whimper, and was unaware the sounds came from her own throat.
It was possession. Absolute, total possession. Savage in its intensity, devouring, devastating. Almost barbaric.
A man teetering on the edge of controlling his emotions, bent on imprinting his image on her soul.
Something stirred deep within, an answering, compelling need that rose of its own accord, dispensing her shocked passivity and replacing it with active response.
Katrina was hardly aware of the change, only that she was meeting and matching his passion, greedily intent on giving what he’d taken, and with equal fervour.
Hard and fast, with no preliminaries. She wanted, needed the force of it, the intense, animalistic coupling with no holds barred.
She used her hands to push against his shoulders, her voice little more than a guttural plea as she arched against him, rising to cushion the moist folds of her femininity against the base of his arousal.
With a deliberate intention to tease, she rocked against him, gently at first, then slowly traversed the length of his shaft and back again, creating a tactile slide that brought a deep, husky groan.
Heat pulsated fast, heady, magnetising, as it washed in vibrating waves through her body, and she rose up, tantalising him further for several heart-stopping seconds before she took him deep inside in an achingly slow movement that tested his control as much as it did her own.
Unleashed passion flared, raw and libidinous, as they took a ride that lasted long and left them both breathless and slick with sensual sweat.
Katrina subsided against him, and sighed as his fingers traced a lazy pattern along the edge of her spine.
This…this, was everything and more. A special time before problems and doubt could intrude.
The lingering aftermath of erotic, riveting lovemaking, where every sensual pleasure-pulse had become acutely heightened in sexual intimacy.
What they’d just shared was more than just sex. More than the slaking of mutual desire.
At this precise moment Katrina was loath to put a name to it.
Nicos nuzzled a sensitive ear lobe, then took the soft flesh between his teeth and bit gently before moving to caress the curving slope of her neck, following it inch by inch to settle in the hollow at the base of her throat.
A faint moan escaped her lips as his mouth found hers, initiating a gentle exploration with a slow, evocative sweep of his tongue that stirred the lingering warmth to renewed life.
With a fluid movement he rose into a sitting position and held her loosely in his arms as he trailed a path down to her breast.
The darkened peak invited his touch, and he circled the aureole with his tongue, savouring it, before taking the peak into his mouth.
Katrina felt her body give an involuntary shudder as he began to suckle, and she cried out as he grazed the tender nipple with his teeth. Seconds later he sought the soft flesh beneath the peak, bestowing a gentle bite before moving to render a similar salutation to its twin.
She had a need of her own, and her fingers sought the dark whorls of hair on his chest, tugging a little as she trailed his midriff and followed the narrowed line of hair to his navel, caressing it before tracing a path to tangle in the soft curling triangle of hair at his groin.
His reaction was immediate as he swelled deep within her, and she touched where they joined, feather-light, tantalising, and heard his groan as he lowered her down onto the mattress.
This time he took it slowly. Building the intensity with loving care as he sought the highly sensitised nub and stroked until the pleasure mounted and her soft, throaty murmurs begged him to ease the ache deep within.
Then she did cry out as he shifted, leaving her bereft, only to settle his mouth over her navel and trail slowly down to gift her the most intimate kiss of all.
Could you die and go to heaven, and still be mortal? she thought. At what point did pain become pleasure? And vice versa?
Katrina didn’t know. She was aware that it could be both. A pleasure so intense it hovered close to pain and the need for fulfilment. The sense that she could never know its equal, the acuteness so erotically evocative she wanted it go on and never stop.
Was it she who cried out? She, who begged, pleaded with the man whose skilled touch came close to destroying her?
When he entered her, it was almost a relief, and she welcomed him, willing the intensity to lessen, only to have it rebuild and escalate as he took her to the heights, and beyond.
This time she wasn’t alone, and she heard his exultant groan as he reached his own climax, and she savoured the moment, loving his passion and the joy of sharing it.
Afterwards she might analyse and dissect, but for now she was content to live for the moment.
And that was Nicos. Held in his arms, her cheek buried against the curve of his shoulder, she heard the strong, steady beat of his heart, felt the strength of his large muscled body, and savoured the comforting warmth of his breath as it stirred her hair. A stray hand skimmed lightly over her waist and settled possessively on her hip.
She loved his scent, the faint muskiness of his skin. The flex of muscle and sinew beneath the satin smoothness of its olive texture. The subtle tang of his exclusive cologne that always seemed to linger, the result of layering the same expensive brand with matching soap and deodorant.
There was something in the way he cupped his hand…beneath her elbow, her chin, curving over her shoulder. A light possessive touch that claimed her as his own.
And the simmering passion evident in his dark eyes. The look that made mere words fade into inadequate comprehension.
Once, in the beginning, she had only to meet his gaze to know. To nurture that need, to be aware when they were alone the night really began…a long night of loving, pleasuring each other until sleep claimed them and they woke to a new day’s dawn.
Could it ever be that way again?
Complete and utter trust. Total fidelity. Because together, they were twin halves of a whole. Two hearts beating together. One soul, one love.
At the time, she’d thought nothing could come between them. No one could ever tear what they had asunder.
Yet someone had, and the spectre that was Georgia remained.
‘RISE and shine.’
Katrina heard the words, lifted her head and groaned, then rolled onto her stomach and buried her head beneath the pillow.
‘It’s the middle of the night,’ she protested in a muffled voice.
‘Nine o’clock,’ Nicos informed her with amusement. ‘You get to have breakfast in bed, then we’re driving into the Blue Mountains for a picnic.’
She
