Theo held his breath, his heart fluttering wildly with anticipation and wonder at her trust. Then, he whispered, “Allow me to be the first to show ye what it means to be wanted.”
His fingers moved slowly, reverently, coaxing her out of the shell she’d lived in for so long.
Her body responded in ways she hadn’t expected—eager, yearning, alive. Every time Theo hesitated, every time he gave her the chance to pull away, she only begged him for more. She ground her hips against him, needing to feel every inch of him.
Theo touched her as if she were made of air and moonbeams, of something fragile and divine. Her breath caught as he shifted between her legs, his hard length pressing against her inner thigh, aching with restraint.
“We can stop here if ye want,” he offered, breathless and trembling.
Lavina leaned up and brushed her lips with his. “Dinnae think. Just do it. I want this… I wantyeto be the one.”
Theo’s hips settled between her parted thighs, and she felt his hard, heated length against her sex. More warmth rushed through her as her breath hitched.
He went still. “Are ye hurt?”
She shook her head quickly. “Nay, ye willnae hurt me. I trust ye.”
Three simple words. So terrifying. So true.
Theo kissed her again—deeply—before guiding himself to her entrance. His hand trembled as he moved, and Lavina wrapped her arms around his shoulders, anchoring herself to this moment.
He pushed forward slowly, as gently as possible.
She gasped, biting her lower lip, her nails digging into his back as her body adjusted to his size. She had never felt such fullness. Such closeness.
Theo stopped, holding himself perfectly still, his forehead pressed to hers. “I’m sorry… We can stop. I can wait,” he whispered, peppering her face with kisses.
Tears pooled in her eyes, not from pain, but from his overwhelming tenderness. “Nay. Dinnae stop. Just… slow down.”
He nodded, moving with careful precision.
Lavina then gripped his forearms, her breath catching with each stroke as tremors rippled through her.
He was holding back. Every thrust was restrained, reverent.
And then the discomfort disappeared.
Her breath stuttered as heat bloomed within her, surging through her limbs like wildfire. The fire he lit could only be coaxed by his touch—consuming, unspeakable, and utterly divine.
Lavina gulped as pleasure drilled through her being with each powerful roll of his hips.
“Oh, dear… please…dinnae stop.”
Theo groaned and obeyed.
He thrust deeper, no longer holding back. Her body welcomed him, clung to him, as if it had always been his. Her back arched, pressing her breasts to his chest, and her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. His name tumbled from her lips again and again until it was no longer a name, but a prayer.
Theo thrust harder, deeper, his hips snapping with raw need. The heat in his body collided with hers as her cry rang out, echoing off the walls.
The world fell away.
“I cannae,” he rasped in her ear, his teeth grazing her lobe. “I willnae last… Christ, Lavina?—”
The popping of logs in the grate echoed like distant thunder in her ears, swallowed by the pounding of her heart and the frantic whoosh of her breath.
Lavina couldn’t speak. Could barely think. Her body felt unstitched, her soul laid bare. She kept her eyes on Theo as he finally pulled out of her and collapsed beside her, pulling her into the warmth of his arms.
“If ye werenae aware before,” he panted, his voice low and hoarse, “ye should ken it now.”
