at her, pulling her, pushing her, wanting her closer, straining to be inside her.
Faster, harder, the sweet friction against his cock drove him mad. The room around him blurred but not her. She remained as sharp and as focused in his vision. Constant. Beautiful. His.
Yes, she was his. She just didn't know it yet.
His balls drew up painfully. Fire gathered at the base and pushed upward, burning a path up his cock, holding, wavering. God. Then he erupted with a muffled gasp, jerking, heaving uncontrollably.
He couldn't get enough of her, couldn't get inside her deep enough. Her cry seared a path to his soul. His woman. His pleasure.
Gathering her fully into his arms, he held her while she went liquid around him, her legs weak and shaking as they slid down the length of his limbs. He held her, supported her, didn't want to let her go.
He inhaled her scent, holding it and savoring her natural sweetness with the musky scent of their passion. Addiction.
Her hands trailed down his back, tentative, as if she expected to be reprimanded. He closed his eyes, luxuriating in her touch, the silky feel of those wonderful hands. Hands that he'd spent so many hours enjoying, fantasizing about when he wasn't with her. Hands that knew him intimately, that had touched every inch of his body.
Just for a moment, he let her, because the alternative was pulling away.
"Beautiful," he whispered against her skin softly, so she wouldn't hear.
Beautiful He'd called her beautiful. At first she thought she'd imagined it, so faint was his whisper, but the word had spilled over her skin and carried to her ears.
It aroused her in a way no physical motions ever would.
They lay there, him blanketing her, her infused with his warmth, their bodies still joined. Finally he stirred, withdrawing from her with careful ease.
Coolness rolled over her skin, and she hugged her arms to her chest in a protective measure against the loss of his heat. To her surprise—and dismay—she heard the rustle of clothing and then the sound of the door opening. And closing.
Disappointment rendered her motionless. She lay there on the bed, arms folded over her middle as the chill settled more firmly over her.
They were gone. Just like that.
The door opened again, and her heart leapt. Gentle hands— different hands—soothed over her shoulders and then to the sash around her eyes.
She blinked at the sudden light, and Cole's face came into focus as he stared down at her.
"They wanted to give you a break," he said. 'Tm having a tray brought up with something to eat and drink. If you're willing, they'll be back in half an hour."
She struggled to sit up, and he reached for her hand to help her. Yes, he'd seen her naked, but it was still discomfiting to sit around in the buff while they discussed her sexual debauchery.
"Thank you," she said huskily. "And yes . . . I'm willing."
Cole smiled, and his blue eyes twinkled. "They are lucky men to have such a willing woman."
She glared for a moment before realizing he was yanking her chain. "Damon's told you about me, I take it."
"Not in so many words. There are some things about a woman that a man doesn't need to be told. Take you, for instance. Strong willed. Beautiful. Defiant. Not a woman a man could ever easily rein in."
Beautiful. As odd flutter scuttled in her stomach. The word seemed to come so naturally to the men here, as if they appreciated the female form in all its varieties and not just those generally accepted in society.
She cocked her eyebrow as his other words settled in. "Why the hell would you want to rein a woman in?"
He chuckled. "Why indeed? I think, Julie, that you are a woman who is all the more breathtaking for that fact."
A flush of pleasure spread over her cheeks.
"You think I'm flattering you."
She shook her head slowly. "No, Cole. I think for whatever reason, the men here are different."
He eyed her questioningly.
"It would seem that Damon has the good sense to surround himself with men who appreciate and celebrate the differences in women. Not the sameness."
Cole flashed her a gentle smile. "I'd say you have the good sense not to listen to the men who don't appreciate your differences."
"Damn straight," she said with a grin.
"I'm very tempted to dismiss the two men who wait so anxiously to make love to you again," he murmured.
Her eyes widened. "Now why would you do that?"
"So I could have