Breaking Free (Invitation to Eden) by Cathryn Fox

and commanding, tonight he whispered dark words of encouragement as his mouth moved over her flesh. He pumped harder, the depth of penetration stealing her breath and building the tension inside her. His muscles bunched as he slipped a hand between their bodies and stroked her with expertise. Alaska’s body responded with a violent shudder, followed by another mind-blowing orgasm. As her liquid heat coated his cock, he groaned, pulled all the way out, and with one hard thrust, drove back into her. She held him tight, raking her nails over his back as he pulsed inside her, his cock spasming and throbbing as he succumbed to the pressure.
    “Fuck,” he murmured and collapsed on top of her, their collective orgasms leaving them both shaken, gasping for breath.
    Moisture sealed them as one as they held one another. The thought that she’d like to stay like this forever slipped into her head, but he rolled off and pulled her to him. His warm familiarity curled around her, and she exhaled a contented breath, never wanting to leave the circle of his arms.
    She looked up at him, everything in her heart telling her this was more than a purely physical relationship. His touch was different from the other guys she was with. It was less physical, more emotional. Whether Jesse wanted to admit to it or not, they’d made love...made a connection. His interest in her went deeper than a wild night of sex. The way he put her needs first proved that.
    When he caught the way she was looking at him, his mouth found hers again, and the remainder of the night was lost in a haze of sleep and lovemaking. Soon the sun crested the horizon, and with exhaustion pulling at them both, she cuddled into him. She touched his face, wanting to talk, but a loud noise outside the cabana had him jumping to his feet. Eyes hard, he tugged on his clothes and gave her a warning glance.
    “Stay here.”
    Seeing that he was in protective mode, ready for a fight, she nodded and drew her blankets up. Jesse eased open the door, shot her one last glace, and then disappeared.
    With the sun rising, she wrapped her blanket around her and climbed from the bed. Heart racing, she peeked through her curtains in time to see Jesse take a man down in the sand. His movements were swift and sure as he pressed his knee into the small of the man’s back and rendered him immobile while the intruder’s friends in a nearby speedboat took off and left him to fend for himself. She looked down the beach and spotted security running toward Jesse.
    Jesse took his knee off the guy’s back and handed him off to security. They spoke for a few minutes, then the Master of the island showed up. The two walked the length of the beach as they talked. Alaska watched them until they walked into the tree line and disappeared from sight. She sat on the edge of her bed, waiting for him to return. After an hour had passed, and Jesse still hadn’t returned, she got up, got dressed, and went to find him. She found him at the far end of the beach, sitting alone on the sand, his knees to his chest, his arms wrapped around them, as he stared out at the sun rising over the ocean.
    His body tensed as she approached, and the wind blew his hair from his face. She stood for a moment, and when he failed to acknowledge her presence, she carefully lowered herself beside him, mimicking his position. Half expecting him to tell her to go, Alaska sat quietly and gave him some time. After a while, when he still didn’t speak, she turned to him, resting her cheek on her knees.
    “Why did you do this, Jesse?” The only sign that he’d heard her was a slight tightening of his shoulders. So stubborn. She leaned over, nudging him with her elbow. Finally, he tipped his head and looked at her. “Why did you bring me here?”
    “Janey—” he began, then stopped when she arched a brow. He huffed out a half-laugh and shook his head. “You think you know everything, don’t you?”
    “Not everything, but I do know that