In her sexy and playful voice she asked, “So, I’m Mrs. Neumann for tonight?” She smiled a seductive smile at Sterling as he hit the button for floor 27.
“No, Sweetheart. You’re Mrs. Sterling Metcalf.” He grabbed her waist, pulled her to him, and kissed her passionately even before the elevator doors could completely close.
CHAPTER THIRTY–SIX
Kate sensed butterflies in her stomach as they approached their room and Sterling unlocked the door. The door opened into a hallway leading to a roomy living room. A small dining room sat off to the side, a work desk stood near the balcony, and flowers were everywhere, causing the room to smell like an exotic garden.
“This must have cost a fortune, Sterling.” Her eyes widened as she walked up to the balcony and took in the view. She had never before stayed in such an extravagant place. It was nice of Sterling to spend this kind of money on her, but she didn’t feel that it was necessary.
Sterling spooned her from behind as they looked out over the city. He kissed her neck as his hands found their way around her waist and he hugged her tightly. He leaned into her. “I’m so glad you like the room, Kate.” He whispered into her ear, “You haven’t seen the bedroom yet.”
Sterling held her hand as he led her through the door at the back of the living room and entered the bedroom. She gave the king–sized bed a darting gaze. Rose petals covered the blue comforter. Rows of pillows lined the headboard and soft music played in the background. An ice bucket with a bottle of champagne and a basket of fruit sat atop the dresser.
“We’re never going to eat that fruit. It’ll just go to waste,” Kate said as she twirled a tress of her hair between her fingers.
“The basket belongs to the package deal, but I did tell them to forgo the fruit.”
Why did she care about fruit? All she could think about today was his hands and mouth all over her body. Boy, the man could sure kiss, and other stuff. She could feel his kisses all the way down to her knees. His soft lips were firm and commanding. She self–consciously licked her lips in remembrance. He had so much bedroom experienced. This was good, in a way. Kate figured one of them should know what they were doing, plus, he was probably really good at sex. He’d probably be disappointed with her inexperience, but he understood the situation and was a big boy. Probably, very big.
She noticed that his eyes were not on the room, but on her. She could hear his deep breathing and racing heart. The expectation was killing her, but she had no idea what to do. Should she undress? Maybe he wanted to undress her? Maybe she should undress him? She glanced again at the bed.
“Rose petals? That’s nice.” She walked over to the bed and picked a petal up in her fingers. She felt the delicate texture of the silky petal. Her nerves were getting the best of her. She didn’t want to take inventory of the room. She wanted to be lying in the bed with Sterling, but she found herself half frozen in anticipation. She also realized how bright the room was. The time was only 4 o’clock in the afternoon and the room was as bright as the sun. She had never made love to a man before and the moment was upon her. Did there have to be so much damn light in the room?
Sterling closed the lacy sheers, dimming the light. “I hope that’s okay.” He took off his sunglasses. “I don’t have inner eyelids like you do.”
“Perfect,” she said as she rubbed the back of her neck.
He crossed the room to stand in front of her. “You’re one hundred percent sure?”
She smiled. “Positive.” Great, she was sweating buckets. She touched the fabric of her cami between her breasts and felt the top soak up her sweat. The inner bra felt like it was holding a pool of the stuff, nice and slimy. Yep, nothing said sexy like flop–sweat. Maybe she should shower first. If she did, she could shave her legs.
Before she made up her mind, Sterling said, “Sit down for a minute.”
Kate took a deep breath and bit her lower lip. At least she was on the bed. One down, one more to go. Was he going to join her on it? Should she cross her legs? Was she sitting sexy enough? Glancing down at her cami and shorts she realized that she didn’t even bring a nightgown to wear. Of course, she hadn’t planned on any of this, but even in her wildest dreams, she would have worn something more appealing than an outfit she had worn the day before. Looking at Sterling she noticed him staring back at her. Should she smile? No, wait, pout. Wasn’t pouting supposed to be sexy? Or would that just make her look constipated?
He knelt in front of her, his black eyes piercing and inviting. Biting his lip he said, “I don’t know how you do it.” When she gave him a puzzled expression he said, “The look you give me. It’s a timid schoolgirl mixed with a raging sex goddess.” He shook his head as if he were trying to clear his mind. “It’s driving me crazy, Kate.”
She breathed out a sigh of relief, although she didn’t know if she agreed with his assessment.
He blinked a few times and then cleared his throat as he continued, “In the last 15–hours you had an important decision to make, and so did I. Kate, I’ve lived a long time. And believe me, in the last 180 years I’ve learned what I want in my life.” He took a deep breath, “I want you, Kate. I’ve lived a long time without you, and I don’t want to live another day where you are not in my life. I need and want to share my life with you. Maybe I’m old fashioned, I don’t know. But I respect you, Kate. I was serious when I called you Mrs. Sterling Metcalf in the elevator tonight. Will you marry me?”
She felt her chest tighten and the room seemed to grow smaller. Her mouth gaped open and she realized she couldn’t breathe.
“No … I can’t marry you Sterling,” she finally said. She tried to hold back the tears, but failed. Her body tensed. “I told you about my parents and how much they hate each other. I don’t want to ever grow to hate you.” She gazed into his eyes and saw the pain of rejection in them. “Sterling, can’t we just have what we have right now, without the complication of a marriage?” When he remained silent, she stammered, “It’s not that … look, I don’t want to ever be married. If I did want to be a wife, I would only want to be your wife. But I can’t … I don’t want to hurt you, but marriage is not for me. I know you claimed me as your mate in front of that young vampire kid, but I didn’t know you were serious.”
He remained kneeling in front of her. “Kate, whether you marry me or not, in my heart you are my wife. No one else will ever be Mrs. Sterling Metcalf but you.”
She bit her lower lip and gazed down at the floor. His marriage proposal was the nicest one she could ever have dreamed of. If only she wanted it. “Are you mad at me?” she asked in a soft voice.
“What? No.”
“Really?”
His hand caressed her cheek. “I’m fine, Kate. I’m disappointed, but not mad. If you only want me as a lover, that’s fine. But promise me you’ll think about becoming my wife, because I want more.” With his fingers, he gently brushed away her tears.
“Do you still want to sleep with me?”
Sterling laughed. “Sweetheart, I’m absolutely going to make love with you tonight.”
CHAPTER THIRTY–SEVEN
His hands touched her legs and slowly traveled down to her feet, where he removed the oversized, borrowed shoes she wore. He then sat on the bed, kicking his own shoes off. “We’re going to take this slow.” He leaned in and kissed her softly on the mouth. She responded by kissing him back. He could feel the pressure of the kiss as she experienced it. The kiss felt light and soft. Her hands moved to the back of his neck and she played with his hair, tugging him closer to her.
He continued to kiss her as their bodies inched in unison to the center of the big king–sized bed. His fingers went under her shirt and lifted the fabric up, exposing her breasts. He kissed down her bare chest as he revealed her soft skin and breasts. Breasts that only he had ever touched.
“You are insanely beautiful,” he said between kisses. He touched her soft, exposed skin. Kissing a trail down to her breasts he read her excitement with his touc
h. Her breath caught and her nipples pebbled. He had to remind himself to go slow, that this was a moment to savor.
He helped her remove her top as she sat halfway up. He tossed the cami on the floor and then removed his shirt as well. Since clothes were already hitting the floor, he asked, “Can we lose your pants, too?”
Her response was just a nod yes. Sterling studied her as she lay on the big bed. She had seemed more comfortable last night when he made her cry out. Tonight she looked too scared to talk. He felt her nervousness when he touched her skin. She wasn’t this nervous last night.
He thought about it and realized the difference was that last night she knew they were not going to have sex, tonight was a different story. He licked his lips and took a deep breath to control his own passion. “For right now, Kate, I want you to enjoy your body for me, like you did last night. I won’t do anything yet that we haven’t done before.” He gave her a flirty smile. “So, chillax, okay?”
Giggling, she said, “Okay.” She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders in an effort to calm herself down.
“I also want you to be comfortable with my body too. So it is okay to talk, and to ask questions. All of that is good. You will know when the moment happens, and it will be in a while. Neither of us is ready right now. You understand?”
“Yes. I’m fine. I really am. I’m just nervous.” She fanned her face with her hand, took a deep breath, and let the air out slowly.
“I know. But everything will be okay.” He wasn’t sure if he was more nervous himself or not. “Can I remove your pants?”
“Yes. Remove yours too. If I’m going to be naked, you are too.”
She sounded brave, but her skin gave away her nervousness. He unzipped her jean shorts and slid both them and her underwear down past her ankles and off her body. He looked at her legs and the bruises he noticed days ago were gone. Getting off the bed, he stood in front of her and started to remove his pants. He touched the buckle of his belt and slowly unhooked it. He watched her as she locked her eyes on him and what he was doing. He unzipped the pants and pulled them down, leaving his underwear in place. He pushed the clothes aside with his foot and stood in front of her in only his tented–up boxers. “You’ve never seen a man before, have you?”
She blushed. “Nope.”
Sterling could not fathom being this innocent, although if a woman couldn’t sense her body, and had little desire or sexual feelings, why would she have an opportunity to see a man naked? He could totally understand, but felt more on display than ever before in his life. “My shorts stay on until you take them off.”
Right now all he wanted was to rip them off and plunge himself deep into her, but he wasn’t going to do that. He had no idea where this amount of restraint came from. He once had sex with a woman in a city cab because he couldn’t wait to get to his apartment. Hell, the last woman was in a public restroom. But he didn’t care about those women, and the urgency was more of a need to be healed than anything else. This was the first time he would make love to someone because he wanted to do so, not because he had to.
He climbed into bed and kissed her legs as he traveled up her body. She spread her legs apart as he kissed her, but he stopped shy of kissing her most delicate flesh. He jumped ahead to her belly button and kept going until his lips met hers and he lay completely on top of her. He watched her expression as he stroked his full–length down her core and then rested the tip of himself right atop her portal. He breathed heavily as she cradled his manhood. He could feel her wetness as it creamed the outer fabric of his shorts. Her eyes widened in surprise; a soft gasp escaped her throat. “Kate, just being near you makes me hard. I’ve been hard since the day I first laid eyes on you. It’s a lot easier to notice my arousal when I’m not wearing jeans.” He gently rotated his thickened member so it teased hers. “You’re already so wet for me. I love that.”
“You’re harder and longer than I expected.” She tilted up her hips as her breath quickened.
“I am sorry it will hurt, but I am happy to be your first.” Mentally he added, “And only.” He allowed her core to feel his erection as he pressed himself harder against her, his sex straining through the fabric. He then slid his hand around to her bare backside. He growled before he bit her shoulder.
CHAPTER THIRTY–EIGHT
Sterling enjoyed the pleasure of their lovemaking, not only from his personal sensations, but also from the enjoyment he sensed from her skin. Pleasure flooded him. He wasn’t sure when she would remove his pants, but he did know one thing. She was going to enjoy herself as much as possible before they came off.
All day he thought of the taste of sweet peaches. Laying on her firm body, and being embraced within her arms all bread and buttered, her scent engulfed him. His hands moved on her body, exploring her form eagerly. He worked his way down and tasted her sweet nectar. She responded so eagerly to his touch and growled in pleasure repeatedly from his efforts.
He loved listening to her enjoyment, he loved watching her reactions, and he loved feeling her sensations with her. Her moans were loud; he liked those most of all.
Her hand slid down his back, fingers searching for the waistband of his boxers. Tugging slightly at the clothing she announced, “I’m ready.” He heard her heart rate increase and her body stiffen as she began trembling beneath him.
His hands cupped around her face. Her eyes gazed back at him. Nodding, she repeated, “I’m ready.”
He didn’t need her to repeat herself. He had eagerly awaited those words, and he knew she repeated them to convince herself. He reached down and pulled her hand up to his lips, kissing her skin softly. “No. You’re not,” he said calmly. He cradled her more in his arms as he stroked her long dark hair which was splayed on the pillow. “Your body is ready for me, but emotionally you’re still not there.”
She swallowed hard and a tear escaped. “I’m fine.” A deep breath caused her to tremble even more. “I’m just nervous, that’s all,” she said, her jaw shaking with each word.
“I understand, Kate. Try to relax. I’ll be gentle,” he promised, a grin forming on his lips.
“What’s that look for?”
The grin grew into a full–out smile. “I’ve never made a woman tremble before.”
Kate chuckled, “Oh, great. I’m defective.”
With the laughter, her body eased and the trembling disappeared.
“You’re not defective, Kate,” he said looking deep into her eyes. “Actually, I find your reaction to my touch endearing.” He gently kissed her on the nose and then the cheek, which caused the trembling to begin once more. Sterling paused and took a deep breath. “We don’t have to make love tonight, Kate.”
“But I want to,” she protested with a shaky voice.
“We barely know each other, plus this is your first time … we can go slower.” It would probably kill him to go slower than this, but she was worth the wait.
“Sterling, I’m twenty–two. Believe me, I’m ready. My body is acting stupid and I’m so sorry.” She caressed his back in what he figured was an effort to have him continue.
“There is nothing to be sorry about.” He closed his eyes and focused on her fingertips as they danced across his back. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Why me?”
“We’re good together, Sterling.”
“But do you want me, or just my ability to allow you to sense your body? You rejected me a few times before we discovered the magic of our touch, so you could be nervous because deep down you know I’m not the one.”
A hurt expression crossed her face, “I want you, not your ability. I mean, yes, it is fantastic to feel, but I’m not with you because you can remove my curse.”
“I want to believe that, Kate. But I think your body is telling me something different.”
She quickly interrupted. “Yesterday morning, when you knocked on the door of my hotel room, I was hoping it was you.”
Sterling’s eyebrow disappeared under his bangs. “Why?�
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Her fingers played with the hair on the nape of his neck. “I only wanted you to pin me. Just you,” she confided.
His eyes widened in surprise. “I thought you couldn’t feel any sexual desires.”
“Only schoolgirl crushes with my shield up. But, trust me. I crushed on you big time,” she said with a smile.
He gazed deep into her eyes and let his heart speak for him. “I’m in love with you, Kate. To the very core of my being, I love you. I can’t image a life without you.” He closed his eyes and lowered his head, claiming her lips with a passionate kiss. The kiss deepened as he responded to her passion. He tilted his hips, straining to be inside her. His manhood leaked in anticipation, and joined her moisture on his shorts, the shorts he desperately wanted removed. Her trembling subsided.
He was going to scream if she did not remove his pants, but all in good time.
She whispered into his ear, “I really am ready.”
“Then touch me, Kate. I want you to touch me,” he strained to say, testing her readiness.
She slid her hands down his back, under his shorts and directly on his backside. He hissed out a breath and did his best to hold onto his control. Her soft hands caressed him. He didn’t want to make demands on her, but she was so inexperienced and had not touched him below the waist the entire time they had been on the bed. Most likely, she didn’t know how to touch a man.
Her body no longer trembled and he wanted her hands all over him. He wanted to merge with her and become one. He nearly came when she maneuvered one hand from his backside and touched his erection full on. He groaned and pushed himself into her hand, which stroked him up and down. If his shorts weren’t removed soon, he was going to get a hand job, which at this point in time he was more than willing to take.
“Take them off. Your shorts, take them off.” Kate demanded, her body calm and flushed with need. She grabbed the shorts and tugged them down. She struggled to remove them, so he helped her, but only got them down just enough to give him freedom to enter her.
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