He sank to his knees before her, rubbing a whiskered cheek on the inside of her thigh. Aurora went rigid as he inhaled her scent.
Ignoring her quiet gasp of protest, he bent forward to probe the delicate, petal-like folds of her womanness, letting his tongue find her ripeness.
Her knees nearly buckling beneath her, she clutched at his hair, but he had no intention of stopping. His hands held her hips still for the unrelenting caress of his tongue. Her hair tumbled in gold tangles around them as he continued savoring, exploring, claiming in long, slow strokes.
Aurora moaned with longing, arching against his clever mouth. It was torture, his infinite tenderness slaking one hunger, his sensuality creating another.
"Nicholas, please…" she pleaded.
Obliging, his lips pressed against her fully as his tongue delved deep. A jolt of flame ran from him into her body, searing her, and she quaked in fierce need.
His hoarse whisper seemed far away. "Yes, be on fire for me…"
An
other racking shudder convulsed her, and then she couldn't remain still. Shaking, she cried out as the tremors overtook her. Her legs gave way bonelessly, and she would have fallen had Nicholas not risen and caught her trembling body.
"Enough…" she murmured helplessly.
Desire was bold in his eyes, and so was dark intensity as he replied huskily. "No, angel. We've only just begun."
He kissed her as if he'd found something fragile, precious, then turned with her to the bed. His mouth still covered hers when he bore her down to the mattress.
Primal awareness shimmered through Aurora as he knelt above her and began his sensual assault all over again. His touch was warm, his mouth magical as it moved over her body, kissing her everywhere. She gave herself up to the sensations his touch elicited. She had never felt such sweet, aching tenderness, such intimate beauty.
He was so strong and so gentle, his caresses so soft. He held his power under careful control, his lips skilled and slow, and she could feel his caring.
She stirred beneath him, feeling a fierce, restless, feminine need. His touch was possessive and adoring, soothing and arousing, offering comfort and torment at the same time.
A feverish sound escaped her throat. She was drowning in desire…
She pleaded with him again, but it seemed an eternity before he at last seemed to hear her.
His eyes fierce with tenderness and intent, he covered her with his body. Urgently Aurora raised her arms to draw him closer to her, reveling in the feel of him, of his weight pressing her down, of his maleness, hard and aroused between them.
He checked himself there for a moment, though, his arms holding his weight lightly above her as he gazed down into her eyes. "Do you know how many times I've dreamed of this?" he demanded, his whisper wild and low. "Having you in my arms again, all beauty and fire."
His eyes were passion-black, waiting.
"I have dreamed of you, too," Aurora whispered shakily.
It was all the answer Nicholas seemed to need. He slid slowly, deeply within her, into the clenching tightness of her. Aurora gave a ragged sigh at the relief of having him finally part of her.
He paused for a moment, letting her grow accustomed to the swollen, rigid fullness. Her flesh throbbed as he slowly withdrew.
The second strong thrust of his hips forced him so deeply inside her, she gasped. Smiling tenderly, Nicholas reached down, pulling her hips up higher so that he could fill her even more completely. It was the most exquisite sensation she had ever experienced – being one with him.
Aurora's head fell back on the pillow. She couldn't think, she could only feel. The desire he'd awakened with his touch was so alive, so vibrant, like a flame burning inside her.
He began to move then, with quiet haste, as if he felt the same flame. Her hands moved blindly over his hard-muscled body as he increased the rhythm, burying himself deeper and harder into her welcoming body. Pleasure sharpened, and sharpened still more, swelling to a bursting point.
Nicholas found himself seared by the same urgency as she, the same primitive, powerful need. His breath quickened against her throat as his hips thrust even more forcefully. He tried to remember to be gentle, but the thought faded along with his control as the silken wave of desire gripping Aurora swept over him.
The explosion, when it came, dragged them both under. He caught her moans of ecstasy with his mouth as the pulsing spasms shaking his body rippled into hers, along with his release.
When he collapsed against her, tenderness was such an ache within him, he trembled with it. At length, he weakly rolled to his side and folded her against his chest.
For a long while, Nick lay there shaken, still pulsing with the powerful aftershocks, his thoughts in turmoil. There was a name for the fierce and overwhelming tenderness he was feeling, he realized. Love. He loved Aurora. Sweet heaven…