She was flushed, her eyes a narrow glitter of heaven, her lips open and inviting as she gulped in air. Her breasts strained against the tight bodice and he allowed himself a moment’s diversion. He covered one breast with his hand, feeling her arch into his touch, her nipple a pebbled tease to his palm. He rotated his hand, squeezing gently and she groaned, her eyes slitting shut and her body moving restlessly.
With his other hand Raul was already busy scooping metres of silk up and away to uncover her calves, her thighs. But a man could do two things at once. He ducked his head and kissed her open-mouthed on the breast, drawing lace and silk and her hard little nipple against his tongue.
Her hands clamped his head close and her breath was a hiss of delight. Beneath him she twisted and bucked as if seeking the weight of his body on hers.
He’d never had a woman so wild for him. No games, no subtlety, just a devastating need that matched his own.
Such pure passion was liberating.
Raul let his hand skim up Luisa’s thighs to her panties, pressing hard and discovering damp proof of her need. It was all the encouragement he required.
Seconds later he’d loosened his trousers and freed himself enough to slide his length against her hot apex in a move so arousing he had to pause and gather his scattered wits.
Luisa wouldn’t wait. She circled her hips in hungry little movements that tore at the last vestige of his control.
Propped on one arm, Raul ripped away the delicate fabric of her panties and settled himself on her.
‘Is this what you want?’ His voice was thick, rough with desire and the promise of unsurpassed pleasure.
Azure fire blazed from her eyes. He read passion and something fierce and unfamiliar. But her body eased beneath him. She was enticingly soft, reassuringly strong and vibrating with erotic energy.
She panted for him yet he wanted to hear the words. Why, he had no idea.
He fitted one hand to her upthrust breast and felt her jolt beneath him.
‘Tell me, Luisa.’ He pushed against her, torturing himself as much as her with the luscious friction of body on body. ‘What do you want?’
Her eyes widened and he felt himself sink into their brilliance. She rose, tugging his head down and her mouth took his, greedily, tongue swirling and plunging.
Raul struggled against the force of her ardour and his own pleasure. But it was too much. Too close.
With a muffled groan he gave in and reciprocated, tasting her, almost taming her mouth with his then retreating so the kiss became a mutual give and take of sensual combat.
Using his thighs, he nudged her legs wider and settled himself at her entrance. He slid one hand over blonde downy hair to find the nub of her pleasure. One stroke and she shivered. A second stroke and she shuddered.
‘Raul!’ His name was a tiny, breathless gasp that shattered his fragile control.
A moment later, his mouth claiming hers, he drove inside. Pressure screamed through him as tight, hot, silken walls enclosed him. Tighter than was surely possible. Raul felt her tremble around him, her raised thighs quaking against his hips.
Stunned, he made to draw back but Luisa fastened her hands in his hair and kissed him with a desperation that made his head swim. Or was that from the relief of finally being sheathed in her body?
She wrapped her legs around him and he sank deeper, lodging fully in exquisite pleasure. He braced himself as the trembling spread from her body to his, making his nape prickle and every muscle quake with tension.
It was no good. Stillness was impossible. Clamping his hands on her hips, he slid back, seeing stars behind closed eyelids as sensation rushed through him.
Another second and he thrust again, harder, longer, as he gave in to the force of a desire that had ridden him ever since that night in Paris.
‘I’m sorry. I can’t …’ His words were swallowed by the roar of blood pounding in his ears.
Dimly he heard a cry rend the air. Luisa convulsed around him, tearing at his strength and his consciousness as he lost himself in delight.
Frantically his body pumped, driven by a force so strong only Luisa’s gasps anchored him to reality. His movements crescendoed, wringing out every last vestige of white-hot pleasure, till, with lungs bursting and the world spinning away, Raul sank into oblivion.
Despite his weight on her, Luisa felt as if she were floating. Echoes of incredible pleasure shimmered through limbs taut with the aftershock of tension.
Finally she gathered the strength to move a fraction and let her legs, impossibly heavy, sink to the cushioned mattress. She felt the hint of an ache in untried muscles but even that felt satisfying. Her arms clasped Raul tight. She could barely breathe but the feel of him blanketing her was … comforting.
Stunned, she thought about opening her eyes, but the notion of reality intruding on the single most remarkable experience of her life stopped her.
Even now she couldn’t put a name to the feelings that had burst out of nowhere when she’d confronted Raul at their wedding reception. Or when he’d dared her to make love with him. No … have sex with him.
She swallowed, trying to ignore the strange winded sensation in the region of her heart.
If that was having sex, what would making love be like?
How could something so glorious have come out of such turbulent emotions?
Luisa waited for shame to engulf her. For regret that she’d given herself to a man who, though her husband, didn’t truly care for her, didn’t love her.
Yes, there was regret. Sadness that she’d never know what it was like to be with a man she loved and who loved her.
Yet she couldn’t hide from the fact that with Raul she’d felt … different, glorious, powerful. The words didn’t do justice to the sensation of soaring, of life and excitement and pleasure bubbling through her veins when they’d come together. Even when they argued it was there, a hidden promise that egged her on to defy him.
What did it mean? Luisa’s brow knotted as she tried to work through her feelings. But she was too dazed by the enormity of what had just happened. Thinking was too hard when simply lying here with Raul was so wonderful.
A knuckle gently grazed her brow. ‘Don’t frown. It’s not the end of the world.’
Luisa’s eyes snapped open and she found herself staring into Raul’s face. He looked as perplexed as she felt. A lock of dark hair tumbled over his brow, making him seem younger, more approachable. Her hand itched to brush it from his forehead but, despite what they’d just shared, the act seemed too intimate.
He moved, easing his weight onto his elbow, and she flushed, realising they were still joined intimately. She looked away but he turned her head towards him.
‘You didn’t tell me.’
‘Tell you what?’ The lovely lax feeling of contentment vanished and her muscles tensed.
‘That you hadn’t done this before.’ His beautiful mouth twisted.
Had it been that obvious? While the passion lasted it hadn’t mattered to Luisa. All that counted was her need and the fact that Raul reciprocated with equal urgency. Had he been disappointed? Her stomach dived.
‘Does it matter?’ She kept her gaze fixed on his mouth rather than his knowing eyes.
His lips thinned. ‘Of course it mattered. I would have made sure it was better for you.’
Her gaze flew up, colliding with an intense green stare. It was on the tip of her tongue to ask how it could possibly be better, but she managed to stop herself.
At the memory of what they’d done Luisa breathed deep, internal muscles clenching. To her shock she felt an answering throb inside as Raul stirred. His mouth tipped into a smile that was rueful and devastatingly glorious and Luisa’s heartbeat picked up speed.