Page 104 of Hot & Heavy

It all came together quicker than he'd expected, but not quick enough as far as his own raging libido was concerned. Maddie was so cute—okay, not cute; more like hot damn sexy—when she made those little whoofing sounds as she came closer and closer to climax. And then she arched her hips off the bed, tried to bring her legs together, which he wouldn't allow, then howled as she came… and came… and came.

Like everything else his Maddie did, she gave it her all and then some.

And, yes, he was thinking of her as his.

Before she had a chance to catch a breath, he moved up and over her and eased himself into her still spasming inner muscles. He was the one who felt like howling now.

"Ian?" she said.

Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God! She's going to talk now! He was gritting his teeth and could not respond.

"Troll?"

Didn't I just tell her, about an orgasm ago, that I would interpret troll as darling in future? Yeah, I did. He unclenched his teeth and grinned down at her. "What, sweetie?"

"If you don't unwrap me, you will never, ever be reciprocated for… what you just did." Her face was pink with embarrassment. At least she wasn't red from crying.

"That is a threat worth heeding."

Still embedded deep inside her, he managed to pull the ends of the towel out from under her, releasing not just her arms but those magnificent breasts.

"Why are you leering at my breasts?" she groused.

"Because I like what I see." And because I consider them mine now. No other man is going to see you… them… like me. "Did you like what I did to you?"

"Nay."

Her inner muscles belied her by clutching him even tighter. He would have teased her about that, but he was suddenly overcome with such love for her. The emotion was so powerful it made him breathless, and not just because a part of her was embracing him like it would never let go. There was an expression he'd heard one time about "loving someone to distraction." That was exactly how he felt. She mixed him all up.

She nagged and berated him, refused his orders, gave him orders, turned him inside out and upside down with anger and frustration. Then, in the midst of it all, she told him that his smile made her fluttery.

He wanted desperately to tell her that he loved her, but he was afraid it was too soon. She would interpret his declaration as pity, coming so hard on her cry fest. And she would also tie it in somehow with her irrational quest for an army.

So he couldn't tell her. But he could show her how much he loved her.

"Move off me, you big lout, so I can make love to you."

"Not yet, sweetheart," he said, nuzzling her neck. And then he made slow, slow love to her. With each long stroke in and out of her slickness, he gave her soft words of praise and explicit whispers about what he was about to do or wanted to do. He worshiped her.

And she returned the favor tenfold. She caressed his face and shoulders and back. She murmured what she liked and told him what she wanted. She kissed him, alternating between coaxing and hunger. She offered him her breasts with her own hands. She reached between where they were joined and touched him and herself at the same scorching moment.

When they came together in an ever-increasing spiral of sweet agony, he wished he could tell her what was on his mind. I love you, Maddie. Forever.

You can't deny love…

Maddie was never one to hold her tongue.

So when Ian eased himself out of her and rolled to his side, taking her with him in a gentle embrace, she raised her head and looked down at him. "Ian?"

"Uh-oh! We're going to start talking, aren't we?"

"What's wrong with talking?"

"There's a time and a place for everything. And right now I want to make love to you. Over and over."

She liked the sound of that. Still… "Be that as it may. Ian, I have a question for you."

He groaned, leaned over her and kissed her softly on the lips, then dropped back down to the pillow.