CHAPTER NINE

      BELLA closed her eyes just as his mouth touched down on hers. It was one of those brush-and-release kisses that made her senses sing with delight. His tongue flickered against hers, cajoling hers into erotic play. She responded with a shiver of reaction that felt like champagne bubbles flowing beneath her skin.

      He increased the pressure of his lips on hers, the taste-and-tease action of his tongue changing to a more determined thrust and retreat. The primal intent was unmistakable. It made her body hum with longing to feel him inside her, stroking, thrusting. She could already feel the dew of need between her thighs and that little clenching pulse pulling on her inner muscles.

      She gave a soft whimper as he cupped the back of her head as his tongue drove deep into her mouth, his pelvis rock-hard against hers. She was spinning with need, her hands flying all over him to find access to his skin. ‘I want you,’ she whispered breathlessly against his mouth. ‘I know it’s wrong, but I want you.’

      ‘It’s not wrong,’ he said and ran his hands up under her jumper in search of her breasts. ‘It’s inevitable. It always has been.’

      Bella gasped as his calloused hands caressed her. She worked at his shirt buttons, not even caring that one of them popped off and pinged to the floor. She pressed hot kisses to his neck and down his sternum, her hands going on ahead and working on the belt and fastener on his jeans.

      He growled in male pleasure as she finally uncovered him. He was so thick and strong in her hand, silky smooth and already moist at the tip. ‘Bedroom,’ he said against her lips and swept her up in his arms.

      ‘I’m too heavy,’ she protested. ‘You’ll do your back in.’

      ‘Don’t be ridiculous,’ he said. ‘What sort of men have you been dating? You weigh next to nothing.’ He shouldered open the door and carried her upstairs, stopping every now and again to torture her mouth with the heat and fire of his.

      Bella was almost out of her head with need by the time they got to his bedroom. He laid her on the bed and came down over her, his mouth clamping down on hers. She ran her hands up under his loosened shirt, discovering the planes and contours of his back and shoulders. He was so lean and yet so muscular, his skin warm and dry to her touch. She could smell the hint of man beneath the intricate layers of his aftershave. It called out to the primal woman in her, in a language as old as time itself.

      He leaned his weight on one arm as he ripped off his shirt and tossed it to the floor at the side of the bed. Bella shivered in anticipation as he started to remove her clothes. Her jumper went first, ending up on the floor. Her bra followed, but not before he had suckled each of her nipples through the lace. It was such an erotic thing to do, and the tickly barrier of the lace somehow made it all the more pleasurable.

      He kissed his way down her stomach, dipping his tongue in the tiny pool of her belly button. She felt herself tensing as his fingers started to peel back the lace of her knickers.

      ‘What’s wrong?’ he asked, stilling his hand. ‘Am I going too fast?’

      ‘No … It’s just I haven’t waxed recently.’

      ‘Good,’ he said. ‘There’s nothing I like more than a real woman.’

      Bella held her breath as he gently tugged the lace down to uncover her. She saw the way his eyes darkened with desire. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he said.

      The sensation of his finger outlining her form was unbelievable. He explored her with his fingers, taking it gently, waiting for her to relax before he inserted a finger, then two. He withdrew his fingers and lowered his mouth to her, tasting her in a gentle sweep of his tongue. She breathed in sharply as the sensations took her by surprise. What if she made a fool of herself? It was too intimate. What if she didn’t respond properly? She gasped and tried to pull away.

      ‘Relax,’ he soothed. ‘Go with it. Don’t tense up.’

      ‘I’m not very good at this,’ Bella said, biting down on her lower lip.

      ‘This is about you, not me. It’s your pleasure. You take all the time you need.’

      She lay back as he continued stroking her softly, his fingers gentle and yet sure. He waited until she was totally at ease before he caressed her again with his tongue. He used slow, stroking movements, gauging her reaction, varying the pressure and speed until she felt the sensations ricocheting through her. They came in rolling waves that coursed through and over her, spinning her, tossing her, tumbling her, until she was gasping out loud. ‘Oh, God,’ she said in a rush. ‘That was … unbelievable.’

      He came back over her, brushing her hair back from her forehead with his hand, his eyes thoughtful as they studied hers. ‘You’re not very confident sexually, are you?’ he said.

      Bella lowered her gaze and stared at his Adam’s apple. ‘I’m not a virgin, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve had sex heaps and heaps of times.’

      His index finger tipped up her chin. ‘How many partners have you had?’

      She looked into his blue-green gaze. ‘Five …’

      He tilted his head. ‘Five?’

      She blew out a little breath. ‘OK, six, if you count the first time, but I never do as it was a complete and utter disaster.’

      ‘What happened?’

      ‘It was that Christmas I stayed in town,’ she said. ‘I was determined to prove I was mature enough to have sex, contrary to what you had said that night when we kissed. I hate to say it, but you were right; I wasn’t mature enough. It was over before it began. I ended up in tears and the guy left the party with someone else.’

      He smoothed her hair again, his eyes holding hers in a sensual lock that made her insides quiver with longing. ‘I want you,’ he said. ‘I wanted you then and I want you now.’

      Bella locked her arms around his neck, her pelvis on fire where it was being probed by the heat of his. ‘Make love to me,’ she whispered.

      He bent his head to her mouth, kissing her with drugging sensuality. Her spine melted like honey in a heatwave. His erection throbbed with primal urgency against her and she instinctively went in search of it, shaping him with her fingers, delighting in the deep guttural groan he made against her lips.

      His mouth moved to her breasts, subjecting each one to a hot swirl of his tongue before suckling on her. Then, even more pleasurably, he trailed his tongue to the sensitive underside of each breast, making the nerves beneath her skin go haywire.

      Bella writhed beneath him, desperate for that final possession. Her body was slick with want. ‘Please …’ she said.

      He reached for a condom and handed it to her. ‘You want to put it on me?’

      Bella tore the packet with her teeth, took the condom out and carefully pulled it over him, caressing him as she went. He sucked in a breath, pushed her back down and came over her, his weight supported on his arms. He parted her gently, waiting for her to accept him before going further. She became impatient and lifted her hips towards his. He groaned again and surged into her with a long, thick thrust that sent a shiver down her spine.

      He started to move, slowly at first, but then the pace picked up. Bella felt each delicious movement, the friction sending her senses reeling. Every tiny muscle in her body tensed as the pressure built. She could feel her body climbing, straining, crying and screaming out for release that was frustratingly just out of her reach.

      He slipped a hand beneath her bottom and lifted her higher against him, his thrusts even more determined. ‘Don’t hold back, Bella,’ he said. ‘Let yourself go.’

      His