Arissa cried out with surprise when his fingers delicately touched the thick outer lips, matted with a fine fluff of black hair. Richmond maintained his hold on her nipple, fondling her silky exterior flesh with the utmost gentleness to allow her to become accustomed to his touch. She gasped and panted as he continued to caress her, gradually relaxing as she became accustomed to his tender fingers. Only when her body loosened beneath his restrained touch did he attempt to part her lush, quivering petals.
She was as slick as rain, unbelievably hot. He stroked the tender folds until his own finger was drenched with her moisture, his entire body literally shaking with the force of hisneed. God’s Teeth, he was out of control and loving every minute of it.
Richmond knew, doubtlessly, that he was about to break his promise to her. To hell with his wise reasoning and righteous motives; he would make her his in every sense of the word, and he would dare Henry to deny him.
He slipped a wet finger into her sheath, so incredibly tight that he very nearly soiled his breeches with the pure pleasure of it. But he calmed himself by focusing on Arissa’s gasps of surprise, whispering words of encouragement and comfort, crooning softly to her. Pants of shock quickly turned into groans of pleasure and he could feel her tight passage contracting about his slick finger, pulling at him.
Rising to his knees, he ripped off his tunic so aggressively that he tore a sleeve. One boot hit the floor with a loud thud, the other went sailing into the wall. His breeches came off so quickly that he nearly ended up on his arse in his haste to remove them.
On the bed, Arissa watched with panting, wide-eyed wonderment as Richmond stood before her, nude and proud and the most magnificent sight she had ever beheld. His broad shoulders sheltered an exquisitely muscled chest, covered with a delicious carpet of silky dark hair. His flat stomach and narrow waist caught her attention and she was awed by the flawless details of God’s most unblemished creation; indeed, the perfection that was intended for every man.
Richmond watched her as she studied his nude form, smiling faintly when her gaze came to rest on his enormous arousal. As she stared at the proof of his desire, he was deeply pleased to note that there was no fear in her expression. Only wonder. He stood a moment, allowing her to inspect him, before returning to the bed. As he pulled her close, she smiled and wrapped her arms about his thick neck.
“You are going to couple with me, are you not?” she whispered.
His gaze was filled with more desire and remorse than she could possibly fathom. “I am sorry, Riss. I gave you a pretty speech today, informing you that I would adhere to a slow pace. I did not want to frighten you with my attentions,” a slow finger moved across her beautiful shoulder, his eyes incredibly tender. “I am not frightening you, am I?”
She shook her head. “Not at all, my love. I want to know the experience of coupling. I want to feel your love.”
He kissed her chin tenderly. “God’s Teeth, Riss, when I think of how long I have dreamt of this and considered myself depraved for harboring such thoughts…. I still cannot believe that we are about to complete a most intimate action.”
She held his gaze for a long moment. “This will hurt?”
“A little, I am told.”
The corners of her mouth twitched. “I will not go to the convent a virgin.”
“You shall not be in the damn convent long enough for it to matter.”
Her smile faded as she gazed deep into his eyes. “Promise?”
He kissed her slowly, gently. “That I do, kitten. That I do.”
One kiss led to another, led to several, deep and long. She gasped for breath as he tore his mouth away from her lips, his brazen tongue moving down the length of her torso. Arissa felt every sensation, every touch, like a bolt from Heaven.
“Richmond,” she panted softly. “Do…. do you remember when you said that you wanted to teach me to crave your touch?”
“Aye,” he mumbled into the flesh of her belly.
She swallowed hard, gasping when he plunged his tongue into her navel. “I do not need to be taught such yearnings. I have craved your touch longer than I can remember.”
His head came up, a wolfish smirk on his face. “I am flattered.”
She met his grin until he returned his mouth to the tender target of her groin. Gasping with ecstasy, she attempted to retain her escaping thoughts.
“I…. I do not want you to go slowly with me,” she whispered. “I want to know everything, now. I want to sense everything at this very moment.”
He wedged his huge body between her legs, lifting her knees as his mouth moved along the soft flesh of her inner thigh. “That is about to happen, kitten. But I refuse to allow you to chatter through the entire event.”
“I am not chattering,” she said with as much indignity as she could manage. “I…. I am simply trying to tell you how I feel.”
Suddenly, he was looming over her, his massive arms braced on either side of her slight body. Knees between her thighs, his piercing gaze like liquid fire.
“I know how you feel, for I feel the same,” he whispered. “There is scarcely more we can say to one another on the subject, though I shall never tire of hearing it. What I do now, I do to demonstrate my emotions for you. Never in my life will any single event mean as much to me as what we are about to do. This I swear.”
She gazed up at him, feeling the sincerity flow from his eyes like a raging river. A small hand reached up and touched his stubbled cheek, caressing his masculine features gently. Even as tears of sentiment glimmered in her eyes, a faint smile of encouragement creased her delicious lips.
“Show me, then,” she whispered. “I would feel your love for myself.”
