‘No, don’t stop...make love to me... Khaled, please.’ The words tumbled out as she lifted her hips, offering herself to him, dragging his head down to hers, kissing him over and over.
‘Not like this. I’ll hurt you,’ he said roughly against her mouth.
‘I don’t care.’
‘But I do.’ He captured a hand and planted a kiss in her palm. ‘Habiba, hush. I’m not going anywhere. But we’re going to take this slowly.’
He swept a tangle of hair from her brow and placed his lips there instead, then over her eyes, across her cheek, soothing her, calming her. He found the tender spot beneath her ear and sucked softly. She shuddered as lust surged through her.
His head went lower and his mouth fastened on her breast, taking a nipple between his teeth. He bit down and Lily moaned.
Warm hands floated along her flank, over her belly then one slid between her thighs.
A gentle exploration at first. Delicate, enticing.
Not enough. She moved against him. A finger slid inside her, then a second, moving gently back and forth until she was slick and juicy and grinding shamelessly into the heel of his hand.
Suddenly his fingers were gone, and in one swift movement he was inside her.
The sharp pain stole her breath, but he held absolutely still, giving her time to adjust to his body inside hers.
‘Okay?’
The look of tender concern melted her heart. She nodded.
He withdrew, then eased himself back into her. And waited.
The tightly corded muscles of his neck told her what this restraint was costing him. But the ache had lessened and the feeling of fullness was...good.
He thrust again. Deeper.
The ache was giving way to a new raft of sensations.
Little tremors racked her as he increased the pace. Waves of pleasure that ebbed and flowed and built higher with every pass of his body inside hers. His hands caressed her, held her, guided her. And his mouth...oh, the glory of his mouth. Against her own, at her neck, on her breasts. She whimpered and sighed and moaned as he took her higher and higher.
She sensed him losing control and loved it. Loved watching his face twist in sweet anguish as pleasure ripped through him, too. Loved how his movements became more urgent, how his fingers curled through hers and clung on. And the storm in his eyes as he held her gaze sent her heart soaring.
All the pain of rejection became meaningless, sunk beneath the wondrous knowledge that she’d brought him to this. To the soul-wrenching groan and the spurt of heat low in her belly as he poured himself into her.
And that was when bright, blinding pleasure overtook her.
On a long, keening cry, Lily threw back her head and convulsed around him.
Khaled lay there, shaken, his heart thundering wildly in his chest. He’d never been like that before at the end. So out of control.
‘Habiba?’He raised his head. ‘I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?’
She brushed her knuckles across his cheek. ‘It’s okay. I’m good.’
He leant into that caress, felt her forgiveness pouring balm over this new guilt, and deep inside a fissure appeared in that older knot of self-loathing.
She began wriggling, squirming to get out from beneath him. He lifted himself up. Let her push him on to his back. Then she knelt beside him, staring at his torso and his sex as if she wanted to devour him. He’d let her.
She moved over him, her glorious hair trailing like silk over his shoulder. She pressed her lips to his collarbone, across his sternum, then took a tight nipple between her teeth.
He groaned. She kissed the little hurt she’d made and sent him the smile of a courtesan.
His fists clenched in the sheets.