“Good, because we’ve only had two dances, and after all, I’m your date.” Michelle eyed her blue-eyed rival with objectivity. She had noticed her flirting shamelessly with Erik all evening. And just a few minutes ago, she’d noticed the tension in Erik’s body as he began to dance with Bridget, and then just a moment ago, when he’d brought it to a sudden stop, she knew something was wrong, so she’d cut her dance short and come to her husband’s rescue.
No woman, no matter how alluring she looked, was taking Erik away from her, especially not tonight. She hadn’t brought him back to life for Dr. Ashley to weasel him out from under her nose. Erik was hers, even if she couldn’t shout it from the rooftop. And what was hers, she kept.
“Erik and I were in the middle of an important conversation about medical issues, Michelle,” Bridget said. “Things you won’t understand,” she added with a hint of superiority in her voice. “So if you could spare him for a couple more minutes, I would be so grateful.”
“Your medical issue will have to wait, Dr. Ashley. Erik’s not here to talk medicine. He’s here to have fun. And the look on his face says he isn’t having any at the moment.” She leaned possessively against Erik’s arm, and her black eyes flashed mischievously and seductively at him. “I just made a request for us, Erik. I would love to dance with you.”
“Sorry, Bridget. The lady does have a point. She
is
my… my… date, and I’m here to have fun.”
Both amused and flattered by Michelle’s blatant possessiveness, Erik bowed graciously to a pup-faced Bridget, took his wife by the waist, and waltzed her into the slow, seductive rhythm of ‘We’ve Got Tonight’.
“I think she’s scared of you,” he whispered as he drew into the circle of his arms.
“She should be,” she threw back, lacing her arms around his neck. “I grew up in a tough neighborhood. I fight for what’s mine. And you’re mine.”
“Sweet Lord.” Erik chuckled. The
Moonlight
fragrance of her skin filtered through his nostrils, into his brain, until all he could feel, think, and smell was Michelle.
***
The beating of her heart echoed loudly in Michelle’s ears as she slowly shed her clothes. The excitement and confidence she’d felt two days ago when Erik suggested this romantic evening had gone, and she was now a tight bundle of nerves.
This was the second man she would be intimate with. She chuckled skittishly as she walked into the bathroom and began cleaning off her makeup. Her only sexual experiences had been awkward ones with an immature boy who’d caused her more frustration than pleasure.
Erik was a man, a very experienced one. He specialized in women’s bodies, and for that specific reason she feared she would disappoint him.
She took a quick shower then applied a lightly scented
Moonlight
lotion to her damp body, then after donning one of the sexy lingerie sets she’d purchased from Victoria’s Secret, she stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Get a grip, girl. Everything will come naturally. Women have been doing this for ages. Just go with the flow.
She brushed her damp palms across the ruffled stretch-lace teddy. The vertical slits in the cups revealed glimpses of her breasts and nipples. The bodice was tied in the front with three ribbons, and a pair of white panties topped off her seductive garb.
Was she too presumptuous for bringing along such a tempting garment? Would Erik find her sexy? Would she be woman enough to satisfy him? All these questions hammered through her head as she walked to the adjoining door and turned the handle to find an anxious Erik waiting on the other side.
A bolt of electricity coursed through Michelle as her eyes took in his lean, hard body rippling strong and powerfully against the silky material of the black silk robe he wore. He groaned upon seeing her, and as she watched the flash of hunger in his amber eyes, and the rise and fall of his chest as he inhaled deeply and slowly, her heart began to hammer against her chest.
Without uttering a word, he took her hand and led her across the wide expanse of the living area and into his bedroom. He closed and locked the door. As he led her deeper and deeper into the candle-lit room, Michelle felt like a breathless girl of eighteen about to lose her innocence to a much older and experienced man.
“Are you scared, Michelle?” Erik asked as he came to a stop beside the bed. His heart ached at the tremors that shook her body, and at the uncertainly swimming in her dark eyes.
She nodded and licked her lips.
He stroked his hands gently down her bare arms, and felt her shiver from the caress. Her skin was soft, the softest he’d ever touched, and he’d touched thousands. It felt like warm butter, melting against his palms. “Don’t be scared, baby. We’ve both wanted this for a very long time.” He ran his knuckles lightly against her cheek and felt her shivers intensify.
Michelle felt the eager affection coming from him, felt heat racing through her bloodstream, scattering her fears and doubts. She heard the urgency in his voice, felt it in his fingertips. “I’ve wanted to make love with you since I saw you, Erik, but now I’m afraid I won’t be able to please you.” Her voice was low and husky, and tears dampened her ebony lashes. “I love you so much.”
He wished he could tell her he loved her, but he didn’t know; he wasn’t sure. They were married now. She wasn’t going anywhere. He had time to slowly and surely unravel his feelings. He wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs then let his eyes sweep along her near-naked body.
“You look like an angel. My angel, in this sexy white lace.” She was his, all his for the taking. He would claim her like man has been claiming woman since the beginning of time. They would become one in flesh, mind, and spirit tonight.
Man and wife
. His heart ached with wanting for her.
“Are you on the pill?” he asked, cupping her chin in his palm.
“No.”
“Wearing a diaphragm?” His breath was hot on her face as his mouth came closer to hers.
“No.”
“Besides Ryan, have you made love with any other man?” His lips brushed lightly against the base of her pulsing neck, causing her breath to come out harsh and uneven.
“No.” She couldn’t call what she did with Ryan lovemaking.
This was lovemaking
. Her heart pounded heavily against her rib cage as the feathery touch from Erik’s lips heightened her pleasure, deepened her need. She raised her arms and draped them around his shoulders, burying her fingers in his silky brown curls.
“Did you enjoy him? Did he make you come?”
His tongue teased one trembling corner of her mouth before moving upward along her cheek to kiss her damp eyes.
“No. No.” Her voice trembled, and so did her knees as he drew her into his powerful embrace.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“I promise, you’ll enjoy it this time. Just relax and let Dr. Erik take care of you, okay?” He held her head steady and gazed into her eyes. “One more question. Did you use protection, condoms?”
“Yes. Every time.” Michelle caressed the rigid muscles of his shoulders. He was a gynecologist, and confronted with STDs everyday. He’d be foolish to plunge headfirst into something he wasn’t certain about.
The fact that he married her this afternoon proved that like Cassie, he still didn’t believe in sex outside of marriage. But he was a man with needs. Could he have slipped up and been with someone since her death? Was that someone Bridget Ashley? Hey, it could happen. “What about you?” she asked in an unsteady voice. “Have you been with anyone since—”
“Cassie is the only woman I’ve ever been with, Michelle.”
Michelle gasped as his hands suddenly grabbed her buttocks and pulled her up against him. He was strong and solid under his robe. He rotated his hips, rubbing the outline of his erection against her belly. Bending his head, he swept his hot tongue inside her mouth. As his masterful tongue explored her sweetness, he released her buttocks and trailed his big warm hands slowly over her hips, up the arch of her back, around her sides to her stomach, and up along her chest, leaving a blaze of fire in their wake.
Michelle was panting and quivering by the time he slid his hands through the slit of the teddy and cupped her swollen aching breasts in his palms. He began to mold them, shape them, while his fingers tweaked at her pebbled, tingling nipples. Blood pounded against her temples and she was certain her heart would erupt from the sheer pleasure he inflicted on her. She never dreamed a man could make a woman feel this way.
“Undress me,” he whispered against her mouth before releasing her and stepping back.
She gazed up into his face. His eyes glowed like two hot coals of fire. Still tingling from his touches and kisses, Michelle knew she’d do anything this man told her to do. With trembling fingers, she pushed the robe from his shoulders. It fell in a black pool around his waist where the belt held it secured.
Michelle swallowed as she stared at the beautiful stature of her husband. His chest was wide and powerful under a mat of curly black hair that extended upward from a corded washboard stomach. She licked her lips as she gazed at his tiny male nipples and wondered how they would feel against her tongue.
She stepped forward. He stood rigid. She placed her hands on his shoulders and dipped her head. His smell was intoxicating, his hair, silky against her lips, his skin smooth and salty under her tongue. She licked at one nipple then drew it gently into her mouth and sucked on it. He gasped and his body tensed under her hands, but he made no attempt to hold her or stop her. She smiled as she trailed her tongue across his chest and gave the other nipple an equal dose of attention as the first.
He sucked air into his lungs. “Untie my robe,” he rasped on a harsh breath.
Michelle’s heart pounded heavily as she obeyed. The black robe slithered down his hairy thighs and legs and pooled at his feet. She stepped back and gasped in awe at his magnificent sex—a thick long column of flesh towering up against his tight hairy belly. In a daze, Michelle wondered how in everything sane would she be able to take him inside her. She swallowed from lust and fear.
“Don’t be afraid,” Erik whispered, pulling on the bows of her teddy. He pushed the thin straps off her shoulders and watched the material slither down to bunch in a silky pile around her hips. With ragged breath, he lowered his head to her chest.
Knowing they’d both soon be carried away on the waves of passion where neither of them would be able to think rationally, Michelle though she should speak up now. “Erik, what about protection?”
“I don’t want to use a condom the first time with you, Michelle. I want to feel your slick tight flesh gripping me, not some damned foreign object.”
“But, I could get pregnant. Yes, we’re married, but I don’t think either one of us wants a child right now, Erik.”
“When was your last period?” His hands circled her hips.
“I… I… just finished a few days ago.”
“Then we’re safe, sweetheart.” His breath was hot against her skin as his smooth tongue lashed across one high mound of her breast.
Michelle trusted him. He was a woman’s doctor and knew more about these things than she did. Women’s bodies were his forte. In more ways than one she decided as his skillful hands and mouth made her flesh heat up under her skin.
Wild fire leaped in her veins as he knelt before her and trailed hot wet kisses across her belly, then back up to her heaving chest. She cried aloud when he finally took one swollen breast into his wide mouth and sucked it ravenously. The fire spewed from her core, sizzled up along her belly, into her breast, and passed through her nipple into his mouth. She collapsed against him, weak and dizzy. His arms locked against her back, supporting her. His mouth traveled across the deep valley to the other breast and he suckled with the same intense urgency while his hands caressed the curves of her body, seeking out her pleasure points before finally coming to rest between her quivering thighs. He’d saved the best for last.
He raised his head and gazed up at her, his eyes shimmering with enchantment in the candlelight. “Why, Michelle, no crotch?”
“Thought you’d like it.” She managed a silky smile.
“Love it.” Expert fingers made their way between the damp laces at her groin. “You’re so smooth and soaking wet.” He gently caressed her slick swelling then eased a finger inside her tightness.
Michelle whispered his name and her senses reeled as if short-circuited as he began to stroke her. All her fears, all her inhibitions left her at that instant. She was a woman, all woman needing her man.
With one hand, Erik reached out and pulled the bedspread off the bed and dropped it to the carpet behind them. He tugged Michelle down and spread her out on the soft covering. He positioned himself over her, supporting his weight on his knees and elbows on either side of her body.
His eyes took their fill of the sexy, slender woman under him, the white lace pooled about her narrow waist, her long legs and velvety thighs trembling with anticipation. He gazed at the black eyes burning like bright marble, the smooth lips—wet and swollen from his kisses.
As he admired his wife, Erik felt a great wrenching in his chest as something unlocked in his heart and soul, sending ripples of excitement flickering through his veins. This driving need, this powerful maddening emotion was new to him. He never dreamed he could need any woman as violently as he needed this one. Michelle’s love for him was like a rich flowing river, sweet and full of enticement. He dropped his mouth to hers. “Feed me, wife. I’m hungry.”
The torment in his voice uncapped a tidal wave of passion in Michelle. She knew at that instant that she could please him, give him the love he needed like no other woman could. She would love him with everything she was and everything she would ever be.
With hysterical delight rising inside her, Michelle ran her hands across his muscled chest and tangled her searching fingers in the matted hairs on his stomach. As he sucked the honey from her mouth and kneaded the tender flesh of her breasts in his palm, her hands caressed every inch of his powerful granite body. She fondled his tight buns, molding and shaping them in her hands. She gently raked her fingers up his back and shoulders, then down his sides and back to his belly. Lower. He sucked desperate air into his lungs and shuddered above her when her fingers brushed across his erection. She curled her fingers around him, barely spanning him.