“Do you believe I care what terms I must accept? I love you, Brace Denham. All I want is to hear the truth from your lips. That’s all I ask now, nothing more,” she whispered.
Brace tried to shake his head, tried to tell her no, but her eyes bored into his, stopping the half-lies from forming. The love she had admitted had become a part of the very air he breathed.
Finally, he could no longer sustain the harsh battle he fought with himself. “I love you, Elyse,” he said, “and I shall never forgive myself for damning you with that love.”
“There will never be anything to forgive.”
On the Jamaican hilltop, the early afternoon sun shining down upon them, the world came to a halt. Elyse stood, dreamlike, as Brace crossed the small space that separated them. His arms went around her, his hands pressed into her back, and he drew her to him.
Their mouths met, and their desires and passions, held back for too long, broke free, exploding about them like a hurricane gone mad.
The kiss lasted an eternity, heated by the hot Jamaican sun and the reality of their love. When at last their mouths parted, their eyes were still locked together, their bodies molded to each other.
Brace loosened his arms and stepped back. Silently, he took her hand and led her from the cemetery to where the horses waited. Still without speaking, he untied the bags on his saddle and let them fall to the ground. He mounted the gelding in a single, fluid motion, and then pulled Elyse up behind him.
With her arms around his slim waist, and her head resting on his broad back, Elyse closed her eyes and let her body adjust to the horse’s pace. Her mind was a spinning maze that refused to let her think. All she knew was that somehow, her life had changed again, and it was a change she wanted.
“I love you,” she whispered to Brace’s back as her arms tightened securely around him.
Chapter Sixteen
The ride was a whirlwind of never ending emotions as the trees flew by and they entered deeper and deeper into the mountains behind Devonairre. For Elyse, who had never ventured this far before, everything she saw was a breathtaking spectacle.
Combining with the beauty of the land, was the hardness of Brace’s back against her breasts and the heady scent clinging to his body, which she inhaled with her every breath.
Her mind was nearly a blank, except for the fact that she was with the man she loved, headed toward a destiny of which she had only dreamed. When at last Brace slowed the powerful gelding, Elyse lifted her head and peered over his shoulder.
When she did, she gasped. They had entered a magnificent grove, surrounded by hundreds of trees of every variety. A swathe of emerald-green island grass surrounded a small pool. The thundering sound in her ears came from a waterfall straight ahead of them.
The crystal waters cascading from the mountaintop was clear and sparkling. Wherever the sun struck the waterfall, it scintillated like a thousand diamonds. Near the top, a rainbow formed, arching upward over the treetops before disappearing into the distance.
When she was finally able to speak, her voice was hushed with awe. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”
Brace turned to look at her, his face set in serious lines, his eyes roaming over her features. “I did, the first day you returned home.” Before Elyse could think, Brace dismounted and helped her down. When her booted feet reached the soft earth, her arms went around his torso and she gazed deeply into his eyes.
Then their mouths joined and their tongues explored the awaiting warmth. They kissed for long minutes before Brace drew away. As he did, he pulled Elyse with him, and together, their arms about each other’s waists, they walked to the edge of the mountain pool.
Brace turned to Elyse, his eyes probing, his hand tight on her waist. “Elyse—”
Elyse quickly raised her hand to put a silencing finger on his lips. Again, intuition came to her aid and prevented him from saying anything that might spoil the magic that was part of them. “Love me, Brace, please, love me,” she asked in a husky, emotion-laced voice.
For three months Brace had fought against his desires, battled against the very thing he wanted most. Her words opened the barriers, and without any further hesitation, he gathered her in his arms and kissed her with all the love and passion within him.
Elyse’s body flowed against his, her blood raced madly, and her heart sped on. Her breathing quickened as his lips pressed to hers, and deep within her, from the very center of her being, a new flame roared into life and spread through her body.
Yet she was helpless to do anything except be held and kissed by him. Her body would not move, not even her hands would obey her command to caress his strong back.
Without taking his lips from hers, Brace shifted, moving his arm and scooping Elyse from her feet. His blood pulsed heatedly in his body, and the freed desires threatened to take full control of his actions. As he had fought against even admitting his love for her, he fought for and won control over his passion. Slowly, with Elyse in his arms, he sank to the velvet carpet of the earth.
Elyse felt herself drifting away, yet she knew she was safe within Brace’s arms. When the warm grass touched her back, she opened her eyes. He was gazing at her, his head framed by the golden ball of the sun. It was a vision that would remain in her heart, always.
She drew her arms from around him and reached for his face. Her hands captured his cheeks and drew him to her. Their lips met in a kiss so soft and gentle that it spoke of much more than passion.
When Brace took his mouth from hers, Elyse could not stop her small mew of protest. Then his lips, like softly heated spheres, traced over her now closed eyelids. With every slow movement they made, a tingling reverberated in her stomach.
His lips roamed her face, tasting and kissing every inch of skin until his mouth rejoined hers again. The kiss deepened as the passions that lay beneath the surface raced outward.
Elyse’s arms wound around his back, her hands pressing tightly, rubbing and caressing the rippling muscles through the thin cotton of his shirt.
Their tongues joined in a dance of love, and their bodies pressed tightly against each other. Brace’s powerful chest pushed against her breasts, his strong thighs upon hers. Her mind spun and her breathing deepened even further as she lost herself to the kiss, and to the feel of the man she loved.
Again, Brace drew his mouth from hers. Elyse stiffened, her hands turning into claws, trying vainly to hold him to her. But he slipped away.
She saw a shadowy smile curving his lips while his eyes caressed her face. An instant later, his lips were on the sensitive skin at the base of her throat, and as they burned against her, a low moan of pleasure escaped her lips.
His mouth scorched every sensitive place on her neck, and then suddenly, his hand covered her breast. Her back arched when the heat of his hand penetrated the material separating her skin from his hand and set her breast aflame.
Her right hand moved, tracing the outline of his neck, while her left hand trailed along the small of his back, her fingertips racing across the fabric of his shirt.
Again, Brace pulled away. He stared down at her, his breathing forced, his body tense with desire. When he saw her gazing back at him, her large green eyes open and filled with love, he knew that no matter what might happen in the future, the present was as it should be. Carefully, Brace unbuttoned her blouse.
When her blouse came off, Brace held his breath while gazing at the perfection of her breasts. Her skin was a silken, smooth, alabaster surface. Bending, he caressed first one breast and then the other, before taking the peach tips in his mouth.
Elyse, her head tossed back, her eyes closed, let the pleasure of his touch fill her. Pulsating sensations emanated outward from her breasts with each caress. When his mouth captured her painfully hard nipple, she cried out without knowing she had done so.
Then he pressed her to the ground and shifted. A moment later her boots were gone and he was untying the sash of her riding pants. He slid her pants down, stop
ping every few inches to caress the inside of her velvet thighs, all the while unable to take his eyes from the incredible beauty of her form.
When her pants were gone, and her undergarments with them, he paused to drink in the perfection of her body. “You are too beautiful to be real,” he told her in a husky voice.
Elyse stared at him through lowered eyelids. “I am real, my love.”
Brace stood. He looked down at her for a long moment. “I know.” Then he undressed.
For Elyse, the next few minutes was the creation of a memory that would remain with her for the rest of her life. Brace, framed by the waterfall and the rainbow created from the cascading waters turned him into an ethereal vision. He took off his shirt and shook his head, his long dark hair bouncing in the air before resettling on his shoulders.
Elyse watched the interplay of his stomach muscles, the forced rise and fall of his chest. Then his boots were gone, and slowly, with her eyes locked on his, his pants fell to the ground. When she freed herself from his gaze, she saw the well-defined muscles of his thighs stand out against the cascading crystal background, and suddenly, she was afraid that she could no longer breathe.
When Brace walked toward her again, he appeared a giant, but she knew no fear, only love. She raised her arms in a silent call to him. Slowly, he knelt to join her on the ground.
Their mouths came together in a wildly passionate kiss and their hands roamed freely, exploring wherever they could reach. The fires Brace lit earlier grew stronger, rising up to engulf Elyse with their fierceness. Instead of fighting her desires, she let herself flow with them. Instinct guided her hands; love made her push back fear of the unknown.
Then they were on their sides, and her hand glided along his skin until it reached the curve of his hip. Her other hand was enmeshed in his hair, her breasts crushed to his chest. His hands traced a path along her skin. A tingling heat radiated from wherever he touched her, and suddenly Elyse was aware of a new sensation she had never before known.
A damp warmth was spreading from within her, and she felt it reach high on her inner thighs. When her hand dropped lower and cupped Brace’s muscular derriere, his skin trembled beneath her touch.
A new awareness filled her mind when the heat of his manhood pressed against her belly. A moment later Brace drew his lips from hers and turned her onto her back.
Staring down at her, looking into her large, trusting eyes, Brace smiled gently. Then he lowered himself along her length. His hands captured her full breasts, caressing them gently at first, but more firmly as his mouth went to each lush mound. He drew the first stiffened tip inward, clasping it lightly with his teeth while his tongue flicked over it making it grow even tauter.
He lavished each breast with equal care and love, until he heard Elyse crying out with the pleasure he strove to give her. Refusing to heed her cries, he lowered himself and tasted the silk of her abdomen. His mouth roamed everywhere, kissing and caressing until Elyse’s back arched and her fingernails dug into his shoulders.
Even then, Brace was far from satisfied. He wanted to learn every part of her, love every part of her, and give her all of himself. Refusing to stop, Brace let his hands roam lower, slide along her hips, caress her outer thighs even as his lips traced a path along her lower belly.
At the joining of her thighs, where her dark hair grew in abundance, Brace stopped for a moment. Her womanly scent filled his senses, even as his hands continued to caress her legs.
Elyse’s body trembled with each kiss and caress. She was in the grip of a fever that she knew could only be appeased by Brace; yet, no matter how she called to him or urged him to her, he would not listen, and finally, Elyse could not fight him, and tried to hold her passions at bay.
She tried, and almost succeeded, until Brace shifted again, and his hand, gentle but insistent, began to caress her inner thigh. Sparks flew before her eyes; a vein in her neck pulsed with every wild beat of her heart.
Fires flared within her, stabbing deeply, making her body tremble. Then his mouth replaced his hands, and a gentle heat replaced the sparks of moments ago, a respite that was short-lived. His lips grew more demanding, traveling upward along her thigh, until a cry tore from her throat when she felt the heated probe of his tongue reach her womanhood.
A volcano erupted within her, her back arched, and her hands found his hair and weaved within the dark mass. Her mind swam dizzily, and she bit down on her lower lip, ignoring the pain she created.
The golden orb of the sun above seemed to grow brighter, sending shimmering lances of light pouring downward into her body. Her hips moved of their own volition, and a rolling wave of desire ebbed and flowed wantonly as he kissed and caressed her so intimately.
Then he was gone. Elyse cried out, but before her cry had faded, Brace’s lips were on hers. Instinctively, she allowed him access to her, opening her arms to him, shifting her hips and winding her legs about his thighs. The white-hot probe of his manhood touched her where his tongue had been a moment before and she gasped.
Her eyes opened wide and, staring into Brace’s blue depths, she knew there was nothing to fear. Reassurance and love flowed from him, and she raised her head to kiss him.
Brace accepted the trust she gave him and carefully, as he kissed her, he entered her. Soft heat surrounded him and called to him, but he held himself back. Elyse’s eyes were still open, looking at him, waiting for him.
Brace did not plunge into her; rather, he took her with a gentleness that denied the passions swirling so strongly within him. He filled her, accepting her heated sheath around him and he strove to love her.
Elyse met his passion by lifting herself up to meet him. It was like a hot searing that did not hurt, but rather, sent tendrils of love racing through her. “Oh!” Elyse cried in surprise when a slight pain from his entrance raced within her. Her body stiffened, even as she willed herself to relax.
Brace paused and waited, holding her close. A heartbeat later, Elyse relaxed. Brace steeled himself, battling against the mounting heat. He kissed her deeply, and slowly thrust himself fully within her. He heard her cry out with pain, felt her body tense, and once again held himself still.
Elyse’s body arched when the snapping pain rushed through her. She tore her lips from his, burying her mouth in the joining of his neck and shoulder in order to hold back the cry that had been torn from her. Yet she did not draw away; rather, her arms tightened around Brace’s muscular torso, holding on to him until the waves of pain subsided. When they did, a new sensation replaced the pain. Waves of soothing heat spreading from the apex of their joining traveled inward and upward as the heat and strength of his manhood filled her.
“I love you,” she whispered into his ear, her body relaxing and flowing around him, drawing him even deeper within her, making him a prisoner of her love as well as her body.
In that instant, everything changed. Elyse could not feel the ground on her back or see the sun in the sky. Her universe had shifted, and all that existed in it were the two of them, joined together by their love.
Their entwined bodies moved as one, and with every gentle thrust of Brace’s hips, Elyse returned the same. Their hands caressed, explored, and learned, while their bodies ascended upwards, climbing toward the twin peaks of passion and desire.
They stayed locked together, touching, holding, loving and combining in a pattern as old as time, yet as new as the full discovery of their love. Elyse’s flesh and Brace’s were one, as were their hearts and minds. The sound of their breathing filled the grove, accented by each other’s whispered words of love.
Then, without warning, Elyse’s body tensed. Her back arched, her hips pushed against Brace’s and her eyes flew open. Wave after wave of the most incredible sensations flowed through her, sending lances of pleasure to every part of her body. She cried out Brace’s name, even as she felt him stiffen as he, too, reached the pinnacle of their lovemaking.
Elyse floated within their universe, her breathing loud in the
air around her, her arms clasped tightly around Brace. She felt his heart pound against her breasts, and luxuriated in the wash of his warm breath across her cheek.
They remained locked together in an embrace neither was willing to release for a long, endless time, content in gazing at each other, and as they lay together, Elyse understood how wonderful and how strong her love for Brace was.
Finally, Brace stirred. He slipped his arms from around her, lifted off, and rose. Reluctantly, Elyse released him. Before her hand fell to the ground, Brace captured it and brought it to his mouth. He turned it so that her palm was facing him, and kissed the tender skin while he gazed at her.
After releasing Elyse’s hand, he took a deep breath. “I love you, Lady Louden, may the powers that be forgive me.”
Chapter Seventeen
Dusk’s palette painted soft tones in the sky. The lengthening shadows of the trees blended into a curtain separating them from the rest of the world. The waterfall was a low symphony in the background of the paradise Brace and Elyse had found.
Brace gazed at the woman to whom he had given his heart, and emotions stirred deep within him. After they had made love, he took her into the cool water and washed the smattering of blood from her thighs.
Then they frolicked, forgetting reality while living their hearts’ dreams. When they’d left the pool to lie on the grass and let the descending sun dry them, Elyse fell asleep in his arms, but for Brace, sleep was the last thing he wanted.
Instead, he gazed at her, accepting the wonderful gift she had bestowed upon him with her love, and tried desperately to find a way to shield her from the hurt he knew would come.
He had spent so much time fighting his own desires, doing his best to protect her and spare her from shame; but, in the end, he had failed himself and Elyse.
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