Part 15 (1/2)

She wanted this, needed it, and was d.a.m.n glad she hadn't had to resort to begging to get it.

And now Derek was inside her, and it was magic. A perfect blend of heaven and h.e.l.l, ecstasy and torment as he moved slowly, then thrust hard, gave her an easy stroke or two followed by a punis.h.i.+ng drive that nearly made her cry out with madness.

The things he did to her, the way her body respondedit just wasn't normal for her.

Just like the other night, her gaze was riveted to his, the intimacy almost too much to bear. A connection that went beyond their bodies, and that was something she never did. He'd made her connect with him the night be fore in the first-aid tent, and he was doing it to her again now. She was powerless to do anything but obey his silent command to look, to watch, to bond with him on this intimate, emotional level.

'Feel me,' he commanded, whispering to her in a low, husky voice that made her shudder.

'I do.'

'Feel me, Gina,' he said again, thrusting upward, grinding against her.

Oh, G.o.d, she did feel it, and it was moving her to tears as the tension built, coiling around her center like a snake. Squeezing, tightening with every one of his exquisite thrusts.

He knew her body as if he'd been touching her forever. How could this happen? No man ever made her come as easily as he had the other night, as he had tonight. She wasdifficult. And she nevernot this way. Yet she felt it building, was almost afraid to hope it could happen.

'Let it go, baby,' he said.

She shook her head. She never let go. It was too scary. This was madness. It had never happened.

'Gina, look at me.'

She did, staring into gray eyes that were a vortex of stormy darkness. She was so lost when she looked at him. Yet she felt so safe.

'Let go,' he said again, his voice demanding, gritty with the same need that she felt. Her belly tumbled with sensation and need.

And again, he ground against her, making her so wet she felt it trickle down her thighs. The quivering began then, and she went with it, digging her nails into his broad shoulders as he moved so expertly against her she quivered from the sheer pleasure of it and felt tears sting her eyes.

She was there. G.o.d, she was really there. 'Derek!' she cried as her o.r.g.a.s.m washed over her, making her shudder uncontrollably and tighten around him. It burst inside her and spilled over, a wild ride she was helpless to control. His jaw clenched and he groaned and went with her, emptying inside her while he gripped her b.u.t.tocks, his gaze so intense it was almost painful to look at him.

But she couldn't tear her gaze away, locked with him in this amazing journey that tore her apart, watching his eyes go nearly black as he rode with her to dizzying heights. It was frightening and exhilarating. She couldn't let go no matter where it led.

He trembled then, too, holding tight to her and burying his head in her shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and held him, feeling an inexplicable wave of tenderness, almost as if she had to protect him as he panted against her.

The unfamiliar emotional highs and lows she'd gone through the past few days were the weirdest things.

But right now was definitely a high.

'Whew,' Derek said against her neck.

Gina smiled, grateful he'd broken the spell of intensity that seemed to hover around them. She needed light and easy right now. 'Uh-huh.'

He leaned back, grinned, then swept her into his arms, carrying her to his bed and depositing her there before crawling in next to her. The breeze from the open window and the fan overhead cooled her heated body, though not for long.

Not the way he was looking at her, scanning her body from head to foot. When he reached her eyes, he arched a brow and said, 'I wasn't tired, either.'

'Are you now?' she asked.

'No. You?'

'No.'

'I had thought of dragging you away from that door way and making love to you properly,' he said.

'That seemed pretty d.a.m.n proper to me,' she teased.

Laughing, he said, 'Well, thanks, but I had something different in mind. Something more slow and leisurely. A little time for exploration.'

To prove his point, he began drawing lazy circles around her belly b.u.t.ton. Her abdomen quivered and she laughed and slapped his hand away. 'Exploration, huh? Yeah, I might be up for a little exploration, too,' she said, reaching for his shaft and encircling it with her hand.

It pulsed to life around her palm. Amazing. Oh, yeah, she wanted to spend a really long time playing with every part of his body.

'Haven't you ever dabbled in fun and exploration with a man before?'

'Mmm, not really. I'm more about the release, not the relations.h.i.+p. No lingering, no conversation, no play, and certainly no exploration.'

It took her a few seconds to realize he hadn't replied. She looked up to find a frown on his face and immediately let go of him. 'What?'

He pulled her against him and kissed her. 'You really never had much fun, did you?'

Oh, h.e.l.l. She hadn't meant to launch into a 'poor Gina' scenario. 'I had plenty of fun,' she said, shrugging.

'Bulls.h.i.+t.' He sat up and leaned against the headboard. 'Doesn't sound to me like you even had much in the way of s.e.x.'

Rolling her eyes, she sat up and crossed her legs over each other, pulling the pillow onto her lap. 'I'm hardly a virgin, Derek. I've had plenty of s.e.x.'

'Didn't sound like it from what you just said.'

Sometimes she said too much. 'I've been busy.'

'You're what? Twenty-seven?'

'Twenty-eight.'

'A woman who looks like you, with a career like yours, should have had a ton of men by now.'

And that was exactly what everyone believed. Or what she wanted them to believe. 'I'm selective.'

'You're afraid.'

So much for the afterglow. 'You psychoa.n.a.lyzing me?'

'Maybe.'