And as she reached her peak he pushed deep inside her, one long clean stroke, and then he was emptying his seed deep inside her.
For a long time they lay there, joined as one as they fought to regain control. Then as their harsh breathing died down to the gentle rhythm of satiation Dare gathered her even closer and slid his hand up to stroke the smooth skin of her hip.
And though the wind wailed and the windows rattled, Erin felt if there was one moment in life that defined her heaven, this was it.
But then she remembered. The wind, Francine’s room, the plank flying through the air. She gasped and held Dare’s wrist, stilling his caress. “Dare, your head. What if I made you worse?”
Dare chuckled into the back of her neck. “By letting me make love to you? You actually did the opposite. I’m cured.”
She reached behind and slapped at his bum. “Be serious. You could have a concussion. I don’t think making love was a good idea.”
“It was an excellent idea,” he whispered then kissed her nape, effectively wiping all thought from her mind and leaving her only with the feel of his body and his touch.
Then he turned her to him and dipped his head to confound her even further with a kiss that left her panting.
She lifted her hands and planted them on his chest. “Dare, no. I mean it. No more for tonight. Not in your condition.”
He chuckled and leaned back and propped his elbow on the pillow then rested his cheek in his hand. He gave her a boyish grin. “Or in yours.” He reached out and rested a big warm hand on her belly. “I hope I didn’t disturb little Mr. DeSouza.”
“Or Miss,” she said, smiling back.
“Or Miss.” He stroked her smooth skin then lowered his head to press his ear against her gentle rise. “I wish I could hear it,” he said, his voice soft with something akin to wonder.
“Why don’t you say something?” she prompted. “The baby can hear, you know.”
To her surprise, instead of speaking Dare began to sing, soft and low, his voice a melodic rumble as his lips tickled the skin of her belly. He was singing a lullaby to the baby inside her, a song welcoming the little one into the world.
As the words of the song died away Erin blinked to clear the tears that had gathered in her eyes. It had been so unexpected and so touching. “That was beautiful,” she said and raised her hand to stroke Dare’s dark curls as he again pressed his ear against her skin. It felt so natural. “I didn’t know you could sing.”
He lifted his head and chuckled. “I was part of a boy band in college. Bass guitarist and background vocalist.”
“Wow,” she said with a teasing laugh, “you never cease to amaze me. If you hadn’t made it in real estate you would definitely have made it big in the music business.”
“Yeah, right.” He slid his body up where he could nuzzle her neck. She knew what he wanted and this time she didn’t have the heart to stop him. Crack on the head or no, Dare - or more accurately the part of his anatomy now prodding her hip - was ready for another round.
She sighed and stretched languorously then tilted her head up and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Just one more time,” she whispered, “but only if you sing me a love song.”
“Are you begging?” he said into her ear.
“No, that was an order.” She reached up and pulled his head down for a long, searing kiss that would leave him in no doubt as to who was in charge.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Dare woke to a ray of light streaming in through a crack in the brocade drapes at the window. For the first time in weeks he’d slept through the night. He lifted his head off the pillow to look at his wife as she curled into him. She was still fast asleep and he used the opportunity to explore her body with hands, sliding it over the fullness of her br**sts then letting it come to rest in the curve of her waist. She was beautiful in her pregnancy, her skin a delicate rosy hue, her body blooming with his child. What could be lovelier?
If nothing else, the hurricane had accomplished one good thing. Last night they had connected. For the first time since Erin’s arrival on the island there had been a harmony between them that he hoped would last. He would do everything in his power to maintain this newfound peace. He’d been a cad but going forward he’d show Erin he could be a loving husband.
Slowly so as not to wake her he slid out of the bed and padded over to the walk-in closet where he grabbed underwear, jeans, a T-shirt and a pair of heavy boots. All kinds of debris would be strewn around after the storm, including broken glass and loose boards with nails sticking out. The last thing he needed was a puncture wound that would send him rushing to the hospital for a tetanus shot.
A quick survey of the grounds revealed that the damage was not as bad as he had expected. Apart from the tree that had fallen onto the west wing of the house everything else was intact. Still, it was going to take a lot of work to clear the mess from the property. He’d have to get a work team on board within the next day or two.
His priority, though, was the resort and the guests who were in his care. A quick call to the resort manager put his mind at ease - all guests present and accounted for and only minor damage to the villas closest to the beach.
He went back to check on Erin and she was up. She’d put on his robe again and it swallowed her up, making her look like a child playing dress up in her parents’ clothes.
As soon as she saw him her face lit up and then it clouded over with a look of concern. “How do you feel today?” she asked. She hopped out of the bed and came over to rest a hand on his arm. “Any headaches? Dizziness?”
“I’m fine, nurse,” he teased then reached out and pulled her against him. “And how did you rest?”
“Never slept better,” she said with a relaxed smile and then her face went pink and he knew she was remembering their lovemaking from the night before.
And she’d soon have a lot more to grow pink about. Tonight he planned to give her even more of the same treatment. But now there was work to do. “You whip up some breakfast while I make some calls and get a work crew organized. It’s going to be a busy day.”