Page 23 of A Kiss at Midnight

“Open your eyes, Jewel — now!” he commands, the head of his desire pressing against me.

Oh my, it feels good. His thick, hot shaft is so much better than the cold, lifeless toy that was inside of me all day.

“Nooooo,” I groan as I lift my hips, hoping to push him into entering me, hoping he’ll lose control before he can get me to open my eyes.

“Now, Jewel. Open them now!” He leans down and bites my lower lip, sending a burst of pain through me, causing my eyes to pop open in surprise.

He smiles as he gets what he wants, and before I can even think about closing my eyes again, he drives his hips forward, filling me with one powerful thrust.

A cry of pain shoots from my mouth as my body tenses. This is nothing like what I’ve been expecting, and I want to back away, want to push him from me. It’s too much,waytoo much. It hurts, it’s foreign, it’s too much.

“What in the hell?” Blake freezes, his eyes wide as he gazes down at me. Mixed emotions pass through his eyes — confusion, anger, surprise, desire...

“Speak now, and speak fast, Jewel.”

I can’t do this. I was wrong. Yes, desire has been overtaking me for days, has had my body burning, and making me think I wanted this. But I can’t do it. It’s too much — too intimate, too consuming, too much!

I turn my head so I won’t grow weak and look at him. I’m barely holding my tears at bay, and I want to escape. Struggling will be useless, so I lie beneath him, his body still connected with mine in the most intimate way possible.

“Talk to me now,” he says, his voice filled with shock.

“I... I can’t,” I say, my lip beginning to tremble.

“This is wrong. It has to be wrong.” He almost sounds as if he’s begging for this not to be true.

“No. No.” I’m panicking now.

“How can you still be a virgin? You’re twenty-four years old.” I say nothing. “It’s not possible.”

I can’t take his shock and mortification anymore. “Obviously it’s possible. Are you going to finish this or let me leave?” I’m almost surprised by my words, but I can’t continue speaking while he remains inside my body.

The pain has stopped, and now the fullness of him, the pressure against my inner core, is making me feel pangs of arousal again. I don’t want to be aroused, don’t want to desire him.

When he shifts and his chest brushes against me, my nipples throb, and he suddenly seems to notice as I wriggle beneath him, trying to make the desire go away.

He withdraws a few inches from me, then easily slides back in, my slick heat beckoning him. He stops once more.

“Do you really want to stop?” he asks, the question seeming to be ripped from him. He’s given the choice back to me. Thirty seconds ago I would’ve said yes, I want to stop. I look up at him, panic rising in me again... but this time it’s because I no longer want him to pull away. I assure myself it’s only because of my brother, because I have to follow this through. It certainly can’t be about desire.

“No, we have a deal,” I finally say after what feels like a lifetime of silence between us as he rests within my body, his hardness pressing against all of my walls. He looks at me for a long moment. His eyes then narrow as he shifts, the movement giving me pleasure. I hate how much this man makes me burn.

He still doesn’t move. “This is still a business deal, Jewel. You being a virgin doesn’t change anything. Don’t get attached to me and think it will last forever,” he warns. He still looks stunned, but he seems to recover. I decide to help him get over his guilt at me being a virgin. I smirk.

“I expect the same from you. I want your money. You want my body. I think we understand each other just fine.”

A flash of rage consumes Blake at my words. Though he’s made it abundantly clear that he believes all women are out to get whatever they can, what I just said seems to be a slap in his face. I don’t understand him most of the time.

“I’ll make you forget all about money,” he snaps. He grips the back of my neck less than gently, then surges within me, making me cry out in pleasure. No more pain is anywhere to be found. I try to hold on to my defiance. I look him in the eyes as my body burns and I attempt another smirk.

“It’s not possible. I only want your money.” When his mouth crashes against mine, I’m well aware our battle of wills is ending... and he’s the clear victor.

“Virgin or not, money or not, you want me, Jewel,” he growls. “And you’re now officially mine.” He begins slowly moving in and out of me, making my core burn, making my body tremble beneath him, and making me climb toward another release, this one low in my stomach, building stronger and stronger... so much stronger than anything I’ve felt all day.

“I hate you for this,” I gasp.

“I don’t care,” he coolly replies. He stops all words with a kiss that steals my breath along with all thoughts of defiance.

He moves faster, his steel rubbing me in every pleasurable way possible, his lips caressing mine while consuming my cries. The faster he moves, the higher my pleasure grows. When his body tenses and he groans, I know we’re nearing the end.

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