TALL DARK AND HUNGRY Page 0,76
way to stop the moan that rose from deep in her throat. Her embar¬rassment died the moment she felt Bastien begin to harden again beneath her thigh, which lay draped over his hips. It seemed she wasn't the only one who still had a little more fire left.
Beneath her, Bastien felt his need for the woman in his arms stir again, and he almost groaned. He couldn't be ready again already. But he was. Just the way Terri gasped and shifted against him stirred his passion to life once more, making him immediately hard. He didn't recall ever wanting anyone this much, or ever being this hungry for a woman. Even Josephine hadn't fanned the flames of his desire like Terri could with a mere murmur of pleasure. The way she had moved against him earlier--the way she'd moaned, and cried out, and clawed at him--had all conspired to elevate his excitement to unbearable levels. Now it was hap¬pening again; his body coming alive like never before.
Catching her by the waist, Bastien shifted Terri over him so that they rested hip to hip. He kissed her, his mouth demanding what she was offering. Then he caught her by the backs of her thighs and urged her legs apart so that she half straddled him. He wanted to enter her now, let her warm wetness close tight around him and down his length, but he wor¬ried that it was too soon. It was clear from the things she'd said that Terri hadn't had a lover since her hus¬band's death, and Bastien didn't want to leave her sore and aching from too much too quickly. Unfor¬tunately, his body wasn't as reasonable, and his hips shifted of their own accord, pushing upward and grinding against her.
Terri immediately moaned into his mouth and ground back. She slid across his sex where it swelled between their bodies. Aware that she was as excited as he, Bastien decided it would be cruel to stop. He'd just avoid making love to her this time. He'd pleasure them both without actually entering her; and his hands found her breasts and began to gently knead.
Gasping into his mouth, Terri placed her palms on his chest. She levered herself upward so that she sat atop him. Once she had her balance, her hands cov¬ered his and she intertwined their fingers, urging him to caress her more firmly as she slid along his shaft again. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted slightly upward so that her long chestnut hair trailed down her back, and Bastien in fascination watched the play of emotions glide over her face. Pleasure, need, des¬peration--all crossed her features as she writhed back and forth over him. Then her eyes popped open and she speared him with a look he recognized at once. Bastien had seen it before. He'd been watching her face as he pleasured her with his mouth, and that same uncertainty and fear had claimed her just before she found release against his tongue.
"Please." It was one word with a wealth of mean¬ing: Please pleasure me. Please keep me safe. Please take me where my body wants to go. Perhaps even: Please love me.
"Please," she repeated, then added with a sort of helpless frustration, "I can't..."
Unable to restrain himself anymore, Bastien rose up on the couch and shifted them so that he was seated properly, with her astride him. Then, despite his earlier intentions, he reached between them and guided himself inside her.
A small sigh of relief slid from her lips as Terri eased onto him, her arms slipping around his shoul¬ders. Bastien caught that sigh in a kiss, and grasped her hips and began to urge her to move, controlling the rhythm as their bodies slid together, working to¬ward the release they both wanted and needed.
Terri suddenly broke the kiss and pressed her cheek to his, gasping in his ear, "Bastien. Please."
Turning his head, he caught her neck in his mouth and felt his teeth slide out. Her vein pulsed between his lips. He almost bit, almost sank his teeth into her tender flesh and drank from her. It was an automatic animal instinct, but he caught himself and tore his mouth away, forcing his fangs to retract.
"Please," she groaned once more, and Bastien again claimed her lips, this time in a violent kiss. He'd had that same biting instinct the first time they'd made love, wanting to hold her in place with his teeth like a cat, but he'd fought it then