Page 20 of The Virgin's Dance with the Devil
How shelongedto believe that.
Instinct told her she had nothing to fear physically from him, but it wasn’t physical fear tying her up in knots. It was everything else. The only thing stopping her from running away was the tied-back drapes. If he’d drawn them, she’d probably be back in Tuscany by now.
“You need to relax,” he said, pressing his mouth to the patch of skin his finger had just stroked. “Lie down with me.”
If Rico had thought divine intervention had won Marisa to him, the tension radiating from her told him a different story. When she finally lay down and he drew her stiff yet trembling body into his arms, he experienced a wave of tenderness of a kind he’d never have believed himself capable.
She was a twenty-five-year-old woman who’d only been kissed by two men, one of whom was himself. She’d done nothing more than kiss.
Her face was buried in his neck, but he could feel nobreath coming from her mouth. Her breasts were pressed against his chest, her legs straight and unyielding against his. The hand pressing lightly against his back was a balled fist.
“Relax,” he murmured. “I just want to hold you.”
After a long moment, she turned her face a little and took a sharp, ragged breath.
He trailed his fingers lightly down her spine and felt her shiver.
The balled fingers slowly unfurled and timidly pressed against his skin, and now a shiver trailed uphisspine.
He gently tiptoed his fingers up to her neck and threaded them through her silky hair. Heard her take another ragged breath.
Strangely, he was finding it hard to breathe too.
Her hand pressed deeper into his back and moved a little upwards before the pads gripped tighter, as if she were stopping herself.
“You can touch me,” he whispered. “Touch me wherever you like.”
Time hung suspended before her delicate fingers began a slow, tentative exploration of his lower back. Thrills of sensation threaded through his veins. When she found the waist band of his swim shorts, he closed his eyes and sucked in a breath.
Her fingers went no lower, but slowly, her rigid form relaxed, and when she drew her head back from his neck to gaze at him with glazed eyes, her body moved slightly too, allowing the ridge of his arousal to press into her abdomen. She froze, fear drawing a line in her forehead.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said softly, pulling his fingers from her hair to cover her cheek and bringing his mouth to hers. “I will never do anything you don’t want.”
Lips fusing, he breathed her sweet taste into his lungs,kissing her with the same lazy restraint he’d kissed her with before. His heart thumping, he gently parted her trembling lips and slid his tongue into the sweet, sweet depths. The stroke of her tongue against his was electrifying.
With the thrills of their fused mouths coursing through him, Rico skimmed his fingers down the side of her neck and the length of her arm, threaded their fingers, and slowly rolled her onto her back.
As much as he ached to position himself between her legs, he knew to do so would frighten her. Instead, he stayed to the side of her and trailed tiny kisses over her face, slowly stroking back up her arm. He put his mouth back to hers as he allowed himself the first tentative touch of her breast. She gave a short, shocked gasp into his mouth and stilled.
“It’s okay,” he whispered, brushing his lips over her cheek to the sensitive spot beneath her ear. “I won’t hurt you. Any time you want me to stop, all you have to do is say.”
Her breath this time was long and ragged. He kissed her again, and when her tongue danced against his, he gently took the weight of her breast in his palm. It was fuller than he’d expected, the nipple hard, and though he throbbed with need to feel it without the barrier of her black cotton dress and the bikini she wore beneath it, he could smell the fear tingeing her desire, sensed one false move would have her running back to the hotel.
Making sure not to crush her, giving her the room to push him away if she wanted, he skimmed further down, over her gently curved hip. It wasn’t just Marisa’s mouth that was trembling; her whole body was shaking.
Further down he skimmed, down her thigh, felt her jolt as his hand met silky smooth skin. Slipping his fingers beneath the cotton of her dress, he trailed upwards, slowly making his way to the heart of her femininity.
She was trembling harder than ever.
He lifted his head to look at her. She was breathing heavily, her beautiful face flushed. There was a wildness in her stare he’d never seen before. “I’m just going to touch you,” he murmured. “Nothing more. Don’t be afraid. I promise it will feel good.”
Eyes locked on his, her throat moved.
He tiptoed higher, closer and closer to her heat.
“Trust me, my angel,” he breathed, before capturing her mouth in another kiss.
He cupped her pubis lightly. Felt her jerk. But she didn’t push him away.
