She was startled when he effortlessly pulled her up and pressed her flush against him. He kissed her again, this time exploring more deeply, more passionately. She could feel the length of him, hard and urgent against her belly. It brought her back to the reality of the moment.
Will he push me away at the last minute?
When he walked her backward, half-stumbling but determined, she felt a different kind of urgency, unlike their other encounters. Her legs met the edge of the chaise lounge. There, he lay her down against the cushions, his weight soon settling over her.
There, a tangle of limbs, Cassian kissed her jaw and then her neck, lingering on the pulse there. He was starving, but she did not know he was starving for her like this.
“Cassian,” she cried out as she tugged him closer, her fingers digging into the muscles of his back.
“I am here, Juliana,” he reassured her. “I know what you need.”
She could swear he muttered “what I need” against her skin as he held her hip and caressed it, then deemed it time to explore between her thighs. His fingers brushed against her most sensitive spot between her thighs. Her hips jerked upward as a finger touched her nub. She cried out.
“Shh.”
His voice was gentle, but its depth made her squirm even more. She wanted to shout at him to touch her more. Then he did,finding her slick and ready, as she always seemed to be when she was with him.
The sensation was too much all at once. Yet it was also sweet, everything she needed. Her nerve endings were on fire, and he knew exactly how to stoke them. He stroked her in circles, building the fire in her belly. Everything within her felt tight, like a dam about to burst.
“Please,” she begged, her eyes blurring at the pleasure. She knew she needed more, but his movements were agonizingly slow on purpose.
“I want you to say it, Juliana,” he urged, his breath as shallow as hers.
“Please, Cassian. I need to feel you inside me,” she said in barely coherent phrases, licking her lips as if parched.
The Duke shifted, positioning himself between her thighs. She could feel his blunt head nudging her entrance, careful yet insistent. He felt hot against her slick heat, and she knew she would burn.
Their eyes were drawn to their impending union, but then they met again. His eyes were glazed with desire, yet there was something else there. Control. Protectiveness.
“It might hurt at first,” he declared, his voice strained by the last bit of resistance in him. “But only for a moment. Then you should feel better.”
Juliana nodded. She had heard talk of it. Some women even said they would simply bear it. But how? Surely there was something so good about it that people craved the union. She trusted Cassian, not just with her body but with what was left of hershattered heart. No matter the result of this consummation, she would feel connected to him.
Cassian pushed forward, slowly at first. Inch by inch. Then he gave one last push, seating himself inside her. The sting was sharp, making her gasp. Her whole body went rigid at the invasion. He felt her reaction and went still, even as he filled her deeply. She knew he was fighting the urge to move. Sweat beaded on his brow, and his face was flushed red.
“Breathe, darling,” he urged gently. “Breathe. The sting will soon dissipate.”
Finally, she obeyed him without question, trusting his promise. She inhaled and exhaled slowly. Then, as he had vowed, the initial sting gradually faded. What remained was the feeling of being stretched full by him. The reality made her heart burst with an indescribable feeling.
They were one.
Ever the curious young woman, Juliana moved her hips to test those sensations. She sighed as he shifted inside her. He groaned at her movement, cursing softly.
“I knew you would be the death of me,” he groaned into her ear.
Then it was his turn to make her stars, no, perhaps the whole universe. He began to thrust. At first, he pulled his cock out slowly and moved inside her again to the hilt. The movements grew deeper and smoother as he settled into a steady rhythm. The pain gave way to delicious friction, pleasure racing from her core to the rest of her. She met his thrusts, her body instinctively responding to his and seeking her own pleasure.
“All right?” he asked.
“Yes, only… You are rather—” she began.
“I know,” he said, without a shred of humility. “You will take all of me. I have every confidence in you.”
Soon, the thrusts grew more urgent, making the chaise creak. In the back of her mind, Juliana wondered if it could bear their weight until the end. Cassian dropped his head to her shoulder, his breath hot against her skin. Wanting more of him, she wrapped her legs around his hips and clutched his buttocks, which flexed with each thrust. Nothing else mattered then. All she could smell was their mingling scents, and all she could hear was their heavy breathing and the sounds the chaise made. Finally, all she could see was the hunger on his face before her vision blacked out.
Juliana had become a sum of her desires, focused on the tight coil in her belly. The pressure she had felt only faintly before was now her whole world. Whenever he pumped deeper into her and nudged a spot she had not known existed, she moaned aloud. At first, she was still shy about expressing herself, but her cries soon grew sharper and more persistent. She was reaching for that something she had only dreamed of.
No. This was not merely bearing it. It was everything.
