Chapter 6
He should kick himself for giving her a chance to tell him no. But he did not want her to start having regrets.
"Be sure."
"I am." She was vaguely aware that this was her wanting to feel loved by someone.
Anyone. She was smart enough to realize that having spent her entire life unloved by the two people who had a duty to love her, she was reaching out in hunger.
She was starving for love, for the feel of a man's arms around her, to make her feel like a woman, make her feel worthy.
It did not matter that she was independent and confident. Inside she was a writhing mass of insecurity. And she wanted proof that she was capable of generating desire. She wanted to feel whole. Just once.
"I am." She repeated. His body was pressing on hers, the hard contours molding against hers. There would be time for regrets and recriminations later, but right now, she wanted to feel.
Her hands drifted over his face, touching the hard contours. He had excellent bone structure. There was a slight stubble that gave him an attractively sexy look. A lock of sable brown hair was falling over his forehead and his eyes, those damn beautiful eyes were pulling at her.
And he made her feel things she never thought she could feel.
Shucking the hesitation, he brushed his fingers over her forehead, her cheek and rubbed his thumb against her lips, parting them, rubbing the soft, moist flesh that stirred a need inside him that was impossibly intense.
Bending his head, he kissed her slowly, relishing the sweet, honeyed taste of her.
He was already hard. Already pining and yearning for her.
The taste of her would linger on his taste buds for a very long time. He wanted it to be the only taste he remembered. Everything and everyone faded from his memory. It was just her.
He wanted to taste the rest of her. Easing up slightly, he gave her one last chance to refuse him, before rolling the edge of the sweater slowly over her torso. His fingers encountered smooth flesh as soft as silk and smooth as glass.
She helped him and before long, he was gazing at her naked flesh and feeling the desire pouring through his body.
Keeping her eyes on his, she unhooked the flimsy clasp of a material so thin and transparent, it might have been invisible.
When she tossed the bra aside, his gaze shifted and what he saw had him going weak at the knees. She was perfect.
Her breasts were small and firm, the nipples large and completely irresistible.
He made a sound deep inside his throat as he slid down so he could feast.
Aria's body arched when he cupped her flesh.
She had always been reserved when it came to sex and had been accused of being cold and passionless.
But right now, she felt as if she was being consumed by a fire that was pouring through her body.
His touch on her breasts, the look on his face as he stared at her, had her insides melting.
When he dipped his head and used his tongue to trace the outline of one nipple, she felt as if she was poised on the edge of a very high cliff.
He took his time. God knew he wanted to move fast, to drive himself into her until they became one, but he wanted to taste and savor every aspect of her. Tugging the nipple into his mouth, he felt his body reacting in an alarming manner. She tasted dark and deadly. To his senses.
He was lost in a sea of passion so intense, it was overwhelming. He could no longer take it slow. The control was slipping away. He was going to devour.
Capturing the nipple between his teeth, he let loose and was suckling like a starving man faced with a banquet for the first time in years.
Aria could not stand it. She was going mad. Gripping his sweater, she fought to get it off. She wanted to feel his body against hers. She wanted the warmth.
He lifted his head to allow her to pull the sweater over his head.
Getting on his knees, he peeled off the leggings and discovered that she had not bothered with underwear. The spit dried up in his mouth as he stared at the flat stomach, the patch of dark hairs covering her sex. He felt a slam inside his chest as he caught sight of the tattoo high on her thigh.
His eyes flew to hers, his body charged and out of control.
He had to have her now. It had to be now. Stumbling to his feet, he got rid of his slacks, frustrated when the zipper became stuck. Out of patience, he tore at it and completely ruined it.
Without a care for the expensive material, he tossed it aside and removed his underwear. Her body vibrated as she took in the lean muscular frame, the flat stomach. Her own stomach clenched as her eyes went lower.
He wanted to weep at her beauty. Covering her body with his, he framed her face between his palms, fingers unsteady.
"You're so damn beautiful." He did not recognize his own voice. As long as he lived, he would always remember this. Their first time together.
Bending his head, he rubbed his lips against hers until they parted. He kissed her with a hunger that had her blood sizzling. Her arms went around his neck, her body arching against his. It had to be now. Reaching between their bodies, he guided his aching erection into her.
His eyes flew open when he met resistance. Her tightness was unexpected and so arousing, he almost lost his composure, his control. His body went still, and the groan was torn from his chest.
"I don't want to hurt you." He whispered.
"I don't care." She whispered back and meant it.
"I do." He inched in slowly, until he was wedged deep inside her. With gritted teeth, he braced himself and did not move for a few seconds as he waited for her to get used to his length. He was prepared to wait a little longer, but she took the decision out of his hands.
Throwing her long, shapely legs around his waist, she forced him to move. As soon as he did, she climaxed, the power of it so intense, her eyes popped wide open, and a series of gasps escaped her.
Her slender body arched beneath his, fingers digging into his shoulders and then his back. Her experience with men was very limited, but she was pretty certain this was not normal. She was not supposed to feel, well, everything.
Seizing her lips, he captured her cries, his own body surging and thrusting, the pace increasing until he was driving into her with a force that was beyond his control.
Very soon that control broke and he was pouring into her.
Her long legs slid limply from around his waist, and she could swear she had died several times.
For a few long minutes, they did not say anything, the only sounds in the room were that of the fire crackling inside the hearth and their labored breathing.
It took him another few minutes to realize that he might be crushing her, and even then, he was reluctant to sever the intimacy.
Shifting to the side, he brought her up against him, his arms wrapped around her waist.
Aria wasn't sure what was appropriate for her to say just now. "Great sex." "Never had anything quite like this." Which would be the truth. She opened her mouth to say something and closed it again. His hands were running up and down her back and lulling her to drowsiness.
It had started raining at some point and the pinging on the window made for a very pleasant interlude.
He was content to just stay silent and had her agonizing over whether she had come up to par. She had been accused of being cold and passionless so many times, it had shattered her confidence. She was kickass in her career, but when it came to men, she sucked badly.
And she was pretty sure it would make her sound desperately gauche if she asked for a review.
"You're thinking too much." His deep voice rumbled against the cheek she had pressed against his wide chest.
"I'm not thinking at all." She lied airily.
Shifting so he could see her face, he simply arched a brow.
"Okay fine." She huffed out a breath. "I'm sure you've been with a lot of women. Possibly hundreds."
His brow elevated even more, and she wanted to take back the damning words.
"A few."
"More than a few."
"Is that a problem?"
She tried to convince herself that it wasn't and shrugged. "Not to me. That's your concern."
Tucking two fingers under her chin, he eyed her quizzically. "What is it?"
"Nothing." She tried to wrench her chin away, but he held on.
"Tell me."
She almost sighed but managed to hold back. "You're a pain."
"I'm aware. Tell me."
Her eyes dropped to his lips, and she felt the heat stirring again. "I just." She took a deep breath. "I don't have a lot of experience, and you knew that from the way." She curled her fingers into the hairs spread across his chest and avoided his eyes.
"You were wonderful." He murmured softly as if realizing she needed validation. He wanted to tell her he had never felt this way before, but instinct warned him to keep that little piece of information to himself for now.
"You don't have to flatter me." She muttered.
He also realized she was insecure and that shocked him. She was a beautiful woman and surely where she came from the men were not blind and dumb. Her tightness told him that she had not been with a guy in a long time. He wanted to ask her but wondered if it was appropriate.
And he did not want to talk about the men in her past. He had seen her unravel and feared that it had to do with a broken heart. If that was the case, he did not want to know and hoped to God, the guy had not been between them when he made love to her just now.
"There's no need for that." His thumb traced the full outline of her bottom lip. "Look at me." His soft tone had her lifting her eyes and what she saw on his face left her more than a little breathless.
"It was incredibly good for me."
"For me too." She eased out a breath and realized that she wanted more. Sensing it, he bent his head to take her lips.
*****