Page 28 of Irish Betrayal

He pulled back, and she instantly hated the loss of him between her legs. “No Dan, I want you desperately. It’s just, I should have told you already. I’m not sure why I didn’t.” Now who’s rambling?

“I’m a virgin.” At his look of…she wasn’t sure—horror—she added, “Don’t make it a big deal.”

His hands came up as though to shield him from her words. “Don’t make it a big deal,” he repeated. “Of course, it’s a big deal! Christ, Blair! I was a heartbeat from shoving my dick inside you and it,” he pointed at his semi-deflated, rubber-covered penis, “is a pretty big deal. FOR A VIRGIN!”

Blair could tell he shouted the last, and for some reason, his reaction was so over-the-top that she burst out laughing, which seemed to really throw him.

“Daniel, listen,” she signed. “You’re one of my best friends. I didn’t think it was right to do this without you knowing you’d be my first. I’m a virgin in that way, but I’ve definitely done stuff, so don’t act like I’m a nun novitiate. I trust you. I’m glad it’s you.”

She then gestured toward his crotch. “We only have the one condom, Dan. I suggest you get yourself back in the game and not let it slip off.”

He looked at his semi and quickly grabbed the base, making sure the condom stayed where it should. When he looked back at her, he smirked. “You little shit. I’ll show you what I can do with a single condom, and I doubt your virgin body will have any complaints.

Keeping his hand in place, he braced his other arm beside her, so that all his gorgeously sculpted body loomed over her. She felt him sliding his sex along her center, making it clear that he was most assuredly “back in the game.”

He kissed her tenderly before asking? “Truly, Blair, are you sure?”

The greenhouse seemed to close around them—warm glass, living green, golden light, and the taste of champagne still lingering on her lips.

When he lifted his head again, he rested his forehead to hers briefly.

“I’ve wanted to do this properly for months,” he said softly, making sure she could read every word.

Her gaze searched his face, then her fingertips traced his mouth before she signed, “Then don’t make me wait any longer.”

Daniel exhaled slowly, like he was steadying himself, but there was nothing uncertain left in his expression except focus and want.

“Alright,” he said, and in that moment, she hated her deafness with a fury she hadn’t felt since she was a child. Her teachers had always preached that expression spoke louder than words, but she didn’t care. She needed his voice and knew she’d never have it.

Daniel seemed to sense her moment of panic, her silent world drumming against her breast, because he stopped and took one of her hands and placed it against his throat, the other, over his heart.

Blair felt the vibrations of his heavy breaths and the thump of his heart, easing the momentary feeling of aloneness. She focused her energy on what was, rather than on what would never be. Feeling Daniel was enough.

His hand slid to her hip, thumb brushing along her skin in a slow, grounding stroke, giving her time, watching her face, making sure she was still with him.

Blair nodded to his unspoken question, her fingers tightening on his shoulder, her gaze locked on his mouth so she wouldn’t miss a word.

He kissed her again, soft but desperate. Not the consuming hunger from before, but something deeper, more deliberate. Each brush of his lips felt like a promise, like he was learning her all over again with intention.

She melted beneath him.

Daniel’s control showed in the way he moved, careful, patient, his body pressing closer in increments, never rushing, never taking more than she gave. His hand slid down her thigh, guiding her gently, adjusting her until she fit him the way he needed.

The shift in pressure made her breath catch, her body tensing instinctively.

He stilled and tapped her chin. She hadn’t realized that she’d closed her eyes. “Look at me,” he said.

Mimicking him, she touched his chin and nodded, keeping her eyes trained on his.

“You tell me if anything doesn’t feel right. Anything. We stop. Understood?”

Blair swallowed, then nodded again, more firmly this time.

His thumb brushed her cheek, and he dipped low to give her a swift kiss.

“Good girl,” he murmured, the praise sending a sultry wave through her.

He kept it slow when he moved again. Careful. Watching her the entire time. He was feeding his length into her by the smallest of increments. She glanced between them, swallowing deeply when she saw that he had made the barest of progress.