Her eyes met his again, now darkened to a deep emerald green. Silently, he climbed onto the bed. Kathleen lay back and parted her legs, opening her arms in welcome.
Jack moved over her, lowering himself until he was seated between her thighs and her lush, full breasts pressed against his chest. He held himself there, poised at her entrance, savoring the moment.
“Is breá liom tú,” he whispered. I love you.
“Is breá liom tú.”
“Breathe.”
As air entered her body, so did he. Jack rocked his hips and pressed forward as gently as he could, spearing through her innocence. Her sheath clutched around him, briefly protesting the sudden invasion. Her pearly white fingernails, poised at his shoulders, dug into his skin and pierced him.
After seven years of waiting, it was done. Kathleen was his. If he could have spared her the pain, he would have, but he was also grateful for it, for it meant that no other man would ever receive this precious gift.
“Are you all right?” he whispered, holding himself deep within. Her eyes blinked rapidly once or twice before she smiled.
“Never better.”
He lowered his head and pressed his lips to hers, making love to her mouth as he made love to her body: slowly, and with great care and tenderness.
“Why do you keep stopping?” she asked one of the several times he’d had to pause. He made the most of the time by fondling her breasts, rasping his calloused hands over her stiff nipples, trailing kisses beneath her jaw.
“Impatient, Mrs. Callaghan?” he chuckled.
“A little,” she admitted. It was the worry in her voice that penetrated the haze of need. He pulled his mouth away from her collar bone and looked into her face. “Look at me, Kathleen.”
Her lashes fluttered, then opened as she met his eyes. He was stunned by what he saw there – love, yes, but also doubt and worry. “What is it, Kathleen?”
“Why aren’t you...?”
She couldn’t say the words. It took him a few moments to understand, and when he did, he was floored. “My sweet, beautiful bride. I have never felt anything as good as being inside you. Ever. It is precisely for that reason that I have to stop.” He smiled wryly. “I don’t want your memories of tonight to include how your new husband lasted less than a minute. Because if I wasn’t forcing myself to stop, that is exactly what would have happened.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. And this first time, I want us to reach paradise together.”
Her arms entwined around his neck. She smiled and pulled him back for a kiss, wrapping her legs around his waist, resting her heels on his ass. At the same time, she tilted her hips upward, deepening his penetration.
“Then let’s be getting on with it.”
He loved her smart, sassy mouth. “Yes, ma’am.”
Obediently he began moving inside her, anxious to put his words into action. He pumped with slightly more force than before, rolling his hips to maximize her pleasure. He knew he’d found just the right spot when she sucked in a breath and tightened her hold.
“Look at me, Kathleen,” he breathed. “I want to see your face when I come inside you.”
She moaned, but did as he commanded. All too soon he felt the pressure building again. He clenched his teeth, determined to bring her with him. When her lips parted and her nails scored his back, he increased the speed and power of his strokes. He hoped to hell she was as close as he thought she was, because there was no stopping now.
Kathleen’s mouth opened on a silent scream as her body arched beneath him. Thank God. He released the tether on his control and gave himself over to her, thrusting once, twice and then exploding in a burst of light.
He held on tight, surrendering to her as her body assumed control, squeezing around him, drawing forth everything he had. White hot heat pulsed out from him and into her, and it was better than anything he had imagined.
Pushing her hair away from her face, he looked down to find her features softened in ecstasy. “You okay?”
“Better than okay,” she purred. “I’m so glad you waited for me.”
“I’ll always wait for you,” he promised. He rolled to the side, pulling her with him so they remained joined. He wasn’t sure he’d ever let her go.
“Can we stay here for a little?” she asked sleepily, her voice was thick with satisfaction.
Jack tucked her head against his neck, “Of course we can stay.”
“Good,” she mumbled. “We’ll get an early start in the morning...”
Chapter Twelve
“What time is it?” Kathleen asked groggily. “And what are you doing all the way over there?”
“About nine,” Jack chuckled, pleased that she seemed a bit miffed with him for leaving their marriage bed. “And I’m throwing a few more logs on the fire.”