In the end, he held her questing fingers captive, pinning them to the pillow on either side of her head to focus solely on the moment. She gave herself to that plan, rolling her hips in time with his thrusts, intensifying every movement. Once he was close to completion, he bent to lave one nipple, tugging it in his mouth until he felt her tense. Letting go, he thrust deep. Hard.

They came together in a rush of sensation. He lost track of everything but how she made him feel. Mindless with pleasure. Whole.

Once he recovered himself enough to move off her, Gage knew that last feeling was a problem. He couldn’t rely on Elena to make him feel fulfilled. This relationship wasn’t about that, and he’d be wise not to mix up the past and the present.

Still, it was impossible not to hold her tight for long afterward. He told himself it was because he wanted to be ready for the next round of orgasms he had every intention of giving her.

But he feared he knew better.

Nine

Elena awoke to warm sunlight on her face, her body pleasantly aching and thoroughly sated. Memories of the evening before swirled through her mind, from the first kiss in the kitchen to a late-night refrigerator raid and lovemaking in front of the fireplace.

Now, reaching for Gage, she felt empty air on his side of the bed. And flowers? Wrenching her eyes open, Elena discovered a pool of pink rose petals on Gage’s pillow, trailing to the floor of the suite. There was also a note on the resort’s stationery propped against the fluffy down, two words written in a sure, masculine hand.

Join me.

The rose petals led out the door.

Anticipation hummed warm in her veins even though they’d rolled in these very sheets together just a couple of hours ago. What was it about this man that captivated her so thoroughly? Sliding from the covers, she set her feet on the floor and padded to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Afterward, she found one of Gage’s clean T-shirts folded neatly in the top drawer of a bureau, and slipped it on.

She hoped things wouldn’t turn awkward between them now that the sun had risen. But she knew inevitably they would because she hadn’t told him the truth about what had happened between them six years ago when they broke up. Trust hadn’t come easily for either of them then, and it wouldn’t return now in light of the way they’d treated each other—red-hot encounters notwithstanding.

For just a little while longer, though, she would live in the moment. Take all the joy she could from this time together.