She'd been empty for months, lonely, aching. But as Daniel filled her, she understood how truly empty she'd been for so very long before that.
Arms wrapped around him, binding him to her, she whispered, "Don't move yet." She needed the feel of him to imprint itself inside her.
"Am I hurting you?"
"No." He was bigger than anyone she'd known, but he was Daniel--he could never hurt her. "I'm memorizing the feel of you," she confessed.
A surprised laugh burst from him a beat before he flexed inside her. She half laughed, half groaned at his sexy move. "Do that again."
When he did, she was amazed by how deliciously the slight tensing increased the friction inside her.
Laughter was soon taken over by desire and heat as she folded her legs around his waist and demanded, "More."
His movements were dizzying as he slowly, relentlessly, gave rise to the sweetest pleasure. She moaned again, parting her lips, and he raised his head from the crook of her neck to take her with a deep kiss that invaded her body, her mind.
Making her utterly, inexorably his.
*
Daniel had never been this close to losing control. He'd wanted a slow ride, stroking her inside just enough to keep her on edge, until she begged for more.
But Tasha undid him completely.
Unable to stop his body from taking over, pushing faster, harder, deeper, cupping her hips, he took them both on a desperate ride into the depths of pleasure. His blood pounded through him as her fingers dug into him, urging him on. Even her scent changed to something spicy and hot.
With her body gripping him tightly, her pleasure reached its peak and exploded around him, the sensations so intense she brought him straight to heaven with her.
When he finally came back to earth, their bodies were slick and hot, melded together. As though they were one. He didn't want to move, couldn't let her go.
She mumbled something unintelligible, and he kissed her damp forehead, brushing her hair back as she said more clearly, "I'm not usually like that, so wild. I don't--"
He hushed her with a finger to her lips. "I loved every moment with you. Exactly the way you were. Carried away. Out of yourself. Wild. That's how I felt too." He gazed at her, wanting so much more. "Come to bed with me and we can be wild all over again." He waited for her to balk, his gut tensed.
"I'll only come to your bed," she said in a husky voice, "if you promise to do that to me again."
He gathered her close, loving how she made him laugh, how she made him shout with pleasure. "How could I not?" Then he flexed inside her, the way she'd loved, to prove his point.
He adored the moan that rose in her. He wanted to hear it over and over. Not just all night long.
Forever.
Chapter Twenty
Daniel woke Tasha again and again in the night, for sweet, drugging kisses, to touch her and make her sigh and moan and gasp with pleasure, to fill her gloriously with his body, banishing her loneliness.
But now the one night she'd given herself to break free was over. With the sun shining brightly in her eyes, Tasha was struck by stark terror, her stomach literally lifting and dropping.
Even before she'd exiled herself to the mountains, any pleasure she'd previously experienced was nothing compared to what she now felt with Daniel. He didn't believe she needed to atone for any sins--but she was stricken anew with the sense that the happiness she'd found in his arms was yet again a betrayal of the people her family had hurt.
And there was Daniel himself. He was a billionaire, for God's sake. Despite his easygoing nature, never shoving his wealth in anyone's face, he still belonged to a world she'd only read about in magazines and books.
It was so tempting to run again. The way she'd been running for months.
But running was no longer the answer. Not even from this wellspring of emotion that was bigger than anything she'd ever known.
She scrunched her eyes shut, wishing it were night again, wishing she could stay burrowed in Daniel's warm, strong body forever. But no matter how desperately she wanted that, she couldn't ignore the fact that he'd be gone soon.
The thought of Daniel returning to the Bay Area and his home-improvement empire made her heart ache, even though she understood why he couldn't stay in the mountains. There were too many employees, friends, and family counting on him.
She would cherish the memory of their blissful night forever, but the demons she battled were still too big for her to believe that she and Daniel could become anything more than mountain lovers. And friends--she wouldn't cheapen what they'd shared by denying that they were friends too.
When he was gone, she would have to push past the ache inside her to focus on finding not only any outstanding victims of her family's scams who needed financial reparations, but also on locating her brother and father. She had to be sure they never played their dirty tricks again. She hadn't saved their past victims, but she would make certain there were none in the future.
As though they could feel her pain, the puppies started to whine, their cries wending along the hallway.
She pried the covers off, but Daniel was quicker. "You stay here. I'll let them out."
"I'll come with you."
But he was kissing her cheek, her ear, her hair, her shoulder. "I have plans for you and this bed. Lots more." He grinned that gorgeous, wicked smile of his as he slid away from her and left the bedroom.
It was obvious when he reached Spanky, Froggy, and Darla, because their excited yipping sounded like that of ten puppies instead of three.
She glanced at her watch, the only thing she'd worn in his bed. How the heck could it be nine a.m. already? She owed him hours and hours of work on his house to pay him back for all he and his friends had done for her.
Her clothes hung over the footboard--he must have brought them in last night after putting the puppies to bed--and she pulled on everything, intending to get fresh things at her place before returning here to work. Without a toothbrush or a comb, the best she could do was to put some toothpaste on the end of her finger to rub onto her teeth, and run her fingers through her hair to get out the worst of the tangles.
Only to stop as she remembered exactly how those tangles got there. His hands in her hair, his mouth on hers, the delirious abandon as she threw her head back against the pillows while he kissed and caressed her.
Her lips felt swollen from his endless kisses. Her whole body felt relaxed, sated. She closed her eyes and stretched, rolling her shoulders, letting her head fall back, reliving with every movement all their luscious lovemaking.
She didn't realize he'd entered the bedroom until his arms wrapped around her from behind. "You look just like you did last night, every time you came for me." He dropped kisses in her hair, the sensitive spot in the crook of her neck, making her tremble for him all over again. "Now that the puppies are settled, let's get back into bed."
"But it's already nine o'clock. I promised to work on your house with you."
"I'll show you exactly what we can work on," he whispered seductively, "right there, in that bed."
She was so languid and warm, she might have let him toss her right back under the covers. But her stomach growled. So loudly it was practically the roar of a lion.
"Hmm, sounds like I'd better feed you first." He waggled his eyebrows, so cute and absolutely too seductive. "We need to keep your strength up."
*
For Daniel, their night together had been flawless, dazzling. Tasha was inside him now, part of him. Even while they finished their breakfast outside on his deck, he wanted to pounce on her and have his wicked way with her in the glorious sun and the fresh air.
He could still taste her on his tongue, seducing his senses with her scent, and relished the memory of how she'd trembled against him. Even better, he understood there was no way Tasha would have allowed herself to make love to him if she hadn't felt at least an inkling of forgiveness and acceptance. Surely by now a part of her had to believe tha
t not everything about her family's con was her fault.
All he could think as she got up to clear their plates was that no one had ever made dishwashing sexy. Until Tasha.
He was such a goner. And he couldn't have been happier about it.
"So," she said, "what can I help you with today?"
A good half-dozen naughty responses leaped to his tongue. He was still picking his favorite when she held up her hand, clearly reading his dirty mind. Probably because she had one too--he'd confirmed that last night to the best of his ability, after all.
"While wearing a tool belt," she clarified.
Oh yeah. There were of plenty of fun things they could do together while she had on a tool belt. In fact--
He leaned forward to tap the bill of her cap. "We need to get you a special ball cap that says I do everything better with my tool belt on."
"Daniel." She pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow like a schoolmarm. The sexiest damn schoolmarm on the planet. And she was trying so hard not to smile. "We should work on your house."
Yesterday, he'd convinced her to take a little time off, but he obviously wouldn't get away with it twice. Still, even doing carpentry, he planned on getting away with plenty--teasing her until she begged, touching her on the sly, kissing her until she was delirious.
"Okay, we can get to work. But let's head up to your place, since finishing the paneling in your cabin is a two-person job and I've only got a day or two left before I need to head back to the office."
Tasha paled at his words, and though he never wanted to cause her pain, his heart gave a little kick at seeing her react to the idea of his leaving.
"I'm amazed you've been able to get away for this long." She was attempting nonchalance, but from where he stood, it seemed like she couldn't quite take in enough air.
He hated the thought of leaving her. Then it hit him: What if she came with him?
He'd spent his whole life looking for perfect, assuming that was where he'd find real happiness. Yet he'd found his greatest joy in the middle of what anyone would call a big fat mess.
A week ago he'd thought messes were to be avoided at all costs. Yet now he wanted that messiness with everything he was. Maybe the road was supposed to have bumps. Maybe working through those bumps together made you stronger.
The one thing he knew for sure was that Tasha belonged with him.
The only question was, how the heck to convince her to go back together?
Chapter Twenty-One
The fleeting time Daniel had left in Lake Tahoe played around and around in Tasha's head as they worked on her cabin's paneling.
He'd given her a taste of how wonderful they could be together. How good it was to talk, to work side by side, to play with the puppies together. Not to mention the tantalizing, sexy feelings he evoked in her.
Delicious sensations that bubbled up every time his hand brushed hers when they lifted a panel. Or when his touch lingered after he'd handed her a tool. Or when he stood so close she felt faint from the delicious heat of his body and his spicy scent.
With his shirt off, his jeans riding low on his hips, and his tanned skin covered in a sheen of sweat, he was the epitome of the sexy construction worker.
Tasha's mouth watered.
"Hold it here," he directed, and his words, especially his tone, dragged her back to last night in his sleigh bed when he'd given her the most glorious sensual commands imaginable.
As she held the panel in place against the wall, he shifted behind her, his body sliding against her, the scent of the soap he'd used in the shower surrounding her.
He was doing it on purpose, touching her like this, the contact making her dizzy. Fifteen minutes ago, he'd kissed her until she nearly swooned like a Southern belle who'd laced her corset too tightly. Then he'd gone right back to hanging the next piece of paneling, a grin playing around the edges of his mouth.
Needing to cool off a bit--her concentration was so bad at this point she might accidentally cut off a finger--she said, "I'm just going to check the puppies."
Of course they were fine. They had plenty of water in their pen, and after they'd scarfed down some kibble, they became so energized that a wrestling match ensued among all three. Tasha was pleased that Darla had grown strong enough to hold her own with her two bulkier brothers. Even better, she was usually the winner with her quick and wily moves.
Returning to the bedroom, Tasha almost swooned--again. Daniel stood spread-eagled against the wall, hammering a piece high up. The work was seamless as he stepped back to inspect it.
The paneling be damned--he was all she saw. The play of muscles across his broad back. Lean hips in well-worn jeans. She was speechless. Dizzy with lust.
Her heart beat wildly as she crossed the room. The clomp of her tool belt hitting the floor should have alerted him, but he didn't turn. Part of the tease, she was sure, because he had to know how edible he looked, so much so that she was dying to take a bite out of him.
Gliding her arms around him from behind, she slid her hands along his waist. Without second-guessing herself, she unbuckled his tool belt and tossed it aside with a thunk. Then she popped the button of his jeans.
She'd never been this bold with a man. But Daniel gave her the courage to do the things she wanted, to say the things she'd always kept inside. With him, she forgot her natural inhibitions. Yet, in all the things they'd done last night, this--giving him the same pleasure he'd given her so many times in the night--hadn't been one of them. She'd been so fevered and wild, she could think of nothing else but being with him.
As he turned to face her, the need burning in his eyes made her feel powerful and wonderful and free. And happy enough to wipe out, for another few blissful moments, the turmoil of her past.
Throwing herself at him, she kissed him with all the pent-up desire he was so expert at building inside her. She ran her fingers down his rock-hard chest, over his incredible abs, down to the zipper of his jeans. He was so hard, so big, she could barely get the zipper down. Her hands shook--all of her shook--with the desperation to feel him, to taste him, to make love to him.
She curled her fingers around him even as she dropped to her knees and pulled him free. She wet her lips, tingling from head to toe with need. "You really are magnificent."
"So are you," he said.
She felt magnificent in this moment. What they were doing wasn't coarse or crude. It was sexy. It was honest.
And it was beautiful.
"Just one more thing." He tossed her ball cap aside and pulled the elastic from her hair, letting the tresses float over her shoulders.
She couldn't wait a moment longer, didn't give herself time to worry she might be bad at it. She could never be bad at something she wanted this much.
There was the pleasure of his taste, the decadent feel of him against her tongue, and the lovely knowledge of her effect on him. His groans were husky, the words falling from his lips sweet and filthy, his legs shaking as though he could barely stand.
He shoved his fingers through her hair and held her as his hips took over the rhythm. She reveled in his surrender as much as his taste.
Then he hauled her up, anchoring her legs around his waist. "I love what you're doing. But I need more. I need you." He stalked with her out to the living room, where her air mattress lay in the corner.
"Wait, we can't do it there." She almost laughed at her practical side rearing itself now, of all times. "It'll burst."
"If it does, I'll get you a new one." Then he grinned, utterly confident that he had her right where he wanted her. And right where she wanted to be. "Or you can sleep in my bed from now on."
They'd never get up if they slept in his sleigh bed. They almost hadn't this morning. He dropped hot little kisses on her mouth, her cheeks, her nose, her eyes, and the idea blossomed that maybe, oh yes, positively, staying in bed all day with Daniel wasn't a bad idea at all.
He knelt, letting her fall back before he came down on top of her, her legs still
wrapped around him. "See, it didn't burst."
"Yet," she said, tossing out her challenge with a laugh. She'd never known making love could be so much fun. But this was Daniel and everything about him was incredible.
"Do you have any idea what that tool belt and those shorts of yours have been doing to me all morning?" He slid his fingers into the fabric, cupping her hips. "It was like you didn't have anything else on."
She could only moan in response as he touched her in all the right places.
"I want to take you so slowly," he whispered, "that you're panting."
She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him down, her lips on his. "I'd rather have you really fast and hard."
"We'll do both." He kissed her into agreement, then came close to ripping her shorts in his haste to get her naked, settling for letting them dangle from one leg.
Then, with little more than shoving his jeans over his hips, he entered her.
Fast.
Hard.
Perfect.
She gasped as he filled every bit of her, even the part of her heart she swore had emptied itself out forever that horrible day back in February.
Then he moved ever so slowly, and she gripped his shoulders, the solid feel of him beneath her fingers keeping her from floating away. It was the stuff of fantasies, the way things felt when you closed your eyes and imagined. Only, this was real.
He was real.
"I think...I think..." What was she thinking? Oh God, she couldn't think at all. "I need to be on top." She wanted to stretch her arms over her head and ride him.
"I need you there too." He rolled with her, and they fell off the bed onto the floor, laughing.
But even laughing with him was sexy, and soon her eyes were closing as he found just the right spot inside.
"God, yes," he growled, "you feel good."
Every touch, every kiss, every taste and lick, everything they did was completely delicious. His fingers only made it better as he yanked off her shirt and bra and splayed his hands over her breasts, shooting jolts of pleasure straight down to her center.
She closed her eyes as she gathered her hair in her hands and curled her arms over her head, her body quivering with every slip-slide over that wonderful spot inside her.