without his cooperation; she only needed to overcome his lifetime of hard fought training and deeply held beliefs to achieve it.
The Beast, pouring himself a goblet of wine, climbed into the bed. It was a measure of his lack of regard for Beauty that he simply didn’t consider offering some to her.
Drinking deeply, he turned to her and asked gruffly, “What do they call you, lass?”
Beauty struggled not to shrink away from him, but she was nervous in spite of herself. “They call me Beauty, M’lord.”
“It suits you, lass,” he grinned and reached out for her. “But I doubt it’s your given name.”
In spite of herself, she shrank slightly from his reach. Her trembling increased and she seemed to shrink back into the mattress.
“Breaking your word already?” the Beast growled. “You said you’d be willing and loving.”
“I am,” Beauty protested softly, “but I am also still nervous, M’lord. Even a true bride on her wedding night is entitled to be a little timid. I know nothing of the things that happen between a man and a woman in bed. I don’t know what you expect me to do, or what you want to do to me. Please, M’lord, be just a wee bit patient and show me what you want of me so that I can please you. You made me very happy today when you released my brother. Let me do the same for you.”
Without a word, the Beast stretched out his arm and pulled her over to him. His action was not as rough as it was before but it was implacable and there was no escape. Instinctively, Beauty reached out her small, work-roughened hand and placed it on his chest. She stared into his eyes and gently rubbed a small circle on his chest, feeling the slight coarseness of the light covering of dark hair.
“What do you want me to do, M’lord?” she whispered softly. “What pleases you?”
“Your hand, touching me, pleases me.” The Beast was surprised at the answer that came out of his own mouth. “Have you never touched a man in such a way before, lass?”
When Beauty silently shook her head, the Beast lay back and relaxed slightly, reining himself in and forcing himself to hold back his desires for just a minute. He decided to slow down a bit, even though he was more than ready. He would let this sprite of a girl-woman get to know him just a little before he took her. He wasn’t being weak or kind, his mind whispered defending his decision to himself, he was simply prolonging his own moment of pleasure.
“Then, lass, feel free to explore,” he whispered as he cupped her hand with his own and dragged it softly along down his body.
“Truly, M’lord?” Beauty was shyly pleased in spite of her fears.
“Truly,” the Beast grinned at her, already finding her timid willingness strangely touching. “I’ll bear up under it somehow.”
Beauty tried to ignore the quiver she felt, seeing him grin. She stroked his hard chest with her delicate hands, exploring and tracing his old wounds and his firm muscles. She delighted in the hard contours and light furring of his chest. She rubbed one finger lightly over one of his nipples and felt his body jerk in reaction.
“Is that bad, M’lord? Did I do something wrong? I’m truly sorry.” Alarmed, she looked up into his face, afraid that he might be displeased with her actions.
The Beast clenched his jaw, “No lass, do not be sorry. It feels very good, almost too good. Pray continue.” He finally smiled and said a word he had seldom used before. “Please.”
Slightly reassured, she returned her attention to his chest. With one small hand she was once more touching one of his nipples and flicking her thumb over its nub.
The Beast found himself fighting for control over his body and his urges but he also realized he was actually enjoying the sensations she roused in him.
Beauty kept up her sensual exploration, her hands moving ever so slowly downward. She teased his navel, explored his hips and muscled abdomen before going ever lower, and even encountered the thick thatch of dark curls below his waist.
She paused before she finally teased the wiry curls but she carefully avoided touching his erect manhood until the Beast quickly took her hand in his and firmly guided it to him, showing her the motion he hungered so much to feel. She blushed as she felt the length and thickness of his fully erect penis. As she slid her hand along its length, she marvelled at the texture of it, the soft skin covering the hard muscle inside.
“It’s so big! Doesn’t it get in your way?” she asked, completely without guile. “All hard and sticking up like that?”
In spite of himself, and for the first time in a long time, the Beast laughed openly. “It’s not like that all the time, lass, only when I’m ready for a woman.”
The timid, sensual stroking continued for a moment before the Beast continued in a tight voice, “Lass, if you truly want to please me, you should know one thing: Any place you explore with your hands, you can also explore with your mouth.”
Beauty blushed furiously but she mumbled, “As M’lord wishes.”
Gingerly she lowered her mouth to his chest, shyly licking and kissing him. Remembering his reaction to the touch of her hand on his nipple, she gently licked at the nub with her tongue before nipping it. Her hands were still stroking his erect manhood.
Suddenly, the stroking of her hands and the gentle touch of her mouth was too much for the Beast to bear. With a low growl, he signalled that her brief respite was at an end. He ripped the thin gown from her and rolled over on top of her without a word and used his knee to spread her legs apart. He entered her quickly and roughly, ignoring her scream of anguish.
She felt a pain like she’d never felt before as he shredded her virginity. He used no care or finesse with her. He thrust hard and fast with no thought of tenderness or mercy. He thought only of his own pleasure. She held onto him with all her meagre strength, determined not to cry out again as he rode her roughly until he climaxed and collapsed in a heavy heap on top of her. In spite of herself, she wept softly, too spent and too hurt to even attempt to hide her tears.
“You didn’t know it was going to be so hard to keep your bargain, did you my little lass?” the Beast muttered against her neck, softly taunting. “Have ye no mother? No sisters? Did no one ever tell you that the first time for a woman could be very painful?”
In spite of his taunting words, he held her gently and stroked her hair with a tenderness that would have shocked him if he’d only realized it. Almost against her will, she relaxed slightly in his arms.
“No, M’lord, my mother is very ill and I have no sisters,” Beauty replied softly. Then she looked up at the Beast and asked shyly, hopefully, “Only the first time?”
“I know it gets easier, that the bleeding stops and the sharp tearing pain is gone after the first time, but there may be some tenderness for a while,” the Beast told her softly. Then he surprised both of them by adding, “I’ve never kept a woman around long enough to find out if she ever comes to fully enjoy it as much as I do, but I’ve heard rumours that some women do.”
“Would the women who come to enjoy mating be sluts, M’lord?” Beauty asked. “Or whores? Or do decent women ever come to enjoy it?”
“I know not for sure, but ’tis probably not the common sluts
