Each Time We Love (42 page)

Mercilessly gripped by desire, Savanna couldn't have stopped
him even if she had wanted to, and when he pushed her legs farther
apart and bent his head to flick the tender flesh with his tongue, she
shuddered with intense pleasure and went weak at the sensations he was
evoking. The sucking and stroking of his mouth was nearly unbearable,
the movements making her twist and arch upward, a fierce excitement
coiling in her belly. Helplessly, her hands clenched into his dark
hair, wanting to touch him, to caress him and share with him the
incredible feelings that were racking her body. She was on fire, her
breasts aching, her mouth hungry for him, but she was held fiercely
enthralled by what he was doing to her, writhing frantically beneath
the lash of his tongue.

Savanna's uninhibited response only added to Adam's own
growing excitement and he feasted even more hungrily upon her, eager to
drive her over the edge and feel her convulse beneath him. He sensed
that she was very near, the almost painful ache between his own legs
reminding him vividly of how very close he was himself, and the urge to
plunge into her welcoming sheath was almost more than he could bear.
With desperate vigor his hands cupped her buttocks and he held her
thrashing body against the hot questing of his tongue.

Suddenly Savanna stiffened and a soft, choked cry escaped her
as wave after wave of exquisite pleasure exploded through her body. One
moment she was fiercely buffeted by the sweet violence of her release
and the next she was floating, drifting, her limbs weightless, her body
sated. The world had spun away and when reality returned, there was
only Adam, Adam holding her, Adam gently murmuring shockingly sensuous
promises in her ear…

As the minutes passed and she became more and more aware of
her surroundings, Savanna's entire body still seemed to tingle with
tiny aftershocks of pleasure, and she was both embarrassed and stunned
by the force of the ecstasy that had shaken her. She was stingingly
aware of Adam's warm body pressed to hers, and her thoughts were filled
with the wickedly wondrous things he had done to her. But it gradually
dawned on her, once her breathing had returned to normal and the last
faint ripple of pleasure had disappeared, that while she had reached
the pinnacle, Adam had been denied it. She could hardly ignore proof of
that as she lay cradled in his strong arms, his lips caressing her
hair, her cheek resting against his hard chest while the rigid length
of his swollen manhood lay like a burning brand against her thigh!

She glanced up at him, her gaze noting the hard line of his
chin and jaw, and involuntarily she reached up and gently explored the
chiseled planes of his face. At her touch, Adam bent his head, and
nipping her fingers slightly, he murmured, "Come back down to earth,
have we?"

Her eyes met his dark blue ones and, a beguiling blush on her
lovely face, she smiled shyly. "I think so… but you never left, did
you?"

He grinned crookedly. "You
do
intend to
let me do something about that, don't you?" he asked softly, his lips
brushing her temple.

To her astonishment, Savanna felt a quiver deep inside her at
his words. She still wanted him, she realized with amazement, she
wanted that hard body of his to possess her fully, and even as she
acknowledged that thought, her nipples began to tighten and desire
began to rapidly replace her contentment. Stretching languidly, a
surprisingly sensual invitation gleaming in the depths of her
aquamarine eyes, she looked at him, her smile full of promise. "Oh, I
imagine," she said mockingly, "that there is something I could
let
you do!"

With a soft growl, Adam caught her to him, his mouth crushing
hers, one hand reaching for her soft breast. Mindlessly she responded
to the fierce demands he made upon her, her body flaming into life at
his touch.

Despite the almost frantic urge to join their bodies, Adam
held back, ensuring that Savanna was once more an untamed wanton before
he finally gave them both the relief they sought. With a half-savage
groan of entreaty, he buried himself in her silken heat, and, their
bodies meeting and parting in a blatantly carnal tempo, together they
found paradise.

And during the long night that followed, Savanna learned that
there were several things that a woman would let a man do to
her—particularly when the man was her husband and she loved him… and he
very generously invited her to use his own body as she willed. It was a
heady experience and Savanna took full advantage of it, her mouth and
hands learning every inch of his lean physique, thoroughly entranced
that she could make him writhe and tremble beneath her own
inexperienced caresses. Adam would bear the torture of her sensual
demands of him until, driven beyond control, he would lose himself
again and again in her soft heat.

The first pale streaks of dawn were gliding into the room and
she was sweetly exhausted when Adam had slaked the worst of his
seemingly boundless craving for her and allowed them both to sleep.
After all they had shared, it seemed the most natural thing in the
world to sleep naked in his strong arms, his powerful body curved
protectively next to hers, his lips buried in the red-gold mane of her
hair.

She had no idea how long she slept, but when she awoke, Adam
was gone and she was alone in the big bed. She lay there for several
seconds, gazing blindly at the gold silk bed-curtains, images of the
night just passed flickering through her mind. Uneasily she wondered
how she was going to face him in the unsparing light of day or try to
deny that in his arms she became another person, a wanton, passionate
creature who had eagerly followed wherever he had led.

One thing was patently clear, though. Despite last night,
nothing had changed between them—the only reason for their hasty
marriage was growing in her womb. There had been no word of love
between them, and in spite of the pleasure he had given her body, there
was a deepening ache in the region of her heart. Burying her head in
the pillows, she groaned. Without love, last night suddenly seemed
sordid and tawdry and she wondered bleakly how she was going to regain
all the ground she had lost by the treachery of her very own flesh. She
could not blame him for what had happened last night—after her initial
resistance, she had been a willing convert to all the carnal joys he
had revealed. If only, she thought grimly, I could hate him! Convince
myself that he is totally despicable—convince my body to tremble with
disgust,
not
with delight, when he touches me!

Eager to escape the demons in her brain, Savanna sat up
quickly and dragged aside the bed hangings. Bright sunlight flooding
the room made her blink and realize that the hour was very late.
Finding the lovely gold-striped wrapper where Adam had tossed it last
night, Savanna draped it around her and scooted gingerly from the bed.
The room was empty, but she spied a piece of paper propped
conspicuously on her dressing table.

Crossing the room, she lifted it and read Adam's bold scrawl.
It seemed that he had some business to see about and would return soon.
In the meantime, he had made arrangements for her bath and breakfast.
All she had to do was touch the bellpull and her wishes would be
immediately gratified.

Half smiling, trying very hard not to be warmed by his
thoughtfulness, she did as he had directed and alerted the staff that
she was now up and ready for their services. While waiting for the bath
to arrive, she walked over to the tall satinwood wardrobe, where she
had placed her clothing last night, and opening one of the doors, she
gloomily surveyed the contents.

Savanna had never possessed an extensive wardrobe, but then,
what she had worn had never mattered very much to her… until now.
Despite telling herself weakly that last night changed nothing between
them, she couldn't deny that she would have liked to have something
fashionable and stylish to wear. Viewing with a jaundiced eye the
meager selection in front of her, she finally chose a serviceable,
full-skirted gown of pale-green-striped gingham, the square neck and
bodice trimmed with a dark green ribbon.

She enjoyed her bath thoroughly, just as enthralled this
morning with the lavender-scented bubbles as she had been the previous
night. Feeling vibrant and stingingly alive, she eventually left her
bath and dressed hurriedly in the striped gingham gown before
reentering the bedchamber. She barely took a step into the room before
the tantalizing aroma of coffee teased her nostrils, and glancing
around, she instantly noticed a tray of food and drink that had been
placed on one of the marble-topped tables near the bed.

A silver pot of steaming hot cafe au lait, a small crystal
dish of glazed strawberries and beignets, still warm and fragrant,
dusted with delicately powdered sugar, lay before her. Breathing in the
delicious scents, she took a bite of the square beignet, the yeasty
flavor of the fried dough melting on her tongue. Smiling, she took the
tray out onto the small balcony of the bedchamber and there in the
summer sunlight, seated at the small table and chair she discovered
there, enjoyed her breakfast.

With her breakfast finished, Savanna wandered back inside and
after sitting down at the dressing table, with nimble fingers she
swiftly fashioned her rebellious hair into two braids, which she
twisted around her head in a coronet. Standing before the cheval glass,
she surveyed herself, her lips twisting. She looked… presentable, she
finally decided with brutal honesty. Her hair was neat, her gown clean
and not unattractive, and she was just going to have to be content.
Besides, she reminded herself miserably, have you forgotten that you're
supposed to be angry with Adam? That he forced you into a loveless
marriage and that no matter what physical pleasure you shared with him
last night, it changes
nothing?
You're merely his
broodmare and don't forget it! Be
glad
you have
nothing more fetching than this old gown! That the dark green ribbon
which trimmed the neckline of her gown formed a charming frame for her
vivid loveliness, the severity of her hairstyle only making the
sculpted perfection of her features more pronounced, didn't occur to
her, nor did the fact that, while her gown was not in the first stare
of fashion, it looked
very
attractive on her
tall, lush form, the full skirts swinging gently with every step she
took.

Uneasy and restless, her emotions veering wildly first one way
and then another, Savanna left the bedchamber and walked into the main
salon. She was just starting to wonder how long Adam would be gone when
he strolled in.

Savanna's heart gave a silly little leap at the sight of him,
his handsome face dark and vital above the starched white cravat, the
dark blue jacket fitting his broad shoulders so superbly, the long
length of his powerful legs outlined by the yellow nankeen pantaloons
he was wearing. Oddly shy with him, considering the night that had just
passed, she felt her cheeks suddenly burn as
precise
memories of what they had done to each other flooded her brain, and she
rushed into speech. "G-g-good morning! D-d-did you complete y-y-your
business?"

Adam grinned at her and, sweeping her into his embrace, kissed
her soundly. His lips warm against hers, he murmured, "Indeed I did! I
can only hope that you will be pleased with the results."

Her mouth throbbing from his kiss, Savanna stared at him. "Me?
What do I have to do with your business?"

Adam only smiled and looked mysterious. "Have you eaten?" he
asked. When Savanna nodded, he said merrily, "Excellent! Now come with
me; there are some places I want to show you."

Reluctantly Savanna allowed him to usher her out of their
rooms. She felt oddly ill at ease, thinking she should not be enjoying
his company quite so much, nor that she should fall in with his plans
so effortlessly; thinking that if she were wise, she should try to
explain to him why she didn't want what had happened last night to
happen again…

Savanna would have been hard-pressed to explain the turmoil
inside her at that moment, but she perceived uneasily that, despite the
bitter fact that she loved him, Adam
had
to be
made to see reason, had to be forced to realize that while she would
bear his child, she couldn't share his bed. Pride would not let her.
She couldn't bear to continue to be subjected to those stunning
intimacies, knowing that he didn't love her… that it was only lust,
lust that any woman could satisfy.

The sudden stiffening of Adam's body instantly distracted her
and she glanced at him. His expression gave nothing away, but something
was wrong. As they reached the bottom of the staircase and stepped onto
the tile floor of the cream-and-gold foyer of the hotel, Savanna
immediately noticed the couple bearing down on them, but for the life
of her couldn't understand why the sight of them had made Adam so
tense. Unless he was ashamed of her and didn't want to introduce her to
his friends…

The woman was lovely. Garbed in the first rank of fashion, she
was small, blond, winsomely curved and with a pouting beauty that
turned more than one head. As they approached, it was apparent that the
attractive, fair-haired man at her side was a relative, their facial
features similar, although the man's handsomeness was not as
eye-catching as the woman's beauty. The gentleman, too, was dressed
impeccably, his dark green coat as superbly tailored as Adam's, his
cravat as blindingly white and his boots as highly polished.

Paying not the least heed to Savanna, the woman drifted up to
Adam, and tapping him playfully on the arm with her ivory-and-lace fan,
she said gaily, "Oh, Adam! Here you are! Someone said that you were
going to be visiting in this area, but I never
dreamed
that we would actually run into you this way! Charles and I have left
Natchez and are on our way to stay with the Michauds at their
plantation, Oak Shadows, on Bayou Tchoupitoulas." She smiled archly at
him. "Perhaps you might come to call…"