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She heard Damien cry out, felt the wild strain of his body still pulsing inside her, then his climactic release spilling another flood of warmth, mingling with hers, forging the ultimate completion. His arms burrowed under her, hugging her close, carrying her with him as he rolled on to his side, enveloping her in a cradle of intimacy that held them joined together.
His hands moved caressingly over her in a blind fervour of touching. He kissed her hair, his lips skimming sensually over its soft silkiness, savouring the freedom to taste and feel in the blissful knowledge that she belonged to him as wholly and solely as he belonged to her.
Natalie lay contentedly in his embrace, her head upon his shoulder, basking in the vibrant warmth of their intimacy, feeling an incredibly sweet sense of security. We were meant to come together, she thought in languid pleasure. She had been right to abandon the past and take the future Damien offered her. Everything felt right with him.
She had no inclination to speak. The silence was beautiful, peaceful, imbued with a harmony that words couldn’t express. Eventually she had to move to ease her leg. Damien was quickly solicitous of her comfort, piling pillows for her head, dragging the quilt over her to ensure she didn’t become cold.
His eyes were soft, telling her how special she was to him. She smiled and trailed her fingers down his cheek, wondering if he was as sensitive to her touch as she was to his. There was still so much to learn about him.
‘Tell me what you feel,’ she said impulsively.
‘Joy.’ He grinned. ‘I am literally tingling with a wild effervescent pleasure I can barely contain.’
She laughed from sheer elation that he felt the same fulfilment she did. ‘You don’t have to contain it, Damien. We can do whatever we like.’
‘What would you like?’
It was typical of him to consider her feelings first. Natalie thought for a moment, wanting to please him. ‘Let’s have some champagne. I think we should celebrate.’
‘That certainly suits my mood.’
‘Stay here.’ She stopped him from moving. ‘I’ll get it. We’ll drink it in bed.’ Her eyes danced wickedly at him. ‘I love this bed. Especially with you in it with me.’
He laughed, his exhilaration bubbling over.
Natalie flung the quilt aside and sashayed down the room to the sitting area, deliciously aware that Damien’s eyes were glued to every feminine curve of her body. It was highly stimulating to know he found her so desirable and Natalie was proud of the fact she had kept her figure in good shape. She took immense pleasure in his watching her. It was a measure of her sense of security with him that she could feel so uninhibited about her nakedness. Not only uninhibited, she found herself revelling in it.
She carried the ice-bucket back first, nestling it in the quilt beside Damien. He was propped up on one arm, a delighted grin fixed on his face, his eyes sparkling with happiness.
‘You could busy yourself with the cork,’ she admonished.
‘I can’t take my eyes off you.’
Natalie had no argument with that. She made a return trip for the glasses. The way Damien’s eyes feasted over her breasts and hips and thighs was very tantalising. She decided they would forget about lunch altogether. Champagne and grapes and strawberries were fine. And seductive. And exciting. And fun.
She set the glasses on the closest night-stand and started back for the bowl of fruit. ‘We might as well be totally decadent,’ she declared. ‘You can feed me strawberries while I’ll arrange little morsels for you.’
‘I feel my appetite stirring,’ Damien said, the tone in his voice clearly intimating food was not on his mind.
Tucked into the side of the bowl of fruit was a grey card embossed in gold. ‘MERLINMIST’ was printed on it in Roman calligraphy. It was so beautifully done, Natalie automatically picked the card up and opened it to look at what was inside. ‘Compliments of the house’ was printed in the same script. Her eye, however, was drawn to the hand-written message underneath.
‘Thank you for staying with us again.’
It was signed by the manager.
Natalie frowned over it.
‘What’s the matter?’ Damien asked.
She looked quizzically at him. ‘You did say you hadn’t stayed here before.’
It arrested Damien’s full attention. ‘That’s true.’
‘But I have?’ It was more a statement than a question. Memories were starting to come back.
Damien looked like a man who had discovered a treasure at the end of the rainbow, only to see it summarily snatched away.
‘Tell me the truth, Damien,’ she demanded, but she already knew the truth. As he did, too. ‘When did I stay here before?’ she asked accusingly.
