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H er body tensed when Michael reached the laces that tightened her corset.

He loosened the stays, and his fingertips caressed the thin fabric of her chemise.

Almost instantly, her nipples puckered. As he helped her remove the corset, the stiff panel brushed against her breasts.

A pang of arousal echoed within her core, and the awakening of desire began to silence the voices of her mother’s warnings and her conscience.

Layers of clothing fell away until she wore only the thin chemise and drawers. Michael had removed his shirt, and in the firelight, his bare skin was golden. She reached out to his wounded upper arm and saw that the angry skin was healing. The abrasions on his neck were also fading.

“Does it hurt?”

“Sweet, there’s only one thing I’m feeling right now. And it’s not the kind of pain you’re thinking of.” He glanced up at the mantel. “The candlestick is there, if you need it to bash my head.”

She almost smiled, but the overwhelming nerves were gathering strength. “How do you want to...do this?” Perhaps if she had an idea of what was expected, she could calm the anxiety boiling inside her. “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”

“I’ll start by kissing you.” His voice rumbled against her ear as he slid her chemise and drawers away. Before she could comprehend that she was no longer wearing anything at all, his mouth came down on hers.

Hot, feverish feelings permeated her, sending flames of desire over every part of her body.

Michael picked her up in his arms, laying her down upon the bed.

Her hair fell across the pillow, and he caressed the strands.

A moment later, he turned around and removed his trousers and undergarments.

She caught a glimpse of his taut backside, the rigid curve of his hip.

When he turned around, he was holding the plate of cake and there was a wicked gleam in his eye.

He wanted to eat, now? Confusion caught her sensibilities, making her wonder what he intended.

Michael walked toward her naked, his erect manhood jutting forward. A flash of panic flew through her mind, for she couldn’t imagine him joining with her. He sat down beside her on the bed, setting the plate down.

“Open your mouth,” he ordered, breaking off a morsel of cake.

A distraction. That’s what this was, she realized. Something to calm her down.

She tasted the sweet creamy icing, but it did nothing to alleviate her apprehensions.

Michael kissed her again, devouring the traces of buttercream from her lips.

She clung to him, startled by the feeling of his bare skin upon hers.

Her breathing quickened as he ran his palms down her spine and over the curve of her bottom.

“I know I shouldn’t do this,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to her shoulder, drifting downwards to her breast. “But I’ve given up trying to resist you.

” He dipped his finger into the cake icing and touched it to her nipple.

“It’s too late now, sweet. I intend to spend the rest of the night taking you apart. ”

With that, he covered her nipple with his mouth, swirling against her skin with his tongue. He licked the icing off, sucking hard while she shuddered at the sensation. She was bending to him, growing moist between her legs.

Michael turned his attention to the other breast, kissing it with the same attention while he flicked the erect bud of the first nipple with his fingers. Tormented by his touch, she fought to catch her breath.

“You’re more delicious to me than any cake,” he murmured. “I could taste you all day.” His mouth drifted lower, down her stomach toward the soft hair covering her mound.

His cheeks were smooth against her thighs, and she clamped her legs tight, afraid of what he might do next.

He lifted his head up, staring at her. In the dim light, his hazel eyes held the warmth of chocolate, with green flecks. “I’m going to give you a night to remember, Hannah. Trust me.”

He pressed a kiss upon her stomach, his hands reaching beneath her spine to her hips. He drew his palms over her bottom, pressing her close to his face.

Oh, sweet God. He wouldn’t taste her there, would he?

He dipped his finger into the icing, brushing a small amount upon her cleft. A moment later, her hands dug into the sheets, a keening cry erupting from her throat as he covered her intimate flesh with his mouth.

He nibbled at her delicate skin, arousing her until she arched deeply, shaking with the ferocity of his wicked tongue.

The rising crescendo of need burst forth in a release that made her cry out. She tried to sit up, but he held her down, her legs splayed as he worked her again with his mouth.

“I can’t. Michael, I can’t do this. It’s too much.”

In answer, he slid two fingers inside her wetness, stretching her. It sent her over the edge once more as he entered and withdrew.

“Touch me,” he urged, pulling her hand to his shaft. She had never felt a man’s flesh before and had never realized how soft and smooth it was. Her thumb caressed the tip, and she felt moisture there.

As she dragged her hand along the length, she watched him hiss with pleasure.

He let her explore him, feeling the change in skin texture, and the way he grew even harder in reaction to her touch.

When she began to glide her hand up and down, he caught her wrist and pushed it aside. “Not tonight. This night is for you.”

Michael turned her on to her side, while he came up behind her. Raising her leg over his, he placed his manhood between her thighs. “When you’re ready for me, I’m going to be inside you.”

He cupped both of her breasts, nipping at her shoulder with his mouth.

His thick erection nudged an inch within her, and Hannah trembled at the feeling.

As he continued to caress her nipples, rolling the tips while he teased her wetness, she pleaded with him, “Michael, I need...something. But I don’t know what it is. ”

He moved his length between her legs. “Sweet, don’t rush.

I want this to be good for you.” Slowly, gently, he eased himself into her body.

He didn’t force her, or hurt her. Just a gentle sliding, back and forth.

The thickness of him was like a caress inside her body, each time going a little deeper.

His thumb moved to the ridge at the top of her womanhood, stroking her while he sheathed himself partway inside her.

“I want to see you come apart again,” he murmured, coaxing the wet heat.

Her body ached, squeezing him while he rubbed the small hooded opening. She felt herself rising up again, reaching for the intense pleasure. He held back from her, slowing his pace. Tears escaped her eyes, and she shivered violently against his hand.

“Come for me,” he commanded. And with another stroke of his hand, she soared. He pushed the rest of the way inside her, filling her up until they were fully joined. Though the fit was tight as he took her virginity, she held him close, shocked at the wonder of it.

Her hips arched as he pulled back and slid home once again. The tenderness of his penetration made her heart weep for this act of love.

But she sensed he was holding back, trying not to hurt her. The position of being on her side felt too cautious, and she wanted him to know the same fulfillment.

She eased away from him, lying on her back and bringing him atop her. With her hand, she guided him inside once more, raising her knees. “Take what you need from me, Michael.”

His face turned to stone, his body growing harder within her. He plunged inside, quickening his pace. She gripped him, holding tight as he penetrated and withdrew.

A moment later, he pulled her hips to the edge of the bed.

He stood up, lifting her legs high while he filled her.

His face transformed with his own pleasure, tight with suppressed need.

She met each stroke with her hips, offering a counterpressure.

And once again, her body rose higher, blossoming as he thrust within her.

She trembled, soaring as she shattered around him, her body welcoming his.

Michael gripped her hard, thrusting inside her until at last, his face tightened, and he let out a low groan.

He collapsed on top of her, their bodies still joined. Hannah felt a wetness from his warm seed, and she reached down to run her hands over his backside. She wrapped her legs around him, squeezing him in a different sort of embrace. Although she was slightly sore, she didn’t care.

No wonder men and women never talked about this. She’d never dreamed that the intimacy would be this wild, this pleasurable.

“How are you feeling?” he asked, his voice husky.

“I feel beautiful.” And she did. Languid and relaxed, as though it were the most natural thing in the world to be naked with a man.

“Hungry?” he prompted, withdrawing from her.

“A little.” She let him feed her cake from his fingertips, and she licked the icing, watching his eyes grow dark with desire once again.

“You’re going to kill me if you keep looking at me like that.” He ran his hands over her flesh. “I won’t be able to get enough of you.”

Hannah locked her arms around his neck. “I don’t mind.”

Later that night, after he’d made love to her twice more, he straightened the bed sheets. “You should get some sleep.” She was about to curl up next to him when he dropped a pillow on top of her.

“What is that for?” She tried to move the pillow away, but he laid it in the center of the bed. When she reached out, she felt the presence of the two pillows set lengthwise down the middle of the bed.

“I’m setting up a barricade on the bed. You’ll sleep on your side, and I on mine.”

A pillow barricade? What on earth?

“You don’t want to sleep beside me?” she asked, confused at the gesture. “Is something the matter?”