him instead of at the sky.
He glanced down at her, his eyes turned mysterious by the moon, holding a glint of that silvery light in them. Making a sound very like a growl low in his throat, he pulled her to him and covered her mouth with his. Her lips parted in welcome and the moon vanished, the stars, the mountain, everything but Bram.
Minutes later, or maybe hours, she couldn't tell, Bram, his arm around her waist, urged her toward the sleeping bags. "Moonlight becomes you," he murmured in her ear, his warm breath sending a shiver of delight through her.
Moonlight altered everything to unreality, she thought, feeling as though she were floating over the ground.
When they reached the sleeping bags, Bram crouched, zipped both of them open, reached for her hand and pulled her down so that they both lay on their backs.
"See the stars," he said softly, raising himself onto one elbow and looking down at her. "I see them in your eyes."
Whether or not the stars were reflected in her eyes, the truth was she was truly starry-eyed, relishing his every word, his every touch.
"All I see is you," she told him, reaching to place her palm against his cheek.
As he lowered his head to kiss her, he murmured something that sounded like "Lighting the fuse."
His kiss, hot and deep, sent tiny fires burning inside her. She wanted more and more, needed to be closer and closer. At the same time she wished the moment could stretch out and last forever.
Her hands tangled in his hair as she held him to her, their bodies fitted against each other. Her clothes vanished one by one as he caressed her where she longed to be touched. He undressed, too, and they clung together, flesh to flesh. Urgency thrummed through her as the fires inside her burned brighter and hotter. "Bram," she whispered against his lips, unable to say more than his name.
When at last they joined together, she was quivering with need, the quivers changing to a rhythm that matched his. It was everything, it was, it was....
Her mind couldn't hold her thoughts and they exploded into radiating colors as she reached the peak and soared. Nestled close to Bram afterwards, the second sleeping bag pulled over them, Vala's drowsy comment was mixed with wonder. No one had ever made her feel this way before.
"Rockets," Bram murmured.
Vala blinked. "Rockets?"
"I was right about us."
If that made any sense. But, in a way, it did.
After a while, he said, "Sorry I yelled at you about coddling Davis. It can't be easy being a single parent."
"That's okay. You gave me something to think about."
"Let's think about this instead," he said, running a caressing hand over the curve of her hip.
She was more than willing to.
As she came down the second time, the last thing she remembered thinking was: So it wasn't a one-time phenomenon. When she woke the sky was still dark, with the stars shining overhead, but the moon had dropped from sight.
Her back was cuddled against Bram and, though he breathed in the deep, even rhythm of sleep, she could feel his arousal pulsing against her, sending an erotic message she couldn't resist.
Half-awake, Bram wasn't sure if he was having a fantastic dream or if Vala was really lying next to him, touching him. Her scent surrounded him, adding to the sensual haze he drifted in as she caressed his arousal.
When she pushed him so he rolled onto his back, he woke up fully, just in time to appreciate every nuance of feeling as she settled herself over him. She was so soft and sweet, her skin like silk under his hands.
It thrilled him that she'd taken control this time, initiating making love. Even as a kid he'd suspected Vala wasn't what she appeared to be on the surface--timid and self-effacing. Maybe that's why he'd been so intrigued by her. He'd wanted to get beneath that facade.
His thoughts melted in the heat of her driving him up and up until he caught her cry of completion in his mouth and exploded himself.
Laying with her in his arms afterwards, he said, "I knew we'd go up together like rockets if we ever got the fuse properly lit."
"But how do we get it unlit?" she asked.
At the moment, sleepy and temporarily satiated, he couldn't care less.
Bram roused when the coyotes started singing again at dawn. He lay for a moment, breathing in the crisp mountain air, enjoying the feel of Vala's warm