“You’re really good at that.” I pushed off the tile and moved toward him on the floor. I straddled his lap and looked down into his eyes while I reached between us, stroking him gently.
His mouth found mine and I enjoyed the way our tastes mingled together. It was intimate and honest. A real part of the experience I hadn’t thought about before it had actually happened. When I moved my hips against him, he groaned loudly and fought to stand up while holding me against him.
I was too busy kissing him to think about what was happening until the shower door flew open. David carried me back into the room, still covered in water and hot with need. When he laid me down on my bed I watched him with hungry eyes as he climbed over me. His mouth captured one of my nipples and sucked it into his mouth. I groaned loudly and bucked against him. He only released my breast to move to the other, before finally trading that one for my mouth.
His tongue was hot and hungry as it explored my mouth. I held nothing back as I returned his kiss, just as hungry for him. With gentle hands he spread my legs and positioned his cock at my entrance.
“This might hurt a little, angel,” he whispered in my ear.
As he slid in inch by thick inch I concentrated on his kiss. It was tight and my breathing was fast, but I was already loose from my orgasm in the shower. Once he was pressed all the way inside, he stilled, his breathing ragged.
I ran my hands over his back, tracing the muscles before squeezing his ass.
He groaned into my ear. “God, you feel good.”
Slowly he moved against me, barely rocking as I got used to his body. It hurt, but in a good way. And then it didn’t hurt at all. It only felt good. He kissed me slowly, keeping a steady pace until my body began to move against his. Slowly he increased his rhythm, and my breathing increased right along with my pleasure.
It didn’t take long before I was gripping his back and moving against him in eagerness. The feel of him sliding in and out, his hot breath on my shoulder, the way one hand cupped my breast was enough to send me over the edge.
“David!” My eyes slid shut as wave after wave of pleasure swept through my body. He stiffened on top of me with one thrust and he filled me with his hot orgasm.
Gently, he rolled so that I was tucked against his chest, his weight no longer pressed on top of me.
“Are you okay?” He kissed the top of my head.
“Are you kidding?” I leaned up on one elbow and raised an eyebrow. “I’m fucking fantastic right now.”
He laughed and pulled me back down to his chest. “I meant, are you sore?”
I thought about it for a minute. “A little, but not much. Different. Is that normal?”
“I think so.” He shrugged and I could hear the embarrassment in his voice. “You’re the first virgin I’ve made love to.”
“Oh.” I thought about it for a minute and then started laughing.
“What?”
“Out of all the men, I picked the one that had never been with a virgin before.” I shook my head. “Go figure.”
“I don’t think I did too bad.” He frowned.
“Actually, I think you did an excellent job.” Leaning forward I pressed a kiss to his lips. “I’m glad I waited for you.”
“Was it too fast?”
“I don’t think so.” I lay back down with my head on his chest. “I know everything about you that I needed to know.”
“You can ask me anything.” His voice rumbled in my ear.
I thought about it for a minute, but there wasn’t anything I wanted to ask. There was something that I wanted to say though.
“Anything?” I bit my lip.
“Anything.”
“What if . . .” I took a deep breath, not sure how to word the question.
“What if what?” He turned so that his chin brushed the top of my head.
“What if there is something I want to say, but I’m not sure I should say it yet?” I cringed, waiting for his response. Would he know what I meant? Would he tell me to wait? Could I just tell him?
He rolled over so that I was cradled in his arm and he was hovering over me, and his eyes traced my face slowly.
“I love you, Cathy. I love every angle, every side, every part of you.”
Tears filled my eyes. “I love you too.”
I
T WAS ALMOST
unfair to compare Tabitha to Selene or Chadwick. Well, it would have been unfair if she hadn’t turned out to be a crazy, money-hungry whore.
Chadwick swooped into D’Lynsal with a bag of clothing for David, a laptop, and a bottle of brandy. It took minutes for him to talk me into looking at the photos, which I hated, but it eased some of the anxiety I felt. The pictures were intimate, with one of David’s hands on my ass, but other than that, they were pretty tame. What I hated knowing was that there were sickos out there who would get a real kick out of the images—and that they would be brought up any time there was a news story where I was concerned.
I held the phone to my ear and sighed.
“Are you okay? Should I come to D’Lynsal?” she asked. “Those pictures were everywhere.”
“No, Mother. I’m fine.” I tried to keep the frustration out of my voice.
“I don’t expect you to not date, dear, but please be more careful.” The disapproval in her voice hurt.
“Yes, Mother.” I frowned. “You know, we were in what we thought was a private area. But from now on I will check the broom closet first.”
Her chuckle surprised me. “The air vents too.”
“God, what about the drains in the bathroom?” I laughed.
“That might be stepping over the line and into the realm of paranoia.” She tsked again, but I could sense the humor under her words.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ve tried so hard to keep myself clean the last couple of years. I just—”
“I know. You needed to live a little.” She sighed. “We live under a microscope, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t live at all.”
“I love you, Mother.” I whispered the words in Lilarian.
“And I love you.” I could hear her smile through the phone. It was in the way the words came out of her mouth. “When are you bringing this young man to meet me formally? Not just a rushed hello during your brother’s wedding.”
“I’m not sure. He’s working at Victory Hall, Sam’s newest project. When he has time I’ll drag him along with me for a weekend.” I switched the phone to my other ear. “We should keep it informal. He’s a lot like Sam and hates to dress up.”
“My children.” She chuckled. “You certainly managed to find your opposites, didn’t you?”
“I think so.” I said the words with pride. I loved the fact that we were opposites but that we complemented each other.
“Don’t worry about the photos.” Mother’s voice turned to business. “Once I can prove that Tabitha leaked the photographs, we’ll take legal action against her. I’m tired of people trying to use my family to further their careers or to fatten their pockets.”
“Have you heard from Alex or Sam?”
Sam had contacted Chadwick when she saw the images of David and me on the television. She said Alex was livid and that he was ready to come home and help if I needed it, but I had called and told them to stay their asses on the beach. Not only did I not want Alex glaring at David the way Max was right this minute, but I didn’t want them to think I couldn’t handle myself. Max had shown up right behind Chadwick and hadn’t stopped glaring at David the entire time.
“Yes, he called.” She sighed again. Not that I could blame her. Alex was a handful. “But they are not coming home early.”
“Good.”
“He’s just worried about you.” I could hear someone in the background whispering to her.
“Yeah, I get it. Could you tell Max to stop giving David the evil eye? He’s been giving him the third degree since he got home.”
“Oh no, dear. That’s a brother’s right. Besides, I have it on good authority that David warned Alex about Sam when they first met.”
That didn’t surprise me in the least. “I bet he did.”
“Yes. So I wouldn’t be surprised if your oldest brother isn’t prodding Max along.”
“Aha.” That made entirely too much sense. I could see Alex finding it all very humorous. Not that I could blame him. Who would have guessed that David would end up falling in love with Alex’s sister when he was defending Sam?
“I have to go, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon?”
“Yes. I have to get back to deal with the art charity.”
“Have you come up with a name for it yet?” The noise in the background meant she was on the move.
“A name for my art charity?” I had been toying with the thought for a while. “I have.” I paused, unable to keep the smile from coming to my lips. “The Liberty Anne Foundation.” It was my way of honoring David’s sister after the trouble she had been put through by the media.
“That sounds lovely. It will be easy to remember for people too.”
“I think so.” I blew a kiss into the phone. “Go do queenly stuff. I’ll see you soon.”
“Love you.” The phone clicked and I looked out across the field behind D’Lynsal Manor.
Knowing that Mother wasn’t upset with me eased a lot of my tension. I was worried she was going to freak out over the photos. Especially since we had all been instructed to be careful after what happened with Alex. I also thought she might pull a normal mom moment and be upset about seeing how David was holding me. I could only guess that I was old enough now that she accepted the fact that I was a grown woman.
“How’d it go?” David opened the rear door facing the patio and watched my face with careful eyes.
“It went well.” I laughed at his look of relief. “The queen is not going to order you be thrown in the dungeon.”
“That’s a relief.” He walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist. “You don’t really have a dungeon, do you?”
“Our palace was originally built in the fifteen hundreds. Of course we have a dungeon.”
“Yeah, but you don’t really use it as a dungeon?” He raised an eyebrow, a half grin lighting his face.
“I’ll give you the tour next time we’re there.” I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek. I loved the way his stubble felt against my skin. It was so coarse and manly. “How are your parents?”
“They’re okay. My mother was a bit . . . shocked by the pictures.” His low chuckle warmed my body. “I wouldn’t call her a prude exactly, but living in the South, there are certain things that come with the culture. And anything sexual can be a bit taboo.”
“Well, I hope she knows it’s not my fault you grabbed my ass.” My cheeks heated at the realization that his family and friends had seen the pictures as well. At this point they were probably floating around the entire world in some fashion or other.
“Oh, it was your fault.” He leaned down and nuzzled my neck.
“How do you figure that?” I tilted my head so he had better access and was rewarded by the touch of his lips on my pulse point.
“You can’t look that good in a pair of jeans and expect me to not grab your ass.” As if to demonstrate he reached around and got a handful. “It’s too perfect. I can’t help myself. It looked great in that dress last night too, but there’s just something special about an old pair of jeans.”
“I hadn’t noticed.” Reaching around, I tucked my hands into the pockets of his pants and laughed when he made a pleased sound deep in his throat.
“So, tell me, is Max preparing to kill me while my back is turned or is he just a protective older brother?”
“Protective older brother.” I narrowed my eyes. “But I also heard that you did your own little bit of protective brothering for Samantha once upon a time.”
“Alex ratted me out, huh?” He laughed. “And I thought we were finally getting along.”
“That was before you decided to date his sister,” I reminded him.
“True.” His warm eyes traced my face. “I couldn’t help but overhear part of your phone conversation.”
“I’m sure you tried really hard not to, with your head sticking out the door.”
“Pfft.” He cupped my cheek and turned my face up to his. “You’re naming your charity after Lib?”
“I think that there are a lot of benefits for children in art programs. And Liberty is a good example of that. It lets her express herself in a way she wouldn’t otherwise be able to do.”
“You’re an amazing woman.” His lips touched mine softly, almost reverently. “I love you, Cathy.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and sank into his kiss. There were few things in the world that made me feel like all was right in the world, and his touch was one of them.
“Love you too.”
“T
HAT
’
S BEAUTIFUL
!” I smiled down at the little boy holding up his drawing. I wasn’t exaggerating. The pencil sketch he was proudly displaying was a breathtaking rendering of one of the birds he had seen earlier that day.
“I made it for you.” Brandon grinned, and I knew this was a rare moment for him. He so seldom smiled for anyone, it made my heart soar.
“Thank you.” I knelt down and looked at the picture. “I’m going to hang it in my office. Is that okay?”
“That sounds good.” He ran the back of his hand across his nose three times and then smiled. “Hang it where you can always see it.”
“That I can.” I wanted to hug him so badly, but I knew that might push him over the edge. So instead I held up my hand for a high five. After three quick slaps on my palm he ran back to the craft table and picked up his pencil.
David was watching me from where he sat surrounded by seven little girls all giving him googly eyes. He was holding the small merlin that Alex had given Sam as a wedding present.
“Help!” he mouthed at me, and I giggled.
“You’d think he’d be used to it at this point.” Sam stood next to me, shaking her head.
“It’s kind of cute, right? All those little girls in love with him.” I chuckled when he frowned at me.
“You bet. And he might just be the reason they go into wildlife studies when they get older.” She leaned against the wall and tapped her gloves against her thigh.
“I don’t think that will make him feel any better.”
“Wah.” Sam rolled her eyes. “In the end we’re all winning because he’s a cutie.”
“That he is.” I eyed her with interest. “Tell me something.”