Troubled dark eyes held hers for the longest time. Until finally, with a guttural whisper of something she couldn’t catch, he knelt over her again.
Wide shoulders blocked off the room as the heat of his body blanketed her, but she kept her eyes on his, willing him on. His touch was light, each movement careful, so that when he took her again it was in slow motion, allowing her to absorb and revel in each incredible sensation. On and on it went, till Angelo and she lay together as one.
This time it felt amazing.
‘No pain?’ His voice was gruff.
‘None at all.’ She frowned, trying to find the words. ‘It feels strange but not bad.’
Angelo grimaced, his laugh tight, and she realised he was probably used to more wholehearted compliments.
‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—’
‘Don’t be sorry. You’re being truthful. That’s what matters.’
Ally saw that he meant it. Despite the grim look on his face and the aura of ruthlessly shackled energy that she supposed came from holding back. For her.
It was a reminder that he’d already given her one release but he’d had none. As simple as that, she discovered that she wanted to give him pleasure as much as she wanted it for herself.
Ally smiled up into that serious face, smoothed her hands over his shoulders and tugged him closer.
‘Make love to me, Angelo. Please.’
What came next was a revelation. That a man so large and powerful could be so tender and careful shouldn’t surprise her, yet again and again Ally found herself stunned by his consideration. And his capacity for discovering erogenous zones she hadn’t known existed.
His every movement was slow and deliberate, calculated to delight.
It wasn’t just what Angelodideither. The very act of holding him close thrilled her. So did the occasionally harsh sound of his breathing and his sighs of approval as she discovered some of the places where he was sensitive.
Inhaling his scent, rich with citrus, pepper and cedar, excited her. As did the taste of his skin. Ally couldn’t get enough of him, kissing, licking, even nipping gently with her teeth, to be rewarded with the sight and feel of this big, powerful man shuddering with pleasure.
When he moved inside her it seemed as if the world shifted too, so profound and amazing were the sensations Angelo evoked.
Until suddenly she was clinging to him, panting for breath, feeling the rise of something inside that was both inevitable and all-consuming.
‘Come for me,cara.’
Angelo’s words caressed her cheek before he gently bit down on her earlobe, and suddenly she was arching her back, matching his rhythm with a desperation that wiped everything from her mind.
‘Angelo!’
Her voice was a broken cry as she convulsed around him.
A second later, as if he’d been waiting for her, his movements altered. The slow, easy glide becoming a charged drive into pleasure.
They clung, bodies striving, as the world burst apart and enveloped her in bliss. She’d experienced sexual release a short time ago but this was more intense, more profound, and far more than she’d expected.
When Ally came back to herself she was wrapped in Angelo’s arms, his head in the curve of her neck, his breath humid on her flesh and his chest heaving. She loved the feel of him slumped there and wrapped her arms around him. Her heart was pounding and so was his. She felt it hammering behind his ribs.
A moment later he muttered something in a low, voiceless rumble and lifted himself off her.
Ally couldn’t stop a muffled protest at the idea of him moving away. At least he only rolled onto his back beside her, his body touching hers all the way down her side.
She drew a shaky breath and tried to comprehend what had just happened. It had been stunning, not just physically but emotionally. Instinctively she shied from examining her feelings too closely because she feared what they might reveal.
She was groping for something to say when Angelo levered himself up from the bed and strode into the en suite bathroom without a word.
Ally frowned. But what had she expected? Kind words?