Chloe slept soundly next to him, her body well loved and exhausted. He’d fallen asleep with her after their intense lovemaking, only to wake a few hours later and take her again. The stress of the day before had evaporated while in her arms, and he wanted to do it again and again.
Since being with her, she was all he thought about. Nick wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. He’d always enjoyed sex, but this was different. He felt a connection with this woman he didn’t normally feel when he made love. When he was finished, he’d never felt the need to hold a woman close, to caress her soft skin. Once his body was sated, he wanted to be on his way.
But not with Chloe. With her, he wanted to touch her, run his fingers over her delicate skin, memorize every inch of her. And he wanted to slide within her slick heat over and over again―get lost within her.
As she slept peacefully beside him, he was drawn to her, couldn’t take his gaze away. Sure, she was beautiful, her light eyes now closed in sleep, her fair skin creamy and soft, her hair that of an angel’s. She took his breath away.
But there was so much more to her than just her looks. She was feisty and strong, determined and stubborn. She challenged him in a way that he enjoyed, and she made him burn like no other woman had ever come close to making him feel.
The last couple of weeks had been packed with frustration and joy and a need to make her smile. His every thought was being consumed by this one woman, and he couldn’t even find it within himself to care about that.
One moment she would be serious and stern with him. The next she would be laughing and making him smile. She praised him when he pushed himself, and she made him want to be a better person. She was tearing his world apart. When the pieces came back together, he knew he would be a new man. The strange thing was, he didn’t have any regrets about that.
When he’d first met her, he’d instantly wanted her, but whether that was to prove his manliness to himself or whether it was to win a conquest, he wasn’t sure. What he did know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, was that he didn’t feel that way anymore. He’d taken her several times, and it still wasn’t enough. He had a feeling he would never get enough of her―in or out of the bedroom.
Mumbled words escaped her sweet pink lips, and he stilled his fingers on her smooth stomach. She stretched, her hand reaching forward, and he smiled. Was she seeking him out even in her sleep? A frown line puckered between her brows, when she came up with empty air and she stirred a bit more as her body shifted toward the warmth of his skin. She mumbled a few more words and then fell back asleep.
He grinned at the sight. He was going to choose to believe she wanted him, needed him as much as he needed her. They were drawn to each other even in the deepest recesses of their minds. He wondered if he did the same movements when he was dead to the world. He wouldn’t be at all surprised if he did.
Nick lay there with her for about a half hour before the need to get up for the day was too overwhelming. With reluctance, he left her side and went back to his own room where he grabbed clothes and took a hot shower. Closing his eyes while the steaming spray jetted over him had him going hard all over again as he pictured her fingers replacing the water, her lips trailing down his stomach and then taking him deep within her mouth.
Snapping his eyes open, he had to push those thoughts away. That was going to lead him to rush back to her room and wake her up before she had a decent amount of sleep. They had plans for the day, although she wasn’t aware of them. He was sure he could get her on board, though.
Dragging himself from his room, he tried to do some work in his office, but his thoughts continued to stray to Chloe in her nice warm bed all alone. How easy it would be for him to slip inside her room and take her for a leisurely morning of lovemaking. His brothers could wait on him.
That thought made him smile. Now he understood why his siblings were so often late for events. They couldn’t keep their hands off their wives. He’d envied them the smallest bit, and then he’d kicked himself for feeling that way. With Chloe in his life, he was beginning to understand their reluctance to leave the bedroom. Once would never be enough.
Nick managed to let Chloe sleep for a couple more hours, and then he decided he wanted her awake with him. She was normally a morning person. He hadn’t missed how she snuck out of the house to go running each day. He only regretted his knee still wasn’t strong enough for him to go out there with her. Soon, he’d be back to normal health and he would enjoy running the island with her as the sun was rising over the hills.
He could picture doing a lot of activities with Chloe if he really thought about it. He would love to take her up in his private plane, land in a field that was out in the middle of nowhere, and make love to her below the wings with nothing around them but the animals and sun. He enjoyed her company, and he had a whole lot of ideas of what they could do to make their time together even more enjoyable.
Lying down on the bed―on top of the covers to prevent too much temptation―Nick leaned over Chloe and kissed her lips softly. She stirred, her eyes fluttering as she began to wake up. Then she tensed.
He frowned as he looked into her widening eyes. She was trying to retreat. He had no doubt about it. Her body stiffened, and she looked wildly around the room while lifting a hand up to cover her mouth.
“Not quite the reaction I was seeking,” he said as he pulled down the covers, exposing her breasts, and ran his hand over them. Her nipples instantly hardened, and her breath rushed out. He leaned forward and tried to push her fingers away.