Response

by Penny Jordan

  ‘You’re undermining my self-control,’ Alexis muttered thickly, ‘and badly!’ His hands were on her thighs, thumbs circling the soft flesh, a tight coiling feeling growing inside her, a building towards some explosive force that made her moan softly beneath his touch and drew an equally urgent response from him, his hand guiding hers against his body, his voice thick and fevered as he shuddered in open response to the touch of her hand against him, his mouth hard as he took hers in a deep kiss, his hands moving intimately against her body in a caress that took away her breath and left her weak and fluid, aching for the fulfilment of his possession. All her doubts and fears were forgotten as she responded to the encouragement of his mouth and hands against her, echoing his caresses, feeling his body harden in pleasure, the soft sound of the sea against the beach matching the rhythm his body was beginning to teach hers. He kissed her, probing the inner recesses of her mouth, then the soft skin of her throat, the rounded thrust of her breasts, his fingers circling her wrists, pinning them flat to the ground so that she couldn’t reach him, couldn’t satisfy her anguished desire to touch him in turn as his mouth moved downwards over her body.

  ‘What is it you want?’ His eyes glittered darkly between their thick lashes and Sienna moaned huskily, fighting to free her arms.

  ‘I want to touch you and kiss you,’ she told him huskily. ‘Alexis!’ Her wrists were free, and his hands were on her hips, moving lower while his mouth tasted the soft flesh of her thigh, his teeth nipping gently, as she moved against him, her fingers locked in his hair, the full weight of his torso lying against her thighs.

  ‘I want to taste all of you.’ His hand dipped between her thighs and she gasped in undeniable arousal, melting beneath, his touch, her mind and body concentrated on the pleasure he was giving her and yet which wasn’t enough. She wanted to touch him, to arouse him as he was arousing her. She struggled and felt him tense, moving slightly away, his eyes dark and unreadable.

  ‘It’s too late to change your mind now, Sienna.’ His voice was hard and unfamiliar, his jaw taut, angry colour darkening his skin, and it thrilled her to know how much he wanted her, hands and mouth eager to make reparation for the wrong impression she had given him. She thought she saw surprise shadow his eyes briefly as he felt her touch against him, and wondered if in the past she had perhaps refused him, but quickly dismissed the thought as unlikely. He aroused her so easily and intensely that she couldn’t believe she had ever been able to deny him physically. He groaned as her mouth brushed delicately against his stomach, tensing and then writhing hotly against her, as though unable to prevent himself from responding. His skin felt hot and moist beneath her lips, every muscle tightly controlled.

  ‘Damn you, Sienna,’ she heard him mutter thickly, ‘stop teasing me!’ He groaned again and said hoarsely, ‘I ache for you, you little witch!’ His hands reached for her, pulling her down beneath him, his mouth hot and urgent as it moved against hers, his thighs parting hers with a rough unsteadiness that made her skin shiver in response. He touched her briefly, stroking her receptive flesh, and her body surged eagerly against him, inciting its thrusting possession. She was surprised by the unexpectedness of the brief pain she felt, then dismissed it as unimportant as Alexis moved inside her, and the coiled, tense feeling she had experienced earlier returned, this time more intensified. She ground her hips against him, impelled by some instinct that couldn’t be denied, and felt the weight of his chest as he breathed in in a short gasp, his hands on her hips, holding her against him, his mouth hotly demanding on hers as hunger surged inside him, sweeping her with him into a whirlpool of boiling need, her inarticulate cries silenced by his mouth, her body responding fluidly to the rhythmic thrust of his, carrying them both towards the centre of the cyclone that raged inside her.

  Her body exploded with pleasure, eddying circles of it, radiating outwards to every nerve ending, heady, singing pleasure that surely she could not possibly have forgotten, nor the fierce exultation of knowing she had satisfied the driving hunger she had aroused in Alexis.

  She glanced down at his chest, still rising and falling hurriedly, her head pillowed against it, her senses still acutely attuned to the scent and feel of him, their bodies still joined in the aftermath of pleasure. Alexis moved, rolled on to his side and pulled her against him. Sweat beaded his skin and Sienna bent forward to taste it with her tongue, wondering why she should feel such heady pleasure in so very small a thing. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time, to stretch her body in languorous pleasure, to find the words to describe how she felt, her body tinglingly alive from her scalp right down to her toes, which were right now curled into the sand.

  She reached out, letting her hand drift along Alexis’ body, enthralled by the simple pleasure of just touching him, then she bent her head and slowly followed the line of dark hair arrowing down past his waist, kissing him softly, feeling his breathing returning to normal, her touch full of tenderness and love.

  He opened his eyes and watched her. ‘What was that for?’

  ‘Because I wanted to. Do you mind?’

  He laughed silently, drawing her against him. ‘Mind? Why should I? It’s a very pleasurable thing to have a woman touch your body the way you were just touching mine.’

  ‘It was my way of saying “thank you”.’ She looked away from him, suddenly unsure of herself, unsure of his reaction. She didn’t know, did she, how she had behaved towards him before, whether he found her inadequate now that he was a stranger to her. He bent towards her, handing her her bikini and pulling on his own trunks. ‘If you stay out here much longer you’ll get burned. My skin can take it, yours can’t.’

  Sienna watched him surreptitiously as he dressed. His body was sleek and firm, the muscles moving easily beneath his skin. It took her breath away that she could find pleasure in so simple a thing as merely looking at him.

  ‘Last night….’ She glanced at him hesitantly, wondering why now that she was no longer in his arms she should feel so conscious of a gulf between them, a return of her earlier apprehension.

  ‘Last night?’ he prompted, reaching for her towel and folding it.

  ‘I thought….’

  ‘You thought I was going to insist on my husbandly “rights”?’ Alexis shook his head. ‘Last night you were tired, and tense and very much on your guard against me.’

  ‘How did you know I’d be on the beach?’

  ‘I saw you leave from my study window.’

  ‘And you followed me deliberately?’

  ‘Intent on having my evil way with you?’ he mocked. ‘Is that what you’re thinking? I came to make sure you were all right because you’d been gone so long. When I found you lying here, asleep, I decided to see if I could wake the Sleeping Beauty.’ He took her hand as they walked across the sand, pulling her against him to kiss her briefly, before they were within sight of the house. ‘And now I must get back to work. Dr Theonstanis said you were to rest and not overdo things, so I suggest you go and lie down for a while after lunch.’

  ‘Alexis.’ He stopped and looked at her, his eyes narrowed against the sun, small lines fanning out from his eyes.

  ‘Does it worry you that I can’t remember how things were… with us before the accident?’ She had picked a small wildflower and was systematically destroying its petals until he took it from her.

  ‘Does it worry you?’

  ‘Yes,’ she said simply. ‘How could I forget such an important part of my life? Surely you and my love for you would be the first things I would remember….’

  ‘So you do remember that you love me?’

  She hesitated and gave a small frown. ‘Yes…. How strange—until I said it, I didn’t even know.’

  ‘Your body knew,’ Alexis murmured. ‘Remember I told you it would.’

  ‘Yes, I’m so glad you found me down on the beach,’ she added on a whisper. ‘Alexis….’

  ‘Mmm?’

  She wanted to ask him if he loved her, but the question died unspoke
n. It seemed juvenile and silly to demand the spoken proof of his feelings for her when he had taken such good care of her. ‘Nothing….’

  They went direct to their room, Sienna staring at her reflection in the mirror. Was this tousled, flushed woman really herself? Her eyes glowed golden brown, her expression alive, fulfilled, her body flushed and still warm from Alexis’ lovemaking. The open sensuality of her own expression made her eyes widen, the languorous secretive look she could see in her eyes belonged to a stranger.

  ‘Sienna!’

  ‘Sorry, did you say something?’

  ‘I suggested that you might want a shower.’ Alexis reached out and touched her skin. ‘You’re covered in sand and salt.’

  ‘Yes, and my hair’s all sticky too. Shall I shower first, then I can dry it while you’re getting ready?’

  Her throat went dry when she saw the expression in his eyes, the tormenting, knowing look that made her skin ripple with anticipated pleasure.

  ‘I thought we might shower together, but perhaps another time. Dr Theonstanis said you weren’t to get overtired. You realise you could be carrying my child?’

  It was something she hadn’t even thought about, but the note she heard in his voice told her that Alexis had no qualms about fatherhood.

  ‘Was I … had we….?’

  He shook his head decisely. ‘No, but that is not to say that this time my seed will not grow inside you.’ His hand caressed her stomach, his palm warm against her skin and she swayed slightly towards him, stunned to discover how much she wanted him. Such a wanting surely was only born of terrible deprivation, and yet until this morning she had not even been aware that she could respond to him. What secrets lay behind the barrier of her memory? Cold fingers of despair played against her spine, and she tried to ignore their chilly message, listening instead to Alexis.

  ‘My body found yours very receptive this morning, Sienna—so receptive that I still hunger for you. Shall I tell Maria that we don’t want lunch?’ He saw her expression and laughed, a small husky sound of satisfaction.

  ‘Yes, it is a tempting thought, isn’t it, but I have work to do, and there is still tonight. Tonight will you tremble and pale when I come to you? Will you hold yourself rigid, repulsing my touch?’

  Sienna bowed her head on to his shoulder, tears stinging her eyes quite unexpectedly. ‘I didn’t know,’ was all she could say. ‘I didn’t know how it would be between us. Oh, Alexis, I wish I could remember! How did we meet? How did we fall in love? I’m just someone ordinary, you’re a wealthy man….’ Her voice trailed away uncertainly.

  ‘We met in an office, and I knew the moment I saw you I had to have you.’

  ‘And of course I fell in love with you on sight.’

  ‘So you once told me.’

  Her memory would return, it must do, surely there must be many memories she had cherished, many moments she had shared with Alexis she would want to remember. She remembered how she had felt when he touched her and knew that she must be right. She would have to be patient. She would remember in time. She must!

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ‘WOULD you like to stroll through the garden before we go to bed?’

  They had been listening to Beethoven again, and Sienna had found herself on the verge of sleep once or twice, lulled there by the plentiful meal and the rich wine she had drunk with it.

  Now, as she watched Alexis’ dark head bent over the stereo system, excitement curled along her veins. She had slept well and deeply when he left her after lunch and had woken late in the afternoon to find that he had finished his work. They had gone for another swim, but this time there was no lovemaking afterwards, and this time also Alexis dispensed with the brief swimming trunks he had worn before.

  She had wanted him to make love to her, she acknowledged, just as she wanted him to now, but instead she agreed that it would be pleasant to walk outside and let him guide her through the patio windows, along one of the narrow gravel paths. The scents of the garden, intensified in the darkness, rose up around them, her own senses intensified also. The warmth of Alexis’ hand against her arm sent pleasurable shivers along her spine, and anticipation curled through the pit of her stomach. Her pulses raced hectically and her body felt fluid and boneless. She stumbled on an unseen stone and Alexis caught her, his fingers digging into her waist as he supported her, his breath fanning warmly across her skin. She closed her eyes, breathing in the male scent of him, impelled to lean forward and press her lips against his throat. His silk shirt was open at the neck and beneath her palm she felt his heart begin to pound, his fingers caressing her spine, holding her against him, his throat arching against her lips, his body hard, wanting her.

  ‘Cristos,’ he muttered unsteadily, slowly releasing her, ‘do you want me to take you here? Now, in the garden, like some impatient boy, aching for his first woman? Perhaps I would have been wiser to leave you untouched, unaware of the desire I can see shining in your eyes.’

  Her hunger for him was something that surprised Sienna. They were married, had been lovers, so why should she feel as though she must snatch greedily at the pleasure he offered, why must she have this constant sense of a shadow hanging over them, of doing something vaguely wrong whenever she touched him? Thrusting it aside, she reached towards him, feathering his lips in a teasing kiss, fitting her hips to the masculine thrust of his, expelling her breath on a faint sigh as his control broke and he reached for her, kissing her with hard hunger, the rough fabric of his jeans rubbing against the soft silk of her dress, his body throbbing its hotly urgent message against her.

  Her dress had a soft shirt neckline with tiny pearl buttons and he wrenched a few open, bending his head, stroking his tongue along the hollow between her breasts.

  ‘Why in damnation are you wearing a bra?’ he protested when his fingers encountered its barrier. ‘Your breasts are so perfect you don’t need one.’ He tugged at the fragile silk satin of her underwear until her breast escaped its confines, his tongue probing the outline of her already taut nipple over the fabric of her dress, tormenting them both as her body thrust against the constraining silk, anxious for the touch of his mouth.

  ‘I want you.’ He said it abruptly, as though for some reason it angered him, and Sienna turned in silence and walked with him back to the privacy of their room. She wanted him too, impatiently, hungrily, with a need that seemed to have no end and which was impatient of their clothes, of the constraints between them, her whispered sighs melting against his skin as he undressed her impatiently, her palms already flat to his naked chest, her mouth exploring the salt moistness of his skin.

  This time there was no long, subtle loveplay, just a pounding, fierce need which seemed to overwhelm them both. Sienna met the thrusting urgency of his body eagerly, her fingernails raking the taut skin of his back, her teeth biting at his skin, her head thrown back against his arm, her body enticing him to take his pleasure of it. The words he muttered against her increased her desire, her body arching and pleading, his torso gleaming softly in the lamplit room as he raised himself on his forearms, sweat slick skin damp against her palms as he cried out his pleasure, his voice fiercely exultant, her own cries lost as he covered her with his body, his mouth draining the sweetness from hers, his pleasure hers as he surrendered to her, lost himself in her and took her to that same high plateau she had found that afternoon before they both lifted and soared through space, falling gently back down to earth.

  They slept and made love again, this time more leisurely, and again Sienna was amazed at the depth of her own response, as the pleasure she found in just touching and tasting the masculinity of him. Her own abandonment to his caresses was something else that surprised her. She had checked once as he touched her intimately his mouth against her thigh, but he had overruled her opposition and she had given way wantonly to the waves of pleasure he was drawing from her body, giving herself up completely to the languorous delight spreading through her.

  When she woke again Alexis was st
ill asleep. She was lying curled against his body and she touched it gently, mutely adoring his masculine contours. He stirred in his sleep and murmured something indecipherable, his hand moving along her arm to find and possess her breast. She felt fluid, formless, rough clay from which he could fashion her into anything he might choose, she gloried in the responsiveness of her body to his touch, and yet was aware that it left her defenceless in a way that he would never be.

  He woke up, dark eyes instantly alert, a wicked smile curling the corners of his mouth. ‘Alexis….’ He waited for her question, stroking the taut aureole of her nipple slowly, so that pleasure uncurled inside her and she wanted to twine herself around him, but she held back, and asked uncertainly, ‘Were you… were you my first lover, or….’

  ‘First, and last,’ he told her brusquely. His thumb ceased its arousing movement and she felt him withdraw from her. ‘You were no wanton, if that’s what troubles you.’

  ‘It frightens me that I can be so responsive to you and yet not know you.’

  ‘Your body knows me,’ he reminded her. ‘It is only your mind that has forgotten.’

  ‘You must have known many women.’

  ‘Very many,’ he agreed sardonically. ‘What is it you wish to ask me, Sienna? If I find you more desirable than I did them? You are my wife, surely that answers your question, even if my body does not. Are you going to swim with me this morning? If so, I suggest that we can dispense with your bikini. I should like to feel your body slide against mine beneath the water, soft and cool, your eyes darkening to desire as I touch you, your body welcoming mine.’

  He had started to kiss her, brief tormenting kisses that made her clutch at his shoulders, and arch against him until she felt him tense and lift his head. She saw that he was listening to something and listened too.