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“One way I will kiss you.”

The mattress dipped under his weight as he climbed over her. His nose dragged slowly along the side of her throat as he breathed her in. His teeth scraped below her jaw, and she gasped when his tongue licked a sensitive spot.

“I can also kiss you here.” His breath teased the shell of her ear as he bit the lobe and tugged the fleshy edge. “Or here.”

Startled by how much pleasure that little nibble caused, she gasped in surprise.

“And here.” He cupped her breast, dragging his thumb over the turgid tip as his chin scraped past her collarbone. The stubble at his jaw abraded her delicate skin and sent chills through her body. She instinctively arched into his warmth and his touch turned even more possessive. “Is that what you want,min pärla?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“Sweet, innocent Grace, let’s remedy that.”

His head lowered, his hair falling forward and teasing her flesh as wet heat engulfed her nipple. Pressure tightened in her belly as he suckled the tip and groaned. That sound overwhelmed hersenses and loosened a thousand knots of tension. Instinct took over and she reached for his shoulders, her hands sliding over his muscled back.

“Ah,” she gasped as he plumped her breasts and moved to the other nipple. She’d seen mothers nursing and animals feeding, but never knew females could feel such pleasure from a male this way.

Warm breath shifted to wet heat. He moved to the other and cool air increased her sensitivity. The pressure inside of her built, bordering on pain, as he continued to suckle and pull. When he finally released her, the sensitive tips of her breasts were hard and swollen. Her breasts rosy from the chafe of his stubble.

He looked at her, his dark lashes low and his grin full of masculine pride, then he lowered his head and licked her, never taking his stare off her face. His knee nudged her legs apart and the heavy weight of his arousal pressed against her. He was still clothed, but she sensed he wished he wasn’t. He ground his body against hers, pressing into her in a way that rocked her into the bed and forced her legs to open.

Although his pants formed a barrier between them, the strain of his cock was pronounced enough that there was little mystery to what he wanted next. She squirmed beneath him, a sense of need building, which she had no idea how to relieve.

He caught her hand and pressed it to the bulge. “Feel what you do to me.”

Her eyes widened. Her fingers could hardly close around his girth, regardless of the way he was compressed in his clothes. “Does it hurt you?”

“No, but it makes it more difficult to take my time. And I want to take my time with you, Grace.”

“I want that too.” Or at least she thought she did. “What can I do to make things less difficult?”

He laughed. “If you touch me, it will only speed things up.”

“Oh.” She let go of him. “Then why did you put my hand on you?”

“To show you where you will kiss me.” He thrust his hips and groaned. “But first, I want to be inside of you. I want that more than I want to live past dawn.”

She could feel his wanting as much as she felt his struggle with restraint. He seemed to be more pained than in any sort of pleasure. “We don’t have to wait?—”

He kissed her mouth, his tongue gliding over hers possessively as his hand tangled in her hair, silencing her words. She surrendered to his lead as he crushed his body against her, grinding his hard length against her sex with enough promise to make the bed creak.

When he broke away, he was panting. His hungry stare traveled down her body as if he wanted to devour every inch of her. She fought the urge to cover herself, unsure what he intended.

“You’re gorgeous.”

His fingers trailed over her breasts, caressing the gentle slopes and teasing lower around her belly button. She instinctively sucked in a breath when his hand closed over hers.

“No.” He pulled her fingers away. “Don’t ever hide yourself from me.” He trailed his touch between her legs, gliding back and forth until he parted her folds. “Open yourself to me.”

Heaviness gathered at her core as she slowly forced her knees to widen.

“More.”

Her face heated as he pressed his finger deeper. The intrusive pressure wasn’t painful but it certainly wasn’t anything she’d experienced before. Gentle strokes probed in and out as arousal slickened his knuckles. He penetrated her with careful progress, never pushing too hard or too fast. Although he was deep, his touch was incredibly gentle and controlled.

“This is where my body will connect with yours.” He sank his touch deeper and held, the bone of his knuckle kissing her pelvis. “My cock will be much thicker, so I’ll stretch you first to assure there is little pain. You want me to show you pleasure, right?”

With a shaky breath, she nodded, her deepest desire not to disappoint him in any way.