stretching her beyond capacity, seemingly as incapacitated as she was at her captivation. Pride played on her lips as blackness frothed from the periphery of her vision, a storm front of pleasure advancing from her core.
It was he who broke the panting silence, his voice feral. “Eliana, the pleasure of you...Deus...”
He rose on his palms, withdrawing again, dragging a shriek of loss from her. She clung blindly, crazed for his branding pain and pleasure. He gave them to her, driving back inside her.
On his next withdrawal, she lost what was left of her mind. She thrust her hips up, seeking his impalement. He bunched her hair in his fist, tugged her down to the bed, exposing her throat, latching his teeth into her flesh.
“Yes, Rafael,” she cried out. “Eat me up...finish me.”
“I will. I always will.”
He plowed back into her, showed her that the first time he’d taken her, her inexperienced flesh had impeded his advance. This time, those first plunges had just been preparations. Now he fed her core more with every pounding thrust, causing an unbelievable, almost unbearable expansion within her, until she felt him hit the epicenter of her very essence and unleashed everything inside her.
Ecstasy rent her with its intensity, had her shrieking, convulsing, clinging to him in her tumult. All through, her swimming vision clung to his magnificent face as he focused on completing her release until she saw it seize, tension shooting up in his eyes, as if unsure when to let go.
And she begged for him, for everything. “Give me—give me...”
And he gave. She felt each throb and surge of his climax inside her. The hot jets hit her intimate, swollen flesh, had her thrashing, weeping, unable to endure the spikes in pleasure as everything dimmed, faded....
* * *
Awareness trickled between cottony layers of fulfillment. Then Ellie realized what had roused her. Rafael was rising off her, leaving her body.
Before she could whimper with his loss, she moaned her contentment. More bliss settled into her bones as he swept her around, draped her over his expansive body, stayed inside her, mingling their sweat and satisfaction.
Closing her eyes, she let the moment integrate into her cells. She’d need these precious memories to tide her over for the rest of her life.
When one day this ended.
But it wasn’t over yet. And she’d cherish every moment with him. Celebrate being alive and desired by him for any length of time.
“If I’d known how it would be between us...” his voice rumbled beneath her ear. “That it would far exceed even my perfectionist fantasies, I would have taken you weeks ago.”
She raised a wobbling head, marveled anew at his beauty, and at how incredible their bodies looked entwined.
“See? Next time just give in to my demands.”
His lips curved. “I certainly will. But then I think we needed this past month, of deepening our knowledge and appreciation of each other and suffering denial, to reach this unprecedented level of intimacy and ecstasy.”
“If you say so.”
“I do.” He tugged her hair, turning her face to where he was pointing. “See this?”
“Your jacket?”
“Yes. The jacket full of protection I didn’t use.”
She rose on trembling arms, palms on his sculpted chest, dismay surging. She hadn’t even thought of protection. Again.
Or had she...?
In a heartbeat, she saw a whole realm of possibility, a life revolving around a baby with raven hair and silver eyes.
She sat up, feeling his seed inside her, transforming her from girl to woman, a woman who’d give anything for it to take root in her womb.
But that was her. He wouldn’t feel the same.
“You could be already pregnant.”
She looked away. “You don’t need to worry about it.”
His finger beneath her chin turned her face back to his, but she kept her eyes averted. She didn’t want to see anxiety in his eyes, and the beginning of the end.
“Look at me, meu coração.”
The way he said that—my heart—dragged her eyes back to his. And what she saw in them had now-familiar hot tears crowding behind hers.
“Though I hope you’re not, just because I would like us to have more time to ourselves before we become parents—there’s nothing I want more than for you to eventually carry my child.”
Her throat closed, emotions a burning coal. “Rafael...”
“Eu te amo, Eliana, my answer to my every prayer.”
She stared at him. Had he really said I love you?
“I believe I loved you at first sight, and even before that. I believe I’ve been waiting for you my whole life, recognized you even before I saw you. Now I know I can’t live without you. Literally.” He sighed deeply. “Today, when I thought I might lose you, I no longer wanted to live. I want you with me forever, meu amor. And I want our forever to start now.” A touch that was worship itself cupped her trembling face. “Tell me you want me forever, too. Tell me you love me.”
She tried to obey his command, blurt out all that was in her heart. But she couldn’t breathe. His words, his confessions... As usual, he was too much.
“You don’t love me?” He rose beneath her, scowling. Then a look of absolute arrogance gripped his face. “You might not love me yet, but you will. I will make you love me.”
That made her splutter, “Are you kidding? Wasn’t it the most blatant thing in existence that I loved you from the first moment, too?” She cupped his face, hands trembling in wonder. “I love you so much it’s been a constant pain and dread.”
His frown was back full scale. “Why pain and dread?”
“Because I thought you’d never feel the same. Because I thought you’d one day walk away and I’d never see you again.”
His scowl deepened. “How could you think such nonsense? Haven’t I been showing you in every minute and in every way how much I feel for you? And I’m never, ever, walking away.”
Knowing it would take her a while, maybe forever, to come to terms with the idea that he felt all that for her, she exhaled raggedly. “Now I have one regret.”
“I can’t have you feeling any such thing.”
“Oh, it’s a benign one. I now wish I didn’t tell you I love you totally. I would have loved to see what lengths you’d go to ‘to make me love you.’”
“No need to wonder or imagine. I will go to all those lengths
