Forever after, p.6
Forever After, page 6
If not for his support, she would have fallen. Yet she had to see his face, his eyes. She turned until her eyes could search his. What she saw there made her tremble. He cared about her... really cared about her. Her lips parted and she stood on tiptoe to move her mouth against his warm masculine mouth.
When she spoke, her voice was husky with feminine desire. “I want you, too. Make me yours.”
Charles covered her mouth with his, his masculine possession unmistakable. He coaxed her until her lips opened for him. Diane pressed even closer to him, loving the spicy aftershave he favored that blended so wonderfully with his own special scent. His body was so firm, so welcoming, so exciting, and yet comforting. Charles groaned his pleasure... lost to everything but the woman in his arms.
Murmuring voices of an approaching couple penetrated the sensuous haze encompassing them. They parted out of necessity. She gripped the guardrail for support.
Charles was no less shaken. He balled his hands into potent fists of frustration and unfulfilled longing, ramming them into his slack pockets. The scowl on his face was proof positive that he didn’t appreciate the intrusion.
“Come on, baby. We need some privacy.”
He led the way to his stateroom rather than her cabin.
Diane didn’t question their location. Her stomach was a mass of nerves. It seemed as if she had waited forever to hear him say those wonderful things. Oh, yes, she craved his caresses, his lovemaking. So why couldn’t she stop trembling?
He’d been up front about the type of relationship he wanted. There was never any doubt on that score.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t harness the fear. She’d lived with her appeal to the opposite sex since puberty, when she’d begun attracting not only the boys at school, but her mother’s men. Over the years, she had learned to protect herself and stay out of intimate situations with men.
All that was about to change, and Charles was the one responsible. What had begun as a friendship had evolved so slowly that Diane hadn’t been aware of falling in love with him. It had taken years, but now she understood what all those love songs were about. She understood what it meant to want to place someone else’s happiness above your own.
As she stood just inside the door, watching Charles, she knew he wasn’t the source of her discomfort, nor was she uncomfortable with the way he made her feel. She’d had plenty of time during their separation to come to terms with the depths of her feeling for him. What she hadn’t come to terms with was her fear of sex. Not that she was naive, for she’d known about sex from the time she was a little girl, when she’d seen her mother with a man. The problem was that she’d never experienced it. Charles’s intimate caresses and seductive kisses were the only ones she’d known. She was too ashamed to tell him that she was a thirty-two-year-old virgin.
After years of perfecting the art of keeping men at arm’s length, Diane wasn’t sure she could go through with her heart’s deepest wish. Could she take Charles inside her body and let him do to her what she’d seen done to her mother? No, she mustn’t think about Lillie. Not now, she begged of herself. Please, not now...
It seemed like such an ugly, dirty thing. What if it destroyed the beauty of what she felt for him? What then? Common sense told her that what they shared could never be ugly or dirty, but the harshness of what she’d seen and heard as a child seemed to haunt her as an adult.
She didn’t have a choice. Charles would leave her if she didn’t give him what he wanted. He’d never accept a refusal a second time. He wanted a relationship with her, a relationship that included sex.
Instead of sliding her arms around his trim waist and seeking the remembered heat of his mouth, she wandered around the sitting area, touching the freshly cut flowers in a crystal vase on the end table near the sofa. She lingered, studying the oil painting of the sea mounted on the wall.
Charles frowned, disturbed by her apparent nervousness. She practically jumped out of her skin when he cupped her shoulders. “What is it? You’re as tight as a coil.”
“I’m just a little tense,” she whispered. Hearing the concern in his voice, she impulsively rested her cheek against his chest. “I love you.”
His heart raced with joy. “That was worth a lifetime of waiting.” His eyes caressed her. “I love you, too.” He placed a strong hand beneath her chin, lifting her face so he could look at her. “What we’ve shared these past few days has been very special.”
“Yes,” she whispered, unable to believe her good fortune. He loved her! “You’ve made me very happy.”
“Do you mean that?” His voice was thick with emotion. “Yes. It’s been wonderful. I’ve missed you so much.” His black eyes seemed to scorch her with the heat of his need. “I’ve waited an eternity to have you, but I want the words, Diane. Please, tell me it’s me you want... only me. I’m not willing to share you ever again.”
“Only you, Chuck... only you.” Diane had gone up on tiptoe, her arms encircling his neck. Her sweet lips tasted his, their softness an irresistible enticement. She sipped at the corners of his generous lips before growing bold enough to slip her tongue into the hot recesses of his mouth.
Charles’s response was immediate and utterly male. He opened his mouth to permit her to enjoy him fully while trying to ignore the dictates of his own hardening flesh. He groaned, pulling her close until her breasts were pillowed on his chest. He was more than ready to finish what had been started in the moonlight.
He held nothing back as she suckled his lower lip. He shivered, gently caressing her from her nape to her full, womanly hips. Her sweet moans of pleasure were almost his undoing. He deepened the kiss while moving her in his arms so that he could cradle one of her breasts. He gently rubbed the hardening peak against the silk of her dress. Diane experienced heat deep within her feminine core that seemed to flare outward along her nerve endings.
“Diane...” He broke the seal of their lips only to return again and again for yet another intoxicating kiss. “I don’t want there to be doubts about what we both want. If you want me to stop, tell me now.”
She instantly stiffened. His mouth tightened and his eyes cooled. He dropped his arms to his side. When he attempted to step away from her, Diane tightened her hold around his waist, refusing to let go. Her lips were soft against the base of his throat in spite of the tremors that shook her limbs.
“Please... ” Her hands were clumsy, her fingers unsteady, as she slid them down his chest. She began unbuttoning his shirt. It took a few minutes to complete the task before she could place her cheek against his bare, warm flesh. “Please, don’t go all cold on me. I hate it when you do that.”
“I want to make love to you, but as usual, you’re giving me so many mixed signals, I don’t know what you want.” He sighed. The fight slowly went out of him as her soft hands caressed the broad plane of his chest.
“I want you to make love to me.”
Charles released a gruff moan of relief an instant before he hugged her tight. He bent, lifted her off her feet, and carried her to the sofa. He sank down onto the soft cushion with her draped across his lap.
“Show me, Di...” he murmured. He pressed his lips against her throat. “Show me that you want me.”
There was no hesitation as she sought his enticing mouth, eager for more of his kisses. Her lips seemed to flower beneath his; her sweet tongue played with his. She didn’t give herself time to think past the excitement of the moment. He filled her heart and her daydreams until there was no room for anything else... even fear. Her hands were soft and delicate as she explored his wide shoulders, his throat, and his hard-muscled chest. Remembering how she relished his caressing her nipples, she worried his tiny ebony nipple with the tips of her fingers, then her nail. He shivered with pleasure; his body throbbed with the power of his desire. Diane smiled at his obvious enjoyment. Her confidence and her own excitement grew as she repeated the caress, tonguing his nipple.
“Baby...” His hands were at her nape and he forced her mouth back to his. They exchanged a hot, deep kiss.
They were both breathless when they stopped. Charles slid the straps off her shoulders and watched in fascination as the cloth slipped down to pool at her waist. He could only stare at her beauty. Her breasts were full and perfectly formed. Her dark brown nipples were large, like thick drops of delectable chocolate. He couldn’t wait to taste them... taste her. He didn’t have to touch her to know her skin was softer and silkier than the cloth that had tantalized him, yet kept her hidden from him all evening. He ached to fill his hands with her softness, to palm and squeeze her breasts. But a tiny whimper from her brought his eyes back to hers. They were so large, and they were filled with anxiety.
He smiled at her, his voice a husky caress. “You are so beautiful, so exciting. I want you so badly.” He held her close. He wanted it to be good for her... so good that she’d never regret her decision.
Charles’s mouth returned to hers and he gave her a long, leisurely kiss. They had wasted so much time. They needed to be together. Eager to see all of her, he eased the dress away from her hips until it dropped to the floor. Then he rolled the pantyhose down her long slim legs. When he saw that tiny bit of yellow lace shielding her soft, fleshy mound from his gaze, he had to fight the urge to rip the damn things from her body. Carefully, he eased them down her legs. She was trembling... badly. He assumed it was from sweet expectation.
“Chuck... please,” she begged. “... Kiss me.” She was scared, so scared. She needed the assurance of his mouth on hers. Then she couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but feel the searing heat of desire.
Charles didn’t require a second invitation. His mouth went to hers and he sipped at her lips... nipping and licking her tantalizing full mouth. He didn’t stop until she melted against him, her hips unwittingly moving against his thick shaft. He ached to give her the steel-hard friction she craved. She wasn’t the only one on fire... hell, no. He was burning to be inside her moist sheath. But first he had to taste her, every sweet inch of her.
Diane blushed when he explained exactly what he longed to do. She surprised herself when she made no effort to shield herself from his hot male gaze.
His brown body was like a magnet drawing her to him. “You’re wearing too many clothes,” she complained, her mouth hot on his throat as she licked his skin. She heard his deep, throaty chuckle and she smiled, for she knew she had said the right thing. She slid off his lap to the carpet, her body between his strong, muscular thighs and her hands at his waist. But her hands were trembling so badly that she couldn’t seem to undo the black eel-skin belt at his waist.
Charles rose to his feet and quickly removed slacks and shoes and socks. He wore only black silk bikini briefs that barely contained his blatant masculinity.
Taking her hand, he pulled her to her feet. He held her against his side, loving the feel of her in his arms. With his mouth mesmerizing hers, Diane didn’t even realize they’d reached the bed until she felt herself falling onto its firm support. Charles followed her down, returning again and again to the sweetness of her mouth as he filled his hands with her breasts. He savored the silky texture of her skin as he kissed his way down her body. Her breasts were wondrously soft. He bathed them with his tongue, irresistibly drawn to the dark, hardening centers. Her moaning response heightened his own enjoyment. He licked a nipple until she gasped out his name. Only then did he suck the chocolate peak into his mouth to apply an exquisite suction that left her whimpering with pleasure.
Lost in a world of sensuality where each new sensation was more exciting than the last, she didn’t think she could bear any more pleasure. Charles relinquished her nipple. Before she could catch her breath, he moved to the other breast, repeating the delicious torment. As primitive desire burned uncontrollably within her womb, she parted her legs and rubbed her damp curls against his thigh.
“Did you like that? Did you like the feel of my mouth on your breasts, sweet cheeks?” he murmured, as he squeezed and caressed her shapely bottom. He shocked her when he turned her over and kissed the round firmness. “You have the sexiest behind. Watching you walk across the room makes me burn.”
Diane was beyond words. Suddenly he wasn’t there any longer. She opened her eyes in time to see him thrust his briefs down his long legs. Her eyes went wide with shock and uncertainty. Charles was a powerfully built man, an athlete. His upper body was strong, lean, and muscular. His sex was thick, heavy with desire.
Charles was so overwhelmed by her beauty that he didn’t notice her fear. He covered her body with his as he sought and reclaimed her mouth. He kissed her until she was warm and pliable in his arms. Eventually, he dropped his head, returning again and again to her aching, firm nipples until she was moaning deep in her throat, calling his name. His large-fingered hands caressed her waist, her stomach, before moving lower. Diane cried out when he cupped her sex, gently stroking the dark, thick curls covering her mound, then squeezing her softness while with tender fingertips he applied a subtle pressure to the ultrasensitive nub. Thoroughly enchanted by her damp heat, Charles didn’t hesitate to familiarize himself with the enticing feminine folds. She was so creamy and so wet that his shaft pulsed impatiently. She cried his name, shivering from his intimate caresses.
“Does it feel good, baby?” She was so unbelievably tight... so arousingly wet.
She whimpered her enjoyment as she moved against his ever-stroking finger as his thumb applied the exact pressure she craved.
“Tell me, baby... tell me how it feels,” he whispered close to her ear. His deep caress never eased, but moved faster and deeper as he tongued her nipple.
Diane was on fire. She sobbed out her sweet agony as the pressure built inside her. Suddenly, her entire body erupted and she convulsed wildly in his arms. Slowly a delicious warmth blanketed her. Diane pressed her face against his throat as she gradually recovered her breath.
“I’ve never known such pleasure,” she whispered, as she caressed his chest.
“Touch me,” he whispered against her lips. “I want so badly to feel your soft hands on my body.”
She longed to return the pleasure he had given her. Her soft hand stroked his flat nipple. When he trembled, she stopped.
“No... don’t stop... lower, please,” he said, his voice thick with desire. Her hands moved lower, exploring the hard planes of his flat stomach. Charles held himself rigid while his body screamed for more. But he didn’t make a sound until she neared the dense ebony hair surrounding his sex. Impatient for her touch, he took her hands in his and demonstrated how he needed her to hold him, stroke him. “Yes... oh, yes.” His entire body quivered in reaction as she gloved his shaft. The pleasure intensified... his heart rate surged so dramatically that he knew he was dangerously close to losing control. Suddenly, he held her hands in his, giving her a hard, tongue-thrusting kiss.
“Didn’t I do it right?”
Charles would have chuckled, but he couldn’t find his voice. Finally he managed to say, “Yes, too well.”
He reached into the nightstand, searching until he found what he was looking for and ripped open the foil package and prepared to join his body with hers. When he turned to her he licked the sensitive spot behind her ear while caressing her soft brown thighs. He covered her mouth with his, plunging his tongue into her mouth as his muscled thigh parted hers even more, spreading her wide. Charles settled between her thighs, stroking her moist feminine, heat with the broad tip of his sex. He groaned her name as he caressed her.
Diane’s breath came quick and uneven as she clenched his forearms, her eyes closed. She ached for and was terrified of his masculine power. “Please..” she begged, certain she would faint if he didn’t do the worst and get it over with.
“After tonight there won’t be any doubt about who you belong to. I’m going to make you mine, baby,” he whispered, his mouth against hers.
“Hurry...”
Charles had no intention of rushing their joining. He had waited too long to have her. Gritting his teeth in determination not to rush, he slowly entered her body. He suddenly stopped in shocked dismay when he encountered a natural resistance. “What the...” he gasped aloud.
Needing the unyielding pressure of his manhood, she was so aroused that she arched her back, lifting the lushness of her breasts against his chest while instinctively tightening her inner muscles around him. Charles groaned his pleasure as she milked him, his resistance crumbled, and he plunged, tearing through the delicate membrane until he was fully lodged deep inside of her. Diane had cried out against the searing pain his hardness caused her.
“Forgive me...” he whispered, holding himself as still as he could in hopes of giving her body time to adjust to his size, as well as him gaining some measure of control over his relentless hunger to take her hard and quick. Her tight, wet heat was his undoing. He began to thrust slowly and as deep as he could without causing her pain.
Diane trembled as the scorching flames of desire eased the burning pain as his stroking invasion demanded more and more from her. He groaned her name repeatedly. She had no idea what he sought as he began worrying the ultrasensitive nub, the heart of her desires, with his thumb while continuously thrusting in and out of her body. That spiraling sweet tension she had felt before in his arms began to build once again, only this time it was stronger, and it came from deep inside her feminine core. Suddenly, Diane screamed his name as she reached a shattering climax a few strokes before his own exultant climax. Shuddering from the intensity of their release, Diane and Charles clung to each other.
Charles’s pulse had barely slowed when he demanded, “Why, Diane? Why didn’t you tell me?”
Chapter Six
“Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?”
There was a heavy silence that Diane didn’t even try to fill. She was overwhelmed by what had just happened between them. She had thought she knew what to expect. But she hadn’t been prepared for the blazing hot pleasure or the lingering contentment which followed, a contentment that Charles evidently didn’t share. She yearned to hide from the condemnation she thought she heard in his voice as she struggled to find an answer.
