He knew she felt pain, for her lips parted for an instant as she grimaced. But then suddenly she clenched her teeth and arched her hips, bravely thrusting against him to split the barrier that was denying him entrance, impaling herself on his shaft.
Niall felt his heart stop. The poignancy of the gesture was shattering to him. Yet all he could do was wait till the pain subsided. When she squeezed her eyes shut, he gently kissed her lids, her brow, the curve of her cheek, murmuring sweet unintelligible words, telling her it was all right, that the hurt would go away.
Protecting her from his full weight, he lay inside her, intoxicated by a restless passion. The heavy, throbbing sensation of his flesh was a fierce ache that clawed at him. For the sake of her sensibilities, however, he kept his hunger tightly leashed.
He could feel when her tautness eased a little. She was growing accustomed to the alien intrusion.
“Better?” The question was soft, muted, and she answered in kind, a breathy little rasp.
“Yes…I…think so.”
“Let me know when you feel well enough to proceed.”
“There…is more?”
“Oh, yes, much, much more. But the worst is over, I promise you. The rest is only pleasure.”
“I seem to recall you said that before.”
“If I shielded you from the stark truth, it was to ease your fear.”
Sabrina could feel the feather touch of his lips on her throat. She drew a deep breath. “You…may proceed.”
“I am in no hurry, cherie,” he lied. “We have the entire night together. We can take this slowly. And you are in control.”
“I? But…I don’t know what to do.”
“Move your hips a little.”
She moved against him experimentally. Her pulse leaped when it seated his shaft more fully within her.
“What did you feel?”
A flicker of fire, Sabrina wanted to answer, though she didn’t quite know how to express it.
He saw her confusion and smiled. With infinite care, he increased the pressure of his sinewed granite thighs, fitting his body even more closely as he filled her.
“I want you,” he murmured huskily.
Sabrina felt a searing sweetness at his tantalizing words. He moved his hips then and withdrew slowly, stroking her with his long length. Sabrina gasped.
“Did that hurt?”
“N-No.” Somewhere between the first wild heartbeat and the second the pain had disappeared and excitement had taken its place.
“Do you want me to stop?”
“No.” Her breathless whisper was an imperative. After a consoling pause, he thrust again, progressing slow inches at a time into her lush, heated interior.
He felt her velvet tremors clutch his manhood.
“Yes…that’s it…love. Give in to it. Let me feel your pleasure.”
“I cannot…” she whispered hoarsely, yearning for something unfathomable, just out of reach.
“Aye, you can.”
Obligingly, he began moving gently inside her, pampering, coddling, arousing her with ten