His lazy smile sent a keen longing through her. “You’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. Here with me.”
“What time…did you come to bed?” she inquired, feeling more than a little breathless.
“Sometime after midnight,” he replied, rising up to prop a forearm on either side of her. He leaned down to press his lips to hers, but instead of the quick kiss she expected, his mouth molded to hers and he gathered her to him.
Her eyes slowly drifted shut as his warm, firm lips glided over hers, setting off sparkles of light behind her closed lids. When he coaxed her to open for him, she did so on a soft sigh, and the feel of his tongue mating with hers caused the longing she’d felt the night before to come rushing back stronger and more powerful than anything she’d ever felt.
A tingling warmth began to flow through her veins when he slid his hand over her side from knee to waist, and she gripped the sheet with both hands as heat coursed through her body. As Zach caressed and teased her body with his hands and lips, desire began to build inside her. As long as she lived, she would never tire of him touching her.
When he parted her silk pajama top and his palm skimmed over her stomach to the underside of her breast, Arielle ceased thinking and concentrated on the delicious way Zach was making her feel. She wanted him with a fierceness that stole her breath. She briefly wondered when he had unbuttoned the shirt as he cupped the weight of her, then teased her tightened nipple with the pad of his thumb. But the thought was fleeting when he broke the caress to nibble moist kisses from her collarbone down the slope of her breast to the hardened peak.
A tight coil of need formed deep inside her when he took her into his warm mouth and gently teased with his tongue. As he worried the hardened tip, his hand caressed her down to her hip, then her inner thigh. She quivered from the intense sensations.
“Does that feel good, Arielle?” he prompted. Raising his head, he looked at her as he pulled her panties down her legs, then tossed them to the floor. “I think we have some unfinished business from last night that we need to take care of, don’t you?”
Unable to speak, she nodded. When he cupped the curls at her apex and his finger dipped inside to stroke the soft, moist folds, she moaned and arched into his touch.
“Zach, please—”
He entered her with his finger and the coil in her belly grew to the unfulfilled ache of need from his relentless touch. “What is it you want, darlin’?”
“Y-you. Now. Inside…me.”
Without another word, his lips captured hers at the same time he abandoned the delicious torture. Using his knee to spread her legs, he moved to lever himself over her. She felt the tip of his strong arousal probe her and as he pushed himself forward, she thought she would die from the ecstasy of becoming one with the man she loved.
Placing his hands flat on either side of her, he held himself off her stomach, bringing his lower body into even closer contact with hers. Never had she felt more filled, more a part of him.
Slowly he pulled his body away from hers, then glided forward to gently thrust into her, his heated gaze never leaving hers. They moved together in a primal dance and each time they met and parted, the blazing need within her grew. All too soon, she felt her feminine muscles tighten around him as she came ever closer to completion.
Zach must have sensed her readiness because he thrust into her a bit faster, a little deeper and suddenly she felt herself spinning out of control, cast into a sweet vortex with no beginning or end. Heat and light flashed behind her tightly closed eyes as wave after wave of sheer pleasure surged through her. Grasping his forearms, she clung to him.
Just as the storm within her began to subside, she felt his body go perfectly still a moment before he threw his head back and groaned. His muscular arms shook from the effort of holding himself off her and his whole body shuddered as the force of his release gripped him.
He moved to her side and collapsed on the bed. His breathing was harsh, but as he gathered her to him, he managed to ask, “Are you all right?”
Snuggling into his strong embrace, she nodded. “I feel wonderful. Thank you.”
He leaned back to look at her. “Why are you thanking me? I should be the one thanking you.”
She cupped his cheek and pressed a kiss to his firm lips. “Even though I’m pregnant and starting to feel a little awkward, you make me feel sexy.”
“That’s because you are, darlin’.” His smile caused her heart to swell with so much love, she thought it might burst. “All I have to do is look at you and I’m turned on.”
Feeling more relaxed and complete than she had in a long time, she couldn’t keep her eyes open. “I think…I’ll rest a minute or two…before I get up.”
“It’s still early. Why don’t you get a little more sleep?”
When she remained silent, Zach grinned as he pulled the covers over them. He’d been right. Arielle could fall asleep with no effort at all.
As he lay there holding her, he decided that he couldn’t afford the luxury of going back to sleep. He had too many plans to make. He had three days left before her brothers and sister-in-law flew into town. He wanted to have Arielle completely convinced that marrying him was best for both of them and have her totally committed to taking a trip down the aisle when her family arrived.
Glancing at the bedside clock, he softly kissed her cheek, then eased his arm from beneath her and got out of bed. He needed a quick shower, a cup of strong, black coffee and a couple of phone calls to some old friends to get the ball rolling. And the very first thing on his To Do list for the day would be to call Juan Gomez to see when he could pick up Arielle’s ring.
He whistled a tune as he grabbed some clothes from the walk-in closet, then headed into the master bath and turned on the water in the shower. Everything was coming together nicely and Arielle would be Mrs. Zach Forsythe by the end of the week. Just as he’d promised her she would.
Chapter Eight
Arielle found Zach in the master suite’s sitting room, reading a newspaper at the small table. Dressed in jeans and a forest-green polo shirt, he looked devastatingly handsome.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” she asked.
Looking up, he smiled. “I thought I’d let you sleep in.” Folding the paper, he set it aside and, rising to his feet, walked around the table to hold the chair for her. “Do you have any idea how cute you look in my bathrobe?”
A delightful little shiver raced through her at the feel of his warm kisses on the back of her neck. “I—I couldn’t find anything else to wear.”