Page 24 of Fast-Track Fiancé

Her orgasm was a slow earthquake that swept up from her toes to her chin, wiping out every coherent thought she had and turning her into a shaking mass of limbs against his chest. She was vaguely aware of his lips pressing tenderly against her brow and of the fact that he hadn’t seemed to experience the same release as she had.

‘That was...perfect,’ she whispered, unable to stop the smile that spread up to her cheeks.

‘Perfect,’ he murmured. ‘I need to hear you come again before I do, but I need to be fully inside you.’

‘That wasn’t...fully inside?’ she whispered, shaking herself out of the haze of her post-orgasmic bubble.

He let out a husky laugh, already bracing himself over her and spreading her thighs wide. ‘My ego needs no further stroking, mi cielo, I’m already on the edge as it is.’

Nina tensed up, trying to find the right words to tell him that fully inside might not be an option just yet, but all thoughts left her as he gently slid his thumb over her still-sensitive core in a slow firm circle. All thoughts subsided, replaced by a heady rush of sensation and heat that made her groan aloud. This man was going to overdose her with orgasms before the night was through, she was sure of it. She looked up at him, pleasure drunk, and was struck anew at how handsome he was. Seized with a sense of bravery, she told him as much in a breathless voice that sounded nothing like her own.

He smiled. The next thing she was aware of was him pressing his length into her with one smooth thrust.

The pain was so sharp, so sudden that Nina whimpered, a guttural sound escaping her throat as she braced both hands against his powerful chest with the urge to push him away. Tristan immediately froze, brows furrowed as he settled himself and his massive member right where it was apparently attempting to split her apart.

‘You...you’re too tight, belleza,’ he gritted, a slow breath hissing through his teeth as he held himself frozen in place.

‘You’re too large,’ she countered. ‘Oh...my God.’

‘Not that large.’ He shook his head slightly, a horrified expression transforming his face. ‘Nina, are you...? Is this...?’

‘My first time, yes,’ she finished for him. ‘I’m okay, it’s already feeling better. Don’t stop.’

A low series of curses followed, his brow dropping to press against the junction of her neck and shoulders. ‘Dios... Nina.’

She placed her hands on either side of his face, lifting him until his tortured gaze met hers. ‘I’m fine now. Don’t you dare stop.’

His expression hardened, a vein popping in his temple as he visibly wrestled with emotions she couldn’t quite name but would hazard a guess about. She’d thought he’d understood her lack of experience, but she should have made it crystal-clear to him. But even so, she would not apologise for how tonight had gone. Nor would she change any of it. Unless he walked away right now—that she would not recover from too easily.

He didn’t seem fully deterred by her revelation, not judging by how his length still pressed hot and hard inside her. Plus, it didn’t seem to hurt quite so much now that they’d taken a small breather. Curious, she experimented, tightening her inner muscles around him with a slow squeeze. Tristan’s eyes drifted closed so she did it again, this time eliciting a low growl from his lips.

‘You’re trying to kill me.’ He groaned. ‘You needed me to be much more gentle with you. I shouldn’t have—’

‘I don’t want gentle, Tristan.’ She moved again, a swift tilt of her hips to grind up against him. She was clumsy and unpractised but not entirely without skill, it seemed, as his eyes opened again and he finally, finally began to move once more. Slowly at first, but his restraint quickly faltered as his breathing grew more ragged. She felt the power in every thrust, as though both of them were fighting against one another but somehow moving perfectly in time. Like a dance. As though every other interaction they’d had had been building towards this.

Was this what their fighting had been about? Perhaps she had never hated him at all.

There was no other word for how it felt to have him taking her this way other than complete possession and it was over far too soon. She gasped and climaxed for the second time and, with a loud roar, Tristan shuddered against her and collapsed, his breath fanning against her cheek for a second before he gently withdrew. He lay on his back alongside her and they stayed like that for a long moment, their chests rising and falling in tandem.

After a long silence, Nina felt him move away. A click of the bathroom light followed and the running of water. He returned moments later, gently guiding her so he could use a warm compress to cleanse between her legs. When he pulled the towel away, a small amount of blood stained the white cotton. Squinting in the low light, she saw the furrow between his brows and the tension in his shoulders. She wanted to soothe him, to reassure him that tonight had been perfect. She wanted to apologise for being too shy to tell him that she hadn’t technically had sex before, but that she was glad he’d been her first. She wanted him to kiss her again and tell her that he was glad too.

‘Sleep.’ He spoke softly, but made no move to join her again in the bed.

Nina watched as he pulled on a robe and walked to the high balcony windows that overlooked the coastline, his broad silhouette framed in the light of the moon. She fought off the sleep that threatened to claim her. It wasn’t meant to feel this way, getting her wish. She was supposed to feel empowered and satisfied, having very thoroughly got the Falco experience.

He’d been everything she’d fantasised about and more, but a whole new ache had been opened up within her, entirely unrelated to the dull throbbing between her legs. She realised with alarm that the ache had now settled in her chest, bringing with it a longing for the man who seemed so intent on holding her at a distance while he possessed her every waking thought.

She wanted much more than to be just another woman who’d lost herself in his bed. She wanted him to lose himself with her. To need more of her, just as she seemed unable to stop needing more of him. All these thoughts seemed so urgent as he turned around, walking back over to the bedside to quietly ask if she was okay. But that dreamy haze still pulled at her mind and all she managed was a husky ‘thank you’ before she fell into a deep, satisfied sleep.

CHAPTER NINE

NINA’S SLEEPY THANK YOU rang in Tristan’s ears long after she’d dozed off and left him alone with his thoughts. She’d been a virgin. A virgin in his bed and he’d had no idea. He’d trusted the chemistry between them, been blinded by his own lust so much that he’d missed all of the signs. Now he could see that, while she might not have specifically referred to herself in such terms, she’d tried to let him know that she wasn’t experienced.

Still, he was furious with himself.

The image of her face wincing with pain after he thrust inside her would be burned into his memory for ever. He’d taken her without any finesse, so eager he’d been to possess her. He’d hurt her...

Hour after hour in the dark, he wrestled with his unsettling thoughts until he gave up and slid back into bed alongside her. Staring into her sleeping face, he realised why he was so angry with himself for not seeing the signs of her inexperience. It wasn’t about his ego or his reputation in the bedroom. When he was with Nina, none of that mattered. It was because he cared. She was rapidly beginning to matter to him in a way he couldn’t look at too closely. It made his chest feel tight, his throat dry and painful as he reached out to run his knuckles over the silky skin of her bare shoulder.

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