Stay. Stay and prove to me that—'
'Prove to you that I want you more than I've ever wanted another woman? Prove to you that you're all that matters to me?' He turned around slowly, knowing that once he faced her there would be no turning back, knowing exactly what he was going to do and how he was going to prove himself to her. He prayed that he had the willpower to be the man Addy needed tonight.
She looked at him with big, hungry eyes, the expression on her face a mixture of longing and uncertainty. 'I don't want to disappoint you.'
He threaded his fingers through her hair, then gripped the back of her neck. 'Don't you know that there's no way you can disappoint me? Just be yourself, Addy. Be the warm, loving and sensitive woman you are.'
'What if—if—'
He moved his hand down her back to her waist, hauling her up against him. The sound of her indrawn breath when her soft body met his hard arousal fueled his hunger, increasing his determination to give this woman—his woman—unforgettable pleasure. 'We're going to take things slow, Red. Slow and easy. I'm going to touch you and you're going to touch me, and we're going to make each other burn.'
Gerald had always been in a hurry to find a quick release, never caring whether or not he gave her any pleasure. 'But you're already aroused. You won't want to wait.'
'That's where you're wrong.' He touched her lips with his, but didn't actually kiss her. She sighed into his mouth. He drew in her sweet breath, running the tip of his tongue across her bottom lip. 'I've never wanted anything the way I want you. Making love is best when it's not rushed, when you take your time and savor every delicious moment. Especially the first time.'
'No one has ever
Gut-wrenching pain twisted his insides. He vowed that he would never hurt her, no matter how much he had to suffer. He would give Addy what no man had ever given her—
'But, Nick, I don't know how. What if—'
He kissed her, a gentle yet thorough kiss. Withdrawing his mouth from hers, he said, 'Sometimes it's better not to talk so much. Stop talking, stop thinking and start feeling.'
He walked her, backwards, toward the bed. His big hand never left her waist, his arousal stayed pressed against her belly and his lips kept brushing hers as the two of them moved slowly, inch by inch, making their way across the room.
Nick leaned his cane against the nightstand, then took Addy by the shoulders, carefully sliding her kimono down her arms and off her body. He tossed it to the floor. 'I love the way your body is made, Red. All long and lean and sexy.'
'I'm not—' She saw the look in his eyes, that look that said she'd better not disagree with him. 'I've never thought of myself as sexy.'
'You're the sexiest thing I've ever seen.' He placed his hands on her upper arms, moving his fingers in gentle caresses downward, stopping at her fingertips. Slipping his fingers between hers, he stroked her.
She leaned into him, sighing at the unexpected pleasure his seemingly innocent touch created within her. 'Nick?'
He ran his hands up and over her back, pausing briefly before cupping her buttocks. 'You've got such a tiny waist and such a firm, tempting little butt.'
He'd told her to stop talking and start feeling, but he hadn't stopped talking, and every word he said was driving her crazy. Did he know what he was doing to her? Was he aware of how arousing his words were?
Lowering his head, Nick took one tight, little nipple into his mouth while he continued kneading her derriere. Addy moaned when spirals of heated sensation darted outward and downward, pulling on her femininity, plucking the strings of a heretofore unknown passion. Instinctively, she raised her leg, brushing it against his, rubbing him intimately. He slipped his hand beneath her chemise, touching her stomach, then easing around to cup her naked behind.
For one heart-stopping moment, Nick thought he was going to lose it. All he could think about was ramming himself into her, seeking and finding the sheathing heat of her body, emptying himself and gaining relief for his unbearable ache. 'I want to see you, all of you.'
When he tugged her chemise upward, Addy placed her hands over his, momentarily halting him. 'You'll think I'm skinny, that my breasts are too small, that my freckles are ugly.'
'Damn!' Nick spit out.
Addy pulled away from him. He reached out, jerking her to him, taking her mouth with bruising force as he thrust his tongue inside her welcoming warmth. Heaven. That's what it was to be inside her. Sheer heaven. She didn't resist the fury of his kiss or the roughness of his hands as they skimmed her body, finally pulling her chemise up and over her head.
With his lips still touching hers, Nick gave her a gentle shove backward, tumbling her onto the bed. He came down with her, half on top of her, half beside her. 'I'm not your ex-husband, Red. I'm no fool. I know that having a woman like you to care for me is worth ten times whatever money your daddy has in the bank.'
Tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away with the tips of her fingers. She lay there totally naked, Nick's big, aroused body partially covering her. 'Look at me, Nick, and tell me what you see. And, please, don't—don't pretend.'
Raising himself on one elbow, he gazed down at her, then swallowed hard. Addy McConnell was as sleek and lean as the most prized thoroughbred. Her arms and legs were long and covered with a light dusting of copper freckles. Her hips flared slightly away from her minuscule waist. Her breasts were small, but high and firm, topped with golden coral nipples. And the hair between her legs was as fiery red as the curls framing her pretty face. 'You're beautiful, Addy. I've never seen anything more beautiful.'
'Oh, Nick.' She reached out, opening her arms and her heart. She believed he meant what he said. He really did think she was beautiful.
'And your freckles are gorgeous. As a matter of fact, I've had more than one fantasy about kissing every freckle on your body.' He kissed each one on her face. 'You've got a lot of freckles, Addy. It could take me hours to taste all of them.'
She didn't know how long it took Nick to accomplish the task. Eventually she lost track of time, giving herself over completely to the hedonistic upheaval going on in her body. She'd never known that a man could give so freely, titillating a woman with his hands and mouth as if he wanted nothing more than to please her.
Addy's breasts became so sensitized that even Nick's breath on them sent chills of agonized longing through her. When he took her into his mouth, she cried out, writhing beneath him, pushing herself upward, begging for relief from the excruciating pressure building in the core of her body. While he continued to suckle her, he slipped his hand between her thighs. She opened for him. He slid two fingers inside her, testing her. She bucked upward, crying and groaning, pleading with him.
'Easy, Red, easy. I'm going to take good care of you.' His fingers sought and found the pleasure point hidden within her.
With a steady, gentle pressure, he massaged her, all the while his mouth tugged greedily on one of her breasts and his thumb and forefinger pinched at her other puckering nipple. He could feel her body tightening. 'That's it, Red, let it happen. Don't hold back. Give in to what you're feeling.' When the first spasm hit her, Nick increased the speed and pressure of his fingers, bringing her to the pinnacle, intensifying her pleasure. She screamed, her voice a ragged, tormented cry of release. He soothed her trembling body, kissing her closed eyelids, her nose, her open mouth.
When her heartbeat slowed and she was able to breath again, she opened her eyes and looked up at him. 'I've never … you made me—oh, Nick.'
He took her mouth as he longed to take her body. But it was too soon. She wasn't ready, despite the fact that he'd helped her achieve her first orgasm. He couldn't bury himself deep inside and take his own pleasure. That was not the way to prove himself to Addy. But, dammit all, he had to take just a little something for himself, enough to keep him from going totally insane.
Lifting himself up, he sat on the edge of the bed and pulled off his jeans. Beneath, he wore a pair of black briefs. Hesitating, he considered the consequences if he went ahead and stripped naked, if he disregarded the inner voice that warned him against such foolishness. With one quick jerk, he pulled the briefs down and off, then turned
