His voice was low and rough, nearly alien even to his own ears. "Tell me you won't regret this later," he demanded.

Her mouth was parted and wet in invitation, making it nearly impossible for him to hold on to his one remaining rational thought—her agreement. Her eyes were deep, forest green with the triumphant gleam of a woman who was about to get what she so desperately wanted. He could feel her trembling slightly beneath him, though whether from anticipation or fear, he wasn't sure.

She lifted her chin and looked him directly in the eye, licking her lips, "No regrets," she promised in a breathy voice, and he knew she was telling the truth. It was enough.

David let go of his restraint and kissed her soft mouth with every ounce of pent-up sexual frustration and longing he'd kept inside for over two years. She accepted his ferocity and sighed into his mouth, her needy hands seeking over his back and shoulders.

His tongue thrust into her mouth, tasting her acceptance. His hands found their way under layers of clothing to cup the soft curve of her breast in his hand. Her nipple tightened and he could feel it stabbing eagerly through the thin fabric of her bra, demanding the touch of skin on skin.

He had to feel her naked body against his, with nothing between them but lanternlight. She had on so many damn clothes that it was going to take him a year just to get her out of them. His fingers weren't cooperating; they were shaking with need and a hint of nervousness.

David hadn't been nervous with a woman since he was fifteen. Hell, he wasn't even sure it was possible to be so nervous anymore, but apparently, Noelle made a lot of things possible.

She arched and wriggled beneath him, her slender fingers working at the buttons of his flannel shirt as her mouth pressed hot, wet kisses along his neck. "You taste so good," she mumbled against his skin.

David's jaw clenched against the urge just to slide off their jeans and take her hard and fast. He was sure he'd last maybe ten seconds once he got inside her.

He forced himself to focus and only years of military training allowed his brain any room to function. He pulled her sweatshirt over her head, sending her glasses skittering across the wooden floor. The second shirt came off, with less effort and he swept the remaining T-shirt over her head before her lips had found his skin again.

He lifted her chin for a kiss, coaxing her to open for him. She didn't hesitate her mouth was eager and her tongue danced boldly with his. The little whimpering sounds coming from her throat were driving him wild, forcing rational thought right out of his head.

Somehow, he'd remembered how to get a woman's bra off one-handed. His other hand couldn't wait to feel the smooth skin of her breast against his palm. Her nipples were tight, begging for attention, and he couldn't resist tasting her. He flicked his tongue over the rosy tip, and Noelle hissed in response.

"More," she begged, her voice low and breathless in the confines of the small cabin.

David drew her nipple into his mouth, feasting on her sensitive flesh. She arched beneath him, fisting her hands in his shirt.

At this rate, he was going to lose it before he even got her pants off if he didn't slow down. Every little response she made was like throwing lighter fluid on his fiery lust.

His fingers unfastened her jeans and slid them, her leggings and panties all off in one sweeping motion. Other than the thin shoulder strap of her bra, which was still hanging loosely over one arm, she was completely naked.

David didn't dare look at her all bare and laid out before him. He knew he didn't have the strength for that just yet.

He needed to be inside her, deep and hard.

He made quick work of the buttons that remained by sending them flying across the room as he ripped off his shirt and undershirt.

Noelle's green eyes darkened as she looked at his naked chest and she let out a feminine sigh of approval. Slim fingers parted the dark hair, searching for the warmth of skin beneath. Her short nails bit into his skin as if testing the texture of the muscle beneath.

His gold wedding band, which he wore on a chain around his neck dangled over her, giving David a moment's pause. He couldn't think about that now. Not now. Before the thoughts of Mary could invade, he focused on Noelle.

Her mouth was wet and swollen, and there was a deep blush that spread out over her chest, reaching down toward her breasts. David couldn't keep himself from taking her mouth again in a deep, possessive kiss. His tongue thrust inside her mouth in an unmistakable rhythm. In response, her hips pressed against him, eager and restless.

David's hand moved down her torso, over her pale stomach, and his fingers parted the damp, red curls between her thighs. She was slick and hot against his fingers, her back arching and her legs parting to coax his contact to become more intimate.

David obliged. He slid one long finger slowly inside her. She was tight. Hot. Wet.

She moaned into his mouth and her fingernails sank into his shoulders. Her body wiggled anxiously beneath him, but he pressed his weight down against her to hold her still.

Sweat slid along his temple as he tried to kick his brain into functioning. He didn't want to mess this up. He wanted it to be good for her. So good she'd want more.

Because God knew that once wasn't going to be anywhere near enough to sate him—not with a woman he wanted as much as he wanted Noelle.

Her muscles clenched around his finger, squeezing him tight. Instantly, his mind shut down and instincts took over completely. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard himself make a deep, growling noise that sounded completely unfamiliar. He shoved his jeans down, just enough to free himself, pressed Noelle's thighs wide apart and slid his erection inside her in one long, slow thrust.

Noelle let out a high-pitched sound that could have been either pleasure or pain. He had no clue and couldn't make his mouth form the words to ask. He was lost in the hot grip of her body where she fit him like she'd been custom-made just for him.

He held his body still, buried so deep he could feel her pulse beating in double time with his own. Already he was on the razor edge of orgasm and he knew that if he moved now, he'd be lost.

Beneath him, he felt Noelle's slender body relax somewhat. Her breathing was fast and he could feel each breath warm and soft against his shoulder.

He struggled to regain some sort of control over his lust, but it was a losing battle. Noelle drew her knees up in invitation, letting David slide fractionally deeper. David hissed, but Noelle made a sweet sound of pleasure and shifted her hips in an effort to make him move against her.

David needed no further coaxing. He simply let go of his self-control and allowed himself to feel. Every slippery inch of movement drove him closer to the brink until he was mindless with the need to come. Her body gripped him lovingly, accepting his urgent thrusts with soft, yielding heat. He wanted her to come with him, but he couldn't wait.

Need was riding him hard, lashing him, making him mindless.

His hands caught her hips, angling them so he could plunge deep one final time. Pleasure so intense it was painful swept through his body like a lightning storm as he came hard, buried to the hilt inside Noelle.

For long moments, all he could do was breathe as jolts of pleasure shot through his limbs. He knew he was crushing Noelle, but he couldn't make his body work to support itself. Soft, loving hands caressed his back while her body cushioned his.

Finally, conscious thought returned, and with it came guilt. "I'm sorry, Noelle." His voice was rough and dry, and he swallowed in an effort to bring moisture to his mouth.

He wanted to explain to her that it had been years since he'd had sex and that he wasn't usually so quick on the draw. He wanted to promise her that he'd make it up to her. With interest.

But all he could do was recover from the single most powerful orgasm of his life.

He was still semihard inside her and he didn't want to leave. Not yet.

He propped himself up on his elbows and stared down at her. She was beautiful—her eyes were still dark with desire, her pale skin was rosy, her nipples were tight buds against his chest and her mouth...

He couldn't quit staring at her mouth, which was swollen and cherry red.

Incredibly, he felt himself grow hard again. Noelle felt it, too. She shivered and let out a moan of need.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "I won't stop this time until you beg me to."

CHAPTER TWENTY

Noelle was ready to beg, but not for David to stop loving her. Her whole body quivered with need, hovering on the edge of something wonderful.

She could feel David inside her, so hot and thick she thought she'd die from the sensation of being stretched and filled. His chest hair tickled her body, making her nipples stand up eagerly for more. Wave after wave of his heat washed over her skin, accompanied by the musky scent of man.

David's face was no longer so grim since he'd come. She could see a lessening in the monumental tension she always sensed inside him. A faint grin played at the corners of his mouth.

Yellow lanternlight cast a golden glow to his tanned skin and highlighted the angular edge of his jaw, the softer curve of his mouth. A gold ring dangled from a chain around his neck. It was a plain wedding band, without diamonds or ornamentation, but no less beautiful for its simplicity. No less meaningful.

Noelle suffered a little spear of guilt. His wife was dead. She wasn't exactly the other woman, but she felt like she was betraying something holy and pure by being with a man who still loved his wife enough to wear his wedding ring.

She reached up to touch it with one finger, but David grabbed her hand before she could and pinned it against the sleeping bag by her head. "I don't want to think about that right now. Just you," he said.

Noelle nodded and shoved aside her feelings of guilt for the time being. There were so many sensations rioting through her body that it took little effort to be swept away by them.

He was such a beautiful man. She had no idea why he'd be willing to share himself with her like this.

But she was so thankful he was.

David's hand slid beneath her hips to squeeze her bottom and angle her body up toward his slow, steady thrusts.

With each shift of his body, nerve endings tingled and sparked. Deep inside her, pleasure was building upon itself, following a geometric progression that left her gasping in awe of its power.

Noelle was no temptress and even though she wanted to do something to add to his pleasure, she couldn't think straight enough to figure out what that might be. She was too busy feeling the way his wide hand slid down her side, stroking and enflaming every cell as it passed.

David stared into her eyes and slid deep, holding that position while giving his hips an expert rotation. Sizzles of feeling shot out from her belly, making her gasp in wonder.

David chuckled in the darkness and moved so that he was kneeling between her widely spread thighs, still inside her. He grabbed her thighs and pushed them toward her chest as-he bent down to take one hard nipple into his mouth.

Noelle hissed and arched her back in response. His body moved over hers in a series of powerful strokes, and she knew that if he kept it up, she was going to fly apart at the sheer intensity of her pleasure.

David sensed it, too. She could feel it in the way his long fingers clenched against her legs, the way his breathing sped as it puffed out over her chest. His suckling became stronger, and to her delight, the light scraping of his teeth against her sensitive flesh nearly sent her over the edge.