadn’t felt this carefree in forever, she thought, or cared less about how well she was groomed. She was dressed today in one of Raif’s long-sleeved T-shirts, topped by a voluminous checkered bushman’s shirt, which she’d tied in a clumsy knot at the waist of his sister’s jeans. No designer fashion underneath a prim white lab coat for her today, and she’d never felt happier.
As they walked under the bridge, a movement caught her eye, drawing it to a familiar BMW parked near the massive struts that supported the structure. Suddenly she understood that odd sensation she’d experienced yesterday back at the pub where they’d stopped for lunch. That sensation of being watched. Somehow, Burton had tracked them down. He must have had his spies out all along the river, on the lookout for them. After all, it wouldn’t have been too hard to have found Raif’s Jeep parked back at the marina in Mannum, and worked out the rest from there. Finding her location today had simply been a matter of continuing on th
e route from yesterday. A sick feeling of dread filled Shanal and she tightened her fingers on Raif’s arm.
“What—?” he started to say, then stopped as he realized where she was looking.
She felt him stiffen, and didn’t object when he broadened his stance and pulled her behind him. Despite knowing he wanted to protect her, she found the nerves in the pit of her stomach knotting as the driver’s door of the car opened. For the briefest second she wondered if she was wrong, if she’d mistaken the make and model of car for someone else’s, but then the driver unfolded from inside the vehicle.
Tall, with dark blond hair and a slim build, Burton was impeccably polished as usual. She saw his eyebrows rise slightly as he walked toward them and took in her appearance.
“Slumming it, Shanal?” he said silkily. “That’s not like you.”
“What are you doing here, Burton?” Raif demanded, before she could respond.
“Why, I’m here for my bride, of course.”
“She’s not your bride and she’s not your possession.”
“Well, we’ll see about that, won’t we,” Burton replied, with a smile that held all the warmth of a glacier. “Shanal, could we talk? In private please.”
Shanal suppressed a shudder at the saccharine tone in his voice. She wanted nothing more than to grab Raif’s hand and run away—get on the boat and out on the river and never look back. And she could still do that. She knew without a doubt that if she asked him, that’s exactly what Raif would do. But realistically, she knew she couldn’t run away forever. She didn’t just have herself to consider. The weight of her father’s problems returned to lie across her shoulders like a cape of lead.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do,” Raif said to her as she started to move out from behind him.
“It’s okay. I knew I’d have to talk to him sometime. It may as well be now.”
The Wedding Bargain Page 8
