Save the Last Dance

by Jami Davenport

  “Everything... I want to know every square inch of you.”

  “I want you to know all of me.” To accentuate her point, she massaged his crotch with her hips.

  “Rye, you’re killing me. One minute you’re as innocent as a school girl, the next you’re as hot as a porn star.”

  “Which one do you prefer? School girl or porn star?” she teased with a throaty laugh. His stubble abraded her soft cheek. The prickly caress devoured the last of her good sense.

  “Well, I did have this Catholic school girl fantasy once, but considering I’m fully clothed and all you’re wearing is a G-string, I guess we’ll go with the porn star tonight.”

  “Are you accusing me of being derelict in my duties?” She laid a hand on his chest.

  “I’m sure we’ll rectify that soon enough.”

  She opened her mouth to flip a smart answer back to him, but he started touching her again. She forgot what she was going to say. His lips and hands roamed freely over her body. When Mariah offered no protest, he began to explore more intimate locations. His hands cupped her bottom, squeezing and stroking her.

  “Feel how much I want you, mi amor.” He rubbed himself against her, and she ground her hips into his. “Keep that up and it’ll be all over before I have a chance to unzip my jeans.”

  “You started it, cowboy.”

  His only response was a muffled growl and a nip on her shoulder causing her to yelp in surprise. Overcome by desire, Mariah embarked on her own exploration. After unbuttoning every button, she pushed his shirt off his shoulders and exposed his chest. Her eyes drank in the hard muscles and planes dusted with dark hair.

  Her fingers glided down his collarbone, pausing to circle his nipples, and across his flat stomach until they rested on his fly. His sharp intake of breath pleased her and excited her.

  Two could play this game. He wanted her as much as she wanted him. Resuming her journey, she pulled his shirttail out of his pants. Rodrigo shrugged the shirt off his shoulders and tossed it to the floor.

  His upper body fascinated her. How could such strength hold such gentleness? Her fingers sashayed upward, stroking every bulge and rippling muscle. She lapped at his shoulders and chest with her tongue like a cat devouring a tasty bowl of cream.

  Rodrigo put his hand under her chin and pulled her lips back to his. His kisses grew hungrier, more demanding. Their mouths mated in a wild, primitive dance. Their bare upper bodies rubbed against each other and forced them further into their mindless passion.

  Breathless, Rigo aroused her with his experienced hands, sensuous lips, and powerful body.

  She was behaving like a bad girl, a very bad girl. She’d always been a good girl. She shouldn’t be doing this. The rest of her mind and body shut out that one small voice until it was forgotten. That voice of reason stood no chance during a time of lust.

  “Mariah,” Rodrigo whispered into her mouth. “God, you are hot. I must have you, Mariah.”

  He picked her up and cradled her in his arms. She clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He carried her into the bedroom, kissing her the whole time. “You’re making me crazy, baby.”2

  He laid her tenderly on the bed. Drunk with love, she sprawled there, lazily regarding him with half-lidded eyes.

  Rodrigo unzipped his fly, his mocha eyes never leaving hers. He stripped his jeans with the efficiency of a man on a mission. Grinning at her, he pulled his underwear down over his hips and kicked his clothes out of the way.

  The reality of her situation slammed her back to earth’s atmosphere. Mariah stared at him in abject horror. It was so huge. Clutching the blanket, she scooted further up the bed, closer to the headboard.

  Judging by the puzzled and hurt expression on his face, her negative reaction to his size was an unfamiliar experience to him. She couldn’t take her eyes off his huge cock. Compared to Rodrigo, Warren had looked like a short, stubby pencil. Maybe that’s why Jamal always called him a little prick. Guys probably had a sixth sense about stuff like that. Did guys with big pricks command more respect? She didn’t have clue, but there was no way that thing would fit. Warren, the little prick, had hurt her because of her tightness. That thing would never work. Never.

  “Rye?” Rodrigo questioned her. He knelt at the foot of the bed, absently rubbing her ankles.

  “It won’t fit,” she choked. Her eyes were glued to his midsection.

  A soft smile gentled the corners of his mouth, “Of course, it will. We’ll make sure it does.”

  “It’s too big.”

  He tried his best to look serious. “At the risk of permanently damaging my male ego, I have to admit that I’m not unusually large.”

  “You look enormous to me.”

  “Well, thanks, but I’m not.” The man actually had the decency to look embarrassed.

  “It’ll hurt.”

  “Baby, I promise. I’ll take care of you. I’ll go slow. Your body will adjust. Trust me.”

  His words didn’t convince her one bit. The earlier spell broken, she fought against the panic rising inside her. Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She thought it would be different with Rigo. She thought she’d be okay. But she wasn’t, she was scared to death. Scared that he’d hurt her, or she wouldn’t be good enough, or he’d be disappointed, and she’d be a failure once again.

  Rodrigo crawled toward her on his hands and knees. She drew back but had nowhere left to go. He stroked her hair, concern etched on his face. Mariah stared at him, not looking anywhere but his eyes. She attempted to ignore his nakedness, refusing to look at that thing again.

  “I’m scared.” Her voice was no more than a croak. Her fear paralyzed her.

  “Tell me what you want me to do. Do you want to stop? You’d better make up your mind right away because I may not be able to stop if we get much further.”

  Mariah shook her head. She had to trust Rodrigo to help her. “No, I want to do this. I need to do this. Please, just kiss me and be gentle with me. Set me free, Rigo. Please. You’re the only man who can.”

  A tender smile played at the corners of his mouth. He kissed her with great care and passion. She felt like a China doll that he was trying his best not to break. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths, concentrating on his caresses. Drifting away, she lost herself again in the sensation of his body against hers and his masterful lips and hands. He eased her lace underwear down her hips and past her knees and ankles. Attempting to distract her, he kissed her mouth, her neck, her shoulders, her breasts.

  “I need this, Mariah. I need you.” The gravel in his voice betrayed the extreme control he exercised on his emotions. “I ache to be inside you.”

  His lips and teeth teased her. He slipped his hands below her waist. One hand caressed her back and the roundness of her butt. His other hand found its way between her legs. He stroked her thighs, his fingers moving higher, seeking heaven.

  Mariah clamped her legs together out of habit. Yet, she could feel her wetness, feel how hot she was for him.

  “You have my hand in a vise grip, baby. Loosen up.” His soft accented voice cajoled her. A remote part of her foggy brain registered that his accent grew stronger the more turned on he became. She loosened her legs, allowing him to touch her. She wanted to trust him.

  He sat back on his haunches, his eyes smoldering with unleashed heat. His gaze focused between her legs. Mariah looked away from him, feeling exposed and vulnerable. She squirmed, but resisted closing her legs.

  “It’s okay, baby. You’ll like this.” Stretching out beside her, he ran his index finger through the moist curls. His free hand milked a nipple while his mouth fastened onto the other. He teased her with his fingers and stroked her wet slit until her body instinctively responded. Shifting his position, he straddled her body. His fingers parted her, opening her to him. She tensed when one long finger entered her. He took his time, massaging her, sliding in deeper with each stroke.

  Dragging his mouth from her nippl
e, he gasped. “You okay, Rye? That feel good?”

  Surprisingly, it did feel good, really good. The intimate stroking of his finger sent little waves of pleasure shuddering through her. Rodrigo sunk his finger up to his knuckle, slipping easily through her wetness. Gaining a little confidence, she relaxed by a degree. He took advantage and eased a second finger inside her. It was little uncomfortable at first, but her body adjusted. Using his thumb, he stroked that spot guaranteed to drive her insane. She arched, spread her legs wider, took his fingers deeper. He moved his fingers in and out, faster and faster, picking up speed, and pulling her to the brink.

  Over the edge.

  The sensations overwhelmed her. She begged him to stop with her voice while her body begged him to go, go, go. He guided her to the edge and sent her over the other side. She soared, leaving reality behind and entering a world of erotic pleasure. Rodrigo let her enjoy it, savor it. She whimpered and writhed underneath him, grabbing him and trying to pull him down to her. Her fingernails dug into his back as her body shuddered uncontrollably. Her eyes glazed over, and she stared at him in wonder. Her erratic breathing barely drowned out the thumping of her heart. He held her close. She felt him smile against her shoulder.

  “Did you like that, sweetheart?”

  “Sí, very much.”

  “Was it a first?”

  “Yes. You are good.”

  “I aim to please.” He shifted his body, using his legs to spread her thighs wider. His erection pressed against her thigh.

  His entire body was strung as tight as a bow. His chest grazed the tips of her breasts, as he kissed her.

  Moving underneath him, she tormented him with her body. Their skin glistened with sweat, and they slid over one another easily like the well-lubed parts of a machine. He transported her to mindless oblivion with his hands, his mouth, and his tongue. Mariah stared into his compassionate and caring eyes. Even with his assurances and gentle treatment, her fear tiptoed back when she felt his cock probing her opening. She instinctively tried to lock her thighs together, but his legs held them apart.

  “Rye, trust me. I won’t hurt you. Try to relax. You’re ready, you’ll be okay. It won’t hurt. I didn’t hurt you with my fingers, did I?”

  She shook her head.

  “Then I won’t hurt you when I’m inside you either. You’re sooo ready for me. So wet.”

  Rodrigo nudged her legs further apart with his knees. Mariah tried to relax, but her frantic body had a mind of its own. This is Rodrigo. This is the man I was born to love. I’ll be okay. He’ll take care of me. I’ll be okay, she repeated over and over like a mantra.

  He entered her, just the tip. She almost lost it in panic. Everything inside her tensed. She started to struggle.

  “It’s okay, baby. It’s okay.”

  Mariah dug her fingernails into his shoulders and squeezed her eyes shut. Her terror threatened to overwhelm her. “Be careful, please. Don’t....”

  “Relax. Relax, baby. Feel me. Enjoy it.” Rodrigo sunk inside her as slowly and gently as the raging inferno in his own body would allow. He kissed her deeply. “Just hang on. Hang on.”

  Hang on? If she buried her fingers any deeper in his shoulders, they’d be permanently embedded. Her eyes locked with his. She braced herself for unending pain, but it didn’t materialize. In slow degrees her body accepted then welcomed the intrusion. Rodrigo withdrew almost completely then gently entered her time and again, deeper with each stroke.

  He spoke softly to her in Spanish. She didn’t understand a word of it, but she loved it. The words didn’t matter, because they didn’t need words between them.

  With each slow thrust, the heat increased a few degrees at a time until she begged for more. Whimpering uncontrollably, she grasped his bottom. Her long legs wrapped around him. Instinctively, her hips rose to meet his. Rodrigo accepted the invitation issued by her body. He buried himself inside her welcoming warmth. The flames of their passion rose higher and higher. She urged him deeper into her. With an instinct as old as human history, their bodies mated, finding their natural rhythm.

  She couldn’t get enough, yet it was too much. They rode a tidal wave of passion until the two of them didn’t exist separately.

  Mariah lifted her eyes to meet his intense gaze. For a fleeting moment in time, they connected with each other. There was a knowing, a homecoming, a feeling that they had both found the missing piece of the puzzle that made up their lives. Fate had brought them together on this island where magical things happened. Time ceased to have meaning. All that existed in this place were these two people. A moment became a lifetime and a lifetime became a moment. She knew him, and he knew her with a familiarity born of a hundred lifetimes together. Mariah experienced a flash of completeness and contentment. His thoughts and emotions flowed through her as if they were her own. She felt every breath he took, how it filled his lungs then flowed back out of his body. There was no question in her mind that he experienced the same sensations. She had never known such an incredible feeling of oneness with another person.

  The emotions were so strong, so profound, that she would have stopped them if she could because it was too intense, too hot, too incredible. They climbed higher and higher together, crying out each other’s names. The intensity of their passion for each other drove them to fulfillment. Waves upon waves of raw passion pulsed through her. She flew without wings, breathed without air, and loved without fear. Rodrigo shuddered and emptied himself inside her. They both collapsed, their breath coming in short gasps as they clung to each other.

  Quiet enveloped the room except for their labored breathing. Rodrigo rolled onto his back, pulling Mariah with him so that her bare upper body lay across his and her silky hair fanned out across his chest.

  “You complete me, Mariah,” he whispered as he dozed off.

  * * *

  Mariah’s head rested on his bare chest, one leg wrapped around his thigh. He must have fallen asleep for a minute. Absently, he caressed her butt. The tension and worry had drained out of him. Nothing really mattered but this incredibly giving woman lying next to him. Rico couldn’t remember when and if he’d ever felt so content, so satisfied, so fulfilled—even with Carmen.

  Rico yawned and opened his eyes to find Mariah watching him. “You look pleased with yourself, bella.” With great tenderness, he traced the contours of her sweet face with his index finger. Whisker burns graced her face, breasts, and other parts of her soft, warm body. He loved branding her as his.

  “You don’t think any less of me, do you, Rigo?”

  Rico chuckled. “Are you kidding? Why would I do that?”

  “I’ve never behaved like this before. I don’t want you thinking I do this all the time.”

  “I know you don’t, Mariah. I could tell.”

  “How could you tell?”

  “Because everything we did, you were a little tentative at first, then you’d get braver. The innocence comes through. It’s very endearing.”

  “I had no idea it could be like this. You liked it too, right?”

  “Liked it?” Now there was the ultimate understatement. “Baby, I loved it.”

  “I thought you did.” She traced the muscles in his arm and chest with her fingers, fascinated by the contours of his body. Rico watched her with interest.

  “Men are pretty transparent when it comes to sex. And you? Do you get this turned on by any man?” His tone was teasing, yet with a serious undertone. He needed to hear her answer.

  The indignant look on Mariah’s face amused him. “No. You know that. I’ve never done much; most of this is new to me.”

  “Well, you catch on fast. What did you feel, Mariah? I told you, now it’s your turn.”

  Mariah’s eyes met his. She looked as if she was going to cry. “Thank you.”

  Rico chuckled. “Don’t thank me, it was my pleasure. Is it hard for you to talk about stuff like this?”

  Mariah nodded. She buried her face in his chest and cuddled closer to him. />
  “It’ll get easier. Just give us time. Did that bastard rape you, Mariah?”

  Mariah’s beautifully expressive eyes met his. “Not really. He just didn’t do anything to get me ready, especially the first time. It hurt so much that after that I was scared to death, and it hurt even more. I think he got some kind of perverse pleasure out of causing me pain. He hurt me on purpose and enjoyed every minute of it. I didn’t want to do it after the first time, but I felt like such a failure that I tried to cooperate with him. I only saw the tip of his abusive nature. He hid it so well for so long. I was lucky to get out when I did.”

  “I hope I never meet him.” His clenched his hands into fists. Reining in his temper, he softened his expression. “I guess you must know now that it doesn’t have to be like that.”

  Mariah laughed at him, “Yes, you’ve probably spoiled me for any other man.”

  The idea of Mariah with another man irritated him. “Good.” Now why did he say that? “Are you sore?”

  “A little, but it’s a good feeling. I know that sounds odd, but it serves as a reminder of what we had together.”

  Rico kissed her forehead. “Well, Rye, I’ve a little more time. We aren’t done yet, are we?”

  “I hope not.”

  “I don’t know if I’ll ever be done with you.” The words spilled out of him before he could stop them. “Somehow, I knew it would be like this between us.” They lay in silence for a while, each lost in his or her own thoughts.

  “Rigo?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I love it when you talk dirty to me in Spanish.”

  “How do you know I’m talking dirty to you if you don’t understand Spanish?”

  She giggled. “It sounded dirty to me. I can use my imagination. I don’t need to understand what you’re saying.”

  They’d rested long enough, and if Spanish turned her on, well, there was more where that came from. Rico put his arms on her waist and pulled her along his body so he could kiss her, a wet deep kiss that tingled all the way down to his toes. He planted butterfly kisses on her face. She moaned and wriggled her hips against his. He kissed a trail down her body, across her breasts and stomach. Gently spreading her legs apart, he kissed her inner thighs.