Lifting a hand, she placed it on his chest, right over his heart. She felt his shudder and his breathing became faster, but still he did not move. Did not grab for her. His restraint reassured her and dispelled the last mists of fear.
“I don’t know if… if I want everything.” Her voice was an embarrassed whisper, but he replied matter-of-factly.
“I’ll give you only what you allow and nothing more.”
“Yes.” The word was a breath, an exhalation, but it was enough. He heard it, and his eyes softened and sparkled with an emotion she recognized. It echoed in her heart, even if neither of them dared name it.
His hands cradled her face and held her as if she were something precious. She leaned into the caress. “Michael.”
“Yes, my darling.” His thumbs skimmed her cheeks, brushed over her lips. “Tell me what you want. Show me how to please you. I’m yours to command.”
He was not taking charge, not pressing his advantage and overwhelming her with his passion or his needs. No. Even as his naked body loomed hard and powerful over her, he was leashing his power, putting it at her feet as a force for pleasure and protection, not domination.
“Kiss me.” Her hand slid up his chest, curled around his nape, pulling his head down. His lips hovered above hers for two heartbeats before he closed the distance between them and sealed her mouth with his.
The contact was so right, so necessary, that a moan escaped her mouth, mingling with his deeper groan. His lips were warm and soft. They slid over her mouth as if reacquainting themselves with her geography, and in the exploration, he allowed himself to be open as well, inviting her in.
The kiss took a life of its own. Growing, unfurling, blooming like a flower in the spring. Soft touches became deeper, more languorous. His mouth opened, sucking her lower lip, then his teeth scraped softly.
His flavor. Oh, God. His flavor. Mint and lemon balm, tinged with a smokiness all his own. She was lost in the mesmerizing power of their kiss. In the memories it evoked, in the promise it represented. She needed more. Guided purely by instinct and need, she leaned in and inserted her tongue between his opened lips. She felt his shudder through her entire body, surprised to realize she was plastered to him from lips to pelvis.
And it had been her who got close to him, not the other way around. His hands had never left her face. They caressed her cheeks, teased the lobes of her ears. While her own arms had twined around his naked and aroused body and she was clinging to him as if he were the only safety in a storm.
Maybe the metaphor was quite accurate. She felt tossed about in the storm their mutual passion had unleashed. Confused by her own feelings. Unsure of herself. So she clung to him, hoping he knew how to guide her to a safe port. Trusting him. She realized she trusted this man more than she had ever trusted anyone in her life.
And he did not disappoint. Despite his harsh breathing, his thundering heart, despite his desire that she felt imprinting on her belly, he gentled the kiss, brought her down to earth with absolute tenderness.
“Josie, my love, may I remove your robe? Let me pleasure you. I want to taste your skin.”
Instead of answering, she moved slightly away, enough for her to get her hands between their bodies and grab the knot that held the garment closed. She untied it and let the robe hang loose. His hands slid down her neck, outward over hershoulders, dislodging it and letting it fall to her feet in a heavy whoosh.
She stood clad only in her thin and almost transparent chemise. She knew the outline of her breasts was visible, and lower down, the triangle of her mons, covered only in a pale thin fuzz. In the harem she had been waxed regularly, as it was the custom in that country. After so many years, she had gotten used to the clean, unfettered look. What would Michael think of such a foreign appearance? Would he be appalled? Disgusted? Unwelcomely reminded of her past?
She held her breath as he ran his gaze over her body, lingering on that part of her anatomy. But he made no comment, as his hands bunched the fabric of her shift at her hips, slowly gathering the material, giving her ample time to object if she didn’t want to allow it, but she nodded, tired of being afraid. Willing to bare herself, at least in this way.
The hem of the shift rose, past her knees, exposing her buttocks, higher still, and then it momentarily obscured her vision as it passed over her head and was discarded. Now she stood as naked as him. Trembling a little under his scrutiny, especially when he lowered himself to his knees and sat back on his haunches, the position bringing his face level with her mons.
He remained silent. She couldn’t read his eyes from this angle, but she saw his breathing deepen. She couldn’t stand it anymore. Shyly, she covered her lady parts with her hands. That made him look up and meet her eyes, his hands closing over her wrists.
“Don’t cover yourself, please,” he begged. “Let me see you. Let me take you in.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Thinking?” A short, rueful laugh. “That’s giving me too much credit. I’m not sure I’m capable of thinking right now. Only feeling.”
“What are you feeling then?” She was afraid to know. Yet neither could she stand the suspense. “Are you appalled? If you want—”
He interrupted her by leaning in and placing a kiss directly on the soft fuzz. He lingered, nuzzling her mons, breathing moist breath into her crevice. She swayed and brought her hands to grip his head in an effort to keep her balance. “Michael.”
His powerful hands cupped her bottom, lending her support and also tilting her for his explorations. Her hands tightened on his hair, softly scratching his scalp. He groaned, and his tongue delved between her nether lips to unerringly find her pearl and lick it with a languorous stroke.
Her legs buckled and he caught her, supporting her weight with his strong arms. “I’m going to fall.”
“I would never let you fall. But I want you comfortable to enjoy this.”
So saying, he stood in one fluid motion and lifted her in his arms. He was carrying her into the bedchamber before she realized his intent. The sensation of being fully naked and in his arms was foreign, but not unpleasant. Not unpleasant at all.
The bedchamber, although in disuse at the moment, was kept immaculately clean and ready, as if awaiting its mistress. It was flooded with light from the open drapes. Michael deposited her on the bed with great care and hovered over her for a moment, before his head dipped and he pressed a kiss to her mouth. But he didn’t linger this time. His lips skated along her jaw to her neck, nipping the edge of her ear and then licking it in a soothing motion, making her squirm with desire and unfulfilled longing.
