Chapter Seven
THE SKY WAS DARKENING. From the bed, Conall could see the harbour turn violet in the fading light. But it was the view immediately before him that enthralled.
Shadows accentuated Greer’s features, the angle of her cheekbones, the sweep of her eyebrows, the soft curve of her lips.
The dark arcs of her long lashes against her cheeks as she slept.
He already knew them all by heart yet he could lie here for hours, watching her.
Revelling in the fact that, finally, they were together.
That must be why adrenaline still pulsed in his veins, despite that shattering climax. He’d told himself it would happen, the barriers would fall and they’d be together. But he’d learnt not to take anything for granted. Especially Greer.
She lay on her side, facing him, one hand against his chest, her knee on his thigh, a tendril of long dark hair sweeping over her shoulder and around her breast. He wanted to follow it with his hand but didn’t want to wake her.
She’d looked so tired this week and he blamed himself.
His attempt to comfort her the night of the opera had got out of hand and distressed her.
He dragged in a deep breath charged with regret for the mistakes he’d made.
But it was impossible to feel guilty when his perseverance and patience had paid off. She was here, where she belonged.
‘Conall.’ Black lashes rose to reveal eyes of deepest, most beautiful blue, the colour of lapis lazuli or sapphire.
‘Greer.’ Her dreamy smile made his voice hitch.
How long had he dreamt of her looking at him like that?
A twist of tension behind his ribs disintegrated as she snuggled closer. He wrapped his arm more firmly around her waist, pulling them together. He’d wondered if she might wake to regrets.
‘How are you feeling?’
She stretched voluptuously, totally at ease. ‘Stupendous. How about you?’
Conall laughed. ‘Counting my lucky stars.’
She raised her eyebrows, watching his smile become a grin. ‘Flatterer.’
‘It’s nothing but the truth.’
He stroked her cheek then followed that dark tress down, around her lush breast. Her breath stalled for a second, then she began her own exploration, her hand smoothing up his chest, shaping and exploring.
The steady beat of his pulse became a heavy thud, centring in his groin. But as fantastic as the sex had been, he had more on his mind.
‘You’re not worn out? No after-effects?’
Her brow furrowed. ‘Actually, I feel energised. Are you too tired?’
‘Too tired for you? Never.’ He paused. ‘I mean, do you feel well.’
Greer’s confusion cleared. ‘You mean my head? The amnesia?’
It was like watching a cloud cross the sun and he silently cursed himself for reminding her, but he had to know. She’d mentioned a couple of times these past weeks small instances of her memory returning. Mainly scents or sounds reminding her of minor incidents. Nothing earth-shattering. So far.
‘I wondered…’
‘No.’ Her mouth flattened. ‘Sex didn’t miraculously restore my memory. But at least it hasn’t given me a headache, if that’s what you’re worried about.’
Of course she’d have told him if there’d been any new recollections.
‘Good,’ he said as he slid down her body a little. ‘I wouldn’t like to seduce you if your head hurts.’
Yet he’d wondered. Their physical intimacy had been phenomenal by any standards. He’d hoped, feared it might be enough to open a door to at least some glimpse of the past. He hadn’t known what to expect when she opened her eyes, but had wondered if he’d see a change in her.
But it had only been around a month. The doctors said it might take much longer, if ever. Meanwhile, Greer was here, in his bed, naked and eager.
Conall cupped her breast and closed his mouth over that perfect raspberry nipple, slowly drawing on it, feeling her arch against him, her slender fingers anchoring his head against her.
‘You want to seduce me? You’re really not too tired?’
For answer he palmed her buttocks and drew her lower body close enough to feel the iron-hard erection he’d been trying to ignore for the last half-hour.
‘Conall.’ Her sigh was half appreciation and half entreaty. He knew the feeling. She’d only just woken and she had him teetering on the edge.
He tightened his grip, gently scraping his teeth across sensitive skin and feeling her shudder in response. ‘Yes, sweetheart?’
How he loved the telltale hitch in her breath and the way she shimmied even closer, the intimate heat between her legs teasing him.
‘I need you,’ she whispered.
He looked up into half-lidded eyes that glowed like gems. His chest expanded, not on an indrawn breath, but on a swelling feeling of relief and anticipation. He’d hoped, but their recent history had taught him not to take anything for granted.
Conall rose, tumbling her onto her back and kneeling above her on all fours. Her hair splayed across the pillow and a flush of arousal warmed her throat and cheeks.
‘I need you too. Desperately.’
He’d never wanted a woman so much. He wanted to tell her exactly how he felt, but refused to move too fast for her. Better to keep this simple for now.
He planted his mouth on hers, rejoicing in her eagerness as she cupped his face and angled her mouth to give him entry, her tongue curling and inviting. She tasted sweet and rich and he could have enjoyed it all night except his primed body had other ideas.
Ignoring her soft mew of protest, he lifted his head to kiss her cheeks, her ear, and that sensitive place on her neck that made her writhe beneath him, hands clutching.
‘Sh. Soon,’ he promised.
It was tempting to rush but they both deserved more, despite the urgent craving. They’d waited so long and he wasn’t going to waste a moment. Greer’s pleasure was his and he intended to show her with every kiss and caress how much this meant, since he couldn’t use words. Yet.
So he took his time kissing her throat, her collarbone, her shoulders, as he let his hand explore lower and lower. She was writhing now, hips lifting and twisting off the bed, trying to reach him.
His pulse quickened as he reached her breasts. Their contours, their weight, their softness, even the stronger scent of her flesh there, drove him crazy. He couldn’t get enough, and the taste of her…
‘You have to stop,’ she gasped. ‘I don’t want torture, I want you to make me whole.’
Her words destroyed any hope of teasing her into fulfilment before taking her. He was so close it was a miracle he’d lasted this long.
Conall moved back, kissing his way to her waist, briefly exploring the whorl of her navel before peppering kisses down to the damp, silky hair between her thighs. One too-brief caress there and he rose from the bed, moving stiff-legged to the bedside table for a condom.
He had to pause a moment, and then another, the weight of her gaze on his groin threatening to tip him over the edge.
‘What are you waiting for?’
He shot her a look that was part exasperation with himself and her for driving him to his limits. When he finally found his voice it was to speak through gritted teeth. ‘Making sure I don’t self-combust, trying to put on a condom.’
Her snicker of delight tugged his lips into a smile despite the extremity of his situation. He’d always loved her laugh. ‘You won’t be laughing if I spill here rather than in you.’
And damn him if she didn’t conjure a pout that slammed his body right back to the edge.
Conall closed his eyes, blotting out the image of those full lips.
In his head he began going over some of the points he wanted clarified on the Singapore deal.
His ordinarily sharp brain was fuzzy and his thoughts strayed but eventually he hauled himself back enough to put on protection.
It felt like a miracle of determination over instinct.
After one swift survey of her lying there, he yanked his attention to her face. Her laughter had died, replaced by the same tense eagerness he felt.
He climbed onto the bed, but instead of covering her body with his, he lay on his side, sliding one arm under her head. ‘Roll towards me.’
‘Onto my side?’ She looked confused but complied, and he palmed her hip, stroking down to lift her thigh over his. ‘Ah.’
He nodded. ‘I’ve been lying here wanting you but I didn’t want to wake you.’
Greer hitched herself higher up the bed, her breasts brushing his chest, and he shuddered.
‘You like that?’ Her expression told him she’d done it deliberately.
‘You know I do.’ Conall delved his free hand between them, knuckles caressing her clitoris, and she gasped. ‘Do that again.’
She pushed closer and now there was no time for teasing or patient seduction. She was so wet between the legs and he had about twenty seconds before he came apart.
It was like coming home as she opened for him, so slick and tight already he felt the warning prickle begin at his nape and race down his spine. By the time he was seated as far as he could go, the sensation was coiling in his groin.
Conall drowned in the mesmerising depths of her eyes. But he couldn’t go alone. He needed her with him.
As he pulled back he found that sensitive nub where her nerves centred, and pressed down as he nipped her ear and began telling her some of the ways he wanted to please her.
By his second surge forward, her breath was a harsh rasp of arousal, her fingers digging into his buttocks to draw him to her as if she didn’t trust him to find his way.
Another retreat and surge, and then, just as he feared his body would betray him, Conall felt the change in her. Sharp breaths and the delicious twitch of muscles around him.
‘Come for me, Greer. I’ve got you.’
His arm tightened around her back as his thumb circled and he grazed his teeth along her neck.
Her quivers became a hard rhythmic pulsing that shattered him completely.
Conall flung his head back, shouting his release. He tumbled her onto her back and drove home hard and quick and so desperately there was no finesse, only an urgency that broke out from some primal part of him he’d never known.