Eclipse Bay

ignored her breathless, sensual laughter. With total determination he took a firm grip on the banister and hauled them both to the top of the stairs. There he turned right and went down the hall to the bedroom he had chosen the day he arrived. It was a big one, with a sweeping view of the bay.
    He went swiftly through the doorway and dumped her onto the quilt that covered the old-fashioned four-poster. She lay there amid the pillows, then reached for him with both arms. He fell on top of her.
    He kissed her throat while he rummaged with one hand in the drawer of the nightstand. He knew the box of condoms was in there somewhere. He had put it there this evening before leaving the house. Optimism had been riding high at that point. Probably because he had had several engaging fantasies in the shower and had emerged semi-erect. A man was always at his most optimistic when he had a hard-on.
    When he couldn’t immediately locate the condoms, alarm set in.
    “What the hell…?”
    “What’s wrong?” Hannah’s eyes widened. “Are you all right?”
    Mercifully his fingers closed around the box. A sense of victory soared through him. “Yeah, sure. I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”
    “Good.”
    “Very good,” he whispered. “Excellent, in fact.”
    She slid her hands inside the wings of his unbuttoned shirt. Her palms were silken on his skin. Breathing took serious effort now.
    By the time he was ready, most of their clothing had magically disappeared. He lowered himself between her legs. She raised her knees and tightened her thighs around him.
    He cupped her with his hand. She was wet and hot and swollen. When he used the pad of his thumb on the small bud, she quivered violently. His own body nearly exploded in response.
    “Now,” she ordered, clutching furiously at him. “Now, please, yes. Do it now.”
    He needed no further urging. If he didn’t do it now, it would not get done at all.
    He fitted himself to her and started to enter her carefully. She was snug and tight and damp. He tried to take it slow, but when she lifted herself against him, he abandoned all attempt at sophistication and restraint.
    There was nothing sophisticated or restrained about how he felt at this moment.
    He thrust deeply into her, losing himself in a world of intense sensation. He heard her soft, exultant cry and felt her body grip him with fierce satisfaction. Her head tipped back. Her lips parted in a soundless scream.
    She climaxed immediately. He wanted to indulge himself in the pleasure of her release before he surrendered to his own, but he had only a few seconds to enjoy the experience. The small shivers that went through her were more than he could stand. He tried to swallow his own roar of triumph and exultation, but he did not succeed.

    She did not doze, but she was vaguely aware of a sense of detachment from time and reality. It was a pleasant interlude that she knew would not last forever. Nevertheless, she was reluctant to emerge from it.
    Rafe sprawled on his back beside her, big and warm enough to heat the whole bed to a cozy temperature. He had one arm behind his head, the other around her. She opened her eyes partway and studied him in the shadows. He looked as relaxed as a large cat after a successful hunt. She raised her head for a better look. Her glance fell on the green numbers of the radio clock.
    “ Winston .” She sat up quickly.
    “Huh?” Rafe slitted his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
    “I’ve got to get home to Winston.” She shoved aside the quilt and scrambled off the bed. “He’ll be worried.”
    Rafe looked amused. “You think your dog worries when you’re a little late coming home?”
    “Okay, so maybe he won’t be worried, exactly.” She spotted her panties on the floor and dove for them. “‘Concerned’ might be a better word.”
    “I doubt it.”
    “Well, he’ll certainly need to go outside by now.” She stepped into the panties and looked around for her bra. It was nowhere to be found. “He’s been cooped up in that house for hours.”
    “Take it easy.” Rafe thrust aside the quilt and got up from the edge of the bed. “I’m sure Winston is fine. He’s probably sound asleep.”
    He was right, she thought. This panicky sensation nibbling at her insides had nothing to do with Winston. She was experiencing some sort of bizarre reaction to what had just happened here in this room. What in the world was wrong with her?
    “Have you seen my bra?” she asked. She was glad