like miles. His head was hanging down, his breath whistling between his clenched teeth, his eyes tightly closed.
“Blake?” Emma spoke softly. “What’s wrong?”
He raised his head, opening his eyes to look at her. Her face was filled with confusion. He still held tightly to her shoulders, nearly bruising her with his grip.
“Emma, I need to ask you something,” he said, his voice harsh in the silence.
She looked at him, desperate for some clue as to what she had done to stop him, waiting anxiously for his question.
Blake took a deep breath, bracing himself for the answer he knew he would get before he even asked.
“Emma, are you still virgin? Have you ever been with a man?”
Emma blushed deeply, looking away and trying to pull herself from his grip. He refused to release her and when she tried again to free herself by twisting sideways he shook her gently and forced her to turn back to him.
“Emma, answer me, please!”
Her eyes were filled with tears when she finally looked up.
“What does it matter?” she asked, her voice filled with despair. ‘It’s mine to do what I want to with. I never realized it would be such a turn off!”
“Oh Emma,” he said softly as he pulled her close. “It matters the whole world and it’s not a turn off, believe me.” He leaned back so he could look at her face as he spoke. “I need to know so I won’t jump on you like an animal!”
She sniffed, reaching up to wipe her eyes. “What if I want you to jump on me like an animal?!” she demanded. “For God’s sake, I’m twenty seven years old. I know I belong in a museum! Just because I’ve never went all the way with a man doesn’t mean I’m ignorant! It means I’ve been busy and I’m choosy!” She finally pulled her way free from his grip and walked back into the house, stopping in front of the window to look out into the darkness. Her house was isolated, her closest neighbor over a mile away. She wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her hands up and down trying to warm herself. She didn’t know he had closed the door and followed her until he pulled her back against his chest, gathering her close within his embrace. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head then rested his chin there. She stood stiffly, refusing to lean back.
“Emma, please listen to me,” he said. “I don’t think you belong in a museum. I think you must have more respect for yourself than any other woman I’ve ever known.” He turned her around and lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him. He kissed the tears from her cheeks and softly touched his lips to hers. “Please let me love you like I’ve wanted to from the first time I stood in front of you and realized that you were scared to death of me but had enough courage to face me down. I want to be the one to teach you about the passion between a man and a woman. I want to be the one to burn in your fire.” He kissed her again, whispering against her lips. “Emma, love me.”
Emma melted against him, defeated, seduced, convinced. Their kiss reignited the passion he had stirred in her, brought her right back to the edge of need where she had been waiting for him to give her the gift that hovered just out of reach. He kissed her until he stole her breath away then again he pulled back but this time he needed the space to look at her as he pushed the robe from her shoulders. She stood proudly before him, trembling. His breath left him in a rush, leaving him lightheaded as her beauty was revealed, illuminated by the moonlight when the material slipped from her body to fall soundlessly to the floor.
Her skin was golden without tan lines, her Spanish heritage obvious. Her hair was still braided and piled on top of her head teasing his imagination, making him wonder just how long it was. He had never seen it hanging loosely around her shoulders. Her shoulders were smooth, her arms slightly darker than her chest. Her breasts were full, swaying slightly with the depth of her breathing but upright, proud. Her nipples were still hard, swollen and now he could see the dark circles at the end that surrounded those perfect tips that begged for attention. Her stomach was flat, her navel unadorned unlike so many others he saw on a daily basis. Her legs were sleek, muscled from her daily runs but still with the curves that made a woman’s legs so beautiful. His knees weakened at the thought of those long legs wrapped around his waist as he moved slowly within the center of her where no man had ever been. The very center that was now revealed to his hungry eyes; lush, covered with mahogany curls, the most feminine jewel he had ever seen. The scent of her arousal was faint but his nostrils flared as he recognized it, his breathing becoming deeper, faster. His control was nearly at its end. Not a word was spoken between them as he lifted her in his arms and took the stairs two at a time, following the moonlight streaming from her open bedroom door into her sanctuary, stopping beside the bed and gently placing her there, his actions controlled, the passion and fire in his eyes saying everything he wanted to say but couldn’t because the power of speech had left him. Emma laid back, her beautiful eyes dark, the green eclipsed by her pupils dilated with desire. Blake stood up and quickly stripped the clothes from his body, ripping the buttons from his jeans in his desperate need to lay with her, to touch her, to love her. Emma inhaled sharply as he was revealed to her, the moon as bright as any light. Her desire became tinged with fear as she thought of what was to come, how he would invade her body. Blake saw her eyes widen, heard her surprise. He stood unmoving, waiting for her to make the final decision. His body was shaking with the need to make her his but if she said no he would somehow find the strength to walk away. Emma waited also and the fear receded replaced by trust. She reached out for him, taking his hand and pulling him down beside her. His voice was hoarse as he spoke.
“Emma, I promise I’ll be gentle. Please don’t be afraid.”
She smiled, cradling his face with her hand and then trailing her fingertips over his lips as she repeated his word back to him.
“Love me, Blake. Please.”
Praying for the control to see this through, he lay on his side facing her as he began to lightly rub his fingertips over her silky skin starting at her shoulder. He slowly made his way down to the slope of her breast, teasing her flesh with his palm as he rubbed her hardened nipples moving in small circles. He kissed her as he lightly pulled at the swollen flesh, enlarging it, making it even more sensitive. He left the sweetness of her lips to brush his tongue over the crown, returning again and again until she was gasping with pleasure then forcing a cry from her as he suddenly pulled her into his mouth, sucking hard then releasing her to soothe the dark circle with gentle kisses. He lifted himself over her, settling his chest between her legs so he could give the same attention to the other breast. He didn’t dare let his swollen flesh near her heat, so he stayed well away from where he so dearly wanted to be. He continued teasing her until she was arching off the bed, begging for release from the pressure building inside. She groaned in near agony when he left the swollen mounds to trail his lips over her ribs and down her stomach, nipping and tasting her golden skin. He circled her navel with his tongue, her trembling increasing when he thrust into the small space, tracing the rim with the tip of his tongue. He spread his palm over her lower stomach almost touching the edge of her dark curls making her tense with anticipation and she inhaled deeply when he moved it away, bypassing the swollen, moist flesh between her legs to caress her thigh, trailing his fingertips along the inside leaving a trail of fire. He rose to his knees between her feet, ignoring the throbbing of his flesh hard against his stomach. He spread his hands out flat over her stomach, his thumbs meeting over the line of curls, her hips so narrow that his little fingers wrapped over the crest of her hips. Firmly pushing away the clamoring of his body to take her swiftly, he slid his hands down the smooth flesh of her thighs, down to her ankles on either side of his folded legs and back up, slowly pressing them apart as he reached the tender flesh of her inner thighs. He pulled her knees up, opening her for his hot gaze. Emma grasped the sheet, twisting it
