Page 72 of Nothing to Fear

Kissing her thighs, he prowled up her body, his pale-blue eyes on fire. She ran her hands over his chest that was solid with muscle, loving the strength of him. His hands closed over her breasts, the tip of his tongue teasing a peaked nipple before he drew it into his mouth and suckled.

A shiver of anticipation of what was to come went through her.

“You’re trembling. Are you scared?” Bracing over her on his elbows, his powerful body gleamed in the light of the breaking dawn.

Her gaze darted to his erection, prodding at her sex. Perfection, like the rest of him.

She gulped and clenched with nerves.

He was experienced, had been with lots of women who knew exactly what to do and how to satisfy him. She didn’t want to do the wrong thing and be memorable only for having been utterly disappointing.

“I won’t be any good at this. Sorry. But I’m a fast learner. You just have to teach me.”

His mouth closed on hers. She welcomed his tongue and the taste of her passion mixed with his need. He nudged the blunt tip inside her, stretching her. She arched, her throat thick with longing.

On the second press into her, he swore something indecipherable, the tension in her muscles mirrored on his face. She gasped at the enormous pressure, digging her heels into the mattress.

“Relax. Don’t tense.” He kissed her, softly, sweetly, his tongue coaxing her to soften. “You’re so tight. Let me ease in.” His voice strained with an edge like he was in pain as he drove inch by inch into the clasp of her body, withdrew and slid deeper. “I need to have you more than I need to breathe. But if it hurts too much, I’ll stop. Even if it kills me.”

And knowing that he would soothed and excited her.

She didn’t want to run from him. She wanted to crash into what she craved.

“Don’t stop. Unless you’re in too much pain.”

“I’m fine. Taking it easy.”

He pushed into her harder and held still for a suspended moment of delicious agony. She hovered on the brink, rocking her hips, desperate for motion.

Taking her face in his hands, he licked her lips and then kissed her, deep and tender and sensuous, stealing her heart, and she was lost.

Each slow thrust had her inner muscles loosening and becoming more slippery. She clenched around him, relishing the intense friction, the torturous pleasure.

“Touch me.” His ragged words were low, rough. “I love the way you touch me.”

His voice filled her ears, his hard flesh filled her most intimate place, and her heart was full too. She let go of the bedspread tangled in her fists. Clumsy with desire, she ran her hands along his sleek, honed body. His mouth seized hers again, and the rest of their bottled-up need overflowed in frenzied kisses.

They found a rhythm, an escalating tempo toward something fierce and breathless. An excruciating push and an aching pull.

Making love with him exceeded her wildest hopes, but not in the manner she’d expected.

This was the first time that sex had been intimate. He peered down at her with an intense look she’d never seen from him before. The tide of emotion rising in her chest and swelling between them was overwhelming.

Unbearable tension spooled low in her belly. Arousal and desire were like wire threads gathering and knotting in her core. Holding her gaze, he quickened his strokes, driving the thick breadth of him impossibly deep, to the center of her soul.

It was as if she was dissolving in sweet sensation. White-hot ecstasy stormed through her, pounding harder and faster than the rainfall beating the boat. Her body squeezed and twisted, but she surrendered to the awe-inspiring wave of pleasure that swept her away.

With a guttural roar, he jerked into her one last time. He kissed the hollow of her throat and caressed her as though she were something precious. Emotion clogged her throat, rendering her unable to speak or think straight.

He rolled to the side, retreating from the bed, and left the room.

She reeled at the striking emptiness. Shutting her eyes, she tried to hang on to the fleeting sensations, wanting to memorize them.

The mattress sank as Gideon returned, sitting beside her. The heat from his body encouraged her to open her eyes. She was groggy from the high, her heartbeat still a wild flutter.

“Are you okay? Was I too rough?” He wiped the junction of her thighs with a washcloth.

“Don’t. I love the feel of you inside me.” So erotic.