Page 40 of 10 Things I Hate About the Earl

A gasp brought Kate up off the bed. “Marcus!”

He raised his head, his eyes dark and calm. “Shhh. Trust me, love.” He grasped her hand. “Lie back.”

Trembling, Kate lay back down, eyes closed, her whole face aflame.

Marcus returned his attention to her nether regions, finding his way to a little nub that lay there. He touched his tongue to it, and Kate gasped as a shock flew through her. Her hips bucked of their own accord, and the ache inside her spiraled upward. Every lick, every touch brought a new wave of sensation crashing over her. Kate rolled her head from side to side, moaning as the spiral inside her grew more insistent. Marcus swirled his tongue around her delicate flesh until she shrieked as she shattered from the inside out. Over and over, waves of pleasure crashed through her until at last her body stilled.

Then she was in Marcus’s arms, being cradled, being caressed, being loved by him. A wonderful heaviness assailed her, and she rubbed her cheek against his chest, quite willing to stay there for the rest of eternity.

“Did you enjoy your first time, love?” Marcus had moved them to the middle of the bed and somehow got them under the covers.

“That was the most wonderful thing ever to happen to me.” Kate grasped him to her, wanting to feel his warmth against her. “Thank you, Marcus.”

“There is more, you know.”

She met his eyes and nodded. “I know.” What had just happened was not what Celinda had prepared her for at all.

“We can continue on or we can stop now and resume after we are married.” His face was set in serious lines. “The decision is yours, my dear. Although you must understand that even though you are technically still a virgin, you can hardly be deemed an innocent after what you just experienced. So whether we continue now or not, we will marry regardless.”

Kate smiled into his chest. That ultimatum had been foregone the moment she stepped into his bedchamber. “Well then, we might as well be hung for a sheep as lamb.”

“How delightfully flattering you are, Miss Locke.”

“You should know that about me by now, my lord.”

His lips seized hers, and he rolled them until she was situated beneath him, pressing her down until his body covered hers, warming her from the inside out. He nudged her legs open and at once the hot presence of his member strained against her opening.

Kate closed her eyes, steeling herself against the pain to come. This was the part her cousin had told her about, that it was supposed to hurt, but she hadn’t known how much or for how long. Well, she’d find out soon enough.

“Kate.”

She opened her eyes to find Marcus gazing down at her. “Trust me again, love.”

“I do.” And she did. It wasn’t his fault this time it was going to hurt.

“Look at me, Kate.” His voice was soft, insistent.

She nodded, raising her gaze to his loving face.

“Remember, we are together in this.” He shifted his weight, and the pressure between her legs increased.

“Yes.” She wouldn’t let the fear take over in this moment. Rarely had she ever been afraid of anything. And she wanted this to happen right now. Carefully, she slid her arms around his neck. “So we can become as one.”

“Yes, love.” Marcus nudged himself closer.

The ache between her thighs intensified. As if seeking his heat, Kate lifted her hips, just as Marcus thrust forward.

She bit back a cry, partly at the suddenness of it, partly at the pain. Because it had hurt, though not as badly as she’d expected. Still, it felt terribly peculiar. She glanced up at Marcus, whose face seemed transfixed with awe. Breathing heavily, he continued to push forward until at last, he seemed fully seated inside her. A miracle considering the size of him.

“Are you all right, love?” he asked, his gaze now trained on her, concern all over his face.

“Yes.” It was uncomfortable, but she didn’t want to make him feel bad about it. “And you said it will get better?”

“Let’s see if we can make it much better. Put your legs around me.”

Fearing to move, Kate gingerly did as he asked. The initial pain had subsided, and she didn’t want it to return. But moving her legs into the new position made no difference. “Now what?”

“Relax, and let me do all the work.” With a smile, he rocked back then gently thrust forward, time and again, each stroke urging him deeper and deeper. The rhythm he set for them became familiar, so Kate could anticipate his movements, lifting her hips in time to meet his thrusts, and that strange ache between her legs began to grow once more.