“Easy for you to say.” Before he could respond to her remark, she turned her head to kiss his temple. “I trust you.”
“Right now I’m not sure I deserve that,” he said grimly.
Her fingers clutched his shoulders. His muscles tensed and his hips retreated. Then on a guttural groan, he advanced and something inside her tore.
She cried out and dug her nails into his back. Squeezing her eyes shut, she told herself she could endure this. She loved him, she could endure this.
He stopped moving. For a long time, she didn’t even feel him breathe.
What he’d done had hurt. She’d known it would, but the pain stunned her. Tears trickled from under her eyelids.
When he moved, she braced for more pain, but the worst had passed. She still felt stretched beyond the bounds of nature and pinioned to the bed. Opening her eyes, she found Leath watching her with a devastated expression. He looked like he’d suffered worse than she had.
She reached up to smooth the frown drawing his brows together. “I survived.”
“I hurt you.”
“A little. But it’s bearable.”
While she would lie to comfort him, it was true. She didn’t feel nearly so uncomfortable. She’d never been this close to anyone. She shifted to settle his weight, and thought that there might even be some pleasure.
“Let me make it better than bearable.”
Nell wasn’t certain if she wanted to continue. Surely now that he’d taken her, it was over. But she saw in his eyes that hurting her had hurt him. She struggled to smile. “Go ahead.”
The joining had eased to fullness. Leath didn’t appear so stricken, thank goodness. After he’d taken her maidenhead, he’d looked ready to slit his throat.
Very carefully he retreated. To her surprise, those same muscles that had clenched on his fingers tightened. He withdrew almost to the point of leaving her body and she took her first full breath in what felt like hours.
“So we’re lovers,” she said softly. Now that he no longer squeezed inside her, she almost felt good. Surely like most things, she’d get better at this, the more she did it.
Leath’s radiant smile warned her. “Not nearly, my lovely Eleanor.”
Before she could question his triumph—because that was what it looked like—he fl
exed his hips and slid inside. Apart from a faint twinge, he didn’t hurt her this time.
“Oh.” She released a huff of amazement.
“You’ll see,” he said, pausing before withdrawing.
A thousand sensitive nerves felt the smooth pull. And they all trilled with pleasure. This time, her “oh” conveyed delight.
Her deathly grip on his back loosened and she stroked him, enjoying the ripple of muscles under her hands. “Do that again,” she demanded.
He leaned forward and kissed her, hard and thoroughly. She sucked his tongue into her mouth, filling her senses with his taste. He lingered at the peak of his thrust so that she felt doubly possessed.
Leath stared down, eyes alight. “Better?”
“Oh, yes,” she admitted on a hiss.
Nell arched as he joined her and unbelievably the pleasure swelled. He filled every inch, but now she relished the experience. She felt claimed from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.
He changed the angle and a sky full of fireworks exploded inside her. This was even better than when he’d used his fingers. This was like flying, or galloping on the fastest horse.
Better than that.
Much better than that. Much, much better than that.