She pushed harder against his chest. This time he did give way. “You have thought this through.”
Her stomach twisted and her heart pounded with either fear or anticipation. She didn’t care for either one replacing good sense.
He didn’t respond, just watched her, and his gaze was part caress, part invasion. “Did you come here for the sole purpose of ruining me?”
Finally, he closed those arresting eyes. “In all fairness, I thought you already a woman of less than stellar reputation.”
“And now?”
“You have said that you are a virgin, and I believe you. As I said, after all these years, I know when you are lying to me.” He strode toward her.
She backed away until her knees pressed against the bed. “Yet you still intend to rape me?”
“Rape? No. I will do nothing that you do not allow, Bella. I want you. I intend to have you either tonight or another night, but I will never hurt you.” He advanced until he pressed up against her, and she had nowhere to run.
“I want you to leave.” Hollow words, but it was worth a try.
His mouth curled up. His hand skimmed across the top of her chemise where the robe had fallen open. “Do you?”
His touch was as light as a feather, but it cascaded down to her toes and caused a mewing sound to escape her lips.
“Yes, I want you to go, Gabriel.” In her head, she cursed herself for not sounding more assertive. She sounded as if she was begging him to stay rather than demanding he go.
To her surprise, he took a step back.
She stood up straighter and met his gaze. A hint of disappointment ebbed through her body, but her mind sighed with relief. “Thank you.”
“Do not thank me yet, Bella. I’m not leaving. I will make you a deal. I want you to let me touch you for ten full minutes without any protest from you. I promise at the end, you will still be a virgin. After the ten minutes, if you still wish for me to leave, I will go. I will not promise that I will stop my pursuit, but I will leave you for the night.”
“Do I have a choice?” she asked.
“No.” His lips grazed her ear. “But I promise you will not be sorry, my love. Even if you choose to send me home in ten minutes, I will be the only one leaving this night wanting for release.”
Shivers ran up her spine. Damn him. She cursed her body for desiring him. There was no sense in answering since he would take his ten minutes regardless. Briefly, she considered the pistol nestled in her bedside drawer or the knife tucked into a clever holder behind her headboard. She needed neither, but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t harm Gabriel.
A slow, sultry smile spread across his handsome face.
Excitement bloomed in her abdomen.
He lifted her and eased her onto the bed. Covering her, his heavy chest pressed against hers as if he were a pleasure blanket.
Though she remained a virgin, the last four years had taught her quite a lot about the mating act. She had seen things in London’s bowels very few young ladies of the ton would ever dream of, so it was no surprise when his hard shaft pressed against her middle.
He moved forward, rubbed himself against her and pressed his thigh between her legs.
Her heart raced.
He moaned and closed his eyes. His strained expression, the crease of his brow and shortened breath, warmed her from the inside.
Her body ached at the sight of his arousal. She raised her hips, and he moaned again. So much power flowed through her. With every moan from his lips, her skin vibrated wanting more.
Her breath caught on the jolt of pleasure. I need to stop him, send him home. She clung to his shoulders pulling him closer, lifting her hips higher.
More.
His eyes snapped open. He rolled to her side. “Too fast, Bella.”
Immediately, she missed his weight on top of her. Stay focused. Do not get caught up in his web.
He untied the ribbon on her robe and pushed both sides apart. His hand, tanned to a honey brown, skimmed over her cotton chemise.
Everywhere he touched burned and she wanted more.
He removed her robe and chemise quickly, leaving her completely bared to his watchful eyes.
She had been raised a lady. Every instinct told her to grab a sheet and cover herself. But she really didn’t want to. Her body ached for more and if she allowed him, he would give her what she yearned for. Aroused and womanly, she grasped for control. But like a petal in a windstorm, it was impossible to find balance.
“My god, Bella, you are beautiful.”
His eyes traveled down her body to her legs and widened as he ran his hand along the her thigh muscle and then up again tracing along her fingers to her upper arm and along the cut in her muscle there. His eyes met hers. “Have you taken up some kind of sport that is taxing to your body since I have been away?”
The muscles were aberrant. Though necessary for her survival, she hid them from society under the guise of modesty. For the first year, she wouldn’t even look at herself in the mirror. Avoiding her reflection became a habit. Her insides twisted and her chest ached while embarrassment burned behind her eyes. How could I have let this get this far?
She turned to the side and tried to pull the covers over herself, but it stuck under his body.
He pushed away the sheet. “No, Bella.”
“Just take your ten minutes and go.” She hated the catch in her voice. And more than that, hated how much power he possessed over her emotions.
“I’m sorry if I led you to believe that I am displeased with what I see.” His lips pressed against her chest just below her collarbone. “You are beautiful.” He kissed the top of her breast and trailed his tongue across to the nipple, took it into his mouth and tugged gently.
She arched up regardless of her attempt not to react.
He suckled her tenderly and his eyes never strayed from her face.
He released her flesh and blew gently on the moistened skin. The act sent tingles to every inch of her body and she gasped. She would have sworn she felt it in her toes. His tongue continued its path down her abdomen dipping in her belly button. She cried his name and immediately a new surge of moisture flooded between her legs.
“If something is unpleasant, Bella, you must tell me.”
“I…” Lie and tell him it is all unpleasant. She should send him away as quickly as possible but his mouth and his fingers gliding over her stomach and down her legs made her delirious with desires she had never felt before. “I…It is not unpleasant.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” His voiced rang with laughter.
His amusement should have annoyed her, but his hands distracted her away from any offense.
She tingled with pleasure. She closed her eyes, experiencing the bliss brought by every touch and kiss.
He lightly tickled the inside her thigh coaxing her legs further apart. He touched the delicate folds of her most private part.
The delight shot through her. Guilt pounded her mind and forced her eyes open. “Gabriel, you should not be doing that.”
He stopped the gentle sliding motion, but did not remove his fingers from her dripping center.
“You do not like it?”
“I…I do not know.” His touch made it impossible to devise a suitable response.
“Relax, love. Trust me.”