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Erin felt no embarrassment at Dare’s nakedness. All such cares were swallowed up in her concern for him. With the dispassion of a nurse she toweled him dry then placed a robe around his shoulders and led him to the bed where she tucked him in.
Dare leaned back into the pillows with a sigh then looked over at her standing by the bed. “Thank you,” he said. “You make an excellent nurse.” Then he waved his hand toward a huge walk-in closet. “There’s another robe hanging on the hook by the door. Why don’t you change? You’re all wet.”
Erin didn’t need to be told twice. She’d begun to shiver and she knew it was because of the damp clothes clinging to her body. She got the robe then went back to Dare’s bathroom where she shed her garments and took a quick shower. Within a few minutes she was back at Dare’s side.
The color had returned to his face and he was looking like his old self again, dark and deliciously sexy as the lantern cast its golden light on his bare chest. He’d pushed the robe away and now lay in the bed, naked from the waist up. And he was watching her. Those gray eyes like molten steel now bored into her, making her blush.
Slowly, suggestively he licked his lips and her nipples tightened in response. She breathed in, her nostrils flaring, and she clenched her hands by her side. What in heaven’s name was he doing to her? Even in his wounded state he still had the power to seduce her. Without a word and without a touch he was turning her insides to jelly.
And as the wind wailed its dirge outside Erin knew that at that moment what she wanted most was to be in Dare’s arms.
Dare lifted his arms and folded them behind his head, looking very much like an overlord surveying his property. “What do you want, Erin?” he asked, his voice a bold and confident whisper.
He knew. Heaven help her, he knew how much she wanted him.
“Erin?” As he said her name he cocked an eyebrow, looking very much the rake.
She swallowed. Then she decided to take the plunge. She wanted him. So why should she deny herself?
“I want…you,” she said, her voice thick with desire.
“Are you sure?” The look he gave her spoke volumes. She’d rebuffed him before and his look said he wasn’t taking any chances.
“I’m sure,” she said, her voice a wee bit stronger. Her body was clamoring for him and there was no denying it the release it craved. Not now, when her blood surged with the heat of passion. Certainly not now as the wind swirled outside, making her shiver for want of those muscled arms around her.
“Are you begging?” His eyes, glittering like diamonds in the light, danced with amusement.
She lowered her eyes and bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling with laughter. Then she lifted her chin and looked him straight in the eyes. “I’m begging,” she admitted and she said it without apology.
Dare’s lips curled into a smile. He threw back the covers and held out his hands. “Come.”
This time when Erin saw Dare’s nakedness she felt the heat rush to her face. The Dare she had bathed was very different from the one who now lay bold and bare in front of her, that special part of his anatomy standing straight and proud.
After the trauma that the night had brought she needed him. And so, stifling the caution that would normally keep her in check, she climbed into Dare’s bed and into his arms.
This time when they made love it was gentle and sweet. As she lay on her side in front of him he pressed himself against her back and wrapped his arms around her. When he kissed the back of her neck, sending shivers up her spine, she sighed and pushed back against him. When he cupped her breasts, now full and heavy in his hands, she arched her back and moaned until he pinched and rolled the taut nipples with his fingers, making her sweet spot moisten in response.
When he slid inside her, so thick and firm, her body was ready to receive him. Then his hand slid over her belly and down to her center of sensation and he began to stroke so softly like the touch of a feather then faster and faster, until all the colors of the rainbow exploded between her legs and shot like fireworks to every part of her body, making her cry out in release.
And as she reached her peak he pushed deep inside her, one long clean stroke, and then he was emptying his seed deep inside her.
For a long time they lay there, joined as one as they fought to regain control. Then as their harsh breathing died down to the gentle rhythm of satiation Dare gathered her even closer and slid his hand up to stroke the smooth skin of her hip.
And though the wind wailed and the windows rattled, Erin felt if there was one moment in life that defined her heaven, this was it.
But then she remembered. The wind, Francine’s room, the plank flying through the air. She gasped and held Dare’s wrist, stilling his caress. “Dare, your head. What if I made you worse?”
Dare chuckled into the back of her neck. “By letting me make love to you? You actually did the opposite. I’m cured.”
She reached behind and slapped at his bum. “Be serious. You could have a concussion. I don’t think making love was a good idea.”
“It was an excellent idea,” he whispered then kissed her nape, effectively wiping all thought from her mind and leaving her only with the feel of his body and his touch.
Then he turned her to him and dipped his head to confound her even further with a kiss that left her panting.
She lifted her hands and planted them on his chest. “Dare, no. I mean it. No more for tonight. Not in your condition.”
He chuckled and leaned back and propped his elbow on the pillow then rested his cheek in his hand. He gave her a boyish grin. “Or in yours.” He reached out and rested a big warm hand on her belly. “I hope I didn’t disturb little Mr. DeSouza.”
“Or Miss,” she said, smiling back.
“Or Miss.” He stroked her smooth skin then lowered his head to press his ear against her gentle rise. “I wish I could hear it,” he said, his voice soft with something akin to wonder.
“Why don’t you say something?” she prompted. “The baby can hear, you know.”
To her surprise, instead of speaking Dare began to sing, soft and low, his voice a melodic rumble as his lips tickled the skin of her belly. He was singing a lullaby to the baby inside her, a song welcoming the little one into the world.
As the words of the song died away Erin blinked to clear the tears that had gathered in her eyes. It had been so unexpected and so touching. “That was beautiful,” she said and raised her hand to stroke Dare’s dark curls as he again pressed his ear against her skin. It felt so natural. “I didn’t know you could sing.”
He lifted his head and chuckled. “I was part of a boy band in college. Bass guitarist and background vocalist.”
“Wow,” she said with a teasing laugh, “you never cease to amaze me. If you hadn’t made it in real estate you would definitely have made it big in the music business.”
“Yeah, right.” He slid his body up where he could nuzzle her neck. She knew what he wanted and this time she didn’t have the heart to stop him. Crack on the head or no, Dare - or more accurately the part of his anatomy now prodding her hip - was ready for another round.
She sighed and stretched languorously then tilted her head up and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Just one more time,” she whispered, “but only if you sing me a love song.”
“Are you begging?” he said into her ear.
“No, that was an order.” She reached up and pulled his head down for a long, searing kiss that would leave him in no doubt as to who was in charge.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dare woke to a ray of light streaming in through a crack in the brocade drapes at the window. For the first time in weeks he’d slept through the night. He lifted his head off the pillow to look at his wife as she curled into him. She was still fast asleep and he used the opportunity to explore her body with hands, sliding it over the fullness of her breasts then letting it come to rest in the curve of her waist. She was beautiful in her pregnancy, her skin a delicate rosy hue, her body blooming with his child. What could be lovelier?
If nothing else, the hurricane had accomplished one good thing. Last night they had connected. For the first time since Erin’s arrival on the island there had been a harmony between them that he hoped would last. He would do everything in his power to maintain this newfound peace. He’d been a cad but going forward he’d show Erin he could be a loving husband.
Slowly so as not to wake her he slid out of the bed and padded over to the walk-in closet where he grabbed underwear, jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of heavy boots. All kinds of debris would be strewn around after the storm, including broken glass and loose boards with nails sticking out. The last thing he needed was a puncture wound that would send him rushing to the hospital for a tetanus shot.
A quick survey of the grounds revealed that the damage was not as bad as he had expected. Apart from the tree that had fallen onto the west wing of the house everything else was intact. Still, it was going to take a lot of work to clear the mess from the property. He’d have to get a work team on board within the next day or two.
