“I trust you,” she breathed, relishing the weight of him pressing her into the mattress.
He kissed her as he rocked slowly in and out of her body, made love to her mouth in the same cautious way, bridling his lust, curbing his passion.
“Is this the first time you’ve made love to a virgin?” she said, tearing her mouth from his.
“I don’t want to cause you pain.”
Eva cupped his cheek. “I doubt you ever could. Do what you need to so we may move past the awkward part. Do it now. Do it quickly.” She gripped his hips, urged him to take the final plunge. “I need you inside me, inside me fully.”
Noah sucked in a sharp breath and thrust hard. “Hell and the devil!” he cursed as he buried himself to the hilt.
Merciful heaven!
She was suddenly full, full with him. Noah Ashwood. It took a second to remember how to breathe. Yes, it was a little uncomfortable, but nowhere near as painful as she’d feared. A rush of raw emotion mingled with a wave of divine pleasure. The need to hold him there and never let go proved as powerful as the need to feel those delicious tingles.
“God, Eva, you make me so hard.” He withdrew slowly, then eased into her body in one long searing thrust, branding her, claiming a right she could never give to another man.
“Tell me what you want, Noah.” She wanted to hear his deepest desires. “Trust me. Tell me what you want to do.”
“I want you. I want to ride you hard, love, until we’re sweating and panting.”
“Do it then.”
He needed no further inducement to kiss her in the wild, rampant way that had them writhing on the bed in an erotic dance. He was everywhere—consuming every part of her body. His potent essence swirled in her head. His masterful tongue plundered her mouth. He angled his hips, rubbing against her sex as his rigid shaft slipped into her, into her again and again with such skill.
The pleasurable waves gathered momentum with each undulation, taking her closer to that idyllic shore. Paradise was but a few thrusts away. The lapping sounds of their lovemaking, the slapping of their sweat-coated bodies only heightened her arousal.
She bit into his shoulder to muffle her cry, inhaling the earthy scent of his skin, and came apart with a violent shudder.
And while he found his release on the soft swell of her abdomen and his guttural groan punctuated the air, while he kept his promise and washed every inch of her skin with damp linen, only one thought came to mind.
She was in love with Noah Ashwood.
Chapter 13
Noah leapt out of bed the second the loud crash reached his ears. Thankfully, he’d struggled to sleep, his mind occupied with the beautiful dilemma stretched naked beside him.
“Eva, wake up.” He shoved into his breeches and threw on his shirt. “Eva!”
Hair mussed—and looking utterly irresistible—the lady raised her head from the pillow and peered through sleepy eyes. “Noah? What is it?”
“I’m not sure, but something is wrong.”
Something was dreadfully wrong. He knew it the moment he dashed out into the hall and the acrid smell reached his nostrils. He knew it before opening the door to Howard Dunn’s chamber only to be knocked back by a burst of orange flames.
Bloody hell!
“Fire!” Noah slammed the door shut. “Fire!” He raced back to Eva’s bedchamber and yanked the bell repeatedly.
“Fire?” Eva came up on her knees, her lush breasts stealing his attention.
“Quick. Get dressed. Run downstairs and wake the servants. We need water.”
The sudden hammering on the front door only added to the panic.
“That will be Bower.” He snatched the pitcher of water from the washstand and scooped up her discarded petticoat. “Let him in. Get him to help haul the buckets.”
Knowing he hadn’t time to waste, Noah removed his shirt, doused the linen and the petticoat with water, splashed what remained over his arms and chest. Then he charged back to Howard Dunn’s chamber and attempted to tackle the flames.