Lover Awakened

As he hesitated, she remembered. She rolled over onto her stomach and braced herself up on all fours, a shameless offer. When he didn't move, she looked back at him. He'd closed his eyes as if in pain, and that confused her.

'I know you only do it this way,' she said softly. 'That's what you told me. It's okay with me. Really.' There was a long silence. 'Zsadist, I want to finish this between us. I want to know you… like this.'

He rubbed his face. She thought he was going to leave, but then he shifted around so he was behind her. His hands fell lightly on her hips and he urged her to one side, onto her back.

'But you only—'

'Not with you.' His voice was rough. 'Not like that with you.'

She opened her legs, ready for him, but he just sat back on his heels.

His breath left on a shudder. 'Let me get a condom.'

'Why? I'm not fertile now, so you don't need one. And I want you to… finish.'

His brows dropped low over his black eyes.

'Zsadist… this hasn't been enough for me. I want to be with you.'

She was about to reach for him when he rose up onto his knees and brought his hands to the front of his running shorts. He fumbled with the drawstring and then pulled the elastic waistband out and down, revealing himself.

Bella swallowed hard.

His arousal was enormous. A perfectly beautiful, rock-solid aberration of nature.

Holy… Moses. Would he even fit?

His hands trembled as he hooked the shorts under the twin weights below his erection. Then he leaned over her body, positioning himself at her core.

When she put her hand out to stroke him, he jerked away. 'No!' As she recoiled, he cursed. 'I'm sorry… Look, just let me take care of it.'

He moved his hips forward and she felt the head of him, blunt and hot, against her. His hand came behind one of her knees and he stretched her leg up; then he pushed inside a little, then a little farther. As sweat bloomed over his entire body, a dark scent reached her nose. For a moment, she wondered if…

No, he couldn't be bonding with her. It wasn't in his nature.

'God… you're tight,' he croaked. 'Oh… Bella, I don't want to tear you up.'

'Keep going. Just be slow.'

Her body surged under the pressure and the stretching. Even as ready as she was he was an invasion, but she loved it, especially as his breath exploded out of his chest and he shuddered. When he was all the way in, his mouth fell open, his fangs elongating from the pleasure he felt.

She ran her hands up his shoulders, feeling the muscles and the warmth of him.

'This all right?' he asked through gritted teeth.

Bella pressed a kiss to the side of his neck and swiveled her hips. He hissed.

'Make love to me,' she said.

He moaned and started to move like a great wave on top of her, that thick, hard part of him stroking the inside of her.

'Oh, shit…' He dropped his head into her neck. His rhythm intensified, his breath shooting out of him, rushing into her ear. 'Bella… shit, I'm scared… but I can't… stop…'

With a groan he propped himself up on his arms and let his hips swing freely, each thrust nailing against her, pushing her farther up on the bed. She grabbed for his wrists to hold her body in place under the onslaught. As he pounded, she could feel herself getting near the edge again, and the faster he went, the closer she got.

Her orgasm slammed into her core, then raced throughout her body, the force of it stretching her out so she was infinitely long and infinitely wide. The sensations lasted forever, the contractions of her inner muscles grabbing onto the part of him that penetrated her.

When she was back in her own skin again, she realized he was unmoving, completely frozen above her. Blinking away tears, she looked into his face. The hard angles of it were tense, and so was the rest of his body.

'Did I hurt you?' he asked tightly. 'You cried out. Loudly.'

She touched his face. 'Not from pain.'

'Thank God.' His shoulders eased as he exhaled. 'I couldn't bear to hurt you like this.'

He kissed her softly. And then he withdrew and got off the bed, yanking up the shorts as he went into the bathroom and closed the door.

Bella frowned. Had he finished? He'd seemed fully erect as he'd withdrawn.

She slid out of bed and looked down. When there was nothing on the inside of her thighs, she drew on the robe and went after him, not even bothering to knock.

Zsadist's arms were propped on the sink, his head hanging low. He was breathing uneasily and looked fevered, his skin slick, his stance unnaturally stiff.

'What, nalla,' he said in a hoarse whisper.

She stopped, unsure she'd heard him right. But she had… Beloved. He'd called her beloved.

'Why didn't you…' She couldn't seem to gel the rest of the words out. 'Why did you stop before you…'

When he just shook his head, she went over to him and turned him around. Through the shorts she could see that his arousal was throbbing, painfully rigid. In fact, he looked as if his whole body ached.

'Let me ease you,' she said, reaching for him.

He backed up against the marble wall between the shower and the sink. 'No, don't… Bella—'

She gathered the robe in her hands and started to kneel down at his feet.

'No!' He dragged her up his body.

She met him right in the eye and went for his waistband. 'Let me do this for you.'

He grabbed her hands and squeezed her wrists until they hurt.

'I want to do this, Zsadist,' she said with strength. 'Let me take care of you.'

There was a long silence, and she spent the time measuring the sorrow and the yearning and the fear in his eyes. A chill shot through her. She couldn't believe the leap of logic her mind was taking, but she had a really vivid impression that he'd never let himself orgasm before. Or was she just jumping to conclusions?

Whatever. It wasn't like she was about to ask him. He was teetering on the brink of bolting, and if she said or did the wrong thing, he was going to tear out of the room.

'Zsadist, I won't hurt you. And you can be in control. We'll stop if it doesn't feel right. You can trust me.'

It was a long time before his grip loosened on her wrists. And then finally he let go and set her back from his body. Haltingly, he pulled down the shorts.

That arousal shot out into the space between them.

'Just hold on to it,' he said with a cracked voice.

'You. I'll hold on to you.'

When she wrapped her palms around him he let out a moan, and his head fell back. God, he was hard. Hard as iron, yet surrounded by skin soft as his lips.

'You're—'

'Shh,' he cut in. 'No… talking. I can't… No talking.'

He began to move in her grip. Slowly at first, and then with increasing urgency. He took her face in his hands and kissed her, and then his body completely took over with a wild pumping. He was going crazy, shooting higher and higher, his chest and hips so beautiful as he moved in that ancient male surging motion. Paster… faster… jerking back and forth…

Except then he reached some kind of plateau. He was straining, the cords of his neck nearly breaking through his skin, his body covered with sweat. But he couldn't seem to let go.

He stopped, panting. 'This isn't going to work.'

'Just relax. Relax and let it happen—'

'No. I need…' He took one of her hands and placed it on the sac below his arousal. 'Squeeze. Squeeze