A Night with the Bride(18)

She eyed the bed nervously but walked toward it, acutely aware of Nicholas’s gaze on her backside. As she slid onto the mattress, he approached the side of the bed. “Lie down.”

When she didn’t immediately comply, he placed one knee on the mattress and leaned over her. His lips came down on hers so hard, so fiercely, the breath escaped her lungs. It was a kiss of passion, urgency. He pressed her down onto the mattress with his massive body, pinning her wrists above her head.

Breaking the kiss, he smiled down at her. Then he did the unthinkable. He looped his cravat around her wrists, threading them together, then tied them to the headboard.

Tied them.

To the headboard.

“What is this?” She pulled against the constraints, testing the strength of the knot.

“You said you trusted me.”

A thrill of excitement rushed through her. She licked her lips. “I do.”

“Good.” He removed his coat, his waistcoat, then his shirtsleeves. One by one, he peeled the layers off, tossing them aside, revealing a chiseled torso that made Gabriella’s mouth water.

Undaunted by her bold, hungry gaze, he shucked his boots, then stripped away his breeches. His swollen shaft jutted forward, the tip already moist. At last, she could see all of him, every last delectable inch, and she drank in the sight. He was magnificent, more delicious than she ever dared imagine.

The mattress dipped under his weight as he mounted the bed and prowled up her body, licking and nipping his way up. He let out a harsh groan when his tongue found her nipple. She sucked in a sharp breath, startled by the new, vibrant sensations that shot through her. “Oh God, Nicholas.”

Nudging her legs open, he settled into the cradle of her thighs, his rigid shaft pressed lengthwise against her center. Instinctively, she hooked one leg around his hip and arched into him, her body begging for his touch.

Hot kisses trailed across her breasts, up her neck, to the line of her jaw, until she squirmed beneath him, desperate to feel him inside her. His big hands skimmed down her body, until they found her entrance. He pushed one finger inside her, then another, until she was stretched wide, moaning with the sheer pleasure of his touch.

He wasn’t gentle. His fingers moved inside her ruthlessly, pulling out, then pushing back in, deep, until she thrashed beneath him. Her whole body drew tight, and she arched off the bed, her heels digging into the mattress. One more…

He pulled back, his hand dropping away. Disappointment nearly swallowed her whole. She’d been so close. So blissfully close…

He pressed his swollen shaft to her opening. “Do you want this, Gabriella?”

Did she want it? By God, she’d surely perish without it. “Yes.” She licked her lips. “God, yes. Don’t stop.”

She desperately wanted to feel him, to explore his body with her hands, her lips, her tongue. Would he taste salty, she wondered? But just as that thought fluttered across her mind, he pushed into her, and all the air rushed from her lungs. Sharp, stinging pain shot through her core, causing her to cry out.

Nicholas stilled, his breathing hot and shallow in her ear. “The pain will fade, but you must relax.”

At the moment, relaxing seemed impossible. He was huge, and he was inside her, stretching her beyond endurance. But she trusted him to guide her through this, so she forced her muscles to unclench, allowing her body to accept him.

“That’s it.” He bit her earlobe as he thrust into her again gently.

Pain slowly melted into pleasure.

With a low, guttural growl, he pushed into her impossibly deep, and stilled. Her entire body contracted around him, then instantly released. She cried out as wave after wave of pleasure pulsed through her. He shifted, but before he could remove himself, she locked her ankles around him, trying to prolong the sweet ecstasy.

At length, the aftershocks faded and she sagged back onto the mattress, spent. With a quick tug of the cravat, he loosened her bindings and her hands fell free. She nestled into the crook of his arm, their legs still entwined, their hearts still beating hard and fast. For some extraordinary reason, it just felt right with him, completely natural to be tangled up naked in his arms.

“Tell me—” With the tip of her finger, she outlined the ropes of muscle that lined his stomach. “Is making love always that exquisite?”

He cupped her breast with his large hand, his thumb brushing across her nipple, then back again. “No,” he said. “It most certainly isn’t. I believe we’ve found something quite rare.”

“I believe you are right.”

His hand fell to her flat belly, smoothing over the sensitive skin just below her belly button. “I want to come inside you again, and again, until you’re dripping with my seed.” He found her entrance, and swirled his finger around the sensitive nub. “I want you to scream my name until your throat is raw.” He pushed his finger into her and she instantly grew wet all over again. “I want to fuck you in every possible position, taste every inch of your body…”