At the touch of his mouth, she cried out, her body twisting as pleasure scythed through her. He tasted her so very thoroughly, his tongue, teeth and lips working in perfect harmony to drive her straight out her mind.
She slid ever closer to breaking point, both fearing and yearning for what lay ahead.
Theo slipped his hands beneath her bottom and pulled her even closer to his seeking mouth. With quick expert flicks of his tongue, he sent her careening over the edge.
Her scream was an alien sound, hoarse and pleasure-ravaged, her grip on the sheets tight as she was buffeted by blissful sensation.
He continued to kiss her until she calmed, then kissed his way up her body to seal her mouth with his.
The earthy taste of her surrender seemed to trigger an even more primitive reaction in him. By the time he lifted his head, his eyes were almost black with hunger.
'Did Blanco make you feel like this?' he grated.
She shook her head. 'No.'
Satisfaction gleamed in his eyes. 'By the time I finish making you mine, you will not remember anyone else who came before me.'
Knowing he would discover her inexperience in a matter of minutes, she took a sustaining breath and blurted, 'I never slept with Constantine. Theo, I'm a virgin.'
He froze in the act of reaching for a condom. Several expressions raced over his face before he spoke. 'So I'm to be your first lover?'
She gave a jerky nod. 'Yes.'
Theo absorbed the news and tried to weigh which was the greater emotion swirling through him-shock or elation. The shock was understandable. But the elation, the fact that he was pleased he was to be her first? It'd never crossed his mind that she would be a virgin. But suddenly a few things fell into place. Her blushes, her furtive innocent looks, her surprise at his demanding kisses.
Another feeling rose to curl itself around his chest. Possessiveness.
The fact that he was to be her first made him want to beat his chest like a wild jungle animal. He ripped the condom packet open and stared down at her.
The look of apprehension forced him to slow down. He was moving too fast, possibly scaring her. Time to turn it down a notch.
'I'll go as slow as you want, querida, but I won't stop,' he warned. He couldn't. He'd come too far. He wanted her too much.
I would've kept you … Perhaps even for ever.
His own words echoed in his head and yet another emotion swept over him. If they'd met in another time, would she be the one? The idea of Inez as his wife, the mother of his children if he'd been normal, washed over him. His heart raced as he stared down at her, so beautiful, so giving.
Thee mou, what the hell was he doing wishing for the impossible? He wasn't normal …
'I don't want you to stop,' she replied. Then she performed one of those actions that illuminated her inexperience. Her gaze flicked down to his groin and she bit her lip. She had no idea how hot that little gesture made him.
A groan ripped from his chest and effectively wiped away the useless yearning.
Planting his hands on either side of her, he parted her thighs with his and settled himself at her entrance.
'Hold onto me, and feel free to dig your nails into my back if it all gets too much.' He attempted a smile and felt a touch of relief when she returned it.
The seductive bow of her mouth called to him and, leaning down, he drove his tongue between her lips. Gratifyingly, she opened up to him immediately. He deepened the kiss and swallowed her groan.
Carefully, he nudged her entrance, fed himself slowly into her wet heat.
He froze as she tensed. 'Easy, anjo. Relax,' he murmured soothingly against her mouth.
With a rough little sound she complied. Except now the tension was channelled into him. The feel of her closing around him threatened to tear him apart. Lying in the cradle of her hips, a sense of wonderment stole over him he'd never felt before. And he wasn't afraid to admit it scared the hell out of him.
'Theo.' She said his name with a touch of imploration and frustration that ramped up his tension. Never had he wanted to make it more right for a sexual partner.
He pushed deeper and felt the resistance of her innocence. Those nails dug in. Pleasure roared through him as he pulled back and looked into her beguiling face.
A face that held a touch of apprehension and breathless anticipation.
'Please, Theo. I want you.'
Her husky entreaty was the final straw. With a hoarsely muttered apology, he breached the flimsy barrier and buried himself deep inside her.
She made a sound of pain that pierced his heart then her head was rolling back on a long moan that echoed around the room. He waited until she had adjusted to him. Then he pulled out and rocked back in.
'Meu deus,' she voiced her wonder.
'Inez … ' he waited until her glazed eyes focused on him, then he repeated the move ' … tell me how you feel.'
'Fantastico,' she groaned, and Theo was sure she didn't realise she spoke her native tongue.
Her fingers spiked into his hair and when he thrust into her, she met him with a bold thrust of her own. His breath hissed out.
'You're a fast learner, querida.' He increased the tempo and gritted his teeth for control when she immediately matched his pace.
All too soon her back arched off the bed, her chest rising and falling in agitation as she neared her climax. Hot internal muscles rippled along his length and he shut his eyes for one split second to rein in his failing grip on reality. Leaning lower, he took one tight nipple and rolled it in his mouth. Her cry of pleasure was music to his ears. He treated its twin to the same attention then lowered himself on her. Sliding his arms under her shoulders he brought her flush against him and thrust in fast, deep movements.
She screamed once before her teeth closed over the skin on his shoulder. Deep shudders rocked through her as her bliss pulled her completely under.
She bit him harder, her nails scouring his back as she rode the unending wave.
When her head fell back towards the pillow, he raised his head and looked at her face. The expression of wonder and ecstasy sheening her eyes finally sent him over the edge.
With a roar torn from deep inside him, he gave into the shattering release.
He clamped his mouth shut as new, confusing words threatened to burst free. Praise? Gratitude? Hell, adoration? When had he ever felt those emotions in connection to a woman he'd just bedded?
He buried his face in her neck and let the ripples of pleasure wash him away in silence. Until he could fathom just what the hell was going on beyond the chemical level with Inez, he intended to keep his mouth shut.
Inez slowly caressed her hands down his back, not minding at all that she was pinned to the bed by his heavy, muscled weight. Right at that moment, she couldn't think of a better way to suffocate to death. The thought made her giggle.
Theo turned his head and nuzzled her cheek. 'Not the reaction I expect after a mind-blowing orgasm but at least it's a happy sound.'
Immediately her mind turned to the dozens of women he'd pleasured before her. Hot green jealousy burned through her euphoric haze and her hands stilled.
'Hey, what did I say?' His voice rumbled through her. When she didn't immediately answer, he raised his head and stared down at her. 'Inez?'
'It's nothing important,' she replied. And it wasn't.
Earlier this evening, she'd tried to make him see a different way. But he'd refused. This thing between them would last until his vendetta with her father was satisfied. She had no business thinking about what women had come before her or who would replace her once he was done with her family and with Rio.
She endured his intent gaze until he nodded and rose. The feeling of him pulling out of her created a further emptiness inside that made her heart lurch wildly.
Deus, she needed to get a grip. Her hormones were a little askew because she had experienced her first sexual act.
No need to descend into full melt-down mode.
She watched him leave the bed, his body in part shadow in the lamp-lit room. He entered the bathroom and returned a minute later with a damp towel. When she realised his intention, she surged up and tried to reach for the towel.
'No,' he murmured softly. 'Lie back.'
Her face heating up, she slowly subsided against the pillows and allowed him to wash her.
Incredibly, the hunger returned as he gently saw to her needs and when he finally glanced back at her his nostrils were flared, a sign she'd come to recognise as a control-gathering technique.