He claimed her mouth again, moving his big body over hers. The silk nightwear was hardly a barrier to the hardness of his body. She could feel his muscles, the strength in this big man. Knew he could so easily hurt her but also that he never would and that she’d never be safer than she would with him. He’d never allow anyone to hurt her physically or emotionally.

The kiss deepened. She tasted him. Savored the intimacy of their kiss, her body coming to life underneath his. Her br**sts swelled, her ni**les hardening into tight points, and between her legs a pulse beat, making her restless and edgy.

Slowly and reverently, he slid the straps of her top down her arms, pausing just before her br**sts were bared, almost as if he were savoring and anticipating the first glimpse of her unclothed.

She shifted restlessly, eager to be skin to skin with him, to feel his warmth and strength with no barriers between them. He kissed the hollow of her neck and then trailed his tongue downward to where he met with the barrier of her top and then slowly slid it downward, baring her br**sts to his touch and gaze.

When his mouth tenderly closed around her nipple, she let out a low moan as pleasure cascaded through her body. Her muscles clenched and her clit tingled with anticipation. The pressure between her legs was making her edgy and needy.

She wanted to touch him and so she ran her hands over his shoulders and then thrust her fingers into his hair, telling him without words the pleasure he was giving her.

He pushed the top farther down and then lifted her hips so he could pull it the rest of the way down. He moved down her body, tossing aside the top, and then he hooked his fingers into her lacy shorts and slowly slid them down her legs until she was completely naked.

For a long moment he simply knelt there and stared, his heated gaze sweeping from head to toe, his obvious desire and appreciation for her body gleaming in his eyes.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “I never dreamed of having a woman like you, that you would want me. I’m overcome, Eden. I don’t even know what to say. Can’t possibly tell you in words what I feel right now.”

“Then show me,” she whispered back. “Love me, Swanny. Show me how beautiful it will be between us.”

He began at her feet, kissing and tonguing every inch of flesh on his way up her body. He lavished attention over every part until she was mindless with desire. He gently parted her thighs, baring her vagina to his sight and touch.

He ran his fingers lightly through the wispy tuft of hair over her mound and then went lower, carefully parting her labia. He touched her clit, just a soft caress, but it was like a surge of lightning that electrified her entire body. She gasped and arched upward, seeking more, wanting more.

He pressed his thumb over her clit and stroked lightly until she was breathless and on edge. His fingers circled her opening, tenderly exploring the small piece of skin that signaled her virginity.

Then he lowered his head and nuzzled into her folds, replacing his fingers with his mouth and tongue. He licked and sucked lightly at her clit, seemingly knowing just the right amount of pressure to exert, expertly navigating the line between pleasure and pain.

He placed his open mouth over her opening and gently slid his tongue inside her, tasting her from the inside out.

“So sweet,” he murmured. “So very sweet. Like honey dipped in sunshine.”

His words and tongue were playing equal havoc with her emotions. She was so on edge that she knew she wouldn’t last long and she didn’t want to come without him inside her. She wanted this first time to be with him, inside her, together. Them coming together and experiencing it together.

She saw him reach for the box on the nightstand and for a moment didn’t realize what it was until he tore it open and a condom fell out. She put a hand to his arm to stop him and he looked up, his gaze responding to her unspoken question.

“Do we have to use one?” she asked. “I mean, is it safe not to? Obviously I’ve never been with anyone, but I don’t want my first time to be with a condom. I want to feel you. Not latex. Are you safe, and do you mind not using one?”

Swanny groaned. “God no, I don’t want one. I was protecting you, Eden. I’ll always protect you. But to answer your question, yes, I’m safe. It’s been a while for me and I’ve never not used a condom. And we have regular physicals and checkups on the job, so I know I’m clean. But what about pregnancy, honey? I’d never do anything to compromise your career.”

Her cheeks heated. “I’m on birth control. I get a shot every three months. Which sounds silly given that I’ve never even had sex, but they regulate my periods and make them more bearable. After one shoot when I was on my period and was just miserable the whole time, my agent urged me to go to the doctor to see if there was something they could do so that my periods wouldn’t interfere with my job. They suggested birth control and they gave me pain medicine for when it gets really bad. But the birth control has really helped on its own.”

“If you’re sure, then,” Swanny said huskily. “There’s nothing more I want than to have you skin to skin, to feel you surrounding me all soft and silky.”

She smiled. “That’s settled, then. Put them away and let’s get back to the good part.”

He laughed and tossed the box to the side and then lowered his head once more to her most intimate flesh and began working her up again, sucking, licking, kissing until she was writhing beneath him.

He slid up her body, fitting his to hers, but he made no effort to enter her yet. He caressed and sucked at her ni**les, alternating between them until they were rigid peaks, straining upward. Then he kissed a path to her neck and nibbled just beneath her ear at the soft column of her neck.