A hoarse sound came from deep in Blake's throat as he nudged her legs apart. He touched her with the very tip of his manhood and nearly flinched at the pleasure of the contact. She was so hot and willing, and he knew she wanted him, damaged soul and all.
“Oh, Caroline, I'll make this good for you,” he vowed. “I'll bring you such joy. I promise.”
“You already have,” she said softly, then gasped as he began to penetrate her.
He took her slowly, giving her body time to adjust to his size and strength. It was so difficult to hold back when every fiber of his being ached to pound into her, branding her as his own. Something very primitive had been awakened inside him, and he didn't just want to make love to her; he wanted to devour her, possess her, bring her such pleasure that she couldn't even dream of giving herself to another.
But he held back, straining to maintain a gentle touch. She wasn't ready for the ferocity of his desire. She wouldn't understand it. And he cared too much to frighten her.
He cared.
It was a stunning revelation, and his entire body froze.
“Blake?”
He'd known he liked her, he'd known he desired her. But it had taken this moment of intimacy to realize that his emotions were far more intense. He, who had thought that he'd lost the power to feel anything deeply, had been touched by this woman, and—
“Blake?”
He looked down.
“Is something wrong?”
“No,” he said, a touch of wonder in his voice. “No. As a matter of fact, I think that everything might actually be just right.”
A hint of a smile graced her lips. “What do you mean?”
“I'll tell you later,” he said, worried that this magical feeling might disappear if he examined it too closely. “But for now…”
He pushed forward. Caroline gasped.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked.
“No. It's just that—I feel so, well, full somehow.”
Blake let out a shout of laughter. “I'm not even halfway there,” he said with an amused smile.
Her mouth fell open. “You're not?”
“Not yet,” he said solemnly. “Although this”—he pressed forward, the motion bringing exquisite friction to them both—“does bring me a little closer.”
She gulped. “Only closer? Not all the way there?”
He smiled slowly and shook his head. “Of course if I did this”—he gave his hips a tiny thrust—“I'd be almost there.”
“But did you—Am I still—”
“—a virgin?” he completed for her. “Technically, I suppose, yes, but as far as I'm concerned, you're mine.”
Caroline swallowed and blinked back tears, barely able to contain her emotions. It was amazing what a simple sentence could do to her. You're mine. Oh, how she wanted that to be true. Forever.
“Make me yours,” she whispered. “In every way.”
She could see in his face how much his restraint was costing him. The night air was chilly, but Blake's brow was beaded with sweat, and the muscular cords of his throat stood out prominently.
“I don't want to hurt you,” he said, his voice straining against itself.
“You won't.”