Page 41 of Lucien's Gamble

“No,” she denied, a little too quickly.

“Well, I am.”

Her eyes widened. “You are?”

“Of course I am. You’re the last woman I’ll ever make love to, and you’re a virgin. What if I bungle the first time, and you never want me to touch you again?” He shuddered in horror at the thought.

Julienne’s mouth hung open for a moment, and then she fell over laughing. “Oh, heavens, Lucien. That’s ridiculous.”

She saw the heartbreaking tenderness in his gaze, which was all the more poignant blended with the devilish curve of his smile.

“Feel better now?” he asked gently.

And then she understood. “You were teasing me,” she accused without heat, her heart racing madly that this resplendently wicked man was now hers. Forever.

“Relaxing you a bit,” he corrected. “You looked tense when I came in.” Lucien strolled toward the bed, untying his cravat. The rest of his clothing was hastily discarded. Then he was pressing her into the bed, his body hard and beautifully built.

“We must set some ground rules here, my lady.” His kissed the tip of her nose. “First of all, I do all of the touching.” He covered her protest with his hand. “I’ve needed you too long; I won’t last if you touch me. For the rest of our lives, you can touch me all you want, whenever you want, but not this first time.”

He waited until she nodded her acquiesce and then removed his hand, sliding it downward between her breasts, before letting it come to rest on her hip. “Second, it may be painful. You’re very small, and I’m fairly large.” He bit back a smile at her choked laugh. “But I’ll pleasure you, my love. I promise you that.”

“I know you will,” she said, loving him even more for his reverent approach to her first time.

“And last but not least, I love you, my wife.” He rested his forehead against hers. “With every fiber of my being, I adore you. I intend to cherish you and worship you forever.” He brushed kisses against her mouth. Slow, sweet kisses that skillfully stoked her ardor. “I thank you for becoming my wife.”

“Oh, Lucien,” she sighed, and tugged his mouth back down to hers.

With a chastising murmur Lucien disengaged her hands from behind his neck and laced their fingers together. He concentrated long moments on exploring her mouth, his kisses lazy and drugging, until she writhed against him, begging for his touch.

“Please …”

He smiled, and her heart stopped.

His mouth moved to the slim column of her throat, licking and nipping the sensitive skin. He began to undulate his body against hers, slow, sinuous movements of his powerful frame, awakening every nerve, making her moan with the torment. Lucien made love to her with his mouth, with his hands, with the gentle friction of his body, murmuring praise and encouragement so sweet she wanted to cry.

“These, my love, are perfection.” He lavished long licks of his tongue across her nipples and then blew on them, grinning as they puckered. “There is no greater pleasure than having these in my mouth.” Bending his head, he suckled her, the rhythmic tugging pulling at places deep inside, driving her to madness. She began to writhe, yanking at his hands, needing to touch him. Burning, aching, her skin was too hot … too tight …

“Darling,” she pleaded. But he wouldn’t cease, wouldn’t release her.

Julienne could feel the pull of his mouth everywhere, the sensation making her squirm as her arousal pooled between her legs. She begged him to hurry, desperate to hold him, kiss him, but Lucien paid her no heed as his mouth teased across her stomach with wet, openmouthed kisses. Moving lower, he spread her thighs wide with the broad expanse of his shoulders. She moaned in relief as his tongue finally delved between her legs.

“Yes,” she cried hoarsely, her hips lifting, pressing into his mouth, as her nails dug into the backs of his hands.

“You taste so sweet,” he murmured passionately, before he thrust his tongue into her, groaning his pleasure. Julienne moved with him, arching and twisting. He worked urgently, building her desire quickly, brutally, untilfinallyshe felt the first clenches of her orgasm. Her back arched, her body tensed …

Lucien pulled away quickly.

“Damn you!” she cried, her eyes squeezed shut as her body trembled with the force of her need.

He laughed softly. “Now is that any way to speak to your husband?”

She opened her eyes as he covered her with his body. “I need you badly,” she whispered. “I’ll die if you don’t take me.” Her entire body shuddered, poised on the brink of release and denied.

“I love you,” he breathed. And then he was there, the hot tip of him just inside her, stretching her, warning her of what was to come.

Julienne opened her legs wide, her hips arching impatiently, and without further ado he thrust inside, deep and deeper still, until there was no farther he could go. Then he clenched his buttocks and went farther still, filling her, until there was no doubt she belonged to him.

Her breath held in wonder, she felt little of the pain she expected. She merely felt full and hot, her skin covered in a fine sheen of perspiration, her body throbbing around the hard cock that filled her.

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