The Pirate & The Adventurer & The Cowboy

surged through him. When he probed her carefully he met the damp, welcoming heat and that was all he could stand. He guided himself into her, driving forward into her core. She was so tight. He wondered if he should stop and give her time to adjust to him. After all, it had been a whole year.

    But he couldn't stop. Not now. He needed to bury himself within her. Rafe moaned as he slid fully into her depths. He heard her soft cry in his ear and her nails dug into his shoulders.

    "Am I hurting you?" he asked, his breathing turning ragged.

    "No. No, it feels wonderful. It's just…been a while, that's all."

    "Too damn long for both of us."

    "Yes." She lifted her hips against him, telling him she was ready now, urging him into the ancient rhythm.

    Rafe needed no additional coaxing. He held her so tightly he was half afraid of crushing her. But she clung to him just as fiercely. He sank himself again and again into her heat until he felt her tightening around him in the old, familiar way.

    "Rafe."

    "That's it, Maggie, love," he muttered against her mouth. "Come on, honey. Go wild for me."

    She shivered and cried out again. He opened his mouth over hers and swallowed the soft, sweet sound. She bucked beneath him and he groaned heavily. Nothing had ever been as shatteringly sexy to Rafe as the feel of Maggie climaxing beneath him.

    He waited until the last of the tremors were fading and then he slammed into her one more time and felt himself explode.

    Rafe rode the storm for what seemed like forever, the passion in him apparently limitless. And then it was over. He relaxed heavily on top of Maggie, squashing her into the damp sheets.

    His last coherent thought was that the waiting and planning were finally finished. He had his Maggie back. No one had ever made him feel the way Maggie did.

    It was a long time before Rafe reluctantly stirred. He only did so because he felt Maggie pushing experimentally against his shoulder.

    "What's wrong?" he mumbled, half asleep.

    "You're getting very heavy."

    "Nag, nag, nag." He levered himself slowly away from her and rolled onto his back. He cradled her close to his side and yawned. "Better?"

    "Umm-hmm." She kissed his jaw and then his shoulder, her lips incredibly soft against his skin. "I'd better get back to my own room before I fall asleep."

    "No," he muttered instantly. He opened one eye to glare at her. "You sleep here."

    She smiled. "I think it would be better if I went back to my own room."

    "Why?" He was beginning to feel belligerent.

    "Because we aren't alone in the house, remember?"

    "My mother and your father both know we've had an affair in the not so distant past and they both know why you're here now. They're not going to ask any questions about why you spent the night in my room. They've taken more than one weekend trip together, you know. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if your father is paying a late night visit to my mother even as we speak."

    "Even if he is, you can bet he'll be back in his own room by dawn. That's the way their generation does things. It's a matter of propriety."

    "Yeah? Well, our generation is different."

    She chuckled softly. "I'm not so sure about that." Her eyes sobered. "Please, Rafe. I think it would be better if I go back to my own room. It would be embarrassing for me in the morning if…" Her voice trailed off abruptly.

    Rafe grinned knowingly and ran his fingers through her hair. "You mean if everyone in the house finds out you surrendered after only one night back under my roof? Yeah, I can see where that would be a little embarrassing for you."

    She poked him in the ribs and scowled. "I did not surrender."

    Her eyes searched his face. She looked as if she was about to say something and changed her mind. "Good night, Rafe."

    He didn't like it but he didn't want to argue with her. Not now that things were finally all right again. "You always were a little shy about this kind of thing, weren't you?"

    "I prefer to think of it as circumspect."

    "Downright prudish if you ask me. You know what? You're just an old-fashioned girl at heart. But I guess I can put up with your modesty until we make things official." He dragged her head down for another slow, deep kiss and then he forced himself to his feet. He stretched broadly, flexing his muscles for the sheer physical pleasure of it. He hadn't felt this good in a long, long time. A year, to be exact.

    "You don't have to walk me back to my room. It's just across the