Page 27 of Protected from Malice (Blade and Arrow Shadow Team #1)

“Okay.” I take a deep breath as I silently command the sudden eruption of nerves in my stomach to settle. Not because I’m nervous about actually having sex with Rafe, but this is the first time he’s going to see me naked, which is a pretty big deal for any woman.

“Do you want me to do it?” he asks. “Or would you rather?”

Undress myself, which I do all the time, or feel Rafe’s hands all over me as he does it?

“You,” I reply. “I want you to do it.”

So he does.

And it’s just as I always hoped it would be.

Skin revealed inch by inch. His touch slow and steady and achingly gentle.

And then he kisses me all over. Tenderly. Reverently. His gaze is on mine the entire time.

Once I’m fully naked and trembling with need, he climbs onto the bed and leans back against the headboard. Then he gestures for me to move on top of him. “Here,” he says. His hands settle at my waist. “If you sit—I think this will be the best way. For now. Until you’re sure?—”

“Okay.” I climb onto his lap, immediately understanding why he suggested this position. He thinks if I’m on top, I’ll feel more in control. That there’ll be less chance of triggering me.

I’m thankful for it. Thankful for him.

Just as I’m wrapping my legs around his waist, Rafe clamps his arm around me and leans over to swipe his pants off the floor. One-handed, he pulls out his wallet and slides a condom from it. “Don’t want to forget this,” he says as he swiftly tears the package open and sheaths himself.

With that taken care of, he adjusts me on his lap. His erection nudges at me, and I feel myself opening for him.

But he doesn’t plunge inside me. He just starts kissing me again.

His hand palms my breast, flicking and stroking my nipple until it’s a taut peak. Then he switches to the other.

I arch towards him, my eyes falling shut as pleasure sweeps over me.

Rafe takes my nipple into his mouth and sucks hard.

Explosions of heat burst through me.

“Rafe,” I whisper, “that feels so good. Oh?—”

Heat coils in my belly. My inner walls quiver.

Oh .

I want to feel him inside me.

The two of us finally joined.

I’ve never felt this sort of impatience before. With the few men I’ve been with in the past, I viewed sex as something moderately pleasant, but nothing to get overly excited about. And then I thought it would be something I’d dread, not something I’d desperately want.

But now?

I’m desperate.

Especially when Rafe reaches between us to find my sensitive bundle of nerves and rubs it.

“Rafe,” I moan. “I need to feel you.”

“Where?” He holds my gaze. His features are carved stone. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want to feel you inside me.”

My heart almost bursts at the look in his eyes.

It’s everything I hoped for. Everything I never dreamed would actually happen.

“Are you sure you’re ready?” he asks. “We can take as much time as you need.”

“I’m ready.” I take him in my hand and guide him to me, notching his heat at my core. “I’m sure.”

Then I take him inside me.

It’s a tight fit at first. But I’m so wet, so ready, there’s only a moment of discomfort before it shifts to perfection.

“Fuck,” Rafe breathes. “Eden. Shit. You feel so damn good. I can’t believe?—”

“I can’t either.” Unexpectedly, I feel close to tears. Burying my face in his neck, I kiss his heated skin. “It’s perfect.”

His lips come to the top of my head. “It is.”

For a few seconds, we don’t move. We don’t need to. It’s enough just to stay still, finally joined, appreciating the beauty of the moment.

But eventually, my body demands more.

My heart demands more.

So I move.

Bracing my hands on his shoulders, I raise up and lower myself back down again, taking him even more deeply than before.

Shockwaves of pleasure surge through me.

Rafe holds my hips, helping me move above him.

His eyes are fire as they watch me.

He throbs inside me.

Our pace speeds up, shifting from gentle to frenzied.

Any worries I might have had—about my body, about being ready, about anything— are gone in this storm of need.

As I ride Rafe, my breasts bounce, and my skin dampens with perspiration.

I’m making sounds I’ve never heard come out of me before. Moans. Whimpers. Groans. Primal noises of sheer need and ecstasy.

Rafe is a masterpiece; all muscle and rough beauty and hard intensity.

But he’s gentle, too.

Just as I always knew he would, he takes care of me. Protects me. Puts my needs above his.

For our first time, it’s just what I need.

But later? Because there will be a later; I’m sure of it. Later, I want to feel everything he can give me.

We keep moving together, skin slapping and heat building and muscles shaking.

Rafe reaches between us again. Touches me just the way he discovered I like.

“Rafe,” I moan. “I’m so close.”

“Good.” He kisses me hard. “I want to feel you come apart around me.”

Then he lifts me and pulls me back down, tilting my hips so he fills me completely.

Like a star bursting to life, I explode around him. Color and light flash before my eyes. All my muscles go tight, from my fingers to my toes. My head falls back, and Rafe’s mouth comes to my throat.

He surges forward again. And again. And again.

Then he goes impossibly hard inside me. He lets out a guttural cry. His arms tighten around me, holding me close as he pulses inside me.

This time the tears are impossible to hold back.

Rafe falls back onto the mattress, pulling me along with him. After a few seconds, he looks at me, worry darkening his eyes immediately. “Eden. Shit. Are you okay?”

“Yes.” I brush the dampness from my cheeks. “I’m more than okay.”

“But you’re crying.”

“Because I’m happy.”

His forehead creases. “You’re crying because you’re happy?”

I nod. “Yes. Because…” I stop to arrange my thoughts. “Because I’m finally with you. After hoping and wishing for so long… it’s wonderful.”

Rafe’s gaze softens. “It is wonderful.”

“And I’m happy because I didn’t think I could feel even close to this,” I add. “I didn’t think… before you, I didn’t want to try. But now, with you, I know I’m not broken.”

A funny expression moves across his face. He swallows hard. “You’re not. Not even close. You’re the strongest person I’ve ever met.”

I don’t know about that. But I’m not going to argue about it.

Instead, I rest my head on Rafe’s chest, listening to the reassuring thump of his heart. I let myself sink into a feeling of pure joy and safety. “This was even more than I ever dreamed.”

“Did you dream about having sex with me?” A hint of satisfaction tinges his voice.

“I did.” I lift my head to look at him. “Did you?”

His fingers tangle in my hair as he kisses me. “So many times,” he admits. “And you’re right. It was even more than I dreamed.”

I’m about to reply when my stomach interrupts me with a loud growl.

Rafe laughs. “I guess I know what we’re doing next.”

“Pizza in bed?”

He grins. “If you want. And then a game?”

“How about pizza, a game, and then we try this again? Do you think we have time?”

He kisses me again. “Eden. We have time for anything you want.”