He looked up, his fingers tracing back and forth softly across her slick, sensitive entrance. ‘You want me to what?’
Panting, she swore at the amusement in his eyes. ‘You know already.’
‘How bad do you want it?’
She rocked harder into his hand. ‘You know that already too.’
‘I want you to tell me.’
He wanted it all? She reached, clenching his shoulders. ‘Take me so hard I won’t be able to walk.’
His cheeks flushed, his face went stern as determination gripped him. ‘That hard?’
‘Harder.’ She wanted the furthest spectrum of pleasure. From him she’d settle for nothing less. This one night? This was all hers.
But he didn’t rise and lie against her as she expected. No, nothing was as she expected tonight. He stood and finally removed his boxers, got the protection.
She sat up, mouth watering. ‘You want me to—’
‘No.’ A pained refusal. ‘I won’t last,’ he growled.
He got onto the bed behind her, angling her slightly so they faced that reflection on the diagonal. He drew her to her knees, spreading them so his fitted between. His thighs were rock solid beneath hers. His erection strained against her soft flesh.
‘Oh,’ she gasped.
‘Watch.’
She turned, gasped again at the erotic image in the window. She could see him behind her. His gaze met hers in that mirror. He held her waist firm in his hands and then encouraged her to rise up a little.
She did.
‘Watch.’ He leaned back, positioned her above him.
The instruction wasn’t necessary—she couldn’t tear her gaze from the sight of him thrusting upwards, from the sight of her swallowing him whole as he impaled her on him in one swift bite.
She screamed her joy. The excitement of watching their bodies fuse was too much. As was watching the play of his hand, now slipping down over her stomach to strum between her legs, the rippling of his thigh muscles as he flexed his hips, bumping her over and over, the sway of her own breasts—until he clutched them in his other palm. And then she watched the slide of his thumb over her nipples. She gasped for air, gasped to retain her sanity. And failed. Meeting his eyes in the reflection—she saw the glazed heat of lust that she felt mirrored within him too. The uncontrolled, animal lust. Until she couldn’t watch any more. It was so overwhelming, she had to close her eyes to combat the intensity of the sensations. Because all this while, he was inside her, stroking deep, deep, deep inside her.
‘Ellie,’ he warned.
But she couldn’t bear it any more. It was too hot, too intense—she just wanted another release now.
He moved. Lifting her, leaving her.
‘Ruben.’ She was furious, spun to face him, to pull him back.
But he pushed her down and, seeing the look on his face, she went, ecstatic. Lying back, panting, grateful for the cool cotton sheet beneath her. He loomed above, looking right into her eyes. There was no mistaking she was getting it all now.
All inhibition gone, all sense of reality gone, she smiled.
He held her apart, bent his head and kissed her. Then let her feel the immense power of him. She shook. This was what she’d wanted—his weight. All his weight pressing on her. Filling her. Almost smothering her with his strength. Her fingers spread, clutching his biceps, sliding round to his back to simply try to hang on. She arched her hips, trying to widen her legs more to cope with him. He owned her then. Thrusting again and again, filling her until her pleasure overflowed, releasing in harsh flashes, her nails digging, her screams raw as she revelled in his assault. She still couldn’t get enough.
‘Hell, you’re demanding,’ he choked. He gripped her hair and tilted her head back so he could see into her eyes. ‘How much more do you want?’
‘Every last damn bit,’ she answered, throaty, unashamed, ravenous.
He threw back his head and thrust harder than ever. Slow and violent and so deep her groan was ripped from the core of her. It wasn’t about fantasy any more; there was no game, no tease in his action. He was as unleashed, as uninhibited and as out of control as she. And she adored it.
Sweat slicked between their hot bodies. Skin sizzled where it touched, the burn such a pleasure she pushed closer still. Their movements deepened again, relentless, the pace now insane. She didn’t want it to stop, never ever to stop. Yet she couldn’t bear it a second longer.
He swore. ‘I feel you, I can feel you—’
He broke off as her scream rose high, echoing round the unforgiving peaks of the mountains.
A long time later all she heard was his rough, rapid panting. His groan as he tried to control the frantic beat of his heart. Their sweat mingled. He was too heavy for her to push against. She didn’t care. It was a heavenly way to suffocate.
With a pained moan he shifted slightly to the side. ‘Can you breathe?’
‘Just about.’ Her throat was sore, she’d screamed so loud. Heat flooded her cheeks—not the lust kind. She’d been so abandoned.
He turned his head sharply. ‘Don’t regret a thing about it,’ he said. ‘Most awesome experience of my life.’
She nodded.
‘It was even better than before,’ he whispered. He shook his head hopelessly. ‘All I want now is to do it all again. Again. Again.’ He rolled right onto his back and growled up at the ceiling. ‘But I have to catch my breath.’
And scratchy-voiced she reminded them both. ‘Only tonight.’
HE WAS fitter than she, because he recovered far more quickly than she’d thought possible. But he was oh-so-kind, and let her just lie back while he explored. Deeply.
And then he leaned over her. ‘Are you hungry?’
‘You can’t be serious.’ She was aghast.
He roared with laughter. ‘No, I mean your stomach.’
‘Oh, that. Yes.’
He disappeared down the ladder and came back with long-life food. Yeah, muesli bars had never tasted so good.
‘High energy.’ He handed her a can. ‘Drink that and have some chocolate. Not exactly gourmet but perfect given all that’s required of you in the next ten hours.’
All that was required of her? Oh, she liked these demands. ‘Aren’t you planning to sleep at all?’ She’d thought he’d been teasing about that, but now she wasn’t so sure.
‘Not a wink.’
Two hours later Ellie was convinced he’d want to sleep now. But the crazy thing was, although she was physically exhausted, the last thing she felt like was sleeping. ‘Can we turn the lantern out?’ she asked.
‘No.’ Ruben refused to let that happen. He didn’t want to lose an hour of this to sleep.
‘What if I promise to say your name, repeatedly, so you know I know who I’m with.’
He chuckled. ‘Why do you want it out? You know we’re not actually going to sleep any tonight.’
‘I want to see the stars.’
He