by Jaci Burton
She pushed the towel off and slid her hands across his shoulders.
"Kiss me," she whispered.
"I'll do a hell of a lot more than that. But not here in the laundry room."
He swept her up in his arms and stalked out of the room.
"I'm heavy," she protested.
He laughed and looked down at her. "No, you're not. But you're goddamn sexy like this."
He paused in the hallway and his mouth came down on hers--hard and passionate, his tongue sliding against hers and making her weak with all those unspoken needs that had been swirling around in her head for too long. She twined her hand around the back of his neck, wanting more of what he gave her.
"Goddamn," he said when he pulled back, licking his lips.
And then he carried her up the stairs to his bedroom, nudged the door open and laid her on the bed. She barely had time to take a breath before he was on top of her, covering her body with his, kissing her until she couldn't breathe, couldn't process all these signals her body gave her.
She was swamped with sensations she'd never felt before, had never allowed herself to have before. There were things she wanted to tell Grant. Slow down. Don't slow down. She wanted it all right now, but wanted to savor everything in slow motion.
This was all so new to her, almost embarrassing that she'd waited so long to allow herself to have it. But now that she was, she intended to fling herself into it all, taste it all, experience it all and not look back. There would be no regrets because she knew she was in it for the fun, for the experience, and nothing more.
Then she'd finally walk away a woman.
Something she'd waited seemingly a lifetime for.
FIFTEEN
GRANT COULDN'T GET ENOUGH OF KATRINA'S TASTE, the silk of her skin gliding along his hands. He felt the fast beat of her heart along her chest, took in her soft moans as he kissed the column of her throat and nibbled at her earlobe.
And the way she touched him made him so goddamn hard he couldn't wait to slide inside her wet heat and lose himself, ride them both until they both came.
But as he lifted up and looked into her gorgeous violet eyes, he read something there that made him put on the brakes.
An innocence, a wariness he couldn't quite believe he saw there.
He rolled to his side and took a slow taste of her lips, caressed her rib cage, and gave himself a minute to ogle the perfection of her body.
She was breathing in and out, hard. And she wasn't aggressive, didn't roll over on top of him to demand he continue. She hadn't once grabbed his cock and stroked it. It was almost as if she had no idea what to do. Like she'd never--
Nah. That wasn't possible.
He snaked a fingertip up her stomach. She turned her head to watch his face.
"Tell me what you like," he said, letting his fingers dip lower.
He caught her nervous swallow. "I like ... everything."
He changed direction, moving up her body to cup her breast. She gasped when he brushed a thumb back and forth over her nipple.
"Hard or soft?"
She frowned. "What?"
"Do you like it soft, like this?" He demonstrated by using featherlight touches of his fingers over her nipple. She seemed to like that.
"Or a little harder, like this." He increased the pressure. She moaned, and when he bent over and sucked the bud between his lips, she arched upward, feeding her nipple into his mouth.
Oh, yeah. He flicked his tongue over her, loving the soft areola and hard bud against his tongue. And when her fingers slid into his hair to hold his head in place, he knew he had her, that she was enjoying the pleasure he gave her.
But she still wasn't saying anything, so he added his fingers, traveling over her lower stomach to cup her sex, playing with her clit and her pussy.
She was wet, and as he dipped his fingers inside her, he realized just how damn tight she was.
He lifted his head and watched her face as he slid his fingers in and out of her. Her eyes were closed, her teeth clamped down on her lower lip. Her face was flushed and she lifted her hips against his hand.
"Are you going to come for me, Kat?"
Her eyes flew open, her gaze meeting his. Her hips relaxed and it was as if she'd lost the drive, the need.
"You're watching me."
His lips curved. "Yeah. It makes my cock hard looking at you. Does it bother you?"
"I don't know. Yes. I don't know, maybe."
"It would be kind of hard for me to make you come if I'm not in the room."
"Of course. I understand that. But ... this is a little ... personal."
He let out a soft laugh. "Sex is all kinds of personal. You have done this before, right?"
When she didn't say anything, he had his answer. He withdrew his fingers.
"Katrina. You've had sex before, haven't you?"
She shifted and pushed her way up, leaning against the pillows. "Technically, no."
Reality came tumbling down on top of him like a landslide. He avoided the knee-jerk reaction of wanting to ask her how the hell she could be twenty-seven and still a virgin. There was obviously a reason for it and he needed to get to the bottom of it. "Okay. You need to talk to me about this."
She shrugged and looked down at her hands. "I've had ... responsibilities. The kids. My job. There wasn't time. Or the right guy. The right moment."
And she thought he was the right guy and this was the right moment? Christ. That was loaded with responsibility. Responsibility he didn't know if he was ready for. He'd never had a virgin in his bed. What was he supposed to do with her?
He looked over at Katrina and saw the disappointment on her face and felt an instant stab of guilt that he'd even, for a second, felt like this was a problem.
Okay, it wasn't like they were sixteen--like she was sixteen. She was twenty-seven, and he sure as hell wasn't a kid. He needed to be an adult about this. So she hadn't had sex before. This wasn't a problem. It was an opportunity. Looking at the embarrassment on her face made him realize this was no easier for her than it was for him.
And he'd be goddamned if he'd turn this into something less than monumental for her. She'd chosen him, and he felt damn good about that.
"You think I'm stupid," she said, barely able to make eye contact. "Or naive or something."
He tipped her chin with his fingers, forcing her to make eye contact with him. "Hey, I don't think you're anything like that. I admire you for what you've done for your brother and sister. You've made a lot of sacrifices. But now it's time to think about yourself and what you want."
She didn't say anything.
"But you have to be really sure, Kat. Is this what you really want? And now is when you want it?"
She gave him a quick nod. "I'm an adult, Grant. Not a child. I'm perfectly capable of making adult choices. This is definitely what I want. I've waited long enough and I want to be here with you."
He felt relieved, and a lot of pressure to do this right.
He picked up her hand and twined his fingers with hers. "Okay, so tell me what kind of experience you have had. With guys. Or with yourself."
"Well, I definitely know my own body. I mean technically I'm not really a virgin anymore. It's more that I haven't been with a guy."
He smiled at that. "Which means you've used your own hands to get yourself off."
She nodded. "Right. And vibrators."
He sucked in a breath. "I'd like to watch you do that sometime."
Now she gave him a sexy smile. He liked seeing her relax a little. It was time to get the topic back on sex, where it belonged. He wanted her confidence high again, where it had been before.
"You would?" she asked.
"Hell, yes. There's nothing hotter than watching a woman make herself come. And you could watch me jack off."
Her breasts rose and fell with her deep breath. "That would be interesting. And probably quite fun."
He laid his hand on her leg, let his fingers do a light dance a
cross her kneecap, then up her thigh. "Babe, you have no idea. Okay, tell me what experience you've had with guys."
"Not much, really. I haven't had a lot of exposure. Some kissing, a little under the shirt action. Nothing down here."
She pointed to her sex.
Okay, so he had to educate her--and himself as well. Other than the early teen years when he and girls had fumbled around with each other, he'd only been with experienced women before--women who knew what they wanted and knew how to ask for it.
Katrina wasn't going to be the only one experiencing something new today.
And he owed it to her to do it right, because a woman's first time with a guy should be something special.
He didn't intend to fuck this up.
SIXTEEN
KATRINA HAD BEEN MORTIFIED. SHE'D PLANNED TO get this sex thing over with before Grant had any inkling she'd never done this before. Leave it to someone as masculine and filled with confidence as him to read right through her. He'd known almost instantly that she had no idea what she was doing.
But he'd handled it so well. He hadn't laughed at her, and he'd asked all the right questions. Now they could get down to business and make her lack of experience a thing of the past.
"Okay, so what do we do?" she asked. She had a gloriously hot and sexy naked man in bed with her, and she wanted to move forward with that.
His hand lay on her thigh, and as his fingers crept forward, that flush of heat surrounded her again, making her breasts feel swollen and heavy, and her clit tingle with anticipation.
But he didn't move. Instead, he teased the inner curve of her thigh. "We do whatever feels good. I don't know about you, but I'm not in any hurry. I want to explore your body. I want to kiss you and lick you and make you come. I want your bones to turn to jelly and make you quiver all over. And then when I fuck you, Kat, you're going to scream my name over and over again."
She shuddered out a breath at the fantasy of it all. She read a lot of books, many of them romances. She got the fantasy. She'd masturbated to a lot of very explicit erotica many times. But that's all it was--a fantasy. She was smart enough to know real life wasn't like that.
"You're giving me a look like you don't believe I can make it happen for you."
Her lips curved. "I'm very open-minded and eager to learn. But I highly doubt that real sex is all I've read about."
He stood, tugged on her ankles, and pulled her down the bed, laying her flat. "I'll accept that challenge."
He climbed onto the bed and laid next to her, using his hands to sweep over her body.
"Sex should never be rushed. I did that a lot when I was younger." He used the palm of his hand to rub a spot just above her collarbone. "I learned after a while that you miss out on some great stuff."
She met his gaze. "Such as?"
"Such as learning what spots on a woman's body drive her crazy. And that you need to relax and enjoy the journey. It isn't all about fucking, you know."
To her, it was. But she'd take his word for it since he was the one with all the experience.
"We're going to take our time to explore, Kat. We've got all night."
He cupped his hand on her jaw and kissed her. Lightly at first, but oh, the man had an amazing mouth, coaxing her to open. He slid his tongue inside to tease hers. Without the mind-numbing hard passion, she fell into the kiss, an array of sensations that, coupled with the light touch of his fingers across her skin, made her dizzy with pleasure.
Who knew that a lazy, soft kiss and a tangle of tongues could be so erotic? Especially when a man took his time mapping her naked body with the tips of his fingers.
She couldn't help but arch against him when he found that spot on her inner hip that she'd never realized caused a zing of awareness. He didn't press in, just circled the spot with his fingertip.
And then he kissed his way over her jaw and down to her neck, moving over her like he'd just been given a new toy to play with. And who knew the right side of her neck was so sensitive? The left side felt good, too, of course. But the right side caused chill bumps to skitter across her skin and when he sucked that spot ...
"Oh, my God." She was unable to resist exclaiming out loud as he slashed his tongue across the side of her neck and licked her. A slow, deliberate lick that drove her out of her mind with desire.
She grasped his head and brought his mouth to hers, and now it was her turn to explore. She deepened the kiss this time, sucking on his tongue. Her body was on fire from his explorations and she wanted an orgasm.
Now.
But Grant hadn't been joking when he said they had all night to explore. While she was in the throes of quaking need, he skimmed his fingers across her rib cage, then over her breasts, teasing her nipples until they were tight, hard peaks just begging for his mouth. And when he bent and captured one of her nipples between his lips, she thought she might explode from the shooting arcs of pleasure.
"I need ..." She couldn't form the words, but there was so much she needed. His touch, his mouth on her--everywhere. His cock. She couldn't wait for his cock. She'd waited a lifetime for this and she wanted him inside her right now.
"Shh," he said, letting his hand slide down her belly to cup her sex. "I know what you need."
His touch inflamed her. Her hips arched, seeking the magic of his fingers, needing them inside her. And when he slid them into her, she cried out from the deepest pleasure.
This wasn't her touching herself. It was Grant, his fingers smooth and sure as he pumped inside of her, as if he knew just what to do. She'd never felt anything like it, a sweet pressure that filled her. And with every thrust of his coaxing fingers, he pressed the heel of his hand against her clit. It felt like the Fourth of July across her sex, and she was the fireworks ready to explode.
No man had ever made her come before. She'd had plenty of orgasms, all self-induced. Always alone, creating fantasies in her head of what this might be like. And now, Grant brushed his thumb over the knotted bud and she was ready to go off.
"Let go," he whispered against her ear. "Relax and let go. I'll be right here."
It seemed so easy. She knew her own body so well, she could get herself off in a few minutes. But this was new, and so intimate. He lay against her, touching her in such a familiar way, watching her as she helplessly drew ever closer to a release she wanted so damn bad it made her entire body shake.
She finally grabbed hold of his wrist, needing to take some control back.
"Here?" he asked, going where she led him, changing the pace and making it faster. "Like this?"
"Yes. Oh, yes," she said, her voice ragged and breathless. She focused on his hands, on her body's reaction, and let go.
Her orgasm rushed through her, as out of control as the ever-changing winds. It knocked her senseless. Grant took her mouth in a kiss, deepening every sensation, connecting her to him, not just the orgasm. She wrapped her hand around his neck and held on for dear life as she trembled with the force of it, tuned in to his mouth and his tongue and the way his hands and fingers continued to move over her. She quaked, endlessly, as her orgasm wracked her, seemingly going on forever.
Finally, she came down. He'd gentled his movements, but he was still connected to her, his fingers still inside of her.
She shuddered at the intimacy of it. And when he broke the kiss, his gaze met hers and she smiled up at him.
"Well, that was good."
He laughed. "Just good?"
"Okay. Really good."
"It'll get better. I'm shooting for great. Awesome. Amazing."
She loved that he was so easy about this, that he made her feel no embarrassment. "I like a goal-oriented man."
He slid off the bed "I'm going to get us something to drink. Then I'll be back to show you just how goal oriented I can be."
She shook her head, but the smile had yet to leave her face.
Technically, she supposed she was still in virgin territory, but with Grant, she felt assured that was going to be ta
ken care of soon enough.
He'd made her feel so good about herself, and hadn't made fun of her for being a twenty-seven-year-old virgin. So many men would have backed off, or run like hell, not wanting to waste time with an inexperienced woman.
Not that she was all that inexperienced. With men, definitely. With sex--well, she was a reader. She knew a lot about sex. And she watched plenty of movies. It wasn't like she was completely in the dark. She only needed some practical application.
As Grant walked back into the room, she couldn't help but notice his erection.
He had two glasses of ice water, and he looked down at his cock, where her attention had been riveted.
He grinned. "I was thinking about you when I was in the kitchen."
She turned on her side to face him. "You were? And what were you thinking?"
He set the glasses on the nightstand, then climbed on the bed. "About how lucky I am to be with you."
She hadn't anticipated that. "You're lucky to be with me."
"Sure." He laid his hand on her hip. "You could have chosen any man to be the first man to be with. You chose me. Now I get to teach you all the fun stuff. That makes me a very lucky guy."
"Not every man would think that."
He frowned. "Why not?"
"While you were off getting us drinks, I was thinking that some guys would have run in the opposite direction when faced with a virgin."
He grunted. "Oh, come on. It's not the fucking dark ages anymore. Now if you and I were sixteen or something, then yeah, we'd be having a different conversation right now. But you're a very smart, very adult woman who knows exactly what she wants in the way of sex. And what she doesn't want."
She liked that he put the decision making in her hands. And he called her smart, not for the first time. She liked that about him as well.
"Thank you for realizing I'm capable of making sound decisions."
"Of course you are. You chose me after all."
She laughed. "Yes, well, I chose you for a night of hot sex. It's not like we're dating. Or getting married. Or anything like that."
He gave her a sad look. "What? But all those promises you made to me."
She laughed. "I'm serious here, Grant. No strings. We're not getting into a relationship here just because we're having sex."
He squeezed her hip. "Got it. No relationship. Just sex."