Page 21 of Too Wicked for Heaven

He groaned and increased his caresses until she felt on the very brink of exploding. Then he sucked hard at her aching bud and the explosion came, a white-hot surge of energy that poured light and heat through all the empty, cold places inside her.

“Nev!” she cried. She convulsed against him, holding onto his shoulders for support. “Merciful heavens, Nev!”

“Yes, darling.” He slowed his caresses as she went limp in his arms. “For you, all for you.”

A languid warmth spread through her . . . a mix of pleasure and delight as she came to her senses gradually and saw that the room was not ablaze and she was not held captive in some spell of magical fires. In wonder, she stared down to where Nev was clutching her against his cheek as if afraid to let go.

“I’ve never . . . oh, that was glorious,” she whispered as she stroked his thick hair.

He flashed her a dark smile, then rose to engulf her in his arms. “There’s more,” he whispered as he kissed her hair, her cheeks, her eyebrows. She could feel his arousal press against her thigh. To her surprise, it excited rather than frightened her. She found she craved the “more” he offered.

He caught her up in his arms, carrying her swiftly to the sofa. As he laid her down on it, he covered her body with his. Nudging his knee between her legs, he spread her thighs so he could settle himself between them, and a thrill of anticipation coursed through her.

Even when she felt his shaft press between her legs, felt him find the place his mouth had just been, then ease into her, she lifted her hips to welcome him.

“Slowly, darling,” he whispered against her ear. “You’re not used to this. It will hurt at first, though I’ll try not to let it hurt too much.”

She didn’t care if it hurt. She wanted to have him inside her, soothing the bone-deep craving he’d aroused. Although there was a feeling of invasion, of impossible stretching as he inched his way in, there was also excitement.

This was Nev, after all, the dream lover of her childhood and the only man who’d spoken the truth to her. She suddenly wanted him fiercely. Longing to feel him deeper, she arched her back until her breasts were crushed to his chest and her hips were opened even more to receive him.

He groaned and halted his movements abruptly.

Twisting her body beneath him, she met his gaze in alarm. “I haven’t hurt you, have I?”

His face did indeed wear a look of torment, but his eyes glittered with desire. “Nay, but I must be careful with you, and your innocent movements are making it next to impossible.”

She smiled a soft, dreamy smile, then arched deliberately against him once more. “Good.”

“By Judas, you’re a witch,” he growled. Then he drove into her fully.

She cried out, and with a moan, he covered her mouth, plundering it with bold strokes of his tongue. He’d been right about the pain, but it wasn’t so bad as all that. He held himself still, letting her adjust to him. And when he began to move inside her, slowly, insistently, pushing deeper and less hesitantly with each thrust, the pain lessened.

The feeling of having him joined to her so intimately was indescribable. And the closer they were joined, the more she lost herself. She moaned and writhed beneath him as if another creature possessed her, making her into a wanton. But she didn’t care. She wanted more, ever more.

His breathing grew labored. “I’ve caught you now, Althea,” he said hoarsely. “You’re mine. Say it!”

She curved her arms about his back and shifted her hips up, searching for an even greater closeness to him. She gasped when he thrust hard into her as if to coax the words from her.

But there was no need. “I’m yours,” she admitted. It was true. No matter what came of this reckless act, she was indeed his. If not legally, then in her heart.

His answer was to clutch her to him and fall into a rhythmic motion that was no longer checked or careful. It was like her ride on the bannister, wild and unexpected, thrilling but frightening, too. This time, however, she knew when she reached the bottom he’d be there to catch her.

So she gave herself up gladly, craving the piercing pleasure of his thrusts and the heat that swept through her with each one. She no longer saw the ceiling above her or heard the crackling of the fire in the hearth. There was only his face with its undiluted passion, his voice murmuring endearments, his slick body meeting hers in a quickening cadence. And around them rushed a wild swirl of color and lights like the world rushing past her on the bannister until she felt herself hurtling off the end, bucking against Nev with a cry of guttural abandonment as the searing pleasure overtook her once more.

“Oh, God, yes! Yes!” he cried out as he too found his release, plunging to the hilt before spilling himself inside her with a series of jerky thrusts.

Then he collapsed atop her. He lay there several moments as they both settled to earth. His weight on her gave her an odd comfort, reminding her that he was human and not some strange god who’d brought her to heaven and back.

“Would you like me to get up?” he whispered after a while, his breath brushing her ear. “There’s not much room on this sofa, I’m afraid.”

Wordlessly, she shook her head and clasped him close, uttering a sigh when he acquiesced and buried his face in her neck.

Now that it was all over, she didn’t want to face the reality of what she’d done. She didn’t want to see the clothes scattered across the floor or the blood that she’d been told would be staining the sofa beneath her.

She wanted to pretend this was her haven, her safe harbor. She wanted to pretend she hadn’t just given her virginity with heedless unconcern to a infamous, though lovable, scoundrel, who’d no doubt break her heart now that he had what he wanted.

But after a few more moments passed, she knew she couldn’t pretend any longer. The hour must be late. Soon she’d have to leave, before her reputation was compromised forever.