back. Within seconds, he stood there, lithe and powerful, without a stitch covering his form.
Eva gulped and tried not to stare. She failed miserably, gulping again in an effort to swallow her sudden anxiety. He was…very large. A few minutes ago she’d told him she was ready. Now she wasn’t sure her body could even prepare for that.
With a hand splayed over her sternum, he pushed gently until she was on her back again. He came down beside her all hot skin and solid muscle.
“You’re very, uh, impressive.” Please don’t hear the anxiety in my voice, she begged in mortification.
He grinned.
She swooned over the not-seen-enough expression.
“You have no idea how hard it is for me to be taking my time with you,” he surprised her by saying.
Oh, she knew how hard it was—she’d seen it firsthand. “Why are you? Taking your time, I mean.”
“I want you ready. And, if I have anything to do with it, this will be something you never forget.”
He didn’t allow her a moment to gather her wits after that charming statement before he claimed her mouth, his lips crushing hers, his tongue thrusting deliciously. His hand traveled over her ribs again, one gripping the curve of her waist while the other continued along her hip and down her outer thigh, making her squirm. Her legs drifted apart as her body craved more.
But he tormented her a little longer by grasping her calf, pulling her leg up, and rolling her over so that she was intimately sprawled across him. He removed the binding from her hair, hissing through his teeth as he ran his fingers through her heavy tresses.
“You really are fucking magnificent.”
She winced, knowing she wouldn’t be for long. He wasn’t going to think she was so great when she wimped out and begged him to get his massive snake out of her because it hurt.
Would it hurt though? She was so wet she could feel it on the insides of her thighs. That had to help, right?
Tell him, dummy! What if he’s beginning to think you’re an inconsiderate lover rather than a scared, inexperienced one?
Good plan. “Uh, Gabriel, I probably should have mentioned this before. Um, I’m kind of…new to this.” She spoke quickly, evasively—she didn’t want to throw out the V word in case he chivalrously told her to pack up and get out. “So, if, uh, I do something wrong, or don’t do something you’d like me to, please tell me, ‘kay?”
She held her breath when he froze, going still as a corpse.
What was he thinking? Was he going to end this?
God, she hoped not.
“What…what did you say?” he finally rasped.
She tried not to cringe as she traced patterns on his skin and cleared her throat. His uncharacteristic stammer was unsettling. “Sorry if that puts a damper…” She trailed off, feeling her shoulders bow ever so slightly. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
Disappointed?
The word had her shifting, and that caused his hard shaft to rub directly between her legs in a way that made her want to grind harder.
She held off because she couldn’t get past that word. Disappointed? She might regret her inexperience right now, but she shouldn’t be ashamed of it.
She straightened her shoulders. Why should she be? She had nothing to apologize for here.
She tilted her chin up—an act of defiance against any chagrin she’d felt a moment ago—and finally looked at him. His lips curled up at the corners, as if he noticed the change in her. He gripped her upper arms and rolled over until he had her beneath him again.
“What are you telling me, Eva?”
“I’ve never had sex before,” she stated boldly.
Her legs, with a life of their own, flexed to hold his between them so he couldn’t run off screaming about virgins and their deception.
“Holy shit.” His words came out on a rough breath, his expression just shy of bewildered. “Eva…Jesus Christ.” He lifted and looked down her body. For what, she didn’t know. “Thank God you told me. Holy shit,” he growled again before claiming her mouth in a kiss that was so hot and wet it made her feel as if she were burning alive.
Guess he wasn’t going to bail.
She moaned into his mouth as he found her breast, his fingers teasing her nipple. When he switched his attention to the other, she squirmed and dug her fingernails into his forearm.
“More?” he asked against her mouth.
“More,” she demanded as her sex pulsed with need. She