CHAPTER ELEVEN
After eating, they tumbled into bed and slept the sleep of the just. It wasn’t even early evening when they fell asleep, needing rest after the physical and magical exertions of the morning and afternoon, so Deena wasn’t surprised when she woke up to find the moon just rising in the sky. She could see it out the window of the guest room, and it painted the dark room in its stark white light.
She looked over at the face of her sleeping lover. Josh. He really was the most handsome man she’d ever known, but more than that, he had a beautiful soul. She hadn’t known him long as mortals counted time—which was how she imagined her fey grandmother would phrase it—but she knew him better than any man she’d ever been with. Not that there’d been that many. And none since she’d moved way out here. But she knew Josh’s soul. She’d shared magic with him. She knew the flavor and tenor of his innermost being, and even better, she’d really liked what she’d found there.
No. Like was too simple a word. She was astounded by the depth of the man. He was complex and earthy in a way that stole her breath. His wildness was part of his very nature, but it wasn’t dangerous—at least not to her. He had a sense of honor as strong as the day was long, and his soul craved justice for those who had been wronged. He lived by his own code, and it was a strict one. An ancient one. One few men could live up to, but Josh managed, even in this more decadent day and age of man.
One didn’t simply like a man like that. No. This was a man she could love. A man she did love.
“Penny for your thoughts.” Josh’s voice was a deep whisper in the dark with a hint of sexy growl.
“I was thinking how much I admire you,” she told him, brushing back the hair that had fallen across his brow with one hand, a gentle caress on his skin. She was taking a chance, but she thought she knew his heart, and she hoped—she prayed—he was thinking along the same lines as her.
“That’s good,” he said, rising on one elbow to look down at her, lying at his side. “Because I admire the hell out of you, too, Deena.” He punctuated his words with a kiss. “In fact, I actually…”
He paused, and she held her breath.
“The thing is… I actually…love you. I hope it’s not too soon to say that.” His expression spoke of his uncertainty and concern that he might be rushing her, but she felt the smile leap to her lips as she all but tackled him.
She kissed him with all the pent-up joy in her heart, pushing him down to the bed so that she was on top. She was the aggressor for the time being. She was letting him know in the most basic way possible that he hadn’t been wrong to take that chance and speak his heart to her.
When she let him up for air, she was gasping for breath but still grinning like a fool.
“I take it you’re okay with what I just said?” he asked, one eyebrow raised devilishly.
“More than okay,” she said between breaths. “I love you, too, Josh. You’re the best man I’ve ever known, in every way that counts.”
He looked a little uncomfortable with that last bit, but she wouldn’t take it back. He was hers now. She was staking a claim. He might not realize it yet, but she’d do everything in her power to make sure this worked out. That they worked out.
There wasn’t time for more words then as Josh turned the tables, moving so that she was under him, and he was kissing her breathless once again. He really was a good kisser. Scratch that. He was a great kisser. And everything else he did to her was pretty darn awesome too.
He wasn’t one of those men who needed a map and a compass to figure out what a woman liked. No. He knew. The sexy so-and-so.
She got a little angry when she thought about the women he must’ve known in the past to gain such knowledge, but whether he realized it or not, he was well on his way to becoming a one-woman man. Deena didn’t have any plans to let him go any time soon. Come to think of it, she didn’t really want to contemplate ever letting him go.
She’d fallen asleep in the damp terrycloth robe, though by the time they’d finished eating, it had mostly dried. Josh had worn only a pair of shorts, so all the luscious, warm muscles of his chest and arms were available for her to caress. Mmm. He was perfect. Perfect for her.
She stroked his arms as he untied the simple knot at her waist. He continued his drugging kisses as he peeled the robe open, side-to-side, revealing her naked body.
Soon, his kisses trailed down over her jawbone, eliciting a moan of delight as he worked his way downward, pausing at her breasts. His hands were busy, too, moving her thighs apart to make room, and then delving between, touching her most intimate places and preparing the way for an even more intimate invasion that she was eager to experience again. And again. And again.
But she didn’t want to be just along for the ride this time. No, she had something else in mind.
Pushing at his muscular shoulders, she got him to move back. He rolled with her until she was on top. There. That was better.
She straddled him, happy to discover that he’d removed his shorts somewhere along the way. There was nothing between them but the open bathrobe. She leaned up and removed it, sliding it off one shoulder at a time, holding his gaze.
Deena laughed as she flung it across the room, feeling freer to be herself than she ever had. Josh made everything fun and exciting. He was so good for her. He brought her out of her shell without even trying and dared her to try new things.
Speaking of which… She leaned down and kissed him. She reluctantly left his mouth, kissing her way down his hard body, teasing and caressing as she went along. When she grasped him in her hand, he shuddered with pleasure, and she felt a little zing of triumph. She’d done that to him—and she planned to do a lot more before she was through with him.
By the time she licked the tip of his hardness and took him into her mouth, he was growling a deep, sexy murmur of sound that made her body respond. She was so ready for him, it wasn’t even funny, but she was enjoying learning the intimate taste of him and the feel of him against her tongue.
Josh had other ideas, though. She must’ve been doing something a little too right because his growl deepened, and a moment later, he lifted her bodily away from him, flipped her over, positioning her on her hands and knees, and entered her from behind. He was urgent, but cautious, letting her take him in small increments until she comfortable with the invasion. He was a big man, and she was glad he’d taken his time at first, but now…she wanted motion.
Hard, fast, deep motion.
His growls were answered by her moans of pleasure as Josh hit a little spot within her on each stroke that sent her pleasure skyrocketing to the moon and back. As the sensations intensified, she began to shake, but he supported her, one of his big hands holding her hip, the other supporting her abdomen. He surrounded her until she wasn’t sure where she ended and he began. She felt so at one with him, it was almost sacred.
And then…at long last…he joined her on that rocket to the moon, making the journey last while he held her and filled her, cherished her and whispered words of love that were engraved, at that moment, indelibly on her heart. She was with him through it all, and she would remember this moment for as long as she lived. One perfect, blissful moment with the only man she had ever truly loved.