Summer Temptation: Waking Up In The Wrong Bed / Once a Rebel... / The Devil and the Deep

He pulled a handful of pillowslips from the linen box and threw them at her. ‘I like pillows.’

‘So it’s not just for the luxury look at the lodge?’ She quickly covered a few and tossed them onto the now sheet-covered bed. ‘How many do you have on your bed?’

He shrugged. ‘Enough.’

‘You cuddle a pillow,’ she teased.

‘At least it’s not a soft toy,’ he said, defensively snappy.

She giggled.

‘I’m going to show you just how useful a couple of extra pillows can be,’ he threatened.

Ellie swallowed, her toes curling in her socks.

‘Except we should probably eat something first.’

Oh, he just had to be kidding. Was he deliberately torturing her? She shook her head and pushed her hands into her jeans pockets. ‘I’m not very hungry.’

She wanted action. She wanted to be done with the ache that had haunted her so long. She wanted to burn the memory of that night. So she undid the first button of her blouse, then the second.

For a moment, he watched her. Then—to her relief—he moved. She smiled, hoping he was going to take over; she wasn’t entirely comfortable with her attempted striptease. But to her surprise he moved only to switch on the battery-powered lantern that hung in one corner.

She paused. Completely self-conscious now.

‘Oh, no,’ he murmured. ‘Don’t stop. I didn’t have the pleasure of seeing you last time.’

She couldn’t.

He smiled. And that was when she saw the sheen of sweat on him—the film of heat that hadn’t been there even after he’d lugged her up the mountain for five minutes. No, this sign of tension in him was new. And empowering. ‘Only if you do the same for me.’

His wickedness flashed. ‘You want me to strip for you?’

‘Oh, yes.’ She undid the last buttons and let her shirt fall. ‘I go no further until you’ve matched me.’

She hadn’t even blinked before that ‘Lucky’ tee shirt was whisked over his head and on the floor already. He unfastened his jeans. To her delight, he didn’t take his briefs down with the denim. They were the close-fitting knit boxer type. They fitted him well.

‘This is all for you, Ellie.’ He knew exactly where she was looking.

‘You and your size thing,’ she mumbled.

‘I’m not the one with body-conscious issues,’ he taunted softly. ‘But trust me,’ he said. ‘Look at me. Look at what you do to me. I want you so much it hurts.’

And she wanted it all.

‘So now it’s your turn,’ he said.

She slipped out of her jeans, taking her socks off—but, like him, leaving that last layer.

‘Lace.’ He nodded. ‘Like your slip that night.’ His gaze roved over her. ‘You like the feel of it?’

‘I like the feel of you.’ She stepped towards him.

‘Uh-uh.’ He shook his head and backed a pace. ‘It’s not going to be quick this time.’

She needed it to be. She wanted that orgasm so badly. She licked her lower lip, so hot, so ready. So wanting. And given the pressure the front of his briefs was under, he was too. And so she went to the bed, removing her bra in the two paces it took to get there. She slipped off her knickers and stretched out on the mattress. Daring him to deny her now.

His grin disappeared for a moment as he watched her recline. Good, it was about time he felt as bothered as she was. Only then, to her surprise, his smile came back—more wicked than ever. He leaned over and took her hand, pulling her to sit up.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to star in a movie, Ellie?’ he asked quietly.

‘What?’ Why wouldn’t he just hurry up and lie down with her?

‘Look at the window.’ His voice a wicked tease, an invitation to decadence.

The night sky was now black—the moon had waned to the thinnest of crescents that threw little light. The stars not bright enough to fight back against the glow of the lantern in their room. So the window reflected the scene within—it had become a mirror.

‘No one can see us. There isn’t anyone for miles,’ he said between teasing kisses everywhere on her face but her mouth. ‘But we can see us. You can see us. You can watch.’ He stepped in front of her, turned his back to the window and dropped to his knees.

She put her hand to her mouth when she saw what he meant. The clarity of their images. She was transfixed.

‘Life-size screen,’ he muttered, pressing a kiss to her throat.

He had to feel how her heart was racing. ‘Ruben...’

‘The lantern stays on,’ he said firmly. ‘The lantern stays on all night.’ It was a decree. ‘I want you to know it’s me.’

That stabbed. ‘I know that already.’

‘All night,’ he reiterated firmly. And then he kissed lower—down her neck, across her collarbones.

And she watched. Excitement liquefied her bones. Her body went as lax as a doll—his to toy with. Oh, yeah, she was starring in her own blue movie.

She licked her dried lips. ‘I’ve never watched this kind of movie before.’

‘Time you did.’ He reached her breasts. ‘But only with me.’

‘Ellie Summers, porn star.’

‘Ellie Summers, ultimate temptation.’ He thumbed her taut nipple and looked up at her sceptical expression. ‘You don’t believe me?’

‘I think you’re quite good at saying nice things.’

‘I’m quite good at doing nice things too. Things that feel nice.’ He returned to task.

‘Oh, my,’ she breathed.

‘You’ve never watched a woman be pleasured?’