The Ransom (37 page)

Emboldened by the desire in his eyes, she reached out and tugged at his suit pants. His belt slipped easily out of its loops and then she started on the button and zipper. He stared at her all the while, his eyes dark with need.

With her help, he shucked off his pants until he was down to his underwear. A moment later, even that scrap of fabric was gone and he laid down beside her and let her look her fill. She placed her palms flat on his warm, firm skin and relished the feel of his strength beneath her fingers. Slowly, she eased herself up above him and then bent low to kiss him.

The feel of his lips, full and soft, kissing her back with a magic that was all his, sent a need so strong surging through her, she nearly gasped at the wonder of it. He increased the pressure and then his tongue sought entry and she gladly let him in. The few kisses she’d had in the past could never compare to this and she was amazed at how wonderful the simple action could be.

Without breaking contact with her mouth, Lane drew her flush against him. Every part of her body touched a part of his. She shivered with desire.With a low growl, he rolled her over once more and kissed her long and hard. His lips lowered to her neck and lower still and he kissed the tops of her breasts.

She gasped at the heat of his mouth on her skin and silently begged for more. As if reading her desperate thoughts, he suckled and nipped and kissed her like he’d never get enough. She knew how he felt.

She moved against him, loving the feeling of his weight and hardness against her. His hands found her breasts and gently he kneaded them and shaped them and teased them with his tongue. She gasped and pressed her legs together against a sudden surge of need.

Lane eased away from her and sat back on his haunches. “I want to look at you,” he rasped, his voice thick with desire.

Zara blushed, thankful the early morning sun hadn’t yet made a dent in the shadows, but Lane was having none of it. Reaching over, he switched on a lamp that stood on the nightstand near her head.

A soft yellow glow gently illuminated the room, but the heat spread across Zara’s cheeks. She closed her eyes and turned her face away and hoped he wouldn’t be disappointed in what he saw.

“Look at me, Zara.” The order was issued in a tone just above a whisper. She sighed and forced her gaze back to his and was surprised by what she found there.

His face was open and full of tenderness, his eyes were filled with desire. Forgetting her nakedness for a moment, she took in his golden magnificence. The breadth of his shoulders swept into a muscular chest and then tapered to narrow hips. Amidst a thick bush of dark hair, his erection stood proud and impressive. She looked at it with a mixture of curiosity and nerves. He was so much bigger than she imagined.

Everything about him was bigger. When he lay down on the bed beside her, his legs stretched so far his feet were almost off the bed. Her gaze returned to his cock, jutting out from his flat belly and she bit her lip in sudden indecision.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. We’ll fit.”

Flames lapped at her cheeks. She looked away—mortified—but Lane smiled and shook his head.

“Come here.”

As he tugged her toward him, she reluctantly sat up and wriggled closer until he drew her against his chest.

“You’re so tiny,” he murmured against her hair. “I can understand why you might be a little wary, but it will be okay, I promise.” He applied pressure to her chin with his fingers until she looked up at him. “Do you trust me?”

She stared at him and read the sincerity in his eyes. “Yes,” she whispered, knowing it was true.

He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers one by one. It tickled and sent ripples of heat and desire through her belly…and lower. He took her hand and laid it flat on his chest and then moved it back and forth, like she was stroking him. She
was
stroking him.

Of her own volition, her fingers moved through the fine scattering of hair on his chest, teasing, caressing, and she reveled in the feeling of his warm, male skin. He groaned with pleasure and moved until he was stretched out on his back, offering himself up to her.

Gaining confidence, she slid her hand lower, across the smoothness of his taut belly. Her finger dipped into his navel and tested its depth. He laid still beneath her hand, but she felt the tension in the muscles that crowded his belly. She glanced at his face. His head was thrown back, his eyes closed. Feeling bolder, she inched her hand closer to the thick length of him that lay stiff against his belly.

With the lightest of pressure, she touched him. He sucked in his breath and she pulled her hand away as if she’d been burned.

“Don’t stop. God, don’t stop.”

Checking to make sure his eyes were still closed, she moved closer and encircled his erection with her hand. Her fingers strained to meet around the impressive width of him and she tried not to think about how it would feel inside her. She stroked her hand inexpertly along his shaft, hoping that was what he wanted.

His hand covered hers and stilled it. Moments later, he moved her hand under his, showing her how to pleasure him. After a little while, he released her hand and at once, she felt bereft. With murmured words of encouragement, he urged her to continue.

Taking a deep breath, she tightened her fingers around his cock and applied pressure the way he’d shown her. She was rewarded by his groan of satisfaction and renewed vigor in his erection.

With her confidence growing, she increased the pace and pressure of her strokes. He moved restlessly on the bed. The tip of his cock glistened.

Without thinking, she flicked at the tiny spot of moisture with her finger and was amazed by how soft and silky and warm the tip of his cock felt. With renewed enthusiasm, she continued to stroke.

Lane groaned again and opened his eyes. “I’m not sure I can take too much more of that, sweetheart.”

“You’re the one who wanted to show me…” She smiled, feeling incredibly powerful.

“I should have known you’d be a quick learner,” he growled.

Before she realized what was happening, he sat up and flipped her onto her back, his weight pinning her to the mattress. She yelped in surprise.

“Two can play at this game. Fair’s, fair, wouldn’t you say?” A wicked gleam flashed into his eyes. Zara wriggled against him, but to no avail. She sighed in defeat yet her body ached for his touch.

With a gentleness that almost stole her breath, Lane kissed his way down her chest. His tongue found a nipple and teased it, licking and swirling it into a hard nub. She gasped at the torrent of emotion and flung her head from side to side.

Just when she didn’t think she could stand any more of it, he switched to the other side. Fiery need kindled low in her belly. Her clit pulsed with pressure. She groaned.

“Do you like that, sweetheart?”

She moaned again, beyond words, almost unable to bear the sweet torment. And then, he moved lower. While her breasts ached for the return of his mouth, her belly tensed with every kiss that drew him closer to the center of her need. She tried to stop him, but he was having none of it.

“Lane, please. I don’t think you should—”

“
Shh
, it’s my turn, remember?”

She squirmed against him. “I haven’t… I mean—”

Lane stopped what he was doing and lifted his head, a smile of tenderness warming his face. “You’ve never had anyone go down on you before?”

Zara’s face burned. She’d never been more embarrassed. How could he treat this kind of stuff in such a cavalier way? Sex was never discussed in her household. She could only guess that in his household growing up with a slew of brothers, things had been a little more…open.

Ignoring her embarrassment, Lane leaned forward and pressed a kiss on her lips. “Relax and enjoy the ride,” he whispered.

Trying her best to do as he instructed, she squeezed her eyes shut and willed the tension from her limbs. It wasn’t long before the feel of his skillful tongue stroking her tender folds had her hips coming off the bed and her discomfort faded away. She clutched at the sheets, at his head, at anything within reach in order to survive the onslaught.

Never before had she been brought to the edge of such exquisite passion. She felt like she would explode if he didn’t cease. And yet, she loved every minute of it.

When he lifted his head and smiled at her, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Her body was taut with unreleased desire, her clit pulsed with need. He’d loved her with his mouth and his tongue and his fingers, but he halted before she climaxed. She was confused and suddenly very, very unsure.

Watching the emotions tracking across her face, Lane’s smile evaporated. He frowned. “Zara, what’s wrong? What did I do?”

She blushed for what seemed like the hundredth time. No matter how comfortable he was about referring to sex like he was discussing the weather, she was a long way from having such a casual attitude.

“I-I didn’t…” She stared at the mattress and tried to ignore her flaming cheeks and wished she was more experienced
. Was it normal for it to be over and still feel so…restless?

“Talk to me, sweetheart,” Lane coaxed, his voice gentle. “What are you thinking?”

Zara drew in a deep breath and spoke again. “I… You know… I haven’t…”

Comprehension dawned in his voice. “Come?”

Heat exploded across her face. She sneaked a peek at him and saw the relief in his eyes. She offered him a brief nod.

Lane slid up her body, an intimate smile turning up the corners of his lips. He framed her face with his hands, his eyes warm on hers.

“Good, because I’m not finished, yet. Not by a long shot.” He dipped his head and pressed his lips against hers. “I want us to come together.”

She stared at him. Heat flared in the depths of his eyes, turning them molten. The hard length of him pressed against her. Flames licked the inside of her thighs and her belly tensed in anticipation.

His cock probed the soft folds between her legs. His gaze stayed locked on hers. Her legs fell apart of their own volition and her breath came in short pants.

He reached across the bed and opened the drawer of the nightstand. With deft movements, he withdrew a condom and sheathed himself before settling back between her thighs. He nudged against her a second time until the very tip of his cock lay inside her. She gasped. He stared down at her, his eyes dark with emotion. The muscles in his arms strained. His chest expanded on an indrawn breath. His hips eased forward and his cock moved another inch further inside her.

She squirmed against the unfamiliar width of him and blinked against the stinging pain.

“Easy, sweetheart. Take it easy. It won’t hurt for long. Let me love you.”

She relaxed against him and he slid further inside her. Her heart thumped. The stinging sensation receded and she luxuriated in the feel of him stretching her wide to accommodate him. He moved forward again another inch and then another until he filled her and then he stilled. Dropping his head, he rested his forehead against hers and took a long, deep breath.

“You feel so good. So tight, so wet. So right.” The words were growled against her neck. Excitement pulsed in her center and radiated upward. She moved underneath him, silently conveying her growing need.

He lifted himself above her and moved, oh so slowly, against her. Inching out until he’d almost left her and then gliding in again in one smooth, silky movement until he was fully sheathed within her a second time. He shuddered against her and she reached up and tightened her arms around his neck.

“Love me, Lane,” she whispered, pressing her lips against his.

He growled low in his throat. “Does it still hurt?”

She shook her head. “No, it feels…wonderful.”

His eyes flared with emotion. His body tensed, arm muscles bunched and he plunged into her again. She opened her legs wider and then tightened them around his hips. His movements increased in pace and frenzy and she gloried in the feelings he created.

Her face was hot, sweat gathered across her chest. She lifted her hips to meet each thrust and clung to him, quietly urging him on.

His face tightened, his eyes glazed and yet still he thrust into her. Need spiraled hot and tight inside her and a yearning to find fulfilment began to grow. Her arms strained around him, her muscles aching in protest. She clung to him and rode the tumult of unfamiliar feelings that coursed through her, knowing that any moment she was going to reach the pinnacle and topple over into an abyss of relief.

Lane opened his eyes and stared down at her. Satisfaction flared in his eyes. He continued his rhythmic onslaught and moments later she cried out. Waves of pleasure radiated from deep inside her. When it was over, she couldn’t help but marvel at the feeling. Almost simultaneously, he groaned and thrust hard, once, twice, before collapsing against her in a wall of hard male flesh and overwhelming relief.

It was long moments later when he stirred against her and lifted his weight onto his arms. He looked down at her and smiled: a tender, loving look that turned her insides to jelly. Leaning forward, he kissed her.

“Now I know.”

She frowned up at him, trying to follow his train of thought. “Now you know what?”