If she told him she'd never seen a man naked before he would think it absurd. But as she stared and marvelled in wonder, she knew he could see the truth of it.
"Touch me," he said, coming to lie at her side. "Let me feel your soft hand wrapped around me."
Grace swallowed as nerves tried to push to the fore. But she was still soaring on the dizzying heights of her release. With trembling fingers she reached out and touched him, growing instantly aroused by the sheer strength and power emanating from within. His skin felt smooth, like a veil of silk shrouding a rod of solid iron and his growl of appreciation gave her the courage she needed.
As he lay back on the bed, she rolled onto her side and studied his reactions to try to find the right rhythm. She stroked him, pulling the skin taut to expose the glistening head. Grace wondered what it would be like to take him in her mouth, and her mind became distracted imagining the taste and sensation.
"Next time," he panted as he covered her hand. "I want you now, Grace."
As she rolled onto her back and his magnificent, sculptured body covered hers, she prepared herself to feel the heavy weight of him pressing her down into the mattress. But his mouth settled on her nipple, lavished them both with equal attention until she was writhing beneath him once more.
Lost in rapturous ecstasy, she'd not noticed him shift position, not until he pushed slowly inside her.
In one long fluid movement, he stretched her, filled her deep, and she grasped his firm buttocks and revelled in the slow grinding movements that sent bolts of pleasure shooting to her core. Elliot quickened the pace, thrust hard as he angled his hips. The motion brought with it the tightening feeling in her abdomen. Only now, she could feel it in every part of her body. Now the muscles clamped around him, squeezing and pulsating, drawing him deeper.
"Elliot."
They were panting, groaning, gasping for breath. She wrapped her legs tightly around him, anchoring him to her. Not wanting to let him go. Sweat trickled down his back. She dug her fingers into the muscled planes, pressed her body close to his as she knew he would soon withdraw.
"Grace … I … holy hell."
He slowed his pace and closed his eyes, his face revealing the pleasure he gleaned from the last few strokes. When he collapsed on top of her, breathless and exhausted, she didn't feel squashed or overwhelmed. She felt happy. Yet her mind soon became occupied with a whole host of thoughts and feelings.
Their joining had been like nothing she had ever experienced before. Fragments of desire still pulsed through her body. She felt connected to Elliot in a way she never thought possible. He had not only claimed her body, but she feared he had claimed her heart and soul, too.
One terrifying question consumed her. Why had he not withdrawn?
"Now do you know what I mean when I promised you release?" he said, drawing her closer to his warm body and rolling onto his side, despite the fact he was still buried inside her. "I assume you found it pleasurable?"
She cuddled into him as a way of banishing all worries from her mind temporarily. "I feel wonderful. I did not know it was possible to experience such a thing."
He chuckled. "You writhe in such a seductive way, and the sweetest moans escape from your lips. It is a wonderful sight to behold."
"As is your face. It lit up the whole room." Knowing she had no option but to ask the next question, she caressed his chest as a distraction. "You know when you want to prevent … when you don't want—"
"I am incapable of fathering a child, Grace," he said as he eased himself out of her and rolled onto his back. "I've been told it is a consequence of my affliction."
A hard lump formed in her throat. It took a moment for her to determine why.
She wanted him, for now, for always. But she wanted children.
"Will it always be that way?" she said, and her voice sounded a little solemn.
"I'm afraid there is no cure. Of that I am certain."
A cold chill breezed over her and she shivered. Was there more to this illness that he hadn't told her?
"You're cold. Let's slide under the sheets and we'll soon have you warm again."
She studied his face as it was difficult to know what he was thinking. "You want to stay in bed for a while?"
"I do." He sounded just as surprised.
Perhaps it was time to touch upon another of her fearful thoughts.
"Is it wise? I … I heard you never touch the same lady twice."
He stared into her eyes, brushed her hair from her face. "For you, I will make an exception."