“I’ve got you, Taylor,” he whispered as he kissed the hollow below her ear.
“T-that was...amazing,” she said, trying to catch her breath.
“I wanted to make sure you experienced some degree of pleasure this first time,” he said, smiling. “That’s just a glimpse of the way it will feel when we make love again.”
Her chest swelled with emotion. Lane was one of the most giving men she’d ever known and she couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it before now.
Placing her hands on his lean cheeks, she kissed him. “Thank you, Lane.” She felt his body stir against her leg and she knew his need was as great as hers had been.
“I’m going to love you now,” he said, reaching beneath his pillow for the foil packet. He quickly removed the condom, arranged their protection, then nudged her knees apart and rose over her. “I promise I’ll be as gentle as I can, babe.”
“I know,” she said, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the unknown.
“Open your eyes, Taylor,” he commanded as he positioned himself to enter her.
When she did as he directed, the look on his face caused her body to tingle and her heart to beat double time. He eased his body forward with such tenderness in his expression that she was robbed of the ability to think, much less worry about any discomfort she might feel.
As his blunt tip slowly slid into her, Lane held her gaze with his. When he breached her barrier, she barely noticed. So caught up in the moment was she that she only experienced mild discomfort when he sank into her completely and gathered her to him.
Kissing her, he asked, “Are you okay?”
She nodded. The renewed desire filling her due to the intimacy they were sharing rendered her speechless.
“I’d like to give you more time to adjust.” His voice sounded strained and she could hear the toll his restraint was taking on him. “But I’ve wanted you since the night we met, babe.”
“And I want you again, too,” she admitted softly.
“I’ll try to be gentle,” he said as he began to rock softly against her.
She immediately responded and in no time, Taylor felt herself climbing toward the pinnacle of fulfillment. But this time the feeling was different. Having Lane deep inside of her, his body coaxing hers to join him in the wonderment of the moment, was her undoing. Clinging to him to keep from being lost, she gave in to the need he created within her. Once again, she experienced the amazement of complete release.
A moment later, she felt Lane grow still before he thrust into her one final time. As he groaned her name, his body pulsed and she knew he had found his own relief from the delicious tension.
When he collapsed on top of her, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him to her. She had never met anyone as selfless as Lane or as patient. He had done everything he possibly could to make her first time a pleasurable experience. And at no small cost to himself. She’d seen the strain on his handsome face and knew he had put off his own satisfaction until she could find hers.
“Are you okay?” he asked when he finally raised his head. “I tried not to—”
“Really, I’m fine,” she interrupted. “That was wonderful.” She kissed his shoulder. “You were wonderful.”
Levering himself to her side, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him. “Thank you.”
“What for?”
“For trusting me to be the first man to touch you and make love to you,” he said, sounding as if he truly meant what he said.
With her head pillowed on his shoulder, she kissed his lean jaw. “I’m glad I waited,” she admitted. She started to add that she was glad she had waited for him, but the thought startled her.
Why had she given herself to him? Why had she been willing to trust Lane with her body when she still wasn’t entirely certain he hadn’t somehow manipulated her grandfather?
In her heart, she knew why she had given herself to Lane after resisting temptation for years. Making love with him had felt natural and right. She didn’t want to think about what that might mean. She wasn’t sure she was ready for the answers.
But as she drifted off to sleep, she knew that if she was honest with herself, she would have to admit she was starting to fall for Lane and there didn’t seem to be anything she could do to stop it. More importantly, she didn’t really want to.
Seven
The following morning when Lane came downstairs for breakfast, he didn’t hesitate to walk up behind Taylor, wrap his arms around her waist and kiss the hollow beneath her ear. “How are you feeling this morning?” he asked, loving the way her lithe body felt aligned with his.