raked down her body, and she clenched her thighs together at the hot hunger she saw in his gaze.
“Consider it forgiven. Before I met you…I was that kind of man. But no longer. Not while I’m with you .” Tristan cupped her face, and their gazes locked. Then he began to press teasing, soft kisses on her, his hands stroking her hair, making her shiver even as he tamed her frantically beating heart.
She held her breath and then nodded. “Please don’t hurt me. If we do this, I want you to promise me that.” She meant emotionally, he had to know that. She wasn’t afraid he’d hurt her physically.
Tristan gripped the back of her neck, holding her still so she couldn’t shy away during the most vulnerable moment of her life.
“I can’t erase my past, and sometimes it resurfaces. If you can trust me, nothing will hurt you while we’re together.” His promise was a husky whisper, but his eyes were sharp with sincerity.
Kat tried not to think about his past, his playboy reputation, and the scores of women he’d been with before. It was a little easier, at least right now, to push it all aside because she wanted to trust him.
“Okay.” With a smile, she gripped the bottom of his T-shirt and tugged it up. He helped her lift the fabric off, and he tossed it away. But when she reached for his jeans, he caught her hands.
“Leave them. If we don’t, I’ll be inside you too soon, and I want to fuck you all night, darling. Don’t test me until I’ve regained some control.”
His words made her shiver. She’d never cared all that much for the word fuck but when Tristan said it to her…it made her skin burn and clit pulse in time with her wild heartbeat.
Tristan lifted her up by her waist and carried her the short distance to the bed. He tossed her onto her back, but before she could react, he’d crawled up her body, only pausing to unfasten the button of his jeans. But he didn’t remove them. The promise of unbuttoned denim was somehow hotter. God, what this man did to her.
When he noticed her watching him, he grinned. “The last thing I need is one bloody button stopping me once I’m ready to be inside you.”
Her face flamed, and she ducked her head. He placed a kiss over her brow and nudged her knees apart with one of his.
“Can we get beneath the covers?” Kat asked. This was her first time a man was seeing her naked, and she wanted to hide as much as possible.
Tristan was watching her with a concerned expression in his eyes. “Are you cold?”
When she shook her head, he raised a brow. “Then, no. I want to see you, Kat. Every inch of you. Covers are for later, much later. When it’s time to sleep.”
“But—”
He kissed away all of her protests. She clung to his broad shoulders, encouraging him to put more of his weight on top of her. It was a good feeling, his hot, hard body over hers, pressing her down into the soft bed. Tiny shivers of excitement rippled through her.
“Maybe I should warm you up,” he teased.
She couldn’t help but beam at him. She was so nervous that it felt like every muscle inside her was shaking, but she wanted him, and that desire battled against her nerves.
“Tristan, I haven’t done a whole lot,” she whispered.
“I know, darling.”
How could he soothe and entice her at the same time with so simple a reassurance?
“I haven’t done this at all, remember?” She closed her eyes, then opened them again, ready to face him and however he might react.
He touched her cheek. “Kat, we don’t have to do this if you’re not ready.”
She let out a soft husky laugh. “I want this and I’m ready, I’m just nervous. What if I’m not good at it? You’ve been with so many other girls who were probably great in bed…” What if she didn’t measure up? The idea was enough to start cooling her fires.
The flames of desire in his eyes simmered to a softer, low-burning heat. “You’re not simply a notch in my bedpost. Do you understand? We do this if and when you’re ready.”
Her heart fluttered, and she was too afraid to hope. “Do you mean that?”
With a little smile, he laughed. “Yes, I do. I can’t figure out why, but you’re important to me, Kat. So if you aren’t ready for this, we