“Sorry, my foot fell asleep,” she said. “Um, Gabriel?”
Her sweet scent wrapped around him, and the way her soft body pressed against him sent him into a frenzy. When his erection brushed up against her, she gasped in shock.
“God, woman, I can only control myself so much,” he growled. “Let me kiss you again. Please.”
She took in a sharp inhale of breath. “Gabriel … I thought you’d never ask.”
Fuck. Yes.
He took her mouth hungrily as a possessive streak he’d never felt before swept through him. It was like he wanted to brand her with his lips so she would never forget him. The intensity of his kiss would probably have scared off a lesser woman, but not his mate. No, she responded with equal fervor, mouth devouring his, their tongues dancing and tasting each other.
Her hips ground against his, brushing against his cock with a delicious friction that made him push against her. He needed her so bad, and he could smell her arousal and wetness.
She let out a yelp when he sat up and lifted her so she could straddle his lap. He captured her mouth again, his fingers fumbling for the front of the shirt.
“Gabriel,” she squeaked, pushing his hand away. “No.”
That single word made him freeze. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “We don’t have to—”
“I can’t … take this off,” she said, her lower lip trembling. “Please, I’m not ready for you to see.”
Oh. He kicked himself mentally. Of course. Her scars. “It’s all right … shh …” He brushed the single tear that streaked down her cheek. “Don’t cry, baby.”
“I … it’s not that I don’t want to,” she said. “I haven’t told you … haven’t prepared you. You might change your mind.”
Nothing under that shirt was going to make him change his mind, but he respected her boundaries. Someday, she would trust him enough to bare everything. “It’s all right. We’ll take it slow.” Slow for him anyway. She wanted him, though, he could smell it. Feel it in his bones. “Do you want to stop?”
She hesitated. “No … but, can we keep the shirt on?”
“Whatever you want, baby.” His hands moved to her waist, then slipped under the shirt to move up higher, creeping up her rib cage until he reached her breasts. “Yes?”
“Mm-hmm,” she hummed, nodding. “You can touch me there.”
His hands cupped her breasts, testing their weight. She wore loose, long-sleeved shirts all the time, so he couldn’t really tell how large they were, but now, he could feel they were quite generous, a handful even for his palms. “God, your tits feel amazing.”
Her eyes blazed as his thumbs found her already-hard nipples. “Gabriel.”
“Does that feel good? You like it when I play with your nipples?”
“Yes.”
The smell of her arousal became stronger, and she rubbed her hips against him. She seemed to enjoy the dirty talk, which was fucking fantastic because he loved it as well.
Releasing one breast, he slipped his free hand between them, cupping her sex. “Jesus, you’re soaked. Is this because of me?”
“Y-yes,” she whimpered, rocking herself against him. “Oh. Oh!”
He flicked a finger at her clit, and she cried out. “Please!”
Not wasting another second, he lifted her off him and scrambled to the floor on his knees. Pushing her back, he spread her knees and moved between them.
“Gabriel.” Her pupils were blown up with desire. “You can’t—”
“I need to taste you, Temperance,” he said, hooking one leg over his shoulder. “Will you let me?”
Her plush lips parted, but she nodded.
“Thank fuck,” he said before diving in. His hands slipped under her curvy ass, hauling her up to his mouth. She let out a surprised yelp, then moaned when his tongue licked a stripe up her wet lips.
Mother of God, she was delicious. Even better than he’d dreamed. Sweet, with that tang of musk that was all her. He lapped up her cream while teasing her folds, making her pant and moan. Jesus, even her cries were music to his ears.
He slipped a finger inside her slickness, then another, his cock twitching as she clenched around the digits. He wanted nothing more than to slip inside her and feel that heat and wetness around him, but he had to control himself. He would earn all of her—her trust, more importantly—before he made love to her.
As he continued to lap and tease her with his tongue and fingers, her breath came in shorter pants, and her hips squirmed against him. Come, he urged silently as he licked and sucked on her little clit. He wanted to feel her pussy clamp around his fingers when she orgasmed.
“Gabriel!” Fingers shoved into his hair, pulling at his scalp. Her body shook, and her walls tightened and spasmed.
Fuck! He looked up at her, watching those plump limps part as she cried out and rode his fingers and lips. He was patient, but he wasn’t a saint. Reaching down, he slipped a hand into his pants and wrapped a hand around his cock. It didn’t take more than a couple of strokes before his come spurted out all over his fingers as he grunted in pleasure. Jesus. Mary. Joseph. And all the saints in heaven. If this was how it was going to be before he even got inside her, he might not survive the real thing.
Temperance whimpered as he slipped his fingers out of her. “Gabriel … did you …”
“Er, yeah.” Wiping his fingers on his pants, he got up and joined her on the couch, gathering her into his arms and cuddling her to him.
“Should I have … helped you?” she asked shyly.
He laughed. “Oh no, baby, I wanted you to enjoy the ride.” He kissed her hair. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. This was all about you, baby.”
She laid her cheek on his shoulder. “I’m sorry—”
“Stop.” He kissed her mouth. “We’ll go with your pace, okay? You don’t have to do anything you’re not ready
