Chapter Eight
CHAPTER EIGHT
B EING BACK IN the home where he had shared so many happy memories with his uncle and aunt before they’d both died had already put Tristan on edge for most of the day. But that was nothing compared to the torture of watching Nina slide down the straps of her summer dress. The loose cotton material easily skimmed over her toned curves, before sliding down to pool around her ankles, leaving her in skimpy underwear.
‘Shoes on or off?’ she asked meekly, kicking the dress to one side and leaning back against the tree trunk.
‘Shoes?’
She smiled, gesturing down to the trainers she still wore. ‘The magazine wants me to be in swimwear tomorrow, so I feel like these should come off too, no?’
The simple yes that escaped his lips was little more than a croak, and he cleared his throat, frowning down at the display of his camera to click a few random buttons. He was doing absolutely nothing productive of course; with his automatic high-grade apparatus a lot of it was done automatically.
‘Is that completely necessary?’ she asked, raising an eyebrow.
He grunted a reply, getting down into a crouch in the grass. He narrowed his eyes on her, suddenly realising what kind of game his little cat was playing. He’d denied her request last night, not willing to risk her injuries might be more serious than either of them had assumed. But now, apart from a little light bruising here and there, she was most certainly fighting fit and determined to break down his chivalrous control in whatever way she could.
‘Lean back and arch your neck,’ he growled, satisfied, when she looked up at him with surprise.
‘Like this?’ She leaned back in the way he’d directed, attentive and serene as he instructed her to place her body this way and that, then to move one ankle over the other.
‘Soften your lower lip, querida ,’ he breathed. ‘Yes, that’s it. Now...look directly at me. Don’t look away until I tell you.’
‘Or else, what?’ She narrowed that onyx gaze on him.
‘Perhaps I’ll decide that this photo shoot needs even less clothing.’ Through the lens of the camera, he zoomed in, seeing the very moment that her pupils dilated and her nostrils flared.
Little minx. He’d bet she was imagining it right now, him ordering her to strip off her underwear, exposing her bared flesh to him and his camera. They were all alone out here after all... He could easily follow through on his threat. The idea of it made his blood thrum in his ears and he almost entirely lost focus on his act of taking photos completely. Nina wasn’t doing too much better as she fixed her lust-hazed eyes on him, her arms beginning to shake with the effort of leaning back on the rough surface of the tree trunk.
‘Breathe, Nina,’ he murmured, moving a few steps closer and continuing to click, at speed. He caught the moment her eyes turned sultry, and the blush that had been kissing only her cheeks swept down to cover her chest.
‘You’re a natural at this...so beautiful.’ He ignored the tightening of his raging erection, focusing on her, on nothing but her as she obeyed his instructions. ‘Good, Nina. So good.’
She practically blossomed under his praise, her nipples tightening into little peaks beneath her bra as she thrust her breasts forward and spread her legs wide of her own accord. She posed herself this way and that, loosening up under his gaze.
He had never actually done a posed photo shoot with a model this way. He’d always preferred to find his subjects in real life, unaware. Catching the little moments of honesty. But this, whatever they were doing here, felt like a perfect meeting of the two styles. A mixture of instruction and honesty that made his skin feel too tight and his heart beat too loud in his ears. He had held himself in check with this woman for weeks on end, determined to deny his own pleasure. While it seemed she had slowly realised that there was one thing she wanted from their deal, the one thing that he had told her he could not, should not, give her.
Dropping the camera down to his side, he replaced the mechanical gaze upon her with his own and saw her beautiful features soften even more. She didn’t move out of her pose, the one he’d put her in. Like the cat he’d compared her to, she lay in wait. Those onyx eyes didn’t leave his as he took one step closer followed by another and another until he had her pressed up against his chest. His lips found hers as if he were a magnet and she his true North, and he plundered and possessed every inch of her mouth before coming up for air.
‘You drive me wild,’ he rasped, fisting his hands in her hair to keep her in place or to keep himself tethered perhaps. He felt out of control, more out of control than he’d ever been, but he welcomed it. He welcomed the adventure that was Nina... The passion and the infuriating fire that she had brought back into his life replacing the numbness of mediocrity and boredom. It would reappear all too soon once they went their separate ways again.
Sliding his hands down along her sides, he allowed himself to stop overthinking everything and simply feel. The sensation of her silky-smooth skin under his fingertips was heaven, as was the delicate way she rocked her pelvis against his erection. Needy moans escaped her lips as she peppered his throat with hungry kisses.
‘I’m supposed to be the one seducing you,’ he growled.
‘Says who?’ She looked up at him through long sooty lashes, a sensual smile on her lips.
‘You really liked it when I ordered you around.’
A fresh blush crept up her cheeks, and she tilted her head down bashfully.
He put one finger under her chin, encouraging her to look back up at him. ‘Those photos are all yours, by the way. To keep or delete as you wish. I don’t need a photograph for what’s already burned in my memory, querida . But I do need to get you to a bed fairly soon.’
‘A bed... yes .’ She whispered the words in between moans and delicious whimpers as he bent his head to busy himself with one taut nipple through the thin material of her bra. Forcing himself to move, he stood back up, took her by the hand and led her towards his villa.
The journey from their little interlude was a complete blur and Nina soon felt her frantically aroused body pushed back onto Tristan’s huge four-poster bed, giggling wildly as his equally frantic form spread over her.
He murmured pretty words against her mouth, his hands clumsily working to undo his belt. The room was dimly lit with the curtains drawn, but she could just about make out his muscular form as he straightened to pull off his T-shirt and shuck off his jeans. He was upon her again in an instant, his hot skin sliding against her own in the most blissful sensation. Her entire body felt like a livewire that had been activated. She wanted him everywhere.
‘I’m afraid this first time might not last very long.’ Gently, he spread her thighs wide and Nina gasped at the sensation of him right there .
‘I don’t want to crush you...you’re sure your injuries aren’t—’
‘Tristan. I’m fine. But if you stop right now, I swear...’
He laughed, lying on his side to pull her against his chest as he ripped open a foil packet and slid protection over his length with impressive speed. With one hand, he pulled her thigh up so that her body half straddled him. She’d done some research to feel more prepared but this position was not one she’d ever seen in a movie or read about in a book. It felt impossibly intimate with his eyes on hers and almost every inch of their skin touching. His erection was hot and heavy against her entrance as his finger traced a slow circle right where she needed it.
‘Please,’ she begged, grinding herself against him. ‘Oh, my God.’
‘Slow...slow down, por el amor de Dios , or I swear I won’t last more than five seconds.’
‘You said you never lose control.’
‘I say a lot of foolish things around you.’ He caught her mouth in another punishing kiss as he pressed forward, sliding the very tip of himself inside her. The slight stretch felt uncomfortable but not overly so and with his lips devouring hers so passionately she quickly forgot to worry about pain, eager for more. With his eyes on hers there was nowhere to hide, but she didn’t feel self-conscious, she felt beautiful. She felt desirable and sexy and right. More right than she’d ever felt, even behind the wheel.
The combination of him at her entrance and against her clitoris was magic and she quickly felt her legs begin to tremble with the onset of release. He didn’t speed up, nor did he look away or react as she whispered a series of curses and prayers in French. He was right there with her, holding her with his quiet strength as he ruthlessly worked her body in a perfect rhythm until she broke apart.
Her orgasm was a slow earthquake that swept up from her toes to her chin, wiping out every coherent thought she had and turning her into a shaking mass of limbs against his chest. She was vaguely aware of his lips pressing tenderly against her brow and of the fact that he hadn’t seemed to experience the same release as she had.
‘That was...perfect,’ she whispered, unable to stop the smile that spread up to her cheeks.
‘Perfect,’ he murmured. ‘I need to hear you come again before I do, but I need to be fully inside you.’
‘That wasn’t...fully inside?’ she whispered, shaking herself out of the haze of her post-orgasmic bubble.
He let out a husky laugh, already bracing himself over her and spreading her thighs wide. ‘My ego needs no further stroking, mi cielo , I’m already on the edge as it is.’
Nina tensed up, trying to find the right words to tell him that fully inside might not be an option just yet, but all thoughts left her as he gently slid his thumb over her still-sensitive core in a slow firm circle. All thoughts subsided, replaced by a heady rush of sensation and heat that made her groan aloud. This man was going to overdose her with orgasms before the night was through, she was sure of it. She looked up at him, pleasure drunk, and was struck anew at how handsome he was. Seized with a sense of bravery, she told him as much in a breathless voice that sounded nothing like her own.
He smiled. The next thing she was aware of was him pressing his length into her with one smooth thrust.
The pain was so sharp, so sudden that Nina whimpered, a guttural sound escaping her throat as she braced both hands against his powerful chest with the urge to push him away. Tristan immediately froze, brows furrowed as he settled himself and his massive member right where it was apparently attempting to split her apart.
‘You...you’re too tight, belleza ,’ he gritted, a slow breath hissing through his teeth as he held himself frozen in place.
‘You’re too large,’ she countered. ‘Oh...my God.’
‘Not that large.’ He shook his head slightly, a horrified expression transforming his face. ‘Nina, are you...? Is this...?’
‘My first time, yes,’ she finished for him. ‘I’m okay, it’s already feeling better. Don’t stop.’
A low series of curses followed, his brow dropping to press against the junction of her neck and shoulders. ‘Dios ... Nina.’
She placed her hands on either side of his face, lifting him until his tortured gaze met hers. ‘I’m fine now. Don’t you dare stop.’
His expression hardened, a vein popping in his temple as he visibly wrestled with emotions she couldn’t quite name but would hazard a guess about. She’d thought he’d understood her lack of experience, but she should have made it crystal-clear to him. But even so, she would not apologise for how tonight had gone. Nor would she change any of it. Unless he walked away right now— that she would not recover from too easily.
He didn’t seem fully deterred by her revelation, not judging by how his length still pressed hot and hard inside her. Plus, it didn’t seem to hurt quite so much now that they’d taken a small breather. Curious, she experimented, tightening her inner muscles around him with a slow squeeze. Tristan’s eyes drifted closed so she did it again, this time eliciting a low growl from his lips.
‘You’re trying to kill me.’ He groaned. ‘You needed me to be much more gentle with you. I shouldn’t have—’
‘I don’t want gentle, Tristan.’ She moved again, a swift tilt of her hips to grind up against him. She was clumsy and unpractised but not entirely without skill, it seemed, as his eyes opened again and he finally, finally began to move once more. Slowly at first, but his restraint quickly faltered as his breathing grew more ragged. She felt the power in every thrust, as though both of them were fighting against one another but somehow moving perfectly in time. Like a dance. As though every other interaction they’d had had been building towards this.
Was this what their fighting had been about? Perhaps she had never hated him at all.
There was no other word for how it felt to have him taking her this way other than complete possession and it was over far too soon. She gasped and climaxed for the second time and, with a loud roar, Tristan shuddered against her and collapsed, his breath fanning against her cheek for a second before he gently withdrew. He lay on his back alongside her and they stayed like that for a long moment, their chests rising and falling in tandem.
After a long silence, Nina felt him move away. A click of the bathroom light followed and the running of water. He returned moments later, gently guiding her so he could use a warm compress to cleanse between her legs. When he pulled the towel away, a small amount of blood stained the white cotton. Squinting in the low light, she saw the furrow between his brows and the tension in his shoulders. She wanted to soothe him, to reassure him that tonight had been perfect. She wanted to apologise for being too shy to tell him that she hadn’t technically had sex before, but that she was glad he’d been her first. She wanted him to kiss her again and tell her that he was glad too.
‘Sleep.’ He spoke softly, but made no move to join her again in the bed.
Nina watched as he pulled on a robe and walked to the high balcony windows that overlooked the coastline, his broad silhouette framed in the light of the moon. She fought off the sleep that threatened to claim her. It wasn’t meant to feel this way, getting her wish. She was supposed to feel empowered and satisfied, having very thoroughly got the Falco experience.
He’d been everything she’d fantasised about and more, but a whole new ache had been opened up within her, entirely unrelated to the dull throbbing between her legs. She realised with alarm that the ache had now settled in her chest, bringing with it a longing for the man who seemed so intent on holding her at a distance while he possessed her every waking thought.
She wanted much more than to be just another woman who’d lost herself in his bed. She wanted him to lose himself with her. To need more of her, just as she seemed unable to stop needing more of him. All these thoughts seemed so urgent as he turned around, walking back over to the bedside to quietly ask if she was okay. But that dreamy haze still pulled at her mind and all she managed was a husky ‘thank you’ before she fell into a deep, satisfied sleep.