“Wake up, Emma,” he whispered.

“I don’t want to.”

“I want you awake when I make love to you, Em.”

She opened her eyes and found his face mere inches from hers, his eyes aglow with reflected moonlight, his mouth a white gleam of humor.

“Okay,” she sighed.

“Oh no. I want to hear the words first.”

“Words?”

He blew an impatient sigh, wafting her hair. “The words to back up that paper you signed today, that give me permission to be in this bed.” He softly kissed the end of the nose. “I need to hear them soon, before I go insane.”

“I do trust you, Ben. With my life, my home, and my nephew. I trust you.”

The moonlight illuminated his frown. She knew what he wanted to hear; she just wasn’t sure she could say it out loud.

“And?” he growled, every muscle in his body tightening.

“And I think you’re the most handsome man I’ve ever met. You’re more beautiful than a sunset, and more solid than the mountains. You’re more man than I ever hoped to be with.”

Suddenly his hands were in her hair, capturing her head while he lifted her face and kissed her full on the mouth.

No vision from her imagination could ever consume her so completely. No other man could waken her feminine yearnings as fiercely. Emma parted her lips, matching his passion with her own. She tasted him, pulling his essence into herself as she struggled to free her hands to gather him closer.

He broke the kiss, drawing in a shuddering breath that matched hers, and stared down at her with eyes the color of polished lake ice.

“I swear, Ben—if the ground starts shaking again, I’m going to scream.”

He laid his forehead on hers. “I’m about to forget all about my noble intentions, your sore shoulder, and the words I’m still waiting to hear.”

“I can give you what you want without saying it out loud, Ben.”

“No,” he said, lifting his head. “We’ll seal our bond tonight, Emma, but not until you surrender yourself. You can be strong and stubborn and fearless with the rest of the world, but with me, right now, you need to let down your guard. No pretenses. No digressions. I want you warm and soft and vulnerable, and that begins with you saying the words out loud.”

He was done with the chase, and he wasn’t about to settle for a compromise. He wanted total, complete, irrevocable surrender.

“I love you,” she whispered. “I always have and I always will. I’ve been waiting fifteen years for you to come for me.”

She waited, then said, “I’m not the only one baring her soul here, Sinclair.”

”Don’t you know that I love you!” His mouth captured hers again, making her burn all the way to the center of her being.

As a declaration of love, it was about as romantic and subtle as a bull moose bugling its intentions. Ben tore the blankets from the bed and fell on her with all the finesse of a man well beyond his patience. Completely naked, he scorched her skin right through her flimsy nightgown.

Smelling roses again, Emma opened her eyes to see petals floating through the air, set off by the blankets thrown to the floor. She was completely surrounded by rose petals, and by the man who had strewn them over the bed while she slept.

With an eagerness that matched his, Emma wrapped her arms around Ben’s neck and met his passion, raining kisses over the hard planes of his face, feeling the scratch of his beard tickle her with joy.

“I love you,” she whispered into his ear just before she lightly bit it.

He laughed out loud, the sound warming her. He found the neck of her nightgown and ripped it down to her waist as he pulled it from her shoulders. Another cloud of petals filled the air, dancing in the moonlight as lightly as her heart.

He suddenly stopped above her, then leaned down and softly kissed the bandage on her left shoulder. “My God, I could have lost you.” He gathered her against him fiercely. “I nearly lost you.”

“Sshhh. I’m okay, and I’m here,” she whispered, hugging him just as fiercely. “Love me, Ben, and see if you can make my dishes rattle again.”

He lifted his head and returned her smile. “Oh, I intend to. I may even crack a few of them,” he finished, cupping her left breast.

Emma sucked in a surprised breath as he moved his thumb across her nipple, and she arched her back in eager acceptance. She used her own hands to explore his chest, which was wide and hard and hot, and dug her fingers into his shoulders when he took her nipple into his mouth.

She moaned, kissing his hair and running her fingers through it. She felt his hands at her waist, pulling her panties down, along with what was left of her nightgown. Within seconds she was as naked as he was.

“You’ve got the body of an angel,” he whispered as he moved back over her, bringing her into intimate contact with the proof of his desire. “You’re myangel.”

Impatient, she wrapped her legs around his hips and placed the heart of her womanhood at the tip of his shaft.

“Wait,” he gritted, trembling with restraint.

Ignoring him, Emma lifted her hips, sheathing herself over his manhood as she exerted pressure with her legs on the back of his. He finished the task with a groan, burying himself deep within her.

She squeaked at the discomfort of the invasion, bracing her hands on his shoulders as if to hold back a mountain. He instantly stilled.

“You’re damn tight, Emma.”

“You’re damn big, Ben.”

He smiled at her as he slowly started to move, causing a sensation so exquisite Emma was afraid she might have left nail marks in his chest.

Not that he seemed to notice. His head was thrown back and his eyes were closed, and she could see he was caught in a maelstrom of pleasure. Tentatively she began to move her own hips.

“Be still,” he gritted through clenched teeth, looking down with eyes darkened with desperation. “Or this is going to be over before it begins.”

She reached up and wiped the sweat on his forehead. “And I thought you were a powerful god,” she said, lightly tugging his hair. “You’re merely mortal after all.”

He shut her up by capturing her mouth with his, and began moving more earnestly as he reached down and found the very center of her nature.

Emma ignited like a volcano, molten white heat consuming her as she cried out in convulsing pleasure. The moon and all the stars flooded the darkness that had surrounded her heart all these years. She became one with the man of her dreams as she felt him shudder deep inside her, his own cry softly echoing through the room.

She tried to calm her racing heart as she held Ben close. Small convulsions continued to rack her body, pleasant little ripples of waning ecstasy. Breathing, which she desperately needed to do right now, was nearly impossible.

She shifted in an attempt to wiggle free.

“Are you hurt, Emma? Did I injure your shoulder?” he asked, concern rousting him as nothing else could.

She smiled up at him, and pulled him down to her side as she continued to cuddle him close. “No. I just needed some air.”

He returned her smile with a cocky one. “I take your breath away?” He brushed the hair back from her face. “Not bad for a mere mortal.”

As if his teasing had awoken the gods of the underworld, the soft rumble of trembling earth approached, growing more ominous in volume until even the bed began to shake. The windows rattled in their sashes. The lamp on her nightstand clinked with growing violence.

Beaker whined.

Emma gasped. “Dammit, Benjamin. Cut that out!” she hissed.

He jumped out of bed and nearly fell. “Me? It’s your damn hot springs!”

She sat up, hugging the blankets to her chest as she looked at him.

“This is getting eerie.” He caught her staring, and grabbed a pillow and held it at his waist, covering up all the best parts. “What’s happening in your woods?”

Emma sighed. “You’re not superstitious, are you?”