After the Storm (25 page)

He treated all women with utmost respect. He’d never do anything to make them feel cheap or used when he had sex with them. But they, like him, had known the score from the beginning. He’d even dated the same woman for a period of time, but they’d always been fun relationships. Nothing heavy. Nothing that involved his heart to the degree Eve had.

It wasn’t that he’d had anything against a relationship or even marriage. He
wanted
those things. Had never been opposed to the idea. In fact, he’d go as far as to say that he’d actively searched for
the
one. But none of them had ever spoken to the heart of him. They hadn’t stirred his soul. And he knew by seeing how his brothers were with their wives that the women he’d been with hadn’t been the one. He’d waited patiently, knowing that his soul mate existed. Somewhere out there, waiting just like him. He only had to find her. And he finally had. She was here. In his house, his bed, in his arms. And he was about to make love to her for the very first time.

“Why are you staring?” she whispered, concern entering her eyes.

He kicked himself for mentally checking out for a moment. Even if it was to cement in his mind the
importance
of this night.

“I just wanted to savor this moment,” he said honestly. “This is special to me, Eve.
You’re
special to me. I want this to be just right. I don’t want to hurry through it. I want to take it all in and remember it always. Forty years from now, I’ll remember the way you looked tonight. How beautiful you are. How soft and warm and how very sweet every part of you is.”

Tears glistened in her eyes and she swallowed visibly as she stared at him in almost helpless fashion.

“How can you say such beautiful things to me? You say that in forty years you’ll remember how I looked and how I felt. But you know what I’ll remember? I’ll remember the things you said to me and I’ll cherish them always.”

He smiled as he crawled onto the bed to position his body over hers. Then he leaned down to kiss her, their bodies meshing, molding perfectly together.

“I guess we’ll both always remember this night,” he said.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Now make love to me, Donovan. Don’t make me wait. I want you so much. I’m burning with need. I
ache
.”

He slid his mouth down her jaw, kissing a path down her body to her breasts. He licked and sucked at the taut peaks, working her into a frenzy before he moved even lower, pressing gentle kisses to the valley of her breasts and then over her flat belly to her navel.

He toyed with the sensitive area, enjoying the shivers that quaked her body as he tongued the shallow indention.

“Spread your legs for me, honey. I want to taste you.”

Trembling, she parted her thighs, widening them so he could position his body between her legs. He settled down, his head just above the downy patch of hair that shielded her femininity.

Using his fingers, he parted her folds, already slick with her arousal. He inhaled deeply, taking in her scent and savoring it. Then, spreading her wider, he lowered his head even further and ran his tongue over her clit.

She bucked upward, her hands flying to his head, digging into his short hair as he circled the taut bud with his tongue. He flicked the tip over her clit repeatedly, then sucked it gently into his mouth, exerting steady pressure.

She writhed underneath him, gasping out his name as he brought her closer to the edge. She was wet, slick and hot beneath his tongue. He devoured her, losing himself in her feminine essence. This was his. She was his.

He continued to tongue her, sucking and then probing her entrance with his tongue. He wanted her crazy for him. So desperate with need and want that she’d easily accommodate his size. She was a small woman, dainty, her features and bone structure delicate. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her.

“Donovan, please!” she begged. “I know you want it to last. I understand you want it to be good, but I want you inside me. I want to come with you inside me. I need you now. I’m so close. I can feel it! It’s overwhelming. I feel like I’m about to burst into a million tiny pieces.”

Her voice was almost a sob. Her pussy clenched and tightened, growing wetter as he lavished attention on her most sensitive parts. Her plea sent another surge of arousal through his body, his dick already leaking pre-cum.

Yeah, he wanted it to last, but he also knew that wasn’t happening. This first time wouldn’t be perfect, but they would have plenty of other times to take it as slow as they wanted. Right now he had to have her. Had to be inside her or they’d both come before he got there.

“Give me one second, honey,” he rasped out. “Need to get a condom.”

“Hurry,” she urged.

He rolled off her and off the bed, fumbling with the nightstand drawer. He grabbed one of the foil packets and ripped it open. He rolled the condom on, nearly coming with just the pressure of his hand.

“Down, boy,” he muttered. “You’ll like her a hell of a lot more than you like my hand.”

Eve laughed, and he looked up to see that she’d heard his muttering. Mirth shone in her eyes and she extended her hand, an invitation to come back to her. As if he needed any such thing.

“Are you sure you’re ready for me?” he asked as he parted her thighs and settled comfortably between her legs.

She shifted, lifting her hips to him. “Yes!”

He lowered his body even further, reaching down to gently spread her for his entry. He positioned the head at her entrance and then removed his hand, placing both on either side of Eve’s body.

Closing his eyes, he began to push forward. He gritted his teeth and sweat broke out on his forehead. No way could he take this slow and easy. He was dying to get inside her.

He thrust forward, powering into her body in one motion. She cried out, the sound freezing him. Several things registered all at once. Her cry was not of pleasure. It was a sound of pain. She was exquisitely tight around him.
Too
tight. Her body was protesting his entry with everything it had. And he registered a tearing sensation, had felt a part of her give way with his entry.

He stared down at her in shock, taking in her expression, her startled eyes and the fleeting look of pain. Then he glanced down as he slowly withdrew and took in the smear of blood on the condom.

She’d been a
virgin
and he’d plowed into her with all the finesse of a rutting bull.

CHAPTER 24

“DONOVAN?”

He looked back to see Eve staring up at him with wide, fearful eyes. His name had come out quivery and filled with apprehension. Her uncertainty nearly slayed him. She was worried that she’d done something wrong when it was he who’d fucked up royally.

Careful to remain perfectly still and not push farther inside her, he stroked a hand through her hair and then caressed her cheek.

“Ah hell, honey, why didn’t you tell me?” he asked gently.

“I w-wasn’t t-thinking,” she stammered out. “I swear, Donovan. I was so caught up in the moment that it didn’t even occur to me to tell you. I mean, I thought of it earlier, but I was nervous and didn’t know
how
to tell you. I was afraid you wouldn’t want me if you knew, but I swear I was going to tell you. And then I got so caught up. I wanted you so much. I wanted you to make love to me. I wasn’t trying to deceive you. I promise! You have to believe me.”

Her anxiety made Donovan go soft in every part of his body except the part of him that was still penetrating her, though he was extremely careful not to cause her more discomfort. He rushed to reassure her, not wanting her to take any blame for what had happened, for the way it had happened. He’d been just as caught up as her. And the fear in her eyes was undoing him. He couldn’t let her think for another second that he was in any way angry with her. God, angry? How could he be when she’d just given him something immeasurably precious?

He gently hushed her with his lips, tenderly kissing her, absorbing the moment, the knowledge that he was her first lover. He was overwhelmed. Never had he placed a huge importance on virginity. He wasn’t
that
much of a caveman, and he’d never been with a virgin. Never considered how humbling an experience it was for a woman to trust her first time to him. That he was Eve’s first staggered him. He felt many things, indescribable, but anger? Never that.

“I’m not angry with you, Eve. Quite the opposite. I’m overwhelmed by the gift you’ve given me. First your trust and now your virginity. I only wish I’d known so I could have made it better for you. I would die before causing you an ounce of pain. I would have gone slower. I would have been more gentle. I would have kissed and touched and held you all night. I would have made it perfect for you.”

She reached for him, framing his face in her small hands, her touch like velvet against his skin. He nuzzled into her palm, regret seeping to his very soul.

“Don’t you know, Donovan? It is perfect. You made it perfect. Are making it perfect,” she corrected with a gentle smile. “It will never be more perfect than with you. The first time is supposed to hurt. But it wasn’t bad. It surprised me more than it hurt. Like I said, I was so caught up and you made me feel so good that when it happened, it startled me because I wasn’t expecting it. I wasn’t thinking that I’m a virgin and this will hurt. All I was thinking was that if I didn’t have you inside me I was going to die.”

“Darling Eve. So very generous and sweet.”

He kissed her again, unable to resist the temptation of her passion-swollen lips. He drew away, his breaths coming in ragged spurts. He was throbbing inside her. It was taking all of the control he possessed not to thrust into her again, to lose himself in her satin heat.

“I could have made it better,” he gently corrected. “It might have hurt, but I could have made it hurt
less
by not taking you so hard with that first thrust. I was overwhelmed and I wanted you so desperately. But I can make it better from here on out. And I will, Eve. Trust me to make it right.”

“I do trust you,” she whispered. “Please don’t stop. Don’t let this ruin tonight for us. I want you. Need you. It doesn’t hurt anymore, Donovan. Please don’t stop.”

He let out a tortured groan. “I’m not stopping, honey. I don’t think that’s possible. But I’m going to take it nice and slow and work you back up again. Okay?”

She stirred restlessly underneath him and he clenched his teeth together, his jaw going achingly tight as he fought his release.

“I’m with you, Donovan,” she said softly. “I’m okay. Really.”

Still, he carefully withdrew, watching her face for any sign of discomfort. Then he slid his hand between them, stroking over her clitoris, watching when she tightened as pleasure winged its way through her body.

He leaned down, shifting his position so his head was at her breasts. Using his free hand, he caressed one breast, plumping it, teasing her nipple until it was hard once more. Then he sucked gently, coaxing each one to a rigid peak while he continued to stroke her satiny flesh with the hand between her legs.

“Donovan!” she cried out, her back arching up off the bed.

“Are you close, honey? Are you about to come?”

“Yes!”

Carefully, he fit himself back to the mouth of her pussy, probing tenderly until the head slipped just inside. Her eyes widened but no pain registered in her expression. As he pushed farther in, one agonizing inch at a time, a dreamy haze entered her eyes and she smiled. Then she closed her eyes and arched into him once more.

“Wrap your legs around me,” he directed. “And hold on to me. Grab my shoulders, honey. I’m not going to last and I want to make sure you’re with me.”

“I am,” she said breathlessly. “I’m so there.”

She complied with his request, wrapping her legs around his waist and hooking her ankles just above his ass. He cupped her behind, just as he’d imagined doing, tilting her at an angle that made penetrating her easier.

Then he slid into her, all the way until his balls pressed against her ass. She gasped. He gasped. He wasn’t sure which of them was the louder. Her eyes widened and her fingers dug into his shoulders, her legs squeezed his sides, clamping like vises around him.

He pulled back and paused for a brief moment before diving deep again, his gaze never leaving her so he’d know if he was hurting her.

But she gave no indication she was experiencing anything but the sweetest of pleasures. She emitted soft, feminine sounds of appreciation as he thrust into her repeatedly. She matched his rhythm and they moved in unison to a song as old as time.

He slid his hands up her body, gathering her in his arms, holding her tight so that only his hips moved, arching into and out of her. Her breasts were flat against his chest, her breaths mingling with his. He kissed her, scorching over her mouth, devouring her as his orgasm rose, threatening to blind him with lust.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, her pussy going hot and wet around him, bathing him in her sweet heat.

“That’s it, honey. Come for me. I want you to get there before I let go.”

“I want you with me,” she said breathlessly. “I want us to go together.”

“How close are you?”

“If you won’t stop, I’m close!”

He sealed his mouth to hers and slid his tongue deep inside just as he planted himself just as deeply into her body. He went hard, losing all sense of himself. Of time. Of place. There was only Eve. Beautiful, innocent Eve.

He loved her and he knew he loved her. There was no denial. No argument that she was the one. She was his. Completely his. And he’d never let her go.

She began to shake uncontrollably. Her legs trembled around his waist and her fingers fluttered over his shoulders. Her breathing sped up until she was gasping with every thrust. And then she let out a long cry, swallowed up by his mouth as they breathed the same air.

And then he followed, plummeting right over the edge, falling hard and fast, spiraling rapidly out of control. Everything blurred around him. The slap of flesh meeting flesh distantly registered and then his release boiled from his groin, pulsed up his cock and he exploded in a frenzy, jetting into the condom.

After a moment he became aware of Eve kissing him. His jaw, then his neck, then up to his ear. Murmuring sweet words against his ear. Caressing his shoulders where moments before she’d dug in with her nails, scouring his skin.

Her legs had gone slack, splayed open and resting against the mattress as he lay between them, resting deeply within her body. He was covering her completely, his full weight bearing down on her. But she seemed content to be there. She wore a dreamy expression as she continued her tender caresses.

She lifted one hand to run it over his hair and then around to cup his jaw in her soft palm. He covered her mouth with his, wanting to taste her again.

They were both breathing hard, and regretfully he shifted upward so she wouldn’t bear his weight any longer. He rolled to the side and then away from her long enough to dispose of the condom. Then he rolled back and gathered her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head, holding her as close to him as he could get her.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

She nodded, bumping the top of her head against his chin. “Very okay.”

He smiled. “I’ll be right back, all right? I’m just going to run into the bathroom to get a washcloth to clean you up.”

He could feel her blush and his smile broadened. She was so adorably shy.

Reluctantly, he extricated himself from her and hurried to the bathroom to get a warm washcloth. He returned a few moments later and gently wiped the blood from between her thighs. He tossed the cloth on the floor several feet away and climbed back into bed, immediately pulling Eve back into his arms.

She snuggled into his embrace and let out a contented sigh that he felt all the way to his toes. But it was he who was contented. He could never remember feeling as satisfied as he was right here and now, his woman in his arms, warm and soft and sated from his lovemaking. It would never be better than this.

And then he imagined them in ten years’ time. With children of their own. A huge family surrounding them. More nieces, nephews. Love, good times. Laughter. Twenty years from now. Forever. Yeah, it would get better. Every single day with her would be better than the one before.

He stroked her hair, smoothing the tendrils from her face. Then he cupped her chin and tilted her head upward so she could see him. He could stare at her forever. No matter how much time passed he didn’t think he would ever grow tired of seeing her in his bed, her hair tousled from lovemaking, a sleepy, contented look in her beautiful eyes.

“I don’t want to ever hear from you again that I do all the giving and you do all the taking and that you aren’t giving me anything. Because what you’ve given to me is more precious than anything I’ve received. I can’t even describe what it means that I was your first lover. It means a lot, Eve. It means
everything
. I’ll always treasure the gift of your virginity, and I’ll cherish you always.”

Moisture glistened in her eyes, making the gold glints vibrant and electric in the light.

“And, Eve? Just so you know. I may have been your first, but I guarantee that I’m going to be your last as well.”

Her eyes widened just as he kissed her again. For several long seconds, he plundered her mouth, tasting, savoring the moment. When he pulled away, her eyes were glazed with want—and need.

She put her hand to his chest, her fingertips resting over his heart. “You can’t possibly mean that, Donovan.”

He arched one eyebrow and stared challengingly at her. “Can’t I? I don’t think you realize it, but you sealed your fate the moment you gave me your trust. And now that you’ve given me the gift of yourself, your virginity . . . It’s something I’ll always cherish. Being your first. And yes, I fully intend to be the last man who ever makes love to you.”

“How can you possibly know that?” she whispered.

He kissed her nose and smiled down at her. “Because you’re mine. And I’m very possessive of what I consider mine. And you are mine, Eve. You and Cammie and Travis all belong to me. We’re family. You’re stuck with me, and I hope to hell you’re feeling half of what I’m feeling right now.”

Eve sucked in her breath, not even realizing she was holding it until she became light-headed. She sucked in a deep breath, overcome by all that he’d said. He was so . . . sincere. Earnest. Could she believe him? Was she crazy to want to believe him? And should she tell him what she’d barely begun to entertain herself?

He’d been honest with her. Straightforward. No holding back. No games. She had to do the same for him.

“I think I could fall in love with you, Donovan,” she said in a whisper he had to lean forward to hear. “It’s crazy. I shouldn’t be talking like this. I shouldn’t even be thinking it. I can’t be entertaining the notion of love and a relationship, the
future
, when my life is in complete turmoil.”

He nudged her chin upward again until she was staring into his implacable eyes.

“You better damn well be thinking about your future—with me—because I’m already looking down the road to when we have children of our own. At the life I intend to have. With you. Travis and Cammie will always be part of our hearts and our family. I consider them my own children already. But I want children—with you—to fill our house. Lots of children, love and laughter, and I want you to give me those children. I want to see Travis and Cammie graduate high school and college, get married and have families of their own. I want to grow old with you and watch our grandchildren grow up, loved and protected just like I intend to protect you, Travis, Cammie and any children you and I have together. Our family, Eve. Our family.”

She could no longer hold back the tears. They sloshed over the rims of her eyes and slid soundlessly down her cheeks, colliding with his fingers as he stroked her face.

“When you say these things, I believe you. I
want
to believe you, but I’m afraid. I’m so afraid that it will all be snatched away. I’m afraid to be happy because I couldn’t bear it if it was all taken away. I don’t want to
lose
you.”

Donovan kissed her tears away, gently removing all traces of dampness on her cheeks. Then he smiled tenderly at her as he continued to stroke her hair and her face.

“We have all the time in the world for me to convince you that I’m not going anywhere and neither are you. We’ll face your—
our
—problems head on. Together. I’ll always be at your side and always at Travis’s and Cammie’s.”