Page 54 of Bad Witch

Fender punched the code into the keypad by the door, pretty much carried me through, and closed it behind us, shutting out the noise and engulfing us in silence. As soon as we were out of sight of everyone, he hauled me properly off my feet, his solid forearm under my butt, and limped down the stairs.

“I’m too heavy,” I said breathlessly.

His rough laugh followed and he kept moving. He turned at the bottom, heading toward his quarters. Nerves slammed into me as we drew near. I’d wanted to do this for a long time, but now that it was about to happen, I was thinking about things I’d never considered before. Like how inexperienced I was. How I had no idea what the heck I was doing.

We reached his door, and he shoved it open and strode inside, then lowered me to my feet. He walked forward, backing me up so I bumped against his large couch.

His gaze slid over my face. “You’re so beautiful, Tempest.”

I took in the strong, rugged angles of his face. “So are you.” His hands slid over my hips, and he squeezed my ample flesh. “Um…I’m sure you haven’t missed that I’m not…I don’t look like Aradina.”

His eyes narrowed. “Good. I don’t want you to look like anyone but you.”

I nodded. “Thank you for saying that. I’m…it’s just that my body is very different to hers.”

A rough sound vibrated from his chest. “One is not better than the other. But if you want the honest truth, I like curves. I like soft. I like everything that you have going on, baby, a whole fuck of a lot.”

That was encouraging. “You do?”

He blew out a breath. “Yeah, I fucking do. You’ve been sheltered, so you might not have picked up on it, but I’ve been hard up for a taste of you since I first saw you, Temp.”

“You have?” I’d had no idea. None.

“Fuck, yes.”

I was most definitely attracted to him as well, and not for the first time, I thought about how he looked naked in the forest. I shivered again. He gave my hips another squeeze. “Before we go any further, you should know that I’m not very experienced.”

“We can take our time,” he said, running his hands up and down my waist.

“Like really not experienced.”

He cocked his head. “So what are you saying? You’ve had a couple boyfriends? A one-nighter or two?”

“Try none.”

“No one-nighters?”

“No to any of it.”

His fingers flexed against my sides. “Are you a virgin, Tempest?”

I swallowed heavily, my face heating. “Yes, that’s exactly what I am. Does that put you off?”

His nostrils flared. “No. Nothing would put me off. But it does mean that we’re gonna take this as slow as you need. We go at your pace. There’s something you don’t like or you’re not into, we stop. There’s something you really want to try, or need me to do to make you feel good, you tell me.”

“You’re saying you want us to communicate when we’re in bed together?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. That shit can be sexy as fuck. My ego isn’t so big that I think I know better than you what you like. I’m here to worship you, peaches. Making you feel good is the goal here. The only goal.”

“What about you?” I whispered.

“Making you come so hard you see stars is all I want right now.” He slid his fingers down the side of my face and tucked my hair behind my ear. “And FYI, I’ve been around a long fucking time, Temp. I’ve got the kind of self-control other males only dream about. However long it takes, I’m more than happy to wait until you’re ready for more.”

My knees were literally trembling. “You’re a good male, Fender.”

He grinned. “I try.” His smile slipped a little.

“What is it?” If he’d suddenly changed his mind, I thought I might cry.