He knows a woman’s body the way…somebody knows something. What was I saying?
In truth, he knew her body better than she knew it herself, which was a regrettable state of affairs. Nevertheless, she trembled as she thought of what delights awaited her when he actually moved his hands a little higher.
As if he was reading her mind, he ceased his attentions to her knees and moved his hands up to her thighs, pressing and parting them slightly so he could run his thumbs up and down, pausing before coming to the tops of her stockings. He was trying his best to take his time, making sure that she enjoyed every movement, ensuring that he skipped nothing.
“Gabriel, please don’t sit on the floor.” She reached her hand out to him, and he kissed it.
“The whole evening is a gift. Simply accept it.” A smile tugged at the edge of his oh-so-perfect lips. “St. Francis of Assisi would approve.”
“But I want to make you happy too.”
“You’ve already made me happy, Julia. More than you know. Would it help if I confessed that I’m nervous too?”
“Why would you be nervous?”
“I want to please you. I haven’t been with a virgin since I lost my virginity and that was a long, long time ago. We’re going to take this slowly. I want you to relax and be as comfortable as possible. And if you’re ever—uncomfortable, I want you to tell me. Immediately. Can you do that for me?”
“Of course.”
“I care for you—you’re precious to me. And one of the most precious things to me is your voice. Please tell me what you want, what you need, what you desire…” His voice grew raspy on the final three words, and an involuntary tremor passed through Julia’s body.
She leaned down to press her lips against his. “What I desire is for you to stop kneeling to me, Gabriel. So get up off the floor.” She tried to look fierce, but he simply grinned at her.
Hello, Tiger…
“Give me a minute, and I’ll be right back.” He disappeared into the nearest washroom, and Julia could hear the sounds of the water running in the sink.
He returned momentarily to find her standing up and reaching around to the back of her dress. His hands immediately moved to cover hers.
“I’d like to do that.” His voice was husky.
He unzipped her dress slowly, staring deeply into her eyes. Then he gently pushed the green silk off her shoulders. It made a sighing sound as it floated to the floor, as if it too, had been seduced by him.
Julia stood in an ivory satin slip, whose hem ghosted the top of her gartered black stockings. Gabriel gasped at the sight of her, for she looked like an angel. A brown-eyed angel with dark upswept hair against creamy white skin, wearing an ivory slip over black lace under things. A juxtaposition of virtue and the possibility of eros.
He reached out an explorative finger to touch one of the garters. “I wasn’t expecting this.”
Julia blushed. “I know you didn’t want black, but truthfully, I wasn’t expecting you to see me in these. I thought I was going to change.”
“Hey.” He gently lifted her chin and caressed her colored cheek. “You are stunning. And I never said I didn’t like black. But if you want to change, I’ll wait.”
He gazed down at her expectantly, but she shook her head. She’d waited long enough. She ran her hands up and down his powerful chest before pulling him toward her by his tie. She kissed him deeply and slowly unknotted it, trying to be as sinuous as possible, sliding it around the back of his neck and dropping it unceremoniously to the floor. She attended to the buttons on his shirt, making short work of them and placing it and his T-shirt on top of his tie. While he stood before her, half-naked, she pressed her mouth to his chest, wrapping both arms around his upper back so she could feel the muscles in his shoulders and lower down.
“I can feel your heart beating,” she whispered.
“For you,” he said, with a smoldering expression.
She smiled as she touched his abdominals and waist. His skin was warm, much warmer than hers, and oh, so inviting. Unbuckling his belt and unfastening his trousers was slightly nerve wracking, but he placed a steadying hand over hers and helped her when they refused to cooperate. When he stood in front of her in his boxer briefs, having already kicked off his shoes and socks, she took a deep breath, waited for his nod, and pushed his underwear over his hips.
She took a step backward to admire him. She licked her lips and grinned. Widely. Gabriel was gorgeous.