ivory skin inch by inch. The silk whispered off her shoulders and rippled into a sapphire pool on the lustrous oak.
Awed, he devoured the sight of her naked beauty, memorizing every lovely curve. He lifted his gaze to hers, her shimmering golden eyes reflecting his own passion. So this was what it was like to make love. Really make love, not just have sex. Another miracle. His heart thundered in his ears. "My beautiful Tessa, I love you."
"I love you, too," she breathed. "So much."
He sipped again and again at her sweet lips before he tasted the line of her jaw, her earlobes, her neck. Marveling at her satiny smooth breasts, he drew her nipple into his mouth and circled his tongue tantalizingly around the velvety tip before suckling hard.
Quivering, she thrust her fingers into his hair, pulling him closer, her gasps choppy and ragged. "Oh!"
He gave the other nipple his careful attention, and then moved lower, kissing her soft belly. He moved lower still, tasting her, sweet and feminine, leisurely flicking his tongue across the small, swollen bud. She moaned, trembled under his hands. "Wait. Don't. I want you inside me first."
He stripped off his remaining clothing. Gazing into her passion-dilated eyes, he smoothed her tousled curls from her forehead. "There's no hurry. We've got all night. And a lifetime after that." A lifetime with this remarkable woman. His heart soared.
"I know." She rained impatient little kisses all over his face. "But I want you now. Right now. No more waiting."
He smiled at her uninhibited eagerness. "I'm yours. Now and always."
Without hesitation, she opened her thighs wide, giving him unquestioning access to the most vulnerable part of her. At her trust, warmth curled in his chest. He wouldn't betray her faith. Not now, not ever. Lifting her bottom, he nestled between her thighs. Holding his breath, he eased into her soft, damp heat.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "I want to give you everything."
Tenderness washed over him. He clenched his jaw at her urgent movements, resisting the pleasure that urged him to race to the finish. As her sleek warmth encircled him inch by inch, sweat pooled in the small of his back and beaded on his forehead. "I want to give you everything, too, sweetheart. The best of everything." He closed his eyes, fighting the temptation to thrust in to the hilt. Encountering resistance, he stopped at the fragile barrier. He opened his eyes to look at her.
"Mmm. More, Gabe." She wriggled against him.
He clung to the razor edge of sanity. "Trust your pilot, honey. This won't hurt if we take our time."
"It doesn't hurt. It's wonderful." She arched her back. Her abrupt movement pushed him deep, and the barrier between them gave way. She gasped and went rigid in his arms.
Rattled and as unsure as an inexperienced virgin himself, he froze. "Tessie? You okay?"
"Yes." She sighed. "Go ahead."
He rubbed her back until the tension eased from her muscles. "Relax, honey. From here on, it only gets better." Carefully, he slid nearly out of her sweet warmth and then in again, searching her face for signs of pain before continuing.
"This is amazing," she whispered, her body rising to meet him with each stroke. "The way you feel inside of me. You fill me, complete me."
He felt that way, too, as though he'd found the piece of his heart that had been missing all these years. Blitzed by both the emotional and physical bombardment, he was perilously close to climaxing. He groaned. Gripping her bottom, he held her in place. "Stay still. I need a minute."
She froze. "Is this hurting you?"
"No, sweetheart." Chuckling, he rested his forehead against hers. "But you're blowing my self-control all to hell. And I want your first time to be great."
"I'm making love with the man I love. How could it get any better?"
He grinned at her innocence. If he had his way—and he would—she'd soon know. Once again, he gently began to thrust. "Okay?"
She instantly picked up the rhythm, her body as in tune with his as if they'd been lifelong lovers. Trembling, she rocked her hips faster, increasing the pace. "Yes. Oh, yes."
Watching her closely, he matched her quickening movements, their passion quickly escalating.
Her heart thundered against his own. "In my wildest dreams, I never imagined—"
Fire licked through him. "Fly with me, honey," he gasped. Pure sensation took over. He wrapped his arms around her, thrusting hard and fast, glorying in possessing his woman, and her wild