The Midnight Hour (9 page)

"I don't understand it, but something is going on between us and damn it, I don't like it," he whispered hoarsely, as the ferocity of his emotions began shattering) his ironclad control. "I feel like I've met you before, but I know that's not possible. There's something about you that reminds me of someone that I-"

Before he could finish what he was about to say, Tori placed her arms around his neck and brought his mouth down to hers, silencing his words. She knew that she shouldn't, but for just this one time she wanted to taste him again, love him again. She wanted to know how it felt to be held in his arms once more, making love with him. The heat of his body caused a slow sizzle to radiate up her spine and a stirring of desire ran rampant through her when she remembered how making love with him used to be. And how it felt when he would lower her to the bed and ease his hot body into hers.

At this moment, she wanted take what she could get and have her memories to add to all the others. Her mind turned to full concentration on his kiss and was lulled into a state of total awareness of him. Her senses came fully alive under the intense onslaught of his mouth as her body trembled from the pleasure he was giving her.

She arched shamelessly against him and heard the animal growl that emitted from deep within his throat. She wanted to breathe in the scent of him; she wanted to forever know the taste of him on her lips. And she wanted to pretend that time meant nothing and there hadn't been five years that had invaded their lives, keeping them apart. She knew at that moment she loved him with a ferociousness that had not faded. If anything, knowing about him, with him not knowing about her, only increased the amount of love and desire she felt for him.

Slowly, he broke off their kiss, pulled back and looked deeply into her eyes. She fought the urge to tell him the truth, to let him know who she was but knew that as long as Solomon Cross lived, Drake could never know. She fought the tears she was holding back and prayed that he didn't see them. She couldn't let him know what this moment meant to her, the beauty of them being together again this way, something she never thought would be possible.

"That was just a taste," he said almost in a growl. "I want more, Tori."

She felt herself being pulled closer into his arms and could feel the deep hardening of his body against her. The thought that she could still bring him to such an aroused state almost made her breathless. Special memories from the past claimed her senses when they had kissed, but she desperately needed to make new memories; memories to keep long after he walked out of that door. She had missed him so much and hadn't been aware just how much until this very moment.

She lifted her chin and met his gaze, and her body stirred even more from the dark desire she saw in his eyes. A sigh rippled from her throat just moments before the words flowed from them. "I want more, too, Drake."

As if he'd been holding his breath for those very words, he lowered his mouth to hers at the same time he wrapped his hands around her waist and lifted her into his arms. Moments later he broke off the kiss and his face found the side of her neck. She felt the heated moisture on his breath moments before his lips gently caressed her there.

She felt him move with her in his arms to the bed. It was small and had cotton sheets instead of the satin she had envisioned, but at the moment she didn't care. The only thing she could concentrate on was the ache consuming her to be touched by him again. It had been five years since she had been intimate with any man and the last time Drake had been that man.

As soon as her back touched the bed she pulled him down with her, needing the contact of his mouth on hers once again. And he gave it to her. She sensed a need in him! as well. His mouth settled provocatively on hers, taking everything she offered and giving everything she wanted.

More than one strangled sound emerged from her lips while he had total control of her mouth.

And then she felt his hand sliding downward to open the folds of her robe and she knew at that moment there was no turning back, no retreat and no calling a halt to what they were doing. Tonight was meant to be. This was more than just a weakening of the flesh; this was about appreciating your blessings. This man was to have been her husband; the very person she was to share her life with, and to have him back in her arms, if only for a little while, meant the world to her. Nothing had ever felt so right in her life.

Drake continued to kiss Tori, stroking her tongue torridly with his while sliding his hand underneath the folds of her robe. Her skin felt hot, soft, and his hand trembled as his palms traveled hungrily over her bare skin, skimming around her breasts, which seemed to fit perfectly in his hands.

He pulled back and had to take a look at her. When he saw her naked breasts, a primal hunger welled up deep inside of him and his fingers pushed the rest of the robe aside, needing, wanting, and desiring to see all of her.

The beauty of her nakedness almost made him groan and a desire to make love to her flickered through him with every passing second. He stood and quickly pulled the shirt over his head and his hand immediately went to the waistband of his jeans. Tugging them down his legs, he hurriedly stepped out of them along with his underwear, standing before her completely unclothed and totally naked.

When he moved closer to the bed she eased up and unexpectedly leaned against him, letting her face cover his stomach as if she needed to have the scent of him in her nostrils. He sucked in a deep breath when he felt her hot tongue boldly explore the muscular planes of his stomach as if she not only needed his scent but also his taste.

"Oh, hell." The words were torn from Drake's lips. He couldn't take any more. He needed her now. He knew there was something he needed to do before joining his body with hers but whatever it was evaporated from his mind when he toppled her onto her back and quickly covered her body with his.

He reached down and slipped his hands between her legs needing to know she was ready for him and just as hot as he was. Her slick wetness touched his fingers and he began stroking her, not ready to move his hand from her just yet He felt her fingernails digging into his shoulders and heard the way she was gasping for air. Whatever sensations were tearing through her were also ripping their way inside of him, and without moving his hand from her, he leaned down and kissed her again, long and hard.

When he finally pulled back and looked down at her, what he saw almost took his breath away. Lying beneath him was a woman whose features were swirling in the heated lust he had encased her in. She was shamelessly and immodestly revealing just how much she wanted him. It was there in the way she was breathing, the way the nipples on her breasts had darkened and hardened, the deep hunger in the eyes staring at him and the amount of wetness her femininity was generating. He thought that no woman was more prepared or willing to take on a man, to make love to a man, to share in the passion that awaited them both.

He was suddenly consumed with a desire to mate with her so thick it was like a fog surrounding him and the only way to breathe through it was to be inside of her, sharing what she was offering. As she widened her legs for him, he eased his turgid flesh into her, his nostrils flared as he sank deep into her, inch by inch, as breath whooshed from his lungs.

The deeper he sheathed himself inside of her, the more delirious with need and desire he became. He couldn't think. The only thing he could do was mate with her with every strength of his being. He'd never been so intense with making love to a woman and in the back recesses of his mind he knew that had included Sandy. Most of the times they'd made love had been stolen moments on missions. Rarely had they been able to just sleep together under normal situations like regular people. Their lives were filled with danger and their lovemaking had been no different.

But for now he could push all thoughts of danger aside and concentrate on this, a mating of a lifetime. Bracing his hands on either side of her shoulders he began thrusting in and out of her, the rhythm fast and furious, her soft moans of pleasure music to his ears. He was determined to take them over the brink of ecstasy and for some strange reason a part of him felt a connection of mind, heart, and soul with her.

And then everything exploded when he felt her body jerk in a climax that shook him to the core. He clenched his teeth when he felt her nails dig deeper into his shoulder and with his arms straining, he continued to rock into her over and over again. Then moments later, he threw his head back when a powerful explosion ripped through him and he grasped the hips she automatically lifted, needing to go deeper and knowing that for the first time he was totally out of control.

Needing the taste of her, he leaned over and kissed her long and hard while scaling the crest of passion as they rode out the climax that simultaneously ripped through them.

Long moments later he buried his face against her neck and held her while his body eased back down from heaven and returned to earth. Nothing had prepared him for such prolific and profound lovemaking. Slowly, reluctantly, he eased his weight from her and pulled her into his arms, still needing the contact. And when he had her in the position where he wanted her, snuggled close against him, he closed his eyes. For the first time in five years, he felt totally at peace.

Drake came fully awake and glanced down at the woman still sleeping beside him as emotions stronger than he'd ever encountered before knotted his stomach. Their mating had been wild, uncontrollable, and intense and afterwards, mindless with exhaustion, they had succumbed to sleep.

Since Sandy, he had never felt a gnawing hunger to take a woman more than once and he'd certainly never entertained the idea of waking up beside one in bed. But he didn't have any qualms about waking up Tori to make love to her again, and the thought that he had drifted asleep beside her didn't bother him the way it should have.

He leaned on his elbows and continued to study her, wondering what there was about her that had attracted him from the first, pulled him in like a moth to a flame. Although he couldn't understand it, their lovemaking had felt like he had come home. The sense of completeness he experienced when he was buried deep inside of her took his breath away.

And then there was the way Tori seemed to know the exact moment he was about to come; how she lifted her hips, tightened her legs around him and used her inner muscles to clench him, drain the very essence of his release from him like she was entitled to it. She even had Sandy's intimate scent. It was a special scent that used to send his hormones into overdrive and would make him want her right then and there, no matter where they were.

Drake rubbed a hand over his face, thinking he was gc-4 ing insane. How could two women be so much alike and then so different physically? It seemed his mind evidently refused to let go of the past. Instead it had driven him to a woman he was unconsciously and unintentionally using as Sandy's substitute and that was the last thing he wanted. Tori deserved better than that. A part of him felt the emotions he was experiencing were because of Tori and had nothing to do with her similarities to Sandy. But then another part felt the only reason he'd been drawn to Tori from the first was because of those similarities. He closed his eyes and for long moments he felt confused, torn in two halves and incomplete. He was struggling with the conflicting emotions that battled inside of him.

Eyes closed, features tense, emotions in turmoil, he knew he owed it to Tori to be completely honest with her and not to use her in any way. He owed her that much.

He opened his eyes when he felt her shift next to him. Their gazes met and immediately he felt his body get hard. The woman definitely packed a lot of feminine power, he thought, as a jolt of need ripped through him, sending urgent pulses throughout his body. He wanted her again, but this time in a different way. He wanted her to tantalize his taste buds.

Still holding her gaze he tossed the cover off of her, exposing her nakedness. Then he reached out and let his fingers gently stroke all over her, beginning with her breasts, liking the way the areola on her nipple darkened, hardened with his touch. Knowing he couldn't move another inch until he tasted this part of her, he leaned over, caught the nipple between his teeth and licked. "Umm, good."

He then moved to the other breast and gave it the same torment, liking the way the tiny bud fit into his mouth. He noted the change in her breathing when he lifted his head and his attentive hands moved lower, and his questing and eager fingers aimlessly yet thoroughly touched her everywhere, taking his time to sample the taste of her along the way.

"Open your legs for me, Tori," he leaned down and whispered when his hand had moved down below her waist, his mouth, mere inches from her lips.

Without hesitating to do what he'd asked, he watched as her thighs parted and breathed in deeply at the lush sight of her. She was wet already, nearly drenched, and when his fingers gently touched her, invaded her, she moaned like a woman in heat, calling out to her mate.

"I want to taste you," he whispered just seconds before he eased his body downward in the bed. And when his mouth touched her in such an intimate kiss, she cried out his name. Drake's hungry tongue went to work on her, while acknowledging he had never performed this special art of lovemaking but on two women, her and Sandy. He closed his eyes and again he felt a deep familiarity with Tori. It was like he had done this to her before when he knew there was no way that he had.

And when she began shuddering beneath his mouth, coming apart as the force of her tremors began shaking her to the core, he continued to feast on her, feeling immense male pride that he could make her come this way.

Moments later he edged up her body, settled between her legs and with one single thrust was planted inside of her. He began mating with her, fast and furious, as another series of orgasms ripped through her, making her cry out again and again. And then he came, joining her in reckless abandonment, gut-deep exhilaration, pure sexual pleasure of the most primitive kind. He was on the highest of highs. And as he slowly began floating back down to earth, a low moan escaped his lips as he collapsed, then rolled to his side with their bodies still locked.