Allowing him to pull back slightly, she was about to let him free himself completely from their embrace when she looked into his eyes. They were an intense, piercing blue, and filled with a primitive hunger. The knowledge made her realize that while Craig had incredible self-control, he was barely restraining his baser, primal desires.
Meriel had been waiting far too long to delay any longer. She cared not about the setting or the time of day. What she wanted was him. Kissing her, touching her, and making her his in every way.
Reaching up, she splayed her fingers over his broad chest, drinking in his strength. She could feel his muscles twitch as her hand came into contact with his leine; the energy between them was palpable. She bent down to feather kisses in the V-shaped space where his shirt had become untied. Then, withdrawing just enough to look at him, her hazel eyes, open and luminous, locked with his in a powerful hold.
Craig held his breath. He had been touched before by women, had their fingers caress his skin, and enjoyed the pleasure it had brought. But not like this. Never like this. It was as if Meriel’s fingertips were heated, making every fiber within him sizzle with awareness of the growing suppression of intense desire. Every impulse he had striven to suppress had now claimed his entire awareness. Meriel was more than he had ever imagined in a woman. More than he had ever wanted. She was his. And she wanted him.
He no longer possessed the will to resist.
Inspired by her open invitation, Craig discarded his noble thoughts and moved his hand to her neck, immersing his fingers in her soft hair. He breathed in her scent and then retook her mouth, cherishing the feel of her, relishing her reaction to his touch.
Captivated by the pliancy of her lips, he soon lost himself in their softness, his senses stirred by her passionate response. He wanted more. He needed more, and he knew she would not protest.
Meriel’s arms stole around him as he pulled her tighter to his torso. His lips moved hungrily against hers, reaching down to the very depth of her soul, paralyzing her with their intensity. Despite the thickness of her gown, she could feel the throbbing mass of his erection. The intimate contact of his arousal only renewed her desire. Lacing her fingers through his dark hair, she met his driving tongue, thrust for thrust, taking and giving back in turn.
This time she would not let him prematurely end their embrace.
Needing to touch him, she traced the patterns of the thick veins in his arms and kneaded his well-defined muscles before letting her hands slide under his shirt. There they flattened on the warmth of his sculpted torso, exploring the softness of his chest hair. His wide firmness, the overall potency of his physique, enthralled her. His gasp when she ran her hands around to stroke the corded muscles of his back freed her mouth from his kiss. Before he could recapture her lips, she leaned in and kissed his chest.
Knowing she was the reason behind the quick, hard beating of Craig’s heart created a desperation in Meriel that was quite outside of her experience. A deep, primal need grew within her, making her want to discover more. Without thought, she found the hem of his shirt and swiftly pulled it over his head, exposing his upper body to the afternoon sunlight.
Craig closed his eyes, straining against the urge to throw her to the ground and plunge deep inside her. With her every touch, his arousal surged higher so that now it spiked insistently in fevered pulsations. Unable to bear it a moment longer, he pulled her closer, sliding a thigh between her legs. She cried out and pressed back against him instinctively. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to tremble with waves of desire.
“I need to see you, Meriel.” His voice was hoarse and thick, scarcely louder than a growl. He pushed all of the reasons he should not be doing this out of his mind. With a groan, he kissed her again, crushing her to him as if he could take her into himself.
He began to undress her slowly, worshipfully, completely entranced by the softness of her skin. A deep groan of satisfaction escaped his throat as he slid her gown and chemise off her shoulders and down her arms. Then, with one arm wrapped around her waist, he lifted her slightly and let the garment fall to the ground, pooling around his feet.
Craig’s jaw tightened and his gaze swept over her, taking her in from head to toe in one swift, heated glance. Then he kissed her again with all the love and ardor in his soul.
His arms encircled her waist and pulled her as close to him as possible, and he deepened the kiss, crushing her soft breasts against his chest. With a guttural groan, he acted on instinct and lifted her into the cradle of his arms, carrying her to the outstretched blanket.
Laying her down, Craig kissed her passionately, drugging her senses so that he could pull away and quickly remove the rest of his clothes. He moved to lie down beside her and everything went still as their eyes met. She reached out to touch him and he pulled her hand to his lips, kissing the soft flesh of her palm slowly and deliberately.
Meriel closed her eyes, a moan escaping her as he moved his lips to the inside of her wrist, kissing her again with a gentleness that bordered on reverent. Then his hands began to explore, lightly tracing a path over her sensitive skin. Her heart was pounding. Desire surged through her, driven, hot and heady and compelling. The hot, sweet throbbing in her lower region was no longer a simmering fire but a blazing inferno. Her breasts swelled and she arched her back, reeling from the sensations he was creating. He seemed to know exactly how to touch her, where to touch her. Meriel never wanted him to stop, and yet her body was craving more, but she knew not for what.
Craig took a sharp breath the moment Meriel arched her body against his so that she was completely against his length. Her nipples had contracted until they were needy little nubs pressing urgently against his chest. Once again the world around them was lost. There was only her and him, and his need to know, touch, and taste her in every way.
His mouth came down hungrily on hers and he kissed her long and hard. The last of the pent-up worry and tension that had been growing for weeks left his body. Meriel felt so right. He knew without a doubt that God had made her for him and that no one else would ever satisfy him again.
He began to slip his hands up and down her arms, lightly caressing the sides of her breasts. They freely roamed her body, cherishing every detail while saving certain places for later. Finally, able to withstand his need no longer, his fingers began to outline the tips of her breasts, bringing their already tight pink buds to hard crested peaks. Her breathing became erratic and Meriel again arched her back, struggling to get him to obey her nonverbal command.
Easing back to give himself more room, Craig sucked in his breath at the sight of the sunlight gleaming on her ivory breasts. They were firm and ripe, sending a shudder of excitement through him.
Craig looked up to see Meriel staring at him with so much trust and love, he nearly choked. Her eyes begged him to touch her. Complying with her need and his own desire, he cupped one breast, filling his palm with its softness. One of them moaned, he knew not who, as he used his thumb to tease the rosy tip already firm under his touch. It was not enough and he bent down to give her a swift, passionate kiss.
Meriel tilted her head back and sank her fingers into Craig’s hair, groaning with pleasure as she felt his lips slide downward. Everywhere his mouth made contact, her skin tingled with arousal. He trailed kisses along the column of her neck and when he reached the base of her throat, his tongue began to swirl.
Running her hands lightly over Craig’s taut back, she knew Craig was straining against his own needs. His muscles twitched underneath her touch. She basked in his strength as her breathing became more ragged. His lips trailed lower. Desire now pulsed in her every vein, a wanting so intense her body wept with it, dewing her most secret place. His tongue paused to draw circles on her shoulder. His mouth was soft and wet and firm and the feel of it over her skin was making her dizzy.
Craig could no longer define what he was feeling. He only knew that the sensations coursing through him were savage and primitive. She was
innocent and deserved to be treated with care, slowly introduced to the world of lovemaking. And maybe if she had been less responsive, less compliant and not so damn soft and sensual, he could have slowed down. But it was everything he could do not to take her right then. Only his desire to make sure she experienced pleasure in his arms provided him the will to keep his own needs temporarily restrained.
“Just let me touch you, love. I need to taste you,” he whispered, and then he lowered his mouth to her breast to fully encompass a pink bud.
Meriel sucked in her breath. At first, Craig did no more than gently hold the bloom between his lips, flicking his tongue over the sensitive flesh. She was unprepared for the sensations that coursed through her, caused by something so simple. Her pulse raced as he began to trace circles around her rigid flesh. Her body throbbed and, unable to stop herself, she began to squirm beneath him. And still he continued his blissful torture.
His lips began to gently tug the sensitive nipple and his teeth rasped across the very tip. She arched her head back, her mouth open, trying to draw enough breath. Again and again, he stroked the hardened peak. His tongue was velvet agony.
Instinctively, Meriel pushed herself more fully into his mouth, causing him to lose restraint. Capturing the throbbing nipple fully in his mouth, Craig began to suckle while his hand continued to caress her other breast. The added stimulus was too much, and Meriel began to writhe beneath him, twisting and moaning, her hands clinging to his shoulders. Her breathing became erratic, she needed him so badly.
For just a second, Craig raised his head. She let go a gentle mewling protest and a satisfied grin spread across his face. Then he switched to the other side, repeating his sensual assault. While he possessively cupped and stroked her swollen breast, he worshipped the other with his mouth. Sucking until the nipple was a hard nub, he could feel her growing ever more excited beneath him as her hips ground against his length.
Craig drank in her growing tension. She continued to writhe and run her hands through his unruly hair, all in an attempt to pull him even him closer. He reveled in the strained arch of her back, innocently placing a demanding pressure of her hips against his groin. The sensations she was creating were near unendurable.
His mouth let go of her nipple as he moaned uncontrollably, his pleasure in feeling her so close to him almost too much to bear. Both breasts were swollen. He had branded her, claiming her as his own. “You are so beautiful, you take my breath away,” he said and then once again captured her mouth in a long, searing kiss that only made them both desperate for more.
Craig felt a tremor inside her heated thighs. “More . . . ,” she begged. Hearing her soft plea, Craig had never felt more alive or more a man. A sense of certainty he could not put into words overcame him. And the need to have her became paramount. Obliging her will and his, Craig stroked the valley between her breasts before moving to caress the curve of her silken belly, and then lower to the swell of her hips. For several seconds, he explored the smooth, velvet softness of her thighs. Then his fingers moved up, hovering just below her soft mound.
His lips found hers again in a kiss that held nothing back. He waited until she responded with equal passion and made the next move. As badly as he wanted her, he had no idea how he would stop, but he also knew he was not going to push her into anything. “Tell me what you want, love.”
Meriel’s body answered for her as her mouth became ravenous. With a small, hungry, deep moan, she arched into the warm palm of his hand, her body demanding relief. “Buìochas!” she cried out, thanking God. Her whole body felt alive.
Blood pounded in her veins, her knees trembled. She began to shake and cried out when he finally touched her. It was so gentle she could not believe the pleasure streaking through her. His name thundered in her head. She was about to say nothing could ever compare, but soon the pressure of his palm was not enough and she began to rock against his hand. Then, slowly, he parted her.
Craig was overwhelmed by the moist heat waiting for him. With one finger, he circled the opening of her body, lingering, caressing as a honey flood dampened his hand. Eyes closed, her body twisting, she began to moan with erotic pleasure. With his other hand, he stroked her face. She was so hot, and tight, and wet. Craig fought not to rush into his need to stroke and touch all of her, but he could hold out no longer.
Plunging one finger into her liquid warmth, Meriel arched her back once again. The sensations he was creating within her were almost unbearable, and yet her body only craved more. She wanted more of him inside her and lifted her hips against his hand. But instead he eased the one finger out of her snug passage, using her own moisture to lubricate her small, swelling button of desire. He repeated the action slowly and deliberately, easing his finger into her and then teasing the small nubbin of female flesh. Then he did it again. And again.
Meriel heard herself shout at Craig as she pressed herself against him, seeking release from the tension suffusing her body. She only half understood what he was doing to her. Part of her wanted him to ease her suffering and yet another part wanted him to continue, regardless if it caused her to go mad.
Then, as if he knew she could handle no more, Craig lowered his mouth to her breast, teasing her nipple once more as he introduced another finger into her. Meriel felt herself liquefy as his mouth suckled and his expert fingers began to widen her slick, hot channel, stretching her gently.
Then they delved deep into her heat, probing her with exquisite care, finding all the secret, hidden places and making them tingle with need. Meriel could feel herself spiraling out of control with excitement. Craig seemed to know exactly where to touch her—how lightly, how slowly, and how deeply.
He stroked and caressed until she was twisting uncontrollably in his arms. She cried out at the feelings sweeping through her, tumultuous, turbulent, wild, and untamed, as he dove deeper. She clung to him as she felt herself reaching another peak, straining and convulsing. Her mind blocked out everything except Craig. All she knew was that she wanted to be even closer to him.
Craig’s need for her had become excruciating and he could no longer deny himself release. His hands shook as he put them on her thighs and urged them to part, positioning his hips above hers.
When he looked down at her face, his eyes were dark and deep. Her breath quickened and her breasts began to heave with expectation. He prayed the fervor he knew was reflected in his gaze would not scare her.
He put his hands on both sides of her face and bent toward her mouth. He gave her a gentle kiss. Probing gently, he dampened himself in the moisture between her legs, praying he could control his need for just a little longer. Her hands gripped his shoulders very tightly and he knew the anticipation was threatening to overwhelm her. Her trembling limbs clung to him, but Craig could also see that Meriel wanted this just as much as he. She was holding on to him, looking at him with such trust. He knew then that she would never let him go. He would never again be alone.
Craig cupped her face in his hands and whispered hoarsely, “You belong to me . . . do you understand?”
Seeing her nod, he settled himself between her thighs and lifted her hips. As slowly as he could manage, he began to penetrate. She was slick with need, hot, and tight—he knew without a doubt she was made for him. He paused only when he felt the shield of her virginity.
Meriel held her breath, waiting for the terrible, tearing pain. He was big. At first she thought too big, but he was moving gradually, opening her, giving her body time to adjust to his size as he made a place in the very heart of her. Then he stopped. Moving neither in nor out. A moan of despair, of desire, escaped her throat. Her body felt as if it were half ice, half flame. She needed him to continue with what he started.
Burning with need, Craig cried out the moment Meriel began to move in desperate need. His hands steadied her hips, arresting her movement. And still she felt incredible—warm, tight—all liquid pressure. His restraint was slipping and he could feel himself coming apart. Clenching his j
aw, he locked his gaze on hers and then ripped past her thin barrier of protection, driving forward to the core of her body, making her his for all eternity.
Hearing her shocked cry of pain, Craig’s body went rigid. But when she reacted on instinct and tried to pull back, he refused to let her, keeping himself buried deep within her tight passage. He trapped her face between his hands. “It’s all right, love,” he groaned, savoring the feel of possession. “The pain is over now, I promise.” And to help bring her back to a state of arousal, his tongue plunged into her mouth, hungry in its quest to mate with her.
Pulling out slightly, he wanted to give her time to adjust, but the throbbing of his arousal was agonizing. He couldn’t stop. He drove into her swiftly, filling her completely with one long, powerful stroke. Her eyes widened, but this time there was no pain reflected in the green-and-gold liquid pools. Craig took her mouth again and began to move.
Meriel was astonished at how her body could go from such anguish to such ecstasy. The sensations were mind numbing, all consuming. He was hot, huge, and rock solid, and stretched her very limit as he buried himself in her as deeply as he could. But he felt right. It was as if her body had been made for him. She met his thrust, urging him to move faster.
Craig grasped her hips, refusing to let her bring him prematurely to climax. His jaw locked and his teeth clenched as she clung to him. She was still incredibly tight, and each time he entered her it was like going through the gates of heaven. She felt so good, surrounding him completely, and he drove deeper into her melting core. Her eyes closed, her back arched against him, moans escaping her beautiful lips, begging him for something she could not name.
He dug deep to hold on and not spontaneously combust from their delirious friction, allowing his tightly reined desire to uncoil slightly as he urged deeper, farther. His pace increased and she matched him, raising her hips to his every thrust. And still it was not enough.
Michele Sinclair - [McTiernays 05] Page 25