said, lifting her by the waist and walking straight into the water.
She wrapped her legs around him as cool liquid enveloped her, making her shiver. Gray's heat kept her warm and provided an erotic contrast. Her arms wound around him. Breasts to chest. Erection to woman.
"I've wanted you for so long," she admitted breathlessly.
"Then take me," he said, his voice rougher, harsher than she'd ever heard it. "I'm yours."
She kissed him then, softly at first. The moment their tongues met, she nearly cried out at the sudden rush of intensity between them. All strength deserted her. Had his arms not been around her, she would have sunk bonelessly to the bottom of the river. One of his hands gripped her thigh, keeping her leg around him.
The feel of his erection pressed directly against her, ready for penetration - yet just beyond reach. He rocked against her. She whimpered at the inexplicable burst of pleasure as every nerve ending in her body awoke.
"That feels so good. Do it again."
He uttered a strained chuckle. "First, I need to wash you. Your breasts... they're filthy. Just filthy." He sounded so wicked.
"Drop your legs," he added.
When she did, his hands cupped the water and he poured it onto her chest. He watched with barely a breath as each drop slid over her plump breasts, catching on her nipples.
He licked the first droplet away, then the other. "You're just so dirty. I need to wash you all over." "Are you dirty?"
"Oh, yes."
He kissed his way down her stomach, not stopping until he was kneeling. The water just reached the apex of her thighs. Darting out, his tongue found the heart of her. She screamed at the pleasure of it, and her head arched backward. Her hands gripped his head, holding him in place.
Jewel had to have him inside her. Now. She clawed at him with her nails. He jerked up and they tumbled into the water, their mouths locked together as the liquid washed over them, covering them. Their bodies tangled and strained as their tongues dueled.
Her head grew light just as Gray gave a powerful kick of his legs, sending them above the surface. She gasped in air, taking his breath. He gasped in air, taking hers. The need to have him, all of him, pounded through her.
"Don't make me wait any longer," she gasped.
"Now?"
"Please."
He surged up and into her, going deep.
Her inner walls held him tight, and when he was sheathed completely, giving her body what it had craved all these many days, her pleasure exploded. She spasmed around him. Stars winked behind her eyelids, and heat spread like wildfire through her blood. Because he was inside her, a part of her, her rapture was so much more complete.
"Shit," Gray groaned. He rocked in and out of her, and she clung to him.
"More." So much more. She might never get enough of him. Already the hunger was building again. "I love you." Unbidden, the words ripped from her throat. They were imprinted on her every cell. Shouting them was as natural as breathing.
"Tell me again," he growled. "I love you."
"Again."
"I love you. Gods, I love you."
In and out he moved, fast, so fast, the water splashing around them. She bit the cord of his neck, hard. She tugged at his hair, her need becoming too great to control. She needed... she needed...
His teeth sank into her neck.
Exactly that. Instantly another orgasm consumed her. Intense. So intense. "Yes. Yes!" And as she writhed against him, riding the waves of pleasure, he drank from her. His thrusts deepened, grew even faster, harder.
Faster.
Harder.
When he came, a hoarse cry ripped from his throat and the sound echoed through the forest.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Jewel lay fully clothed in the crook of Gray's arms. She had wanted to stay naked with him all night, but he'd insisted they be prepared for any unwanted nighttime visitors.
Right now, his deep, relaxed breathing assured her that he slept peacefully. Her body was sated and relaxed, but her mind refused to quiet. What they'd done together had been wonderful. So wonderfully satisfying. When he'd bit her, oh, the pleasure! Nearly too much to bear. But something about their couplings was beginning to bother her.
He didn't linger over her body like he did with other women. He took her savagely, quickly. He didn't whisper erotic words in her ear; he grunted and growled and uttered guttural things. She'd loved it, gods, she loved it, but she couldn't help but worry that perhaps he didn't like her