“Naïve?” Morgan said, laughing at the old-fashioned word. “No. That’s not even close to what I’m thinking right now.”
“Stupid, prudish, dried-up, frigid, and—I’ve run out of derogatory labels,” she said.
Morgan pulled Thea’s hand into his lap, spread her fingers out, and laid her palm over his growing erection. He watched the pink of embarrassment turn into a pinker arousal as her hand rubbed and her eyes drifted almost closed.
“I think you’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever had the chance to be with, and I’m scared like hell I’m going to disappoint you,” Morgan said seriously. “That’s what I’m thinking.”
“You won’t disappoint me,” Thea whispered back, quite sure of that as she felt him growing harder beneath her hand. “But I might disappoint you.”
“Impossible,” Morgan said softly, shifting his hips to give her better access, grateful when Thea moved the evidence of his need for her into a more comfortable position. The woman hadn’t forgotten everything—and she wasn’t all that shy either.
“I’m already satisfied to have your hands on me, and we haven’t even started yet. It can only get better from here,” Morgan told her, playing with her hair as she stroked him.
“It’s been a very long time. I might not be able to accommodate you,” Thea said quietly, feeling like she had to be honest with a man she was intentionally arousing.
She felt good touching him, unbelievably good as she discovered an interest she had thought was gone forever from her life. She was willing to try being with him and that was wonderful just by itself.
Morgan leaned forward, stilling her hand with his over it, but leaving it just where it was.
“Thea, I promise I am not going to hurt you. If you get scared, we’ll try again some other time. We will get there. I want this. I want this with you.”
“Why?” Thea asked, the question torn from her, revealing an insecurity she was incapable of masking.
“Ask me that again tomorrow if you still don’t know the answer by then,” Morgan said firmly, letting go of her hand to lift her hair and kiss her neck. “What’s under the robe Thea?”
“Mat—matching nightgown,” she said, tilting her head to the side, to give him better access.
“Can I see?” Morgan asked, smiling against her neck as she nodded.
Where the patience to woo her came from, Morgan didn’t know or care. He just knew it was the right thing to do in that moment. In fact, nothing in his life had ever felt as right as this did. If it took all night, he was going to enjoy every second of the journey to getting inside this woman.
Her hands went to the belt of her robe to undo the loose knot.
Morgan covered Thea’s hands with his and let them ride over hers as she untied the knot that held the robe closed. When it was open, his hand came up to her shoulder and swept inside and down over her breast. They both called out at the arousing touch, and then laughed at what they had done.
“Well, that was fun,” Morgan said, laughing against her neck, “and exciting for both of us. Let’s try something else.”
Thea giggled. She was nervous, excited, scared, and yes—getting aroused, thank God. Morgan’s mouth moved to hers, nibbling, sucking, licking her bottom lip.
Yes, excited was the perfect word for what she was feeling, Thea thought, letting herself enjoy the wonderful sensation of Morgan’s talented lips on hers. The man could really kiss.
“Turn toward me,” Morgan ordered and she did. “Kiss me. Kiss me like you did this afternoon. I’ve thought of nothing but your tongue dancing along mine all evening.”
“Morgan, I can’t just—just—oh God, that feels so good,” she said, when his hand streaked down the silk again and up to cup her breast hard, squeezing so tight she almost lost her breath.
Morgan laughed and gritted his teeth.
“Kiss me now, Thea. I need something to hold me over until we can have it all,” he begged.
He opened his eyes fully then and saw her face, neck, and chest so pink that she practically glowed. She rose to her knees on the couch beside him, the robe slipping off her shoulders. Morgan stripped it away until he could toss it on the coffee table over the Atlantis book.
To his delight, Thea crawled into his lap, her silky bottom rubbing enticingly over an aching hardness that Morgan hoped was going to last long enough to serve them both well.
When her lips toured his face, his jaw, and the corners of his mouth, Morgan grew very concerned though at getting more than he’d bargained for. He twitched, flexed, and trembled because of what she was doing.
The woman could destroy him by kissing his face, Morgan realized.
The thought of what would happen if her mouth travelled much further south than his collarbone had him confessing to sins not yet committed, but entirely probable.
“If anything embarrassing happens under you while you’re kissing me, just please wait twenty minutes to a half hour before giving up,” Morgan begged, his hands tightening on her waist.
Thea’s lips stopped travelling and she bit her bottom one as she laughed. “You’re teasing me. Stop.”
“Oh, no. I’m not teasing and we’re not stopping. We might not get there all at once, but we are not stopping,” Morgan told her, laughing. “Thea, I’ll die if we stop.”
“I’m sure you won’t,” Thea said, bending her lips to his neck again. “Can I undress you?”
“Honey, you can do any damn thing you want with me. Haven’t you figured that out by now?” Morgan asked softly. “I’m afraid to even move under you.”
Where had this laughter existed before? He’d never laughed with a woman he wanted to bed, never held one in his lap while she tortured him. Morgan was so damn happy it might have scared him if hadn’t been so desperate for her.
Thea made short work of the buttons on his shirt. He laughed more at her frown when she discovered his sleeveless undershirt.
“Well, what did you think you would find? I have layers of complexity, Thea,” Morgan told her, trying to steel his voice so that he didn’t laugh too much at the perturbed look on her face. He’d never considered an undershirt a nuisance until he’d seen Thea frowning and sighing over his.
Thea climbed off his lap and held out a hand. Morgan took it and stood, favoring his leg a little. Whatever pain tonight cost him, it was a small price to pay for the reward.
When he was standing in front of her, Thea pulled the rest of the blue striped shirt he’d worn from his belted slacks. She undid the sleeves and peeled the shirt from him. It joined her robe on the coffee table.
The intimacy of their clothes was a hopeful sign about what he and Thea were doing, Morgan thought. It seemed like a slow and right first step to take in a room filled with so many old memories of her life before him.
“My bedroom is down the hall. Come with me,” Thea told him.
“Okay, I’ll try honey, but it usually takes a lot of practice for both people to get there simultaneously,” Morgan said, chuckling when Thea blushed as she realized the double-meaning of what she’d said.
“You’re teasing again,” she said, her tone a warning.
“I’m a little anxious myself. I hope your expectations aren’t too high for this first time. It’s been a while for me, too. I was shot you know,” he said lightly, trying to tease her back into being comfortable with what was about to happen.
Thea tugged on his hand until he followed.
“Do we need a medical release from your doctor?” she asked sarcastically.
It made Morgan laugh, even when she didn’t join in.
“No, I was cleared some time ago for normal activities. There just hasn’t been anyone—well, that’s another story. Just don’t give up after one time. That’s all I ask. Like most men, the second time is much better with me,” Morgan said wisely.
“Well, I have no idea anymore. It’s been so long I’ve forgotten pretty much everything,” she said, teasing herself.
“Don’t wor
ry,” Morgan told her. “I’m going to enjoy reminding you. Over. And over. And over again.”
Thea stopped at her bed, hesitating a little, closing her eyes once more, looking inside herself for bravery.
Morgan looked at Thea’s closed eyes, fighting hard not to laugh, ultimately losing the battle.
“A last prayer before the virgin sacrifice?” he asked, his voice full of amusement because he couldn’t help it.
Thea breathed out heavily. “Laugh all you want, but I’m very nervous. And sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not a virgin.”
Morgan put both arms around her, pulling her silk-covered-naked-underneath-he-now-knew body tight against his. He’d been hyper-aware of her near nudity every time Thea had wiggled in his lap on the couch.
“Well, technically you are pretty virginal after ten years of going without sex. So I’ve decided to give due reverence to your return to innocence,” Morgan told her.
Thea snorted, undid his belt, whipping it from his pants to sling it across the room. Her aggressiveness only seemed to make Morgan laugh more. It certainly wasn’t the effect she was going for her in her feeble attempt at meeting and matching his seduction.
“I promise you, Morgan Reed, I am not a virgin. I haven’t forgotten everything. I can prove it if you want,” she taunted.
The rasp of his zipper sliding down had garbled laughter choking Morgan on its way out. “I’ve heard about women like you, Althea. You’re one of those teasers who promise to go all the way, but then end up getting scared and not delivering at the last minute, right?”
His pants fell to his feet as Thea ran her hands over his backside. Then there was the silky slide of her nightgown down his thighs before her knees hit the bedroom floor at his feet.
“God no! Not that yet!” Morgan yelled, yanking a hysterical, laughing Thea to her feet again as he panicked. “There will be none of that tonight.”
Morgan stared into Thea’s face and felt the earth tilt around him. He had never been so thrilled to see a woman laugh at him.
“Althea Carmichael, virgins do not do go down on men,” Morgan told her tightly, choking on the words in his laughter and squeezing her shoulders hard.
Then because he couldn’t stop himself, Morgan kissed her hard and possessively, sucking and biting her bottom lip between his teeth in both punishment and promise. When he could bring himself to turn her loose at last, Thea moaned and melted against him until he could barely hold them up. If it had been any time other than their first time, Morgan wasn’t sure how civilized he could have been with her.
“How do you know what born-again virgins do, Morgan? Are you some sort of expert?” Thea demanded, then promptly wished she hadn’t mentioned something so bold. If he was an expert, she really did not want to hear about it right then.
“Well, no—I guess I’m not an expert. Maybe you have a point,” Morgan said, biting his own lip in concentration, then bringing his gaze back to meet hers. “You’re the only virgin of any sort I’ve ever known. I think that’s why I feel so compelled to try and do this right.”
Thea sighed at his kindness. Morgan was trying so hard to charm her. What was the harm in letting him? Other than the fact he was taking his time and driving her crazy.
“So what do you think women like me are allowed to do then, Morgan? I have no idea what’s okay and not okay,” Thea told him, which was true for the most part.
“Well, I think virgins probably do a lot of preparation to make sure they’re ready for anything that might happen to change their status,” Morgan said, sliding the thin straps of her nightgown down until they caught on her breasts.
He pushed Thea down to sit on the end of the bed and dropped to his knees in front of her, barely feeling the pain in his leg. Endorphins had no doubt taken over, Morgan realized gratefully, his mind spinning with lust. His excitement level climbed as he realized he was going to get to taste her again.
“I think they do this,” Morgan said, leaning forward and kissing her breasts through the silk, eventually sucking each excited peak into his mouth before lifting his head from what he was doing.
“And this is probably okay too,” Morgan said hoarsely, tugging the silky and now wet material over and off one rigid peak still standing at attention before tugging the nipple deep into his mouth and caressing it with his tongue.
Thea let out a keening moan, her strong fingers insistently digging into his arms, telling Morgan everything he wanted to know about how much she wanted him.
Morgan had never felt more proud of his lovemaking in his entire life.
“Pretty great, huh?’ he asked, watching her eyelids try to open while lust was blinding her. “You’re doing really well for a virgin, Thea. Don’t worry. I won’t tell a soul how far you let me go.”
Morgan laughed softly when she moaned again.
Thea leaned forward then and put her eager mouth on Morgan’s, plunging her tongue into his mouth to taste him. Need, hot and demanding moved through her, making her crazy to stake a claim to the man kneeling between her legs.
Then suddenly the woman inside, the one that had been sleeping, the one she had all but forgotten existed, simply took control of the situation. Thea’s arms went around the man she wanted, pulling him as close as she could. The she was lifting him and making him climb onto her, devouring his mouth along the way. Unrestrained and unleashed, all Thea could think about was how much she wanted Morgan and had to have him.
Shocked as he felt his erection sliding up Thea’s body, Morgan realized she was hauling him up and over her on the bed, giving him no choice but to slide over her. If the long night gown hadn’t held her legs still captive, he suspected he would have been wrapped in them and given no choice but to plunge into Thea’s depths whether she was physically ready or not. He could feel the determined and insistent demand pouring out of her.
But he wasn’t ready because she wasn’t ready, or not nearly as ready as Morgan intended to make her.
His desire to control the situation was saved only by a tight nightgown, Morgan thought, kissing Thea with abandon and celebrating each stroke of her tongue while his heartbeat thundered. He badly wanted this first time to be good for her. Knowing now that the woman could wrestle control from him only made him more determined to have his way in what was going to happen.
“How did you get me into the bed?” Morgan demanded, when his mouth was free, and he could lift his upper body off of her.
“I’m very strong and very motivated right now,” Thea told him, practically ripping the undershirt shirt from his body and throwing it into the floor. “And you have done an amazing job of inspiring me to take this chance.”
Now that he was mostly naked, Thea let Morgan arrange their bodies until they were lying side by side on the bed.
Her hand reached out to stroke the chest she had finally uncovered. Skin to skin at last, Thea thought, sighing in pleasure.
“I don’t want to be a virgin anymore, Morgan,” she told him softly.
Groaning at being given such sweet permission to go further, Morgan rolled Thea to her back and ran a possessive hand across her belly and down. He gathered up the nightgown that still covered the bottom half of her until he could push his now shaking hand up under it.
His fingers brushed gentle as a butterfly over her curls and ever so carefully went beyond the folds he found there. Thea’s legs fell open in welcome as Morgan slipped an exploring finger into the glorious heat and wetness of her, groaning in satisfaction to find proof of his success.
“I have never, ever wanted a woman more than I want you tonight. The only wish I have right now is for you to want me back just as much,” Morgan said sincerely.
Thea lifted a hand from the bed and placed her palm on Morgan’s face.
“Wish granted. I definitely want you back,” she said, her voice rough with lust.
Morgan pushed his finger in deep when he heard her declaration and felt her legs thrash as she hit the first peak of pleasure.
“No. Please climb up here and get inside me. I can’t believe how wet I am. I can’t even remember the last time I. . .Morgan, don’t. . .,” she begged, as his talented finger slid in and out of her again. “I don’t want to do that this first time. I want you in me while I feel this way.”
“You’re having an orgasm tonight, Thea. We’re not stopping until you do,” Morgan said, sincerely.
He slid off the bed, retrieved his pants and the condom from the pocket of them. His past wasn’t as clean as hers, and his need to protect her from his was important to him. Morgan dropped his shorts, put the condom on, and crawled back up the bed to where Thea had scooted up to wait for him.
The nightgown was bunched at her waist from both directions, but she didn’t seem to mind. Still, he slipped it up and over her head until she was completely nude.
“You are incredibly beautiful, Althea Carmichael,” Morgan said, moving between her legs, nervous again as she shifted in welcome. He stroked a quivering hand down her thigh. “I’m still a bit worried. How about you?”
“Terrified,” she confided. “Excited. Dying to have you. It’s a toss-up.”
“I hear you,” Morgan said, positioning himself and nudging in just a little as she lifted her hips to accommodate his entry. “Be brave with me, Thea.”
Heaven, Morgan thought, feeling elation at Thea breathing so erratically beneath him as she tilted her pelvis to his. So this is what it’s like to be with a woman you care about. This is what it’s like to care about how it goes. He was absolutely sure he’d never felt this level of emotional involvement before.
Morgan rocked in and out gently, advancing and retreating no more than an inch at a time. Eventually, he paused when he was partially inside Thea’s tight depths which seemed incredibly virginal to him the deeper he went. He felt Thea squirming trying to complete the connection.
She was gloriously wet and pulsing. And she was quite capable with her talented hips of ruining all he had planned for her if she kept up what she was instinctively doing.
The Right Thing Page 8