“Nobody,” she mumbled around her food. “Forget I said anything.”
“Has someone been warning you off of me?”
The sudden tension in his voice sent a prickle of unease over her.
“My family worries for me,” she said simply. “They’re very protective. Too protective,” she finished with a mutter.
“Your family is warning you about me?”
He acted as though it was the very last thing he expected. Was he so sure that her entire family was pushing for a match between them?
“Well no, not exactly. Definitely not Daddy. He thinks you hung the moon. Mama approves but I’m sure it’s because Daddy does. She thinks he can do nothing wrong so if you have his stamp of approval you have hers.”
He seemed to relax in his chair. “Who then?”
She shrugged. “My brother wants me to be careful, but you have to understand he’s been saying the same thing about all the guys I’ve ever dated.”
Again that eyebrow went up as he raised the glass of wine to his lips. “Oh?”
“Yeah, you know, you’re a philanderer, a player. Different woman on your arm every week. You aren’t serious. You just want to get me into bed.”
A blast of heat surged into her cheeks and she ducked her head. Stupid thing to blurt out. Stupid!
“Sounds like a typical older brother,” Devon said blandly. “But he’s right about one thing. I do want you in my bed. The difference is, once you’re there, you’re going to stay.”
Her lips popped into an O.
He smiled, a lazy, self-assured smile that oozed male confidence.
“Finish eating, Ashley. I want you to enjoy your meal. We’ll enjoy … each other … later.”
She ate mechanically. She didn’t register the taste. For all she knew she was eating cow’s tongue.
What did women do in situations like these? Here was a man obviously determined to take her to bed. Did she play it cool? Did she go on the offensive? Did she offer to undress for him?
A bubble of laughter bounced into her throat. Oh, Lord, but she was in way over her head.
Firm hands rested on her shoulders and squeezed reassuringly. She yanked her head up to see Devon behind her. How had he gotten there?
“Relax, Ash,” he said gently. “You’re wound tighter than a spring. Come here.”
On shaking legs, she rose to stand in front of him. He touched her cheek with one finger then raised it to her temple to push at a tendril of her hair. He traced a line over her face and down to her lips before finally moving in, his body crowding hers.
He wrapped one arm around her waist, and cupped her nape with his other hand. This time when he kissed her there was none of the restraint she’d seen in the past. It was like kissing an inferno.
Hot, breathless, so overwhelming that her senses shattered. How could one kiss do this to her?
His tongue brushed over her lips, softly at first and then more firmly as he forced her mouth to open under his gentle pressure.
She relaxed and melted into his embrace. Her body hummed. Her pulse thudded against her temples, at her neck and deep in her body at her very core. She wanted this man. Sometimes she felt like she’d been waiting for him forever. He was so … right.
“Devon,” she whispered.
He pushed far enough away that he could see her, but he still held her firm in his embrace.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
Her heart fluttered at the endearment.
“There’s something I need to tell you. Something you should know.”
His brow furrowed, and he searched her eyes as if gauging her mood.
“Go ahead. You can tell me anything.”
She swallowed but felt the knot grow bigger in her throat. She hadn’t imagined it being this difficult to say, but she felt suddenly silly. Maybe she shouldn’t say anything at all. Maybe she should just let things happen. But no, this was a special night. It needed to be special. He deserved to know.
“I—I’ve never done this.” She gripped his upper arm with nervous fingers. “What I mean is that I’ve never made love with a man before. You … you’d be the first.”
Something dark and primitive sparked in his eyes. His grip tightened around her waist. At first he didn’t say anything. He kissed her hungrily, his lips devouring hers.
Then he pulled away, savage satisfaction written on every facet of his face.
“I’m glad. After tonight you’ll be mine, Ashley. I’m glad I’m the first.”
“Me, too,” she whispered.
Some of the fierceness in his expression eased. He leaned forward and kissed her on the brow and held his lips there for a long moment.
His hands ran soothingly up and down her arms, stopping to squeeze her shoulders. “I don’t want you to be afraid. I’ll be very gentle with you, sweetheart. I’ll make sure you enjoy every moment of it.”
She reached up on tiptoe to wrap both arms around his neck. “Then make love to me, Devon. I’ve waited so long for you.”
Two
Ashley stared up at Devon, unsure of what to do now. He didn’t suffer any such problem. Dropping another kiss on her brow, he bent and lifted her into his arms and carried her to the large master bedroom in the corner of the apartment.
She sighed as she laid her head on his chest. “I’ve always dreamed of being carried to bed when the big moment came. I probably sound silly.”
Soft laughter rumbled from his chest. “Glad I could fulfill one of your fantasies before I even get you naked.”
She blushed but felt a giddy thrill at the idea of him undressing her. That was number two on her fantasy list for when she lost her virginity.
After listening to so many girls in high school and college talk about how utterly unremarkable their first times were, Ashley had vowed that her experience would be different. Perhaps she’d been too picky as a result, but she’d been determined to choose the right man and the right moment. So she was feeling pretty damn smug because it didn’t get any more perfect than Devon Carter right here, right now.
He set her down just inside the doorway and she glanced nervously around his enormous bedroom. A person could get swallowed up in here. And the bed was equally huge. It looked custom-made. Who needed a bed that big anyway? Unless he regularly hosted orgies and slept with ten women.
“I’m going to undress you, sweetheart,” he said in a husky voice. “I’ll go slow and you stop me if you feel uncomfortable at any time. We have all night. There’s no rush.”
Her heart melted at the tenderness in his voice. He seemed so patient, and she warred with appreciating this unerringly patient side of him and being frustrated because she wanted to be ravished.
It’s your first time only once.
She could hear herself issue the reprimand. And she was right. She had plenty of time for down-and-dirty, hot monkey sex. But she would only have this night once and she wanted it to be a night she’d always remember.
“Turn around so I can unzip your dress.”
Slowly she turned and closed her eyes when he gently moved her hair over one shoulder so he could reach the zip. A moment later, the light rasp of the zipper filled the room and the dress loosened precariously around her