Fuck. He wanted to tie her to his bed and keep her there for-fucking-ever.
He pushed off the door, loving the way her eyes flared as she watched him, and stopped directly in front of her. Placing a finger under her chin, he tilted her head up when she didn’t do so herself and slowly ran the pad of his thumb across her full lower lip, inhaling the erotic honey scent of her deep into his lungs.
“I want you to relax, Eva,” he ordered softly. “I meant what I said at the club. I will not disrespect you by treating you in any way you would find upsetting. If I do something you’re not comfortable with, just say so. I promise I won’t take offense.”
Those glittering sapphires gazed up at him. He tensed when he felt the brush of her fingertips at the base of his throat. “You speak a lot about respect.” She tentatively drew on the chain he always wore—a gift from Vincente’s late sister, Sophia—and glanced at the black crystal wolf tooth that had Matthew 6:14 engraved on it. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. She tucked it away without asking what the passage was—or what it meant to him. Respecting his privacy. Very nice.
“Respect, trust, and loyalty are more important than people think.”
“Because without them, even with love, a relationship is weak. I agree.” Her warm breath wisped over his hand.
She’d just impressed him.
Something happened as he stood there staring down at her. The lust he’d been battling for weeks, the basic, primitive need for nothing but sex with her, that simple want, slowly morphed into something different. Something more. Something with emotion attached. And that soft, tender something was suddenly nudging and coddling Gabriel’s long-thought-dead heart.
Disturbed by the feeling, he brought it back to the sex by saying, “I will respect your body, sweetheart. Be loyal while we’re together. And you can trust that I’m going to make you scream through more orgasms than your system will be able to handle.” His fingers gripped her hips, and he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “I’d like to begin. Tell me we’re done with this conversation so I can get you naked.”
She made a breathy sound and his cock hardened, pressing uncomfortably against his pants zipper. The air around them became sultry and hot.
Eva then placed her palms on his cheeks and pulled his head down to mesh their lips together. And, holy hell, did he like that. Loved that she took the initiative to begin herself. When her tongue stroked delicately over the seam of his lips, his blood thundered in his veins. He didn’t hesitate to open and plunder the moist depths of her mouth. Feeding his need for her.
Slipping his fingers into her hair, he loosened her messy bun by fisting a handful and pulling her head back far enough to break the kiss. He didn’t want their first time being against the wall in his foyer.
“Wh-what’s wrong?” she whispered dazedly.
He bent and scooped her up, curling her into his chest. “Not a goddamned thing,” he assured her as he stalked to his bedroom.
Gabriel threw open the bedroom door and crossed the large room in a few powerful strides, practically tossing Eva into the center of the huge bed. She bounced once, her dress riding up around her upper thighs, and watched enthralled as he reached back to swipe his shirt over his head.
Oh . . . God.
To hell with all her worries and what-ifs and maybe-I-shouldn’ts.
She was so ready for this.
His massive shoulders filled her vision, thick and corded with power, his pendant resting between pecs. The ribbed, cut muscles of his stomach stood out like speed bumps on a highway. And covering all of that sexy goodness was smooth, supple, bronzed skin that had only a light dusting of dark hair in the middle of his chest.
And those tattoos! She couldn’t make out all the designs in the soft glow from the lamp, but they dressed his skin in mysterious shades of blacks and grays, making her curious as to the meanings behind them. She’d always found a tattooed body more attractive than a blank canvas. Maybe because it showed the person felt deeply enough to have meaningful things permanently inked onto their skin for all the world to see. Or maybe the good girl in her had been yearning for a bad boy all along. She herself was still a blank canvas because her mother had once told her if she got a tattoo, she’d be very unhappy. The look in her eyes had let Eva know her stand had something to do with the Russian.
“You’re beautiful,” she breathed, her mind swirling with delirious pleasure at the sight of him.
His sensual half smile flashed as he came forward, sinking his knee deep into the mattress next to her hip. He crowded her until she had no choice but to lie back on the pillows, and then he trapped her by placing his fists on either side of her head. His lips trailed down the side of her neck and along her collarbone, sending delicious sensations across her flesh. A soft moan bubbled up her throat when his teeth grazed the sensitive area right below her jaw, while his long fingers skimmed the neckline of her dress, knuckles brushing over the top swell of her breasts.
“I’ve been dying to do this all night. Are you ready?” The dark promise in his voice vibrated right into her bones, melting her inhibitions.
She ran her fingers over his shoulders and down the backs of his arms. “Very ready,” she reassured him.
With a sudden sharp jerk, he tore the expensive material of her dress straight down the front to expose her almost naked body to his gaze.
She squeaked in shock as cool air met hot skin. “Gabriel!”
“Now you can’t wear it again,” he announced with boyish satisfaction as her hands came up in an automatic attempt to cover her naked breasts. “God, don’t do that.” His whisper was tortured as his hand moved in to halt the modest gesture. He sat back on his bent leg, his hot gaze sweeping, lingering on her beaded nipples, then going lower to travel over her stomach and down past her hips to take in the small triangle of gray silk covering her sex.
She felt a flush creep up her neck, unused to such a direct appraisal. She wasn’t blind to her attributes, but she’d certainly never had them on naked display before. Gabriel was clearly a man of experience. What if he found her lacking? What if she didn’t measure up to the other women he’d had?
“You are. Fucking spectacular,” he growled as his eyes locked with hers.
“Thank you,” she said breathlessly as relief flowed through her. She passed.
He slid a hand under and lifted her hips to remove what remained of her dress. After lowering her back to the mattress, he stood and moved down to the foot of the bed, his large palm stroking over the top of her thigh and knee and then down her calf to her ankle. The lights of Seattle winked through the massive windows behind him as he deftly removed her shoes, dropping each of them to the floor with a soft thud. His gaze never left her as he hooked a finger under the narrow strap at her hip.
“This I don’t think I have to destroy,” he murmured, letting his fingertips glide lazily under the elastic, front to back, front to back. Eva’s muscles quivered every time he neared the inside of her thigh.
Unable to lie still any longer, she shakily rose to her knees, making his finger slip out with a snap. She cupped his strong jaw and ran her thumbs over his lightly bristled face. Moving down, she touched his lips and smiled when he inhaled sharply.
Total male perfection, she acknowledged as she shadowed a path down the length of his neck, watching his body ripple. Sweeping over the powerful hardness of his bare chest, she could now see the tattoo on his right pec was a tribal work of art, the thick black lines larger than her whole hand. On his left side was another set of flourish black-and-gray lines and expert shading; this one looked to be a destroyed steel cage, its door hanging off the hinges, as though someone had just escaped. Beautiful artwork.
Making a mental note to ask about the tattoos later, she cautiously moved to the waistband of his pants and slipped the button free, moving right along to the zipper. When she peeked up again, she found him staring at
her breasts. Her back arched all on its own, offering, her body wanting.
His warm hands were immediately on her, and she gasped as pleasure coursed through her. He cupped and kneaded the sensitive mounds, driving her to distraction when his fingers rolled her nipples. She’d been touched there before, but that had felt nothing like this.
She slid the zipper of his pants down and almost protested when he released her to pull back. Within moments his boots, socks, and pants were gone and he stood, lithe and powerful, without a stitch covering his form.
Eva gulped and tried not to stare. She failed miserably.
How in the hell was that going to get into her?
She gulped again, trying to swallow her sudden anxiety. He was . . . very large. A few minutes ago she’d told him she was ready.
Now she wasn’t so sure.
With a hand splayed over her sternum, he pushed gently until she was on her back again. He came down beside her to block out the view. Not that she was looking anywhere but at him now. Or feeling anything but the hot skin and solid muscle pressed against her.
“You’re very . . . impressive.” Please don’t hear the anxiety in my voice, she begged in mortification.
He grinned. She swooned over the not-seen-enough expression. “You have no idea how hard it is for me to be taking my time with you,” he surprised her by saying.
Oh, she knew how hard it was—she’d seen it firsthand!
“Why are you? Taking your time, I mean.”
He stroked his fingers across her collarbone, the tips skimming the top of her breast again. “Because I want you ready. And I don’t want you to ever forget this first time with me.”
He didn’t allow her a moment to gather her wits after that charming statement before he claimed her mouth, his lips crushing hers, his tongue thrusting deliciously and deeply. His coarse palms traveled over her ribs again, one gripping the curve of her waist while the other continued along her hip and down her outer thigh, making her squirm and pant for more. Her legs drifted apart as her body begged for . . . something.
Gabriel grasped her calf, pulled her leg up, and rolled her over so that she was intimately sprawled across him. Desire raged as she felt his hard naked flesh beneath hers.
He removed the binding from her hair, hissing through his teeth as he ran his fingers through her heavy tresses.
“You really are fucking magnificent.”
She blinked. She’d received compliments on her looks before, but this—Gabriel’s—was the first one to matter. Really matter. She didn’t want to disappoint him by not living up to his expectations.
Tell him, dummy! Before he comes away from this thinking you’re an inconsiderate lover, rather than an inexperienced one.
Good plan. “Uh, I’m kind of new to this,” she said quickly, evasively—she didn’t want to throw out the V word in case he chivalrously told her to pack up and get out. She kept her eyes glued to her fingers as they trailed over his sinewy shoulder, lingering on his tattoos. She nearly choked on her awkwardness. “So, if I do something wrong, or don’t do something you’d like me to, please tell me, okay?”
She held her breath when Gabriel lay there, still as a corpse. What was he thinking? Was he going to end this?
“Wh-what . . . wh-what did you say?” he finally rasped.
She tried not to cringe as she traced patterns on his skin and cleared her throat. His uncharacteristic stammer was unsettling. “Sorry if that puts a damper . . .” She trailed off, feeling her shoulders bow ever so slightly. “I wasn’t going to say anything, but I don’t want you to be disappointed.”
Disappointed?
She shifted, causing her inner thighs to brush his hips, his hard length rubbing between her legs in such a way that it made her want to grind harder.
But just a minute. Was she ashamed of her inexperience? Sure, it was okay to be self-conscious about it. But ashamed? No. She straightened her shoulders. Why should she be?
She had nothing to apologize for here.
She tilted her chin up—an act of defiance against any chagrin she’d felt a moment ago.
His lips curled up at the corners, as if he noticed the change in her. He gripped her upper arms and rolled over until he had her beneath him again.
“What are you telling me, Eva?”
Be proud of yourself!
Right. “I’ve never had sex before,” she rushed out. Her legs, with a life of their own, flexed to hold his between them so he couldn’t run off screaming about virgins and their deception.
“Holy shit . . .” The words came out with a rough breath.
He was looking at her with a bewildered expression.
“Eva . . . Jesus Christ,” he whispered. He lifted and looked down her body. For what, she didn’t know. “Thank God you told me. Holy shit,” he growled again before claiming her mouth in a kiss that was so hot and wet it made her feel as if she were burning alive.
Guess he wasn’t going to bail.
She moaned into his mouth, and his hand cupped her breast again, rolling her nipple between his two fingers. When he switched his attention to the other, she squirmed and dug her fingernails into his forearm.
“More?” he asked against her mouth.
“Yes, yes . . . more,” she demanded, her entire body alive, feeling like one oversensitive, fully exposed nerve. Hot skin. Throbbing core. Tight, tingling breasts.
So this was what all the fuss was about?
She hadn’t believed sex could possibly be the amazing act everyone claimed it was. But now?
I’ll never doubt it again.
She thrust her hips up and clawed hungrily at his shoulders. “Please.” She barely recognized her own voice as the plea fell from her lips.
One of his hands slid through her hair. “Not yet, sweetheart.” He fisted a handful and pulled her head so that her back arched. He ducked his head and took a nipple into his mouth, sucking hard, then scraped his teeth gently against the peaked tip. Her back arched again as she cried out with pleasure, bucking against him.
But he wouldn’t be rushed. He moved to her other nipple and repeated the action. Sure she was going to die of need, she moved, shifted, ground down, tried anything to ease the buildup that pulsed between her legs. But nothing helped.
“Getting . . . uncomfortable . . .”
Gabriel lifted his head, and his green eyes widened in surprise. And then he threw his head back and laughed.
“I can honestly tell you,” he said, his tone humorous, “that’s the first complaint I’ve gotten.”
Eva leaned up and kissed him. Her hips began moving in a rhythm, and she nearly died of pleasure when his shaft rubbed right where she needed it.
Finally.
But still he made her wait.
He groaned and she joined him, but her sound was one of frustration because he’d pulled away again. Leaning on his shoulder, he reached down and grabbed the thin strap of her thong. He gave it a sharp tug, tearing the sides loose. The silk fell from her body. His fingers stroked the inside of her thigh, feathering lightly before becoming firm as he cupped her mound. Her breath came out in a whoosh when he teased her sensitive folds with just his fingertips, spreading the wetness he’d created. She opened her legs wider, giving him better access.
“Gabriel . . .” Her breath hitched and then came even faster. Her hips shot up and her inner walls spasmed as he sank first one long finger inside her and then two. He pulled back a bit and thrust once, his thumb circling over her clit.
Eva shattered, screaming through the first orgasm she’d ever had with a man. Color exploded behind her eyes as electricity zinged along every nerve ending. The sensations went on and on, stealing reality from her, until she came back to feel Gabriel moving down over her stomach and hips, kissing and licking at her skin everywhere along the way.
She’d given herself orgasms before, but they’d been a nonevent compared with this.
Her eye
lids flew open when she felt Gabriel’s warm breath against the very spot he’d just been stroking. She lifted her knees and spread her thighs even more.
“More?” he asked, and flicked his tongue against her clit.
“Oh, God, yes!”
He licked her from bottom to top, making her cry out. She clutched at his silky hair to hold him to her as he slid those two—three—fingers back inside her, giving her a delicious fullness.
“Gabriel. I need . . .” He thrust his fingers deep, hitting her so right that her eyes watered and her throat thickened. She struggled to hold on to what little control she could still feel. But then that pressure was back, climbing again, stronger than before, the maddening feeling now just hanging there as he worked her, doing something . . . something . . . keeping her suspended. He teased her clit with his lips, then his tongue, before sucking it fully into his mouth. Just as she was about to rail in agony, she crested and fell.
She panted and moaned, writhing through the wild climax. Hot tears rolled down her face as her inner muscles clamped and then relaxed, only to clamp down again and then finally let go.
Eva floated back into her mind to the feel of Gabriel’s lips on her inner thigh, kissing once, twice, and then a third time before he pulled away. He captured her gaze and licked his fingers. The erotic image shot through her like a lightning bolt, making something roll deep inside her.
She’d thought her need was slaked, but apparently not.
He prowled up her body, his smooth muscles bunching and rolling, a stalking predator, until their faces were level. “You’re fucking perfect,” he said quietly, dipping his head into the crook of her neck to kiss her there. “Never seen anything so beautiful as when you come.”
He cupped her cheeks and swiped at the moisture from her eyes with his thumbs. He then kissed her so tenderly she felt a new burn beneath her lids. She tasted him, and herself, as she untangled her legs from his so she could wrap them around his waist. She tightened her thighs around his hips and pushed her heels into his butt, wanting him inside her.
A Love of Vengeance Page 13