Page 44 of Modern Romance Collection December 2024 Books 5-8

‘No, you don’t,’ he murmured, then pulled her closer, to capture one stiff peak between firm lips.

She gasped as he suckled her yearning flesh. The drawing sensation arrowed into her sex, and her back arched, instinctively offering him more. Offering him everything.

He lathed and sucked, playing with one peak and then the other, trapping the swollen flesh against the roof of his mouth, to increase the devastating suction. Until she was rocking against his hips, desperate for relief as the waves climbed higher. And the heat coiled tighter at her core.

His hands found her bottom, those sure fingers diving beneath her panties, until she was riding his lap. She clung to his shoulders, aware of the iron bar in his shorts, pressing against the perfect spot. Liquid heat exploded along her nerve-endings, making her cry out.

She threw her head back as the orgasm ripped through her, fast and furious and unstoppable.

The pleasure battered her until all that was left was the glittering sensation. And the mindless drop into afterglow.

She drifted down, her whole body quivering and humming.

‘Damn but you’re glorious when you come,’ he groaned.

Her eyes opened, to find him watching her with a harsh possessive fury in his eyes that seared her soul.

He pressed his lips to hers in a sensual, provocative kiss.

‘Good?’ he asked, his large palm stroking her hip.

She nodded. ‘Incredible... I’ve never...’ She caught herself just in time, before she blurted out the awful truth. That no one had ever made her feel the way he did. But her heart lurched, thumping her ribs when he smiled lazily.

Just endorphins, Issy. Just sex...

‘You’ve never what?’ he asked.

‘I never expected us to be so good together...’ she lied, trying to sound as if he hadn’t just blown her mind again—completely. And he wasn’t the first man to ever make her want so much.

One dark eyebrow hiked up his forehead. ‘I figured it was kind of obvious from our wedding night we had some serious chemistry...’

She shifted, suddenly uneasy at how much he saw. And how needy—and exposed—she felt.

She glanced down, aware of the thick erection—still rigid between her thighs.

‘What do you want me to do...?’ She paused, cleared her throat, the fierce longing—at the sight of him, so large and hard, for her—not helping her to appear nonchalant, and sophisticated... And not completely overwhelmed.

He let out a strained chuckle, and placed a kiss on her nose, the affectionate gesture not helping with the dryness in her throat, or the thunder of her pulse.

‘I want to be inside you,’ he murmured. ‘But first I’m going to have to limp up to my bedroom and find the condoms.’

‘You don’t need them,’ she blurted out. Then realised her mistake when his brow furrowed.

‘How come?’

‘I’m... I’m on the pill,’ she offered, forced to come clean about the lie.

He tilted his head to one side, then lifted one hand to rub her reddened nipple. ‘How long have you been on it? Are you sure we’re protected?’

‘I... Yes.’ She jolted against that possessive caress, the last of her fear washed away on the wave of longing. ‘I was prescribed contraceptives when I was seventeen, because my cycle was so erratic and the cramps could be crippling.’ The words came out in a rush, the stream of too much information a way to stave off the nerves, and to prevent more questions.

‘My cycle began to impede my schedule of engagements, so the mini pill was considered an effective way to manage my menstruation better and prevent the prospect of having to cancel anything at the last minute... I’m sorry I lied. I...’

‘Shh. It’s okay, Belle.’ He brushed his thumb across her lips, the fierce need in his eyes—which hadn’t faded—making the strange feeling of connection press against her ribs. ‘I get it,’ he added. ‘You weren’t ready on our wedding night. All I need to know is that you are now.’

She swallowed past the lump of emotion. It was a practical question about consent, nothing more. ‘I... Yes, I am.’

He kissed her again, even as his palm landed on her bottom, and edged under her panties. ‘Then we need to be wearing less clothing.’

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