could never remember how the sleeve of her chemise came to be ripped nearly off, or how Gareth's breeches had come to land on the candle where they had smoldered for a few seconds before plunging the room in darkness.
The moon sent pale beams through the tiny window, bathing the lovers in its silvery light, hiding the flush of Elena’s cheek when Gareth kissed the peak of her breast. His face was lost in shadow as he rolled atop her, but she saw the rugged contours of his visage with first her fingertips and then her mouth. She learned the sculpting of his muscled back, the firm roundness of his buttocks. She drank in his scent as if it were life-giving air and she a drowning woman. She was nearly overcome with so many sensations. One moment, she reveled in the silkiness of his hair, the next, in the saltiness of his skin, the rasp of his whiskers against her neck, the grip of his callused hand on her hip, her breast. Elena barely recognized the delight of one part of him before she discovered a new one. I could spend a lifetime learning his body, she thought, and in the slumberous heat of passion, the thought did not scare her. It enticed her.
Without fear or hesitation, she gave herself to him and he worshiped her for it, kissing and caressing her with a gentleness that touched her soul. His hands roamed her body, memorizing the soft curves that so perfectly fit his hard hollows. Her skin was sweet to the taste, the scent of her hair intoxicating. He buried his face in it before he was distracted by a velvet ear lobe. He was acutely aware of her womanly softness, the vulnerability of her body—strong though it may be with long, lean muscles and taut abdomen. He wanted to cradle her in his arms protectively at the same time he wanted to crush her to him and sink into her body. It was a disturbing and overwhelming feeling, how completely he was in her thrall. He felt his blood pounding, his breath coming faster.
Gareth forced himself to slow down, to make this experience good for Elena. He knew not why she had initiated their lovemaking, nor what the future held for them, but for this one night, he would show her just what she meant to him.
Focused now, he spent endless moments savoring the soft skin of each breast before dragging his lips across her stomach. He heard her breath hitch as his lips brushed soft curls and he grinned wickedly up at her before parting her legs and dropping his mouth to her core.
Elena’s back arched off the bed and she grasped a handful of his hair in her hand, mumbling incoherently, “What…you can’t…that’s…” before falling back and succumbing to the pleasure he wrought. Gareth focused his long-building desire for Elena into that one intimate kiss, wringing sobs of pleasure from her, branding her with his tongue and lips, marking her as his own. He felt the tension in her body build, and while one part of him wanted to bring her to completion, another part—the more primal and ruthless side—needed to posses her. Now.
He dragged his lips back up along her ribcage, not with soft kisses as before, but with nips of his teeth and scratching of his night beard. Elena opened her eyes and in the cold glitter of the moonlight, they were dark and smoldering. She dug her hands into his hair and pulled his mouth to her own, biting gently at his lips, licking his teeth, tangling his tongue with hers. She dug her nails into his buttocks, urging him closer and he complied, sliding his shaft along her tender wetness. He heard her suck in a shaky breath and he repeated the motion again and again until she hissed, “Now!”
He smiled at her imperious tone, but for once was more than happy to comply with her demands. He positioned himself at her entrance and slowly slid home, gritting his teeth with the effort it took to take his time and make it right for her. He heard Elena take a sharp breath and he searched her face, seeing a slight frown mar her forehead.
“Is it…does it hurt? Should I—“
“No!” she interrupted. “For God’s sake, keep going!”
Gareth grinned and pressed a hard kiss to her lips as he sank the final crucial bit. His carefully slow pace drove him to the brink of his