Fire and Desire (Arabesque) (17 page)

“I’m glad. I’d much rather see her with Trevor than in the hands of those terrorists.”

Justin couldn’t help but agree. “I’m sure Corinthians’s family feels the same way. Dex talked to her parents this morning and assured them that Trevor was capable of keeping their daughter safe. I think they were relieved to hear it.”

“That was thoughtful of Dex to do that. I’m sure that was reassuring news to them.”

“Dex thought so, until he talked to Joshua Avery, Corinthians’s brother.”

Lorren lifted an arched eyebrow. “The senator?”

“Yes, the senator now, the governor of Texas later, if Avery has his way. It seems that although he’s glad his sister is safe from the terrorists, he’s concerned with how it looks for her to be spending days and nights alone in the jungle with a man. He had the nerve to question Dex on Trevor’s character. I don’t want to think about what Dex might have told him. He asked the wrong person.”

Lorren couldn’t help but laugh. She totally agreed with her husband. Of the three Madaris brothers, Dex was
not
the one to cross. He was a real no-nonsense man. “I can’t believe Senator Avery would actually be concerned about such a thing. Corinthians and Trevor were staying at the same hotel with rooms that were apparently close enough to each other for Trevor to have gotten her out of the hotel that time of night with him.”

“I agree, and I think that’s what is bothering Avery. No doubt he’s wondering just how close their rooms were and if there’s a possibility something is going on between them.”

“Why would that concern him? Corinthians is a grown woman.”

Justin inwardly smiled. He decided now was not the time to remind her she had taken a similar stand upon discovering something was going on between his brother Clayton and her best friend Syneda.

“Avery is a politician, straight to the bone. And he doesn’t want anyone, family or otherwise, screwing up his future political plans by letting their behavior and actions reflect negatively on him,” he said. “According to Dex, Avery mentioned that there’s some sheikh’s son in Washington who’s interested in Corinthians. He was the one who took her to that dinner in Senator Nedwyn Lansing’s honor a few weeks back. Avery is pushing the relationship for his gain.”

Lorren frowned in deep concentration. “Oh, I remember seeing Corinthians with her date that night. And I have to admit the guy was quite a looker, a real hunk. Syneda saw him first, then she showed him to me. I showed him to Caitlin.”

Justin raised a dark brow. “Oh, really? I wonder what Dex and Clayton would think if they knew our wives were at that dinner checking out other men.”

Lorren smiled sweetly. She turned in Justin’s lap and wrapped her arms around his neck. “They wouldn’t think anything about it. Although we did give the man a little more than a cursory glance, the three of us concluded the Madaris brothers were the best-looking men there that night. Hands down.”

Justin chuckled as he tilted Lorren’s mouth close to his. “I see you cleaned that one up rather quickly.”

He pulled Lorren closer to him. “You’re too beautiful for your own good,” he said as he placed a kiss on her lips.

“Even though I’m fast approaching thirty?”

“The older you get, the better you get. I can prove it to you.”

A smile curved Lorren’s lips. “Then prove it.”

Justin stood with her in his arms. He was through seeing patients today, and he had a couple of hours before he had to go into town to pick up their eight-year-old son, Vincent, from school. He also knew that Lorren had just put their two-year-old daughter, Justina, to bed for a nap, and had done likewise to their seven-month-old son, Christopher.

“Your wish is my command, sweetheart,” he said as he headed upstairs to their bedroom, carrying her in his arms.

F
or the first time in his life, Trevor felt he was about to snap. Intense fury mounted within him. Never before had any woman driven him to anger so deeply and so quickly. He forced himself to take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

He was tempted to go back inside the cave and have it out with Corinthians once and for all, and tell her exactly how he felt. But he couldn’t do that. Although she was stripping bare his needs, emotions and control, he still had his pride. He refused to let her strip him of that.

He had forced himself to accept that although he loved her, she was in love with someone else. He had not wanted to fall in love with her; he had fought it to the very end, until he could not do anything else but admit those feelings to himself. And knowing she loved Dex, he had decided to be a patient man and wait for her to get over it. But the words she had just spoken to him made him wonder if she ever would get over it. And if she didn’t, where did that leave him?

He didn’t want to think about that possibility. He loved her and was powerless to do anything but hang in there and use whatever means he had to to eventually win her love. He was not a person who gave up easily. One ace he held was the attraction they had for each other. She could not deny the fact that although she did not love him, she desired him as much as he desired her. That was evident each time he held her in his arms, and every time they kissed.

For once, he would not consider playing fair. The knowledge that her desire for him was just as great as his desire for her filled him with renewed determination.

Corinthians Avery would soon discover she had finally pushed him to his limit. And when pushed to the limit, he was a force to reckon with.

Corinthians angrily paced the confines of the cave. Okay, so she had made a bad call in planning Dex’s seduction that night. She had tried admitting that to Trevor, but had he listened? No! He had not wanted to hear anything she had to say and had walked out on her.

Fine,
she thought.
Let him be that way. I could care less. I can’t wait until I’m rescued, and I hope I never see him again.

Even as she thought those words, she knew she was lying to herself. As much as she was angry with him right now, she knew she still loved him.

Hours later, she heard him reenter the cave. It had gotten dark outside, but tonight the fire blazing in the center of the room seemed brighter. She could make out his features and could tell his mood hadn’t changed. She watched as he walked over to his corner of the cave without even glancing her way. She glared across the room at him. As if he felt her glare, he looked at her, and his gaze seemed to pierce right through her. Turning, she decided to ignore him.

Trevor wondered how long it would be before the sexual bomb inside him exploded. He should have stayed outside. Being in such close quarters with Corinthians was going to drive him crazy, but for the life of him, he could not force himself to turn and walk out. He watched as she wandered around the room, trying to ignore him. But he did not intend to ignore her. He found a good spot in his corner of the cave where he could sit braced against the wall and blatantly stare at her. He put his arms behind his head and rested back against his hands. He didn’t give a hoot if it bothered her or not. And from the glares she gave him, the attention he was giving her was bothering her.

Lengthy silence continued to ensue between them. Minutes seemed to become hours, and he couldn’t help but wonder who would be the first to break it. He was adamant it would not be him. The heat from the fire and the heat he felt from watching Corinthians as she paraded around in his T-shirt made him begin to perspire. To find relief, he removed his shirt and tossed it aside. That helped some, but he still felt unbearably hot.

He lifted a brow when she began to hum. It seemed the more he stared at her, the louder she hummed. He watched her leave the cave and return moments later with her dry clothing. She then began folding the items in a neat stack. His brow lifted when she took the blanket and spread it on the floor. Her back was to him as she was bending over, attempting to bring some sort of order to the place where she would eventually bed down for the night. She was letting him know, in no uncertain terms, that no matter how cold it got tonight, she would not be sharing his heat again.

As he continued to watch her, the fire in his belly began to burn hotter, when the T-shirt she wore stretched tight across her hips with each and every movement she made. He blinked several times, took one long, shaky breath and held it. He was glad when she finally settled down on the blanket, retiring for the night.

Corinthians couldn’t sleep and refused to pretend that she could. She sat up and immediately felt the icy blast of Trevor’s stare from across the room. If he had nothing better to do than to sit there and stare at her all night, then let him. She was determined not to let him get next to her. When she heard him mutter a not so nice word, she turned to let her gaze fall upon him.

He had taken off his shirt, in deference to the heat. For the first time since he had entered the cave, he was no longer looking at her. He was gazing at the cave’s opening. The look on his face appeared indecisive as to whether or not he should go out or stay in. A part of her wanted him to leave, but then another part wanted him to stay.

A piece of wood shifted on the fire in the quiet stillness of the room, startling them both. Trevor suddenly turned around and met Corinthians’s eyes. Locked in his gaze, she watched as his nostrils flared and his breathing deepened. He then began walking toward her slowly, like a hunter stalking his prey.

She stood and started to take a few steps back, then decided against it. If he wanted a showdown, he was going to get it.

“Do you have any idea what I’m going through?” he asked in a steely voice when he stood directly in front of her.

“Whatever you’re going through, you brought on yourself,” she snapped.

“You think so?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I don’t. I think you know exactly what I’m going through, and you’re deliberately trying to drive me out of my mind.”

Tired, frustrated and having no idea what he was talking about, Corinthians stiffened her spine. “You’re nuts to even think such a thing. The problem with you, Trevor Grant, is that you’re used to having things your way. So don’t try dishing out a load of bull to me.”

“A load of bull?”

“Or a bunch of crap. Whichever terminology you prefer.”

Trevor’s laugh resembled a snort. He took a step closer to her. “Such words coming from a
lady?
”

Corinthians’s temper snapped. She was sick and tired of him taking potshots at her character. She shouted at him, “You are the most infuriating man I know. Do you hear me?”

“Every living thing on this mountain can hear you. You’re rather loud.”

Loud? He wanted loud? She would give him loud. She screamed the next words at the top of her voice. “Forget you, Trevor Grant!”

Something snapped inside Trevor. An angry sound rumbled deep in his throat. “Forget me? The hell you will! And I’m going to make damn sure you don’t!” he snarled moments before letting his mouth sweep down on hers.

At first Corinthians tried resisting his kiss by flattening her hands against his chest with the full intention of pushing him away. But she found herself locked tightly in his embrace as the strong hardness of his lips devoured hers. Then suddenly, her body stopped resisting him, and she responded to the seduction of his passion. She found herself parting her lips and demanding more of the taste he was giving her. The heat of her anger dissolved and was replaced with fire…red-hot fire. Passion inched through her veins and ignited full force. She returned Trevor’s kiss with equal, reckless abandonment as he smothered her mouth with demanding mastery. He drew her hard against his groin to let her feel his need and his desire.

His tongue claimed hers as he continued to take her mouth with savage intensity. When she felt his hands move down the length of her back and press her even closer to him, she moaned aloud. Her entire being was enflamed with fire and flooded with desire. Her body became one aching need of flesh.

His kiss was possessive and made her whimper with a need she finally acknowledged and gave in to. When she felt him lift her off the floor and into his arms without breaking their kiss, her arms swept tight around his neck. And when she felt him place her down on the blanket, and felt the hard floor pressed against her back, she knew there was no turning back.

A part of her wanted to deny what she was feeling. It wanted to convince her that this was not the way to his heart. But she could not resist him any longer. Someday she may regret her actions, but not now, not today. She loved him and all the reasons for not making love to him suddenly vanished. She wanted this time with him, and then after they were rescued, she would be left with memories.

She continued to return his kisses with the same fervor as he was kissing her. She felt his hands reach beneath her T-shirt and trace a path down her skin, gliding from her breasts and waist, and sliding downward to her hips and thighs to settle in the warmth of her feminine core. His intimate touch sent shock waves of exquisite pleasure through her. And like fire, it grew hotter and hotter.

Trevor suddenly ended the kiss and buried his face in her hair. His breathing came out in short gasps. He fought violently to catch his breath.

Corinthians’s breathing was just as sporadic, coming out in deep gulps. She wondered if her heart would ever settle back to its natural rhythm as she felt it hammering in her chest. She looked up into Trevor’s dark eyes. He was crouching over her with an intense look in them. For a moment, they just stared at each other, trying to catch their breaths, and at the same time, pausing…waiting for one of them to make the next move.

“You bring out the worst in me, Trevor,” Corinthians finally whispered softly. She became lost in the mesmerizing darkness of his eyes.

Trevor gazed deeply into her eyes, seeing the same longing and desire he knew were in his. “Then maybe it’s time that I bring out your best,” he replied huskily before leaning forward and claiming her lips again.

As always, whenever he kissed her, a ravenous need shot through him, drugging him with desire. She opened her lips to him and at that moment all reason was lost.

Corinthians felt the T-shirt being stripped from her sensitive skin and quivered from head to toe as she felt his hands trace a sensuous path over her bare body. Then his mouth replaced his hands and with every touch of his lips, fire flickered through her.

“You’re beautiful, Corinthians,” he rasped against the warmth of her ear. Then he whispered some more words to her, this time in Portuguese.

She wondered their meaning, but the throbbing need pulsing through her body tossed her into another world where the only thing that mattered was the fevered intensity Trevor was making her feel. She reached out with trembling fingers and tugged at the fastening of his jeans, then molded her fingers over him. She wanted to say something, to tell him just how she felt, but she couldn’t emit a sound because he was kissing her again.

She had never known passion like this before. All the love she felt for him poured forth. And she knew that she wanted him to make love to her.

He shifted his body to quickly slip out of his jeans. When that was done, he crouched back down over her. He was naked, and large amounts of sweat beaded the top part of his body, making his dark skin glisten from the light of the fire.

Their eyes met and held as he covered her slender body with his muscular one. He shifted the lower part of his body, and eased down to her. Reaching under her, he cupped her hips in his hands, lifting her off the hard floor as he slid inside her.

He went still, frowning when he encountered resistance. He withdrew a little and was about to say something. But she arched her back and wrapped her legs around him, gripping him tighter inside her, and when she pulled his mouth down to hers and kissed him, the only thing he could do was to press deeper inside her. He wanted to make her his. He wanted to mate with the woman he loved.

And so he did.

He made love to her like he had never made love to a woman before. Loving her with all his being, his muscles flexed over her body each time he pressed deeper and deeper into her. A rhythm filled with passion and pleasure continued to consume the both of them with searing need. Their bodies locked together, rocking and reeling, enflaming and engulfing, consuming and being consumed.

Trevor’s movements became faster, harder, more powerful. And Corinthians was right there with him, taking what he was giving, then giving her own, proving that she wanted him just as much as he wanted her as he pushed her closer and closer to the edge. It seemed they could not get enough of each other. So he continued to love her in the only way he knew how, and knowing on this level they were a part of each other. They were as one.

Corinthians’s breath was choppy and restrained. She breathed lightly between parted lips, releasing whispered moans of ecstasy. Her emotions were wired, her passion roused and strong as the epitome of pleasure radiated throughout her body with every movement Trevor made inside of her. She could feel the heat of him mate deep inside with the heat of her, pushing her closer to the peak of total and complete fulfillment.

“Ye-esss!” she cried out, sobbing her pleasure as her world shattered into a billion passionate pieces.

Trevor followed and the deep guttural sound he made echoed off the walls as he clutched Corinthians closer, driving into her deeper. Shivers of sexual delight tore through both of them.

Their bodies shone with sweat, shuddered uncontrollably as they both found the shattering release they sought. Afterward, they collapsed in each other’s arms.