She couldn’t stop staring at him and her mouth dried. She reached up and fumbled with the first button on his shirt. Fumbled so badly he stepped back and stripped himself for her. When he moved back close, she saw a massive scar on his upper thigh. The skin was horribly puckered from past trauma.
‘You were hurt,’ she muttered.
‘A long time ago. It’s not sore.’
She reached out before realising it might be too invasive. But they were beyond secrets, right? There was only truth. ‘Do you have any sensation left or feel nothing?’
‘Nothing,’ he said quietly. ‘It’s just a mark.’
She didn’t ask more. Medical histories were deeply personal. Instead she moved her hand higher. To see a big man like him racked by a shiver of need... His eyes were hungry, watching for her touch. Letting her lead. And she did, discovering an intensely luxurious deliciousness in making love to a near stranger. Yet he wasn’t a stranger. Not now. There were things she now knew.
‘You come off cold. But when I touch you—when you touch me—you’resohot,’ she said.
‘I thought it would be good but this...’ He arched, his words morphing into a growl. ‘I need to get protection.’
She’d known he would. He was that sort—not promiscuous necessarily, though maybe, but protective. He would ensure her safety, and of course his own. He was definitely the sort who would protect his own. Always.
She felt the heat in her core as excitement pooled there, even as she felt a qualm at the size of him as he rolled the condom down his length. He glanced up, catching her staring, slack-jawed, at the size of him. He grinned. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re ready.’
She flushed even more. Had he read her mind? And then he moved over her, nudging her legs that little bit further apart to make room for his powerful body.
‘Sweetheart?’ He drew back, suddenly frowning—that fallen angel again. ‘When you said you’d not done this before...did you mean atall?’
Oh, hell—had it been that obvious? She shivered, cold and cross at the loss of contact and the humiliation of her inexperience. ‘I already have too many over-protective people in my life. I don’t need you trying to protect me too.’
His frown didn’t lessen. ‘Are you avirgin?’
Well, he didn’t need to say it as though it was some disease. Emotionally charged, she couldn’t help challenging him. ‘What I am is a fully functional person who can make her own decisions. For herself.’
He silently glared at her.
‘What does it matter whether I’ve slept with one or one hundred men before?’ she added.
‘But it’s not one or one hundred. It’snone.’
She winced. ‘Can we not...?’
‘Tell me your name,’ he interrupted.
She glared back at him. ‘How is that relevant?’
‘My name is Roman. You should know the name of the man you’re giving your virginity to. And I want to know the name of the woman giving her innocence to me. It’s my first time taking this from someone.’
Heat flooded her again and she felt that softening deep in her sex. ‘So you’re not going to stop?’ Oh, it was a desperate whisper.
‘Not unless you want me to.’ He paused, still braced above her. ‘So, if you don’t want me to stop, tell me your name.’
‘Violet.’
‘Really?’ He suddenly smiled. ‘As in a small, pretty flower?’
‘As in the colour of the bruise you’re going to get if you keep patronising me.’
He laughed, then sobered. ‘Are yousureabout this?’
She felt a boldness flow through her. ‘Do I feel sure?’
His jaw locked. ‘You can change your mind any time. Okay?’