CHAPTER 16

Theo groaned and stretched before opening his eyes. Despite their dryness—he knew better than to sleep in his contact lenses—he felt unbelievably good. Well rested and full of ideas for a great scene in his novel. And satiated. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt so incredible after sex. And if he couldn’t remember, it probably hadn’t happened.

He shifted his body so that he could get a good look at his muse. Avery Newbridge was lying next to him in the bed, her gorgeous titian hair strewn all over the white pillows, just like he’d imagined in his daydreams. She was facing him, half on her back, half on her side, her little pink mouth slightly open, her orangey eyelashes resting on her creamy white cheeks. She was mostly buried under the covers, but he caught a glimpse of a pale arm and the soft rise of a perfect breast. And she had a new little bruise on the side of her neck, just under her chin. For a moment, Theo’s heart stopped—it hadn’t been his intent to mark her—until he realized that it was where her violin’s chin rest rubbed against her skin. Sighing, he relaxed, then continued his perusal.

As stunning as she looked, it was what was inside that counted. She was warm, intelligent, passionate, and caring—the best combination he’d ever encountered.

With the hand closer to her, he smoothed the hair back from her face. At his gentle touch, she sighed and nestled farther into the bed. Add peaceful to that list. At least when she was sleeping. When she was awake, she’d probably go right back to fighting the magnetic draw they had on one another.

Remembering the night before—how her little hands had clung to him while they skated across the ice—elicited a swift response of lust. He groaned. He was hard again—Avery had a way of doing that to him—but he didn’t want to disturb his elfin princess. Instead of waking her, he reached onto his nightstand for the notebook and pen he always kept there. Then he settled himself back against the pillows and began to write.

Half an hour later, she still hadn’t woken. He glanced at the clock. Six-thirty. Though he didn’t know her schedule, he guessed she’d need to get up at some point soon. Now would be as good a time as any. He began to smooth her hair back from her forehead, massaging his fingers into her scalp.

Warm and comfortable in a deliciously soft bed, Avery awoke to the soothing strokes of a gentle hand on her temple.

“Mmm …” she said, feeling comforted in a way she’d almost forgotten. Until now. Eyes still closed, she stretched slightly, her muscles pleasantly achy from last night’s adventures. The ice-skating had been a lot of fun. Who would have ever thought that she could actually learn to skate? But Theo had drawn it out of her, forced her to confront her fears, allowing her to trust him. To trust herself.

Theo, that intense black-haired man. So big. So strong. She gave a sleepy smile as she remembered the commanding way he’d helped her on the ice. And then they’d come back to the Inn and—

The Inn! Avery sat bolt upright in the bed as she realized in an instant where she was. Not in Aunt Kate’s house, but in the Star Harbor Inn.

In Theodore Grayson’s bed.

Oh, God, what had she done? And she was naked. She gave a little shriek and pulled the sheets up to cover her breasts, not needing to see her body to know that a pink blush was blooming all over it.

“Good morning, Avery,” Theo said in his deep voice, staring at her intently from where he was lounging next to her. He was under the covers, but she could tell that he was as naked as she. The muscles in his broad chest rippled as he shifted positions, and his green eyes sized her up, deepening in color when they focused on the tops of her breasts. She hitched the sheets up even higher and stared back, not sure what to say. To her surprise, he laughed. “I thought only men were supposed to fall asleep right after sex.”

She looked away. “I …” she said, trying to moisten her dry mouth, “I was tired.” A wave of confused emotions washed over her. All of a sudden, she wanted to be anywhere but here. Preferably someplace far away from Theo.

“Avery, hey,” he said, reaching out a hand to her. “Don’t be embarrassed about what happened between us.”

“I’m not,” she lied, trying to pull her arm away, “but I really need to go. Aunt Kate will be worried about me.”

The corners of Theo’s mouth turned down. “Why are you shutting me out?” He sat up in the bed and the sheets slid off his torso, pooling in his lap.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, slightly defiantly as she tried to figure out how she could get her clothes on without flashing any skin. It would be difficult, since there was only one sheet on the bed—and it was also covering Theo.

“Avie, last night was amazing. And I know you felt it too.”

“I didn’t,” she said. Another lie. He’d taken her to the brink and together, they’d leapt into the abyss.

“Avery …” he said, his voice a low warning.

“Don’t you ‘Avery’ me,” she said, finally losing a grip on her temper as she scrabbled around for the coverlet. “So we had sex? Big surprise.” She grabbed the edge of the coverlet and tried to swap it for the sheet. “You come waltzing in here with your chiseled body and your perfect mouth and those eyes—don’t even get me started on those eyes—acting all macho with your ‘I’ll protect you, Avery,’ ” she said, doing a poor imitation of his deep rumble. “ ‘I’ll teach you how to ice-skate, Avery. I’m a famous author, Avery. Trust me, Avery.’ ” She snorted. “What the hell did you think was going to happen? That we were going to play a quiet game of Scrabble, then you’d sign my copy of The Pirate’s Sextant, and we’d shake hands good night?” She winced as the words came out of her mouth, realizing that she’d tried to convince herself that that was what they were going to do last night.

She had successfully extricated herself and was now standing by the side of the bed. Wrapping the coverlet around her, she stared him down, expecting him to react in anger. But instead of being furious, the corner of his mouth had turned up slightly and he was watching her with a bemused expression.

“God, you’re even more beautiful when you’re pissed off.” His eyes were dark with passion now. “Come back to the bed and I’ll show you how well I can use my ‘perfect mouth.’ ” As he beckoned to her, she thought she saw something stir beneath the sheets on his lap. Don’t go there, Avery.

“No way,” she said, knowing that if she buckled, it would all be over. “And don’t let what I said swell your head.”

“It’s not my head that’s swelling right now.”

Argh, she’d walked right into that one. Rolling her eyes, she turned to find her clothes, but before she even made it a step, Theo had leapt out of the bed and wrapped his long arms around her. “Theo—”

“You’re so full of passion. Why do you fight it? Embrace it.”

“You keep saying that to me.”

“Because you have so much potential.” Something inside her tightened and held. Potential. The potential to have her heart—and her soul—ripped to shreds if she didn’t keep them locked up where no one could touch them. And now, this man was unleashing things in her that she shouldn’t be feeling. “Don’t walk out of here like this,” he said quietly. “Not when what you really want is to be back in the warm bed with me.” He stroked the flat of his hand down her bare back and she shivered.

Oh, God, she did want him again! It was impossible to pretend otherwise. Could she separate out the emotions from the sensations? Did she even want to try? Letting go had been wonderfully liberating—until it had come time to deal with the consequences.

“You know it’ll be incredible,” he said, trailing kisses across her shoulder.

“Your audacity is astounding.” One last attempt to defend herself.

He chuckled, diffusing the insult. “You do bring out the best in me. C’mon, Avie,” he said, nuzzling her neck. An electric jolt of pleasure shot down her spine as he stroked one of her sweet spots, and she sighed. He moved his hand down to her lower back and gave a small tug. The coverlet slid to the floor.

Two large hands encircled her waist and he gently led her back to the bed, where he laid her down and kissed her. When his lips met hers, she shivered with anticipation. But, like last night, he wasn’t in any hurry. He leisurely perused her body with his mouth, tongue, and fingers. With every feather-light touch and gentle stroke, her anxiety ebbed. Then he bent a head to her breast and all rational thought flew out the window.

He suckled and laved, her skin so sensitized she almost begged for relief then and there. But she held out, knowing he’d heighten her pleasure if she let him have his way. And she wanted to let him. Had begun to crave the way he instinctively knew what would make her hot and what would make her crazy.

By the time he’d taken her to a fever pitch, merely by rubbing her own wetness over her most sensitive spot, she was barely thinking. And when he had sheathed himself with a condom and was positioned at her entrance, it was safe to say that she wasn’t thinking at all. Which was just fine with her.

Theo slid his long length into her and she gasped, then sighed. It was easier this time, though not by much. Filled to the brim with his maleness, she focused only on her pleasure—on the slow slide of their bodies, the sensation of his mouth on her nipple, and the flex of his thighs as he buried himself in her.

He worked in and out with smooth, firm strokes, bringing her higher and higher until she couldn’t hold back. She finally spasmed around him, squeezing her eyes so tightly shut that she saw stars, and the only thing going through her mind was a riot of color as her world blasted apart at the seams. Before she knew it, he was coming too. With a deep groan, he took his release, kissing her passionately as his body stiffened, then relaxed.