Deep Waters

him inhale sharply when he uncovered her breasts. His palm closed over one nipple, and it was her turn to gasp. She felt herself tighten at his touch. Another savage shudder went through him.
    "You shouldn't have come here tonight," he muttered.
    "It's all right, Elias." Her head fell back across his arm. One of his legs slid between her thighs. He pushed his knee upward, shoving aside the skirt of her dress. The denim of his jeans was rough and strangely exciting against her bare skin.
    "You shouldn't be here, but I can't send you away now. God help me, I want you too much."
    He pulled free of her mouth and bent his head to catch the crown of her breast between his teeth. His hand went to the rapidly dampening crotch of her panties. He squeezed gently, urgently. One strong finger eased beneath the elastic edge. He tugged off the undergarment in a single, swift movement.
    A driving excitement washed over Charity, a giant wave that gathered her up and tumbled her about until she was dazed and disoriented. She had never felt so gloriously wild in her life. She yanked Elias's shirt free of his jeans and sank her fingers into his sleekly contoured back.
    For some reason, it came as a shock to discover how warm he was. She sensed the muscles working smoothly, powerfully beneath his skin. The tang of his scent was electrifyingly male.
    She fumbled with the pliant strip of leather that he wore outside the belt loops of his jeans. There was no buckle. She could not figure out how to unfasten the odd knot. In mounting frustration, she jerked at a trailing end.
    "I'll take care of it." He levered himself away from her long enough to remove the unusual belt.
    The knot that had proved so stubborn beneath her fingers, came undone at a single touch of his hand. He shifted again to toss the length of leather down beside the futon. She heard the slide of a metal zipper.
    He rolled to one side, pulled off his jeans, and reached into the open chest beside the futon. Charity heard the distinctive sound of tearing foil. Elias's hands moved deftly.
    A moment later he rolled back on top of her. She tensed when she felt the broad head of his sheathed erection pressing against her damp body. He was heavy and thick.
    Big. Definitely big. But it was excitement she felt, not panic.
    He centered himself between her legs. "Look at me."
    She opened her eyes, responding instantly to the urgency in his words. There was just enough light filtering in from the front room to allow her to see the stark hunger in him. The rush of her own response made her tremble.
    She drove her fingers through his hair. "I want you, Elias."
    "No more games," he whispered.
    "No more games."
    He thrust into her in a slow, endless motion that shocked all of her senses. Everything within her froze. She could not think, could not speak, could not move. He filled her completely. Stretched her to the point of pain. Every muscle in her body was coiled spring-tight in response to the sensual invasion.
    Locked deep inside her, Elias went as still as everything else in the universe. He stared down at her as if waiting for some signal to finish what had been begun.
    "Are you all right?" he asked in a voice that shook a little around the edges.
    Charity took a deep breath and rediscovered her own tongue. "Yes. Yes, I'm very much all right." She clenched her fingers tightly in his hair and lifted herself cautiously against him.
    A husky groan vibrated deep in his chest. "I don't want to hurt you. You're so small and tight. I didn't realize—"
    "I said, it's all right." She smiled up at him.
    "My God, Charity." He bent his head and kissed the curve of her shoulder.
    The unbearable tightness eased. The world began to revolve once more.
    Elias retreated slowly, cautiously and then pushed steadily back into her. This time excitement accompanied the overwhelming sense of fullness. Charity sighed hungrily and dug her nails into his shoulders.
    He responded with a swift intake of breath. One of his hands slid down her body to the point where they were joined. He found the exquisitely sensitive nub in the nest of crisp, curling hair and stroked deliberately.
    Electricity shot through her. She arched and cried out.
    "So good," he whispered. "So real."
    She swallowed a wild urge to laugh. "Of course I'm real. What did you think I was? Just another reflection on the water?"
    "I wasn't quite certain until now."
    He stroked again and again and all the seething tension within her exploded in