“I’m no angel.”
He paused, looking at her in the winter moonlight flooding in through the window. “No.” Reaching around her, he slowly unzipped her red maid-of-honor dress. “You’re all woman.”
Noiselessly, the dress dropped to the floor. Leaving her standing before him in only a bra, panties and high-heeled shoes.
She should have felt cold, standing nearly naked in front of him in the large bedroom. But beneath the heat of his gaze, she felt lit with an intoxicating fire as he slowly looked her over, from her full breasts plumped up by the white silk demi bra, past the softly curved plane of her belly, to her white silk panties, edged with lace. Taking her courage in her hands, she lifted her gaze.
Cupping her face in both hands, he lowered his head to hers and kissed her until the whole world swirled around her as she was lost in the sweet maelstrom of his embrace. His hands roamed feather-light over her body, stroking her breasts, her tiny waist, her big hips, the full curve of her backside. When his hands stroked over the silk bra, she held her breath until he reached around her to unhook the clasp, springing her free. With an intake of breath, he cupped her breasts, tweaking her taut nipples. She shuddered, vibrating with need.
Reaching down, he pulled off her high-heeled shoes, one by one, sending each skittering across the black floor. Pushing her back against the white comforter of the king-size bed, he undid the cuff links of his shirt.
Never taking his eyes off her, he loosened the buttons, and she had her first flash of his hard chest. He dropped the shirt to the floor, and she got her full view of it, in all its tanned, muscular glory. A trail of dark hair led to his flat, taut belly.
He unzipped his dark trousers, and slowly pulled them down his thighs, along with his underwear, revealing his muscular, powerful legs laced with more dark hair. She sucked in her breath as he straightened, and she saw how big he was, and how hard for her.
She wasn’t a total innocent. She’d seen pictures of the male form. There had been that sex education course in high school, gag gifts in shops, and working in an office, she’d once stumbled over a coworker watching porn on his computer. She wasn’t totally naive.
But in this moment, seeing him naked in all his physical power and brute force, she felt nervous. Swallowing, she pulled the white comforter up to her chin, squeezing her eyes shut, suddenly shaking.
She felt the mattress move beneath her.
“Holly.” His voice was low. His hand, warm and gentle, was on her shoulder. “Look at me.”
r /> Biting her lip, she looked up at him, wondering what she should do, what she should say. Stavros’s darkly handsome face was intense, lost in desire.
“Are you afraid?” he asked in a low voice.
Biting her lip, she looked away. “I don’t want to displease you. I—I don’t know what to do.”
“Holly,” he repeated huskily. Slowly, he ran a fingertip down her bare shoulder above the comforter. Just that simple touch caused a sizzle of electricity to go through her. “Look at me. All of me. And see if you please me.”
She looked down as he’d commanded, and saw how large he was, how hard and thick and smooth. He wanted her. There could be no doubt of that.
Trembling, she lifted her mouth toward his. Holding her tenderly, he kissed her.
With his lips on hers, all rational thought disappeared again in molten heat, in the rising need that made her forget everything else. She was dimly aware of the comforter disappearing. As his naked body covered hers, as she felt his weight and strength on her, she sighed with pleasure and a sense of rightness—of being part of something, half of a whole. Entwining her tongue with his own, he teased her, toyed with her, made her gasp. The kiss was so perfect, so deep, when he pulled away she was left with a sense of loss and longing.
He nibbled her chin, then slowly worked his way down her naked body with hot kisses, as his hands caressed her bare skin. He licked her neck, her collarbone. He cupped her full, bare breasts and lowered his mouth slowly to the valley between them, making her grip the white cotton sheet beneath her as she felt his hot breath against her skin.
He wrapped his lips around her taut, aching nipple. His mouth was wet and hot as he suckled her, pulling her deep into his mouth, swirling her with his tongue. She gasped with pleasure, closing her eyes.
He moved to the other breast, suckling that nipple in turn, as his hands stroked slowly down her body, caressing her belly, her hips, her thighs. He lowered his head, kissing where his hands had just caressed her, seducing her with feather-light touches that made her skin burn. She felt his fingertips lift the edge of her panties from her hips.
“Do you want me?” he whispered, his voice so low it made her tremble.
“Yes,” she breathed.
“Louder.”
“Yes!” she cried, her cheeks burning.
Then Stavros suddenly pulled away, looking down at her. And he spoke words she’d never expected. Words that nearly made her heart stop.
“Marry me, Holly.” Stavros cupped her cheek, his dark eyes burning in the Christmas-Eve night. “Have a child with me.”
Her eyes widened with shock. “Are you serious?”
“I’ve never been more serious.”