Rachel followed him inside and into the library on the main floor. She felt calm steal over her on entering the room. They had spent several quiet evenings together in this room, simply reading together.
"Okay," Etienne said as they sat on the love seat and he settled his arm around her, drawing her against his chest. "It wasn't work. That was an excuse."
She wasn't terribly surprised at this admission but remained silent and was rewarded when he added, "I was afraid."
Now that did surprise her, and Rachel sat up and turned to peer at him. "Afraid of what?"
"Of being hurt, Rachel," he said quietly. "I've never thought of myself as a coward, but this was an entirely new experience for me. I've never met a woman I was attracted to and whose thoughts I couldn't read. It was a new experience and not very comfortable. I felt vulnerable from the start. And confused too, I suppose. You should remember, I've managed to live three hundred years without falling in love. The feelings you brought about in me took me by surprise."
"I was rather taken by surprise too," Rachel admitted quietly and settled back into his embrace. "And scared of being hurt. Actually, I was afraid you would realize what you had given up to save me and would come to hate me, which was--"
"Never," he interrupted firmly, giving her a squeeze. "I knew what I was doing right from the start. I was attracted to you from the beginning, even when you were sick and pale and looked ready to keel over." When she glanced up at him, he smiled to soften the description. Then he caught her chin in his hand and said, "Rachel, I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but you. I can't imagine a life without you. You have my heart, and I realize I may be rushing you and that you might want more time to consider it, but--"
"I don't need more time, Etienne," she interrupted quietly. "I know this is all happening quickly, but you're the man I've wanted all my life. If I had taken the time to imagine what the man I loved looked like and the qualities he would have, you would have been who I dreamed of. I love you," she said simply, and smiled when he released a long drawn-out sigh.
"Then marry me," he blurted.
"Yes," Rachel said at once, but he shook his head.
"You have to think about this, Rachel. This isn't a piddling twenty-five to fifty years I'm asking for. Marriage among my people--at least the people in my family--is for life. And life for us can be a very long time."
"I hope it's an eternity," she said solemnly. "I love you, Etienne. I would spend eternity with you. You have my heart too."
A slow smile spread wide across his face. "Thank you. I will guard your heart all the days of my life." The words were a bare whisper before he leaned forward and claimed her lips in a kiss.
Rachel sighed into his mouth as her lips opened. His kiss felt like coming home, and she had been away for far too long. Meeting his invading tongue with her own, she twisted where she sat and slid her hands up his chest. She allowed one to continue up around his neck and into his hair to catch in the silken strands there. With the fingers of the other she caught at his shirtfront to tug him closer. Her body arched into his of its own accord and desire was a sudden rush through her body, making her hungry and bold. Rachel wanted him under her, on her, and in her all at once. She wanted to join with him and feel his body fill her. She wanted to hold him and be held like this forever.
And you can. The words whispered through her brain, a message from him to her that brought a chuckle from deep in Rachel's throat. But her happy amusement died and the chuckle ended on a growl as his hand found her breast through the cloth of her blouse. Things were suddenly quite serious.
Rachel allowed herself to fall backward on the love seat, tugging more insistently at the cloth of his shirt as she did so and forcing him to follow her down. Etienne shifted and came down on top of her, his lips and hands becoming more demanding. Within moments, Rachel's white blouse was open and the hooks that fastened the front of her bra were undone. She shivered in anticipation and arched beneath him as he pushed the silky material of her bra aside, revealing her na**d br**sts. When he bent his head to capture one already erect nipple, she clasped his scalp in both hands and held him close, then suddenly released her hold on his hair and pushed him away.
The startled expression on his face as he raised up away from her was priceless, but Rachel was too busy working at his shirt buttons to take much notice. She quickly undid them until his shirt gaped open as he leaned over her, then spread her hands over the wide expanse of bare skin. Rachel loved his chest, the hardness, the strength. She stopped when her palms ran over his ni**les and caught them between her thumbs and forefingers to fondle them with interest.
Etienne released a low growl at the caress, then lowered himself over her to claim her lips once more. Passion burst between them, hot and unstoppable, and the time for exploration was over. It felt as if they had been apart forever and the need between them wouldn't be denied. It was like a brushfire, burning bright and furious. Their kisses became almost rough, and she scraped her nails up his back as his hands roamed her body, then dug them into the backs of his upper arms and arched beneath him as he slid one hand between her legs to press against the leather of her skirt.
"I need you," she gasped. It was a demand, not a plea, and was accompanied by Rachel reaching between them with one hand to clasp him through his jeans.
Etienne's reaction was immediate. He lifted himself briefly to kneel between her legs on the couch, pushed her skirt up the few inches necessary, grasped her panties and, rather than draw them down, simply snapped the sides of the flimsy silk so that it fell away like so much flotsam. He was undoing his jeans as he came back down on top of her, then he slid one hand under her bottom, lifted her slightly, and slid into her as she wrapped her legs around his hips.
Rachel groaned with relief as he entered her, her body welcoming and holding him tightly as he groaned at her ear. Then he began to move, and they were both swept up in the moment; striving, almost fighting for the release they needed. Etienne made sure Rachel found hers first, but the moment she cried out and clenched around him as it claimed her, he said, "Thank God" through clenched teeth and allowed himself to join her. Then he collapsed on top of her and they lay panting together.
Etienne was the first to stir. Releasing a wry, still breathless laugh, he shifted them on the couch so that he lay flat on his back and she now lay splayed on top of him, limp as a rag doll.
"Well, that was..." His voice was husky and he let the words trail off.
"Hmmm..." Rachel murmured, then lifted her head to grin at him lazily. "Want to do it again?"
Chuckling, he clasped his arms around her and hugged her close. "Love to. You good to go?"
"Oh yes, I--" She stopped abruptly and lifted her head again, her eyes wide.
"What?" he asked with concern.
"I didn't faint," she said with amazement. "That's the first time I haven't fainted."
"Then I definitely didn't do it right," Etienne decided and sat up, forcing her up with him.
"Oh, but I... er... enjoyed it as much as usual," Rachel said, aware that she was blushing but unable to stop it. "Maybe more. It was pretty hot."