Page 20 of The Phoenix Inheritance

“Well then I should probably find a way to turn this to our advantage,” he murmurs, quoting me in ways I’d never imagined as he traces my scar with his lips.

It so happens that the gash runs from my lower abdomen to my left breast. So as Dane lays a trail of kisses on my mangled flesh, all I can think of is how desperately I need him to reach my needy nipples. It’s only halfway through that I realize this is the truly magical moment – a man as dashing as a knight revering the skin even I tend to look away from.

“Everywhere I look,” he mutters as he arrives at the top of my wound, “you’re so very pretty, Isobel.”

I melt inside at Dane’s words, because of the heady sensations he awakens but also because he truly does make me feel lovely. I know he’s not lying. Everything from the tremor in his tone to the tender devotion in his touches shows that he’s not repulsed by my scar in the slightest.

When he pushes the nightgown higher, bunching it around my shoulders, I hear a sharp intake of breath.

“I take that back,” he croaks in a strangled voice. “You’re absolutely beautiful.”

He proves his words true by teasing my breasts one after the other. I knew the little beads at the tips were sensitive, but not quite this much. With each tug, nip and flick of his tongue, Dane brings the fire within to new heights.

“A-are you sure you’ve n-never done this before?” I succeed in squeaking between two titillating attentions of his lips. “S-seems to me like you’re doing better than just f-figuring things out.”

Dane chuckles, and the reverberations of his laughter join the shivers already coursing through my body. “I’m certain, yes. You’re just rather inspiring.”

It suddenly occurs to me that I’m about as useful as a foot rug in this whole affair. So I decide to put my hands to good use despite the fact that my limbs seem to have grown as jittery as jelly. I fumble with the lacing of his tunic, only to solve matters with one great yank so it becomes undone.

Soon his chest is revealed to me in all its chiseled perfection. It’s not the first time I see his bare torso, but its effect on me only seems to grow stronger every time. I’m overcome with the desire to trace every sculpted ridge and plane, to see for myself if his flesh is as solid as it looks.

When I finally touch his naked skin, I’m taken aback by the heavy, irregular beat of his heart. That I can somehow drive this Titan of a man to such a state sends a thrill down my spine. I discover that his nipples, though flatter than mine, are no less sensitive to caresses. They instantly harden the moment I graze them, and Dane’s breathing grows even more laborious.

Though he’s pushing me to the brink with his exploration of my body, I have just enough lucidity to enjoy my examination of his. I love how warm he is, how he instinctively searches for my hand wherever I go, how he arches his back like a bee stung him when I lay the lightest of kisses on his flesh.

And when I probe him down there, I love how he groans as if my hand were scalding metal. From the sensations he gave me when he fondled me below, I know the torture is actually sheer pleasure. Dane’s head drops, his burnished hair swings loosely in the breeze.

“I can’t anymore,” he confesses, sounding for all the world like a defeated warrior. “I need to be inside you. Now.”

I reach out and brush the copper strands away from his gaze. He looks contrite, and I can’t fathom why. “Well go ahead, by all means.”

Dane screws his eyes shut and shakes his head in frustration. “You don’t understand. It’s your first time. It’s –”

“Going to hurt, yes,” I interrupt as understanding dawns upon me. “Dane, I think that if the entire living realm goes about it this way, it can’t possibly be unbearable.”

He’s already frowning before I finish my sentence. “There are ways to make it less painful. I’m supposed to make you ready until you’re begging my name.” When I stare at him in astoundment, he flushes red. “What? My brother told me so.”

Barely repressing a giggle, I slip my hand to the edge of his waistband. “Your brother sounds like a cad, but I’m ready Dane, I can assure you.” When he continues to scrutinize me suspiciously, I narrow my eyes at him. “Are you going to force me to beg?”

Finally, a hint of humor penetrates that trademark scowl of his. “I’d like to, actually, but I’m afraid we don’t have time.” His gaze drops to the impressive bulge in his crotch. “The situation is growing critical down here.”

“Let’s attend to it then.”

And with those words, I free Dane of his last garment until he kneels before me in all his naked glory. I gulp. I don’t really know what to make of the foreign staff pointing my way, only that it’s bigger than I imagined and looks ready to impale me.

“Well come on,” I encourage in a voice that’s weaker than I intended. “Let’s do this.”

My pitiful attempt at courage doesn’t fool him. Dane crawls over and lays a reassuring kiss on my forehead, searching my gaze.

“I’ll be gentle,” he pledges, his warm breath feathering over my skin. “And promise me you won’t play brave if you can’t take it anymore. I can always stop. I want you to enjoy this too.”

I nod, heart racing so fast it makes me giddy. Though I have no experience with other partners, it occurs to me that I’m incredibly lucky to have Dane be my first – and most likely my last. I can only guess, but I’d wager not all men are as attentive as him.

The head of his length grazes my sensitive folds, and I immediately cringe in anticipation. I’m dripping wet, so Dane has no trouble slipping deeper inside. But when he reaches the threshold of my entrance, biting discomfort makes me recoil.

“How can you feel so… Ah…” Dane’s eyelashes flutter low on his cheekbones, his lips tremor with abandon. “Isobel, I need you to relax.”

I thought I was a champion at withstanding pain, but it turns out at this crucial moment, I can’t bring my body to reason. My instinct is to brace myself as if expecting a blow, and there’s little I can do to override my gut reaction.

---