He lifted his head and watched himself part the fabric of her robe. She caught a glimps
e of his rigid features before he lowered his head, pressing his mouth to her belly. She gasped, her hands flying to his head, her fingers twining in his thick, damp hair. His hands smoothed down the sides of her torso, pausing in the caress to lift her to his mouth. His head moved. He covered her belly and ribs with burning kisses and small, tender bites that left her gasping and her flesh tingling.
Natalie felt herself melting into the mattress, melting beneath Liam’s stroking hands and hungry mouth. Her breasts thrust upward, her nipples pulling tight in pleasure. His hands shifted to her back and he raised her farther, her back arching off the bed. She cried out in pleasure when his mouth transferred to her breasts. Her sex clenched tight with rising need as he rained kisses over sensitive flesh and then slipped a nipple between his lips.
He drew on her so sweetly, Natalie’s plea was almost harsh.
He rose over her at the sound, a long leg covering one of hers, his ribs pressed against her own. He untied the drawstring of his pants. She could feel his lungs working as he panted nearly as rapidly as she did. She felt the remaining barrier of his thin pants fall away, and he reached for the bedside table and found a condom. Wariness flickered through her for a brief few seconds as he put it on, but then Liam lowered over her. He seized her mouth with his own, and smooth, warm, naked skin glided against her tingling flesh in a caress that struck her as divine.
Then she was kissing him back and her hands were worshipping him, her desire every bit as intense as his.
She felt him move, steely male strength against her female softness. He pressed against her and she felt a shock go through his body. She gritted her teeth against a stab of discomfort.
He lifted his head and she saw the look of anguished restraint on his face. She reached for him, tracing his smooth goatee with stroking fingers, wishing she could ease the agony so that only the pleasure remained. Her longing only increased when she realized he probably desired something similar for her.
“It’s okay, Liam. It’s okay,” she whispered.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, but no words came. He flexed his hips, wincing before he dropped his head, bracing himself on his arms. Natalie remained frozen for a moment, trying to accustom herself to the sensation of being filled with Liam, of his flesh fusing with her own.
It was strange.
It was…amazing.
She became aware of his heaving ribs. He lay over her, his arm muscles bulging hard and tight as he held himself off her chest.
She began to burn where they were joined.
She shifted her hips, requiring friction to alleviate the pressure growing in her. Liam groaned gutturally and looked up. She licked her upper lip and tasted sweat.
“I’m sorry,” he mumbled almost unintelligibly.
“Don’t be.”
His throat convulsed. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he croaked, as if he didn’t know which sensation to respond to.
“Liam?”
“Yes?”
“Move. Please,” she implored.
A wild gleam shone in his eyes. He flexed his hips and she gasped. When he paused, thinking she was uncomfortable, Natalie placed her hands on his buttocks and guided him.
His grunt sounded incredulous…wild.
Feeling him move in her was a miracle. Natalie focused on the sensation to the exclusion of all else. Her entire world narrowed to Liam stroking her as she held him in her deepest embrace. She moved with him, knowing this dance instinctively, recognizing this partner at her very core.
When she sensed his tension and heard his erratic breath, she positioned herself to take him deeper, wanting nothing more than to offer him surcease.
“Natalie,” he rasped. He lowered his head, his mouth finding hers as they continued to move in tandem. His possession became more demanding, more frantic. His lips moved against her temple, his breath hot and ragged. Natalie closed her eyelid and felt his kiss on her scar like a benediction conferred in fire.
He gave a low, desperate sounding growl and covered her mouth. She felt him jerk within her, his entire body convulsing. The sensation made a flame rage into an inferno. She clutched his shoulders as she succumbed to the unbearable friction Liam created with every look, every touch, every stroke.
His groan of release penetrated her wave of pleasure, striking her as poignant, beautiful—the essence of male surrender.
Chapter Eleven
They lay so entwined Natalie wasn’t sure where he began and she ended.