Chapter Eleven

ELEVEN

"All right, Solnyshkuh . We're home and you should feel safe." He used his gentlest tone but saw Azelie wince and realized his mistake instantly. She hadn't been safe in her home. She hadn't been safe with her relatives. None of them, not even the children, had been safe.

She paced across the room. It wasn't a large area, so there wasn't much space for her to get away from him. Maestro read her uneasiness without difficulty. He noted that she placed her backpack on a hook just inside the tiny utility closet. He would have to go through that backpack in an effort to find the key to Billows' underground rooms.

"Take your shoes and jacket off and get comfortable. If you want to change your clothes, I have no problem waiting." Deliberately, he bent to remove his motorcycle boots. He nearly always wore them, unless he dressed up to play the part of an affluent Russian. He had played many roles to get the job done. Usually, the job was assassination. He was extremely good at his work.

He didn't look at her, but kept his gaze on his boots, as if his feet hurt and he couldn't wait to get them off. His boots were very comfortable, but she needed to feel as if she were in control. When he had the boots sitting beside the chair, he stretched out his long legs with a sigh of relief.

She was instantly alert. "We shouldn't have stayed so long, Andrii. I stayed late because I was talking so much with Celine, but I should have been paying better attention to you." She hung her jacket in the closet and removed her shoes and socks, taking them to the bedroom and placing them inside another closet.

When she returned, she sent him a small smile. "This apartment is so tiny I've learned to utilize all available space. Everything I own has its place. If I leave my shoes or anything else out, I would eventually stumble over them in the middle of the night."

"You're wandering. Come over here."

She sent him a leery look from under her lashes, but she crossed the room to stand in front of his chair.

"I asked you to come to me, Zelie," he reminded her in his softest, most compelling tone.

She swallowed her nervousness and indicated with her hand she was close. "I'm right here."

"I see that, but when I tell you I want you to come to me, that means I want you sitting in my lap." This time he held her gaze captive. He refused to allow her to look away from him.

She pressed her lips together as if to keep from blurting something out, but she obediently stepped close to him. His long, outstretched legs forced her to straddle him. She felt small and curvy in his arms. The heat at the junction of her legs seared right through his jeans. He wrapped one arm around her back to support her, but mostly to keep her anchored to him.

"I believe you owe me something." He dipped his head to nuzzle her ear and then tug at her earlobe with his teeth. A small bite but it accomplished so much. Goose bumps rose on her skin, and she shivered. Her blue eyes darkened with desire.

"Owe you?" she echoed, sounding confused.

"Kisses, baby. You were going to kiss me to thank me for your surprise, and I had to shut it down to keep you safe. As it was, I had a hell of a hard-on with you winding yourself around me." He smiled at her and nipped her neck this time. "Seems my control goes right out the window when I'm with you."

Another shiver went through her body. She squirmed on his lap, right over his cock. He'd flared to life the moment his body felt the heat of hers. He lay beneath her, thick and long and demanding. Andrii made no move to hide his reaction to her.

"Kiss me, baby," he whispered—an enticement. Meant to be temptation. Was temptation.

Her hands slid up his chest and then she circled his neck with her arms, turning her face up to his. "I'm not sure I know how."

His heart melted at the whispered admission. Still, she tilted her face and brushed his lips with hers. Light. Barely there. The shock was electric. His pulse jumped. His heart slammed up against his chest. Flames raced through his bloodstream straight to his cock.

Her breath was honey and strawberries. Impossible. When she pressed her lips to his again, the tip of her tongue slid along the seam of his mouth. It felt like a living, burning flame. He gripped her hair, angled her head perfectly and took control. Honey and strawberries gave way to fiery whiskey. The flames rolled down his throat.

Azelie ignited. Detonated. Set him off. The explosion between the two of them was a fiery volcanic storm that built in intensity. The earth rocked beneath them. No joke. It happened. He hadn't known it could happen, that the world could spin and drop away when the one woman who was your other half kissed you.

She wasn't experienced in the least, but she followed his lead and surrendered herself to him completely. There was no holding back; she gave him everything. He took it without hesitation, although he hadn't planned to follow through, not until they had talked. He wanted her to know exactly what she was getting into with him before she surrendered her body to his keeping.

Maestro wasn't a man to share intimacy with anyone. Kissing was as intimate as it got, and yet once he had her mouth, the dance of their tongues, the heat poured down his throat, racing like a wildfire out of control straight to his cock. Every nerve ending was awake. He felt alive for the first time. Completely and utterly alive. This woman owned his heart.

He had to feel her skin. There was no going back from this moment. No stopping and slowing down. He was on a runaway freight train rushing down the tracks, and there was no way to put the brakes on. Thunder roared in his ears. Flames ignited in his belly and settled lower. A sinful dark craving rolled through him. Took hold. Those flames branded that addiction deep into his bones. Wrote her name on his heart.

He made short work of the off-the-shoulder top. Azelie didn't seem to notice. She was too busy trying to pull his shirt off, evidently needing the same thing he did—bare skin. Her lips feathered over his throat, leaving tiny flames behind.

"We're taking this into the other room." His voice sounded like a growl, but she didn't seem to notice as he stood in one smooth motion, holding her to him. She wrapped her legs around his hips as he made his way to the bed, grateful the room was so small, with his aching erection making it difficult to walk.

One knee on the bed, he lowered her bottom to the edge and quickly dispensed with her bra. She was wearing one he'd purchased for her, a sexy demi-cup that held her breasts lovingly. Any other time he would have focused on the sight, savoring the luxury. She had gorgeous breasts. Full and round, with nipples begging for attention.

He pushed her back until she sprawled out in front of him, her silky breasts jutting up at him as he grasped her jeans and panties to draw them down her legs.

"You take my breath away." It was the truth, and he needed to give her that when the trepidation was creeping back into her eyes.

"I'm afraid. Really scared, Andrii," she admitted in a little whisper. "Most of the time I feel alone and a bit lost, but when I'm with you, everything is different. I know better than to depend on anyone else, but when I'm with you, I can't help the way I feel."

"I'm not going anywhere, Azelie. I want us to have children, grow old together, the works. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you happy. I hope you can hear the truth in my voice."

He had to reassure her, give her that much. His teeth tugged on her lower lip and then nibbled down her chin. That sweet chin that beckoned him to use his teeth for just one moment. He pressed kisses over the pulse racing in her throat. He needed to feel the way her heart pounded, assuring him she was there, alive and in perfect tune with him.

"You have one foot out the door, baby. I don't blame you; I'm a bit much, and I know that. Still." He kissed his way over the upper curves and down the valley between her full breasts. She shivered in response as the bristles along his jaw rasped against that sensitive skin.

Her fingers bit into his shoulders as she struggled to decide what to do. Push him away or pull him closer? He read her easily.

"Tell me what's happening in your mind right now, Solnyshkuh ." He swept his palm down her body from her breasts to her mound. All that satin-soft skin. Those feminine curves. "What are you afraid of?"

Her blue gaze searched his a little frantically. She gave the barest shake of her head.

"Be brave, Zelie. You're always brave. Trust me to catch you." There were little inviting drops of moisture caught in the fiery auburn curls guarding what he wanted. What he was determined to claim.

Cautiously, gently, he slipped one finger lower, swept it across her wet opening and went deep. He'd expected her to be tight, and she was, much tighter than he'd imagined. It was going to take some time to make her comfortable enough to take him. But she was hot and slick, her body reacting to his. There was no denying the chemistry between them.

She gasped at his invasion, her body jerking, but she settled when he turned his gaze on her.

"When I look at you, Azelie, when I see you like this, I feel like I'm drowning. I love the way your body responds to mine. I need that from you, and you give it to me without reservation."

He'd been doing his best to convince her they belonged together, try to get her to fall in love with him, but somewhere along the line, when he didn't even believe in love, he had fallen right off a cliff. Fallen hard. He hadn't even realized just how much emotion he felt for her until that moment.

He brought his finger to his mouth and sucked the taste of her off, all the while holding her gaze captive with his. A shiver went through her. He savored that moment. Let her see how much she meant to him. How much he desired her.

Very gently he nuzzled her breasts, once again using the shadowy bristles along his jaw to stimulate her even more. He slid both hands, fingers splayed wide to take in as much of her as he could, shaping her feminine body, the lush curves, narrow rib cage and tucked-in waist. Claiming every inch of her. Showing her she belonged with him. He knew she was afraid, and she had every reason to be, but he had every intention of going slow. Taking his time. Doing sweet and loving to ease her into their world together.

"Andrii," she sounded lost. "I don't know what I'm doing."

"That's the beauty of this, baby. You don't need to do anything at all but enjoy what I'm giving you."

Once more, he kissed his way up to her mouth. That fantasy mouth. He loved kissing her, dreamt of kissing her, thought too much about it during the day. He poured the emotion he couldn't speak of down her throat. Giving that to her. Making certain she felt it. He hadn't considered that he would be the one to fall. He thought all along that he could hold back, that part of him would always remain aloof and above it. She would fall in love with him, and he would be safe from betrayal. From taking the chance that she would rip out anything that was left of his heart. There was no holding himself apart from her. Not a single chance. He was already gone.

He kissed her with real emotion, pouring his feelings for her into his kisses. He kissed her over and over, stripping himself bare, making himself totally vulnerable by showing her what she meant to him. He did so with what he was best at, only his kisses weren't practiced perfection. For the first time they were real and intimate and meant something.

Her mouth moved under his, surrendering everything to him. She caught fire, completely detonated. The chemistry between them was explosive. She didn't know it yet, but she belonged to him. She kept trying to pull back until he kissed her. It was then she completely gave herself to him.

His heart pounded. Thunder roared in his ears. Hot blood pumped through his veins. He caught fire right along with her. He found her nipple, tugging, rolling, catching her whispered moan in his mouth. He kissed his way to her breasts and then flicked her nipple with his tongue. Her entire body reacted to that brief, cautious takeover of her senses. He wanted to go slow and savor every reaction. He wanted to keep her in the moment, so she couldn't get into her head and feel fear.

She liked what he was doing to her, arching just enough to give him better access and her complete approval. He took the invitation, pulling one breast into the heat of his mouth while he worked the other, tugging and rolling her nipple, gently at first and then with increasing pressure. All the while, he was aware of her every reaction. Breathing. Squirming. Moaning. He needed to know what she liked and didn't like. What she feared but would try.

He liked control in bed. He needed to know his woman would give that to him. Fortunately for him, his little wildcat seemed to prefer following his lead. The one way he knew he could tie her to him for sure was through sex. He'd spent years being trained to draw his partners to him, to keep them addicted, coming back for more.

Her nails dug into his shoulders as he spent time on her breasts, using teeth and tongue, at times rough and then so gentle, refusing to set a rhythm so she never knew what was coming. Her breath came in rapid little pants, and her legs moved restlessly.

Maestro didn't want their relationship to be all about sex. If that was the only way he could have her, so be it, but he wanted what was between them to be the real thing. He wanted to give her as much pleasure as possible because, to his absolute astonishment, he had fallen hard for her.

He swept his palm down the length of her, absorbing the feel of her silken skin. The feminine shape of her. His fingers stroked her sensitive mound as he followed the path of his palm with his lips, sipping at her skin. Kissing and nipping. All the while, his fingers played and teased along her mound. Skimming along her enticing lips, looking for her slick heat and telltale dampness where he slid one finger through fiery wetness, testing that she was as eager for him as he was for her. Not that he thought that possible. He felt as if he'd waited a lifetime for her.

Her feminine channel clenched tight around his finger. He felt the silken muscles clamping down, nearly strangling his finger, making his cock ache even more. It was disturbing to need her so much. To want her the way he did. He'd barely touched her, barely gotten started, and he was harder than he'd ever been in his life. Every nerve ending in his body was alive, on fire, desperate for her.

He lifted his head and looked into her eyes. She was completely innocent and yet he saw trust there. It was such a gift. Seeing that look in her eyes humbled him. He was asking a lot of her and would be asking more. On some level, she knew and understood that, yet she was still willing to give her body into his keeping.

He had fallen hard. So fast. Finding her was unexpected, and given the circumstances of their meeting, it came at the wrong time, but nothing mattered to him but her. Her happiness. Her pleasure. She robbed him of his breath. Each separate beat of his heart was for her. He had found something to live for. Someone who elevated him when he didn't think that was possible. He had been so far gone and yet there she was—his sunshine.

"I want us to always be like this, Solnyshkuh . The two of us."

His breath felt raw, his lungs burning for air. It was becoming a familiar feeling to him when she was nearby. Fire burned bright and hot, the flames licking over every nerve ending.

He wrapped his palm around her throat, feeling her heart beating in his hand. He continued sliding through her wetness with one finger, then brushed her clit, feeling her jerk beneath him in reaction.

"Tell me how that feels, Zelie. Do you like what I'm doing?"

Her gaze jumped to his, dark with heat. She nodded, giving him that. He read her body, but he wanted her to confirm she was growing desperate for him. He hadn't even started, but she needed to be at fever pitch to accept him.

"It's like the brush of a white-hot flame." She whispered the admission. "Amazing."

"Relax for me, Solnyshkuh . I've waited far too long to taste you. Kissing you sets up an addiction to your particular taste. I love the way you smell. I'm craving your unique flavor on my tongue."

He lifted his finger to his mouth and licked, his eyes focused on her, needing to see her reaction, tongue curling around his finger, savoring the honey and strawberry spice.

Color crept under her flesh, turning her silken skin to rose. She came up on her elbows, looking at him with a mixture of apprehension and heat.

"I don't know…" She trailed off, her gaze clinging to his, looking to him for reassurance.

He slid his palm from her neck, moved it gently over the full curves of her breasts to her belly, savoring the feel of her. She was as soft as any rose petal. Like silk. Splaying his fingers wide, his hand nearly took up her entire abdomen. He liked the way his hand, rough and scarred, looked against her skin.

"I promise, baby, you're going to like everything I do to you."

His gaze dropped to the scars on her body from the three bullets her brother-in-law had pumped into her when he did his best to murder her. One was very close to her heart. It was a testament to her strength that she had survived and to her indomitable spirit that she was such a bright, shining light.

Slowly, but relentlessly, he applied pressure until she complied with his order, letting herself fall to her back. Her gaze never left his. He loved her looking at him—to him—trusting him to give her pleasure when she felt vulnerable.

"Andrii." She whispered his name.

His heart accelerated, ached for her, an actual physical pain. He knew what she saw. Lines of lust and the possibility of love were carved deep because he felt both. Desire was stark and raw.

"I've got you, baby," he reassured her. "Just looking at you makes me hard as fuck. You can't know what that means to me. Natural. Real. Someday I'll tell you just what kind of miracle you really are."

Maestro stood at the end of the bed, looking down at the woman he knew was his. His entire life had been one of betrayal by women. His gut, his every instinct, told him she was different. She would stay. She could put up with his bullshit and insecurities.

Azelie lay naked; her gorgeous body with its generous curves was his. She was giving herself to him. He wanted to spend hours devouring her. Savoring her. Convincing her she couldn't live without him because he was that far gone already. He couldn't live without her.

He wanted to spend time, hours, days, weeks, hearing her call his name in that soft little whimper she had, the sounds at the back of her throat that drove him mad. He wanted to make her come for him over and over.

She was on the verge of flight half the time, so wary, so afraid what was between them couldn't be real. He knew her background, that the abandonment of her parents and betrayal of her brother-in-law had made her feel as if no one could really love her. He knew what that felt like—he often felt the same way. But how could anyone not love Azelie?

He started from the beginning again, kissing his way from her chin, down her throat, to the swell of her breasts. Soft. Silk. Perfection. He was lost in his exploration for a few minutes, giving himself the sheer pleasure of feasting on her, watching the way his tongue, teeth and the heat of his mouth kept tension in her coiling deep. He spent time at each of the scars, his tongue moving in a soothing, caressing motion, mapping them, holding her to him, savoring the taste of her, even as he memorized every inch of her body.

Maestro ran his palms from her belly to her thighs. Moved his hands down her legs to her ankles in a slow claiming. He wanted the shape and feel of her imprinted not just in his brain but in his bones. He wanted to know she would allow him to touch her anywhere they were. He wanted closeness with her.

When they talked, he wanted her in his lap. He needed to hold her close to him. Her kisses were pure fire, and he knew he'd never get enough of them. It was important to him to know she wouldn't mind if he slid his hand under her clothing to touch her bare skin. That need wasn't about ownership. He wasn't an exhibitionist, nor did he want other men to think his woman was his plaything. He wanted respect for her because she deserved respect. He knew he would need to touch her intimately at times, to stroke his fingers along her belly or hips, but not where others could see.

At the same time, it would never bother him to have his brethren close, even if he was making love to her. That was something he would have to discuss with her. So many things he needed her to understand. So many things she would have to put up with. What was he giving her in return? How was he ever going to make the two sides of their relationship equal?

Very gently he tugged her thighs apart, keeping them wide enough for his shoulders. He had wide shoulders. Very wide. She was gorgeous. A beautiful woman in need of what he could give her. He was going to take his time, ensure she felt nothing but pleasure. He might not have a lot to give her, other than his protection and this.

" Bog , but you're so beautiful. A gorgeous woman, Azelie. I have no idea how I got so lucky, but I'm not a stupid man. Fate handed you into my care, and I intend to keep you."

He saw the sudden flicker of indecision creep into her eyes. He couldn't have that, couldn't allow her to think too much. This was about feeling.

"I wonder how many times I can make you scream my name," he murmured, distracting her on purpose.

She shook her head, eyes clinging to his. "I don't scream, but I might whisper your name a lot ."

She was serious. Somber. He bent his head to breathe warm air against her inner thigh. She gasped, and her leg jerked in his hand. He tightened his grip, holding her in place.

"Andrii," she whispered. Just as she'd said she might.

He met her startled blue gaze and gave her a faint grin. One that said he was in control, and she might not scream his name, but she would be pleading for mercy.

He'd had enough of being alone, of feeling as if he wasn't worth a damn. Azelie changed the way he thought about himself. He had no idea how, but he'd face death every single day to keep her.

"Stop making me wait," she demanded. Impatience was there in her voice. Anticipation. The blue in her eyes had gone royal.

He decided it was about time to put them both out of their misery. Bending slowly, he pressed his lips to the inside of her thigh and gently sucked. Sipped. Whispered how he felt about her, so the sound was muffled against her silky skin. Just touching her bare skin knotted his stomach, putting a fist of desire so large there that he was shocked.

He didn't feel sensations the way others apparently did. That had been tortured out of him when he was a kid. He'd had to be in total control of his cock because it was a matter of life and death—to him and his partner when he was learning. In one moment with Azelie, just inhaling her scent, just being close, simply observing her, his body came to life. Kissing her destroyed any control completely. They detonated together and his cock went into a frenzy of need for her. It was a little terrifying, as well as exhilarating, to feel as if he was truly alive.

He kissed his way up and down the inside of her thigh, occasionally stopping to suck gently. In places a little harder. He nipped. Swirled his tongue to soothe the brief sting. He wanted to leave his mark on her. He wanted her mark on his skin.

Azelie's breath came out in a hiss of need. She squirmed. Shifted her hips restlessly. A little moan escaped when he tightened his grip on her thighs in warning.

"I don't know if I can take this," she whispered.

"We're just getting started," he warned.

"I was afraid of that." But she stopped trying to retreat from him. Instead, when he tightened his grip, she seemed to widen her legs even more to accommodate him. Showing she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

Maestro kissed his way up her inner thigh, one small increment at a time until he felt the heat of the junction between her legs. Where she wept for him, beckoned and enticed with her feminine scent.

His cock felt like a monster, aching, hurting, desperate to be free of the material putting pressure on him. He tore down the zipper with one hand so that his engorged shaft and balls were free of the prison. Thunder roared in his ears. Lightning ripped through his veins. He took the time to free himself completely, shedding his jeans fast, grateful he'd removed his boots earlier.

The cool air on his body didn't alleviate the heat rushing through his bloodstream. It didn't give him back any of the control he needed. He found himself struggling to take his time. She softly moaned as he spread kisses from her thigh to the back of her knee and then back up to the little tangle of fiery curls shielding her slick lips.

"You taste like pure heaven, Zelie." He didn't lift his head to see her reaction. He didn't need to. Her body shivered and arced closer to his mouth, desperate for more. He took his time, knowing the anticipation would heighten her pleasure. He blew a steady stream of heated air, gentle but constant, and then when she was squirming, he licked at the fiery honey liquid. She whimpered and lifted her hips to him.

"So responsive, Solnyshkuh ." Again, he didn't raise his head, too far gone himself to leave where he wanted to be most. He leaned into her, settling his mouth over her clit, tongue fluttering gently.

Azelie gasped, a small broken cry escaping. She jerked her legs and hips as if she might try to flee. He found himself smiling as his eyes met hers.

"Baby, we're just getting started. I plan on spending time right here." He blew more warm air. "Savoring the taste of you." He loved her taste. Was already addicted to it. "There isn't going to be any running."

"You need to hurry." Her little demand was whispered.

That was his woman. Rarely speaking above a soft sound. Even the laughter he was so addicted to hearing was soft, as captivating and enticing as it was.

"You need to know something about your man, Zelie. I'm the one in control here. I always will be. If I want to take my time, we're taking time." He swiped his tongue along that delicious slit that beckoned. "I definitely want to take my time and you need to be ready for me."

"I am ready for you." There was a plea in her voice.

"No, you're not. You just feel like you are. I don't want you to experience anything but pleasure, so we're doing this my way." He would have done it his way regardless, but he meant what he said. He had no intention of her feeling anything but sheer bliss. That meant taking his time and building her need slowly. Preparing her body. It was his good luck that his pleasure was all about bringing it to her.

"I've never felt anything like this," she confessed. "It feels so good it's a little scary."

His woman was giving him that starry-eyed adoration he'd come to look for. "You're in good hands, baby. Just keep trusting me. I'm going to make you feel a whole lot better."

He was just as addicted to that look on her face, the one that said he was incredible, the most amazing lover on the planet. They hadn't even gotten started yet and she was already certain of his abilities. But then she didn't have anything to judge this experience by. He intended that to never happen. He was determined to be her only. Ever.

Spreading her thighs wider, he shifted his weight, placing her legs over his forearms. One hand on her belly, fingers splayed wide to hold her still, he dipped his head and began his feast. Slow, delicious licks. Flicks with this tongue. Teasing her. A slow burn that built and built, sneaking up on her until it was a fiery inferno.

He was careful not to give her exactly what was needed to get her off. Very gently he brushed her clit with the pads of his fingers. He circled that sensitive little button and then replaced his fingers with his tongue. Azelie gasped and gave him that same little broken whisper of a cry when he curled a long finger inside her, finding her most sensitive spot and stroking.

Maestro pulled back when he felt the tightening of her body, the hot slickness. He replaced his finger with his tongue, a unique weapon that made her go a little wild. He plunged his tongue into her, withdrew, and did it again and again. Truthfully, he felt a little wild himself. He prided himself on control, yet he knew he was on the verge of tipping over the edge.

He loved her taste. He loved her response to him, the way she thrashed under him. The little whimpers and moans. The sight of her needing him. Her fragrance enveloped him, driving him nearly out of his mind. Her skin was rose-petal soft, flushed now with desire. When he moved one finger in her, the silken walls of her channel were scorching hot, her need growing for his full, painful cock.

Once again, he slowed things down, nuzzling her, running his nose along her inner thighs, all the while inhaling deeply to breathe her in. He wanted to keep her in his lungs forever.

"Andrii." Her little whisper was back. A moan. A plea. "You have to do something. I'm burning up."

He was burning up as well. Aching. Needing. But this was for her. "Have to make sure you can take me, baby."

Her eyes widened. "I can," she announced solemnly. Certain.

She was tight around his finger, and his cock was much larger than his finger. Her silken muscles tightened. She was coiled tight. Her body was flushed with heat, the flames dancing through her veins licking at her nerve endings.

The fire roared through him. Raged. He wanted to be inside her. Sharing her skin. Her body. Once more he put his mouth on her. Sucked. Flicked. Worked her hard, brought her so close numerous times until she was thrashing beneath him.

Maestro lost himself in her, in the wonder of her body. The miracle of real feeling. He used every bit of his skills, tongue, teeth, lips, fingers. Worshipping her. Losing himself in the exquisite taste of her. Her feminine fragrance. He would know her anywhere. Her soft skin. Like silk or satin. Then there was that emotion welling up, coming close to overwhelming him. Was that what love felt like? Because he'd never known that emotion, but what he felt for her was all-encompassing. He couldn't ever take the chance of losing her.

"Andrii," she wailed his name, her body close. So close.

He felt the tightness coiling in her belly. Her thighs went rigid as the scorching-hot silken muscles clamped around his fingers. This time he didn't stop.

"Andrii—" She broke off, her hips bucking with need.

"Let go." He made it a command as he flicked her clit and used his finger to stroke her sensitive bundle of nerves.

That scorching-hot tunnel clamped hard on his fingers, so hard his cock jerked in anticipation. She shuddered, driving her nails into his shoulders, scoring his skin. Her gaze clung to his as the first orgasm rolled through her. Her tight muscles fought to drag his fingers deeper. He bent forward, rubbed the bristles of his jaw along her breast, and then sucked her nipple into the heat of his mouth. Just as her body was beginning to settle, he bit down on her nipple, applying gentle pressure and then a harder nip, his tongue soothing instantly. Her body detonated a second time, this orgasm stronger than the first.

Maestro loved watching the helpless, dazed expression on her face. The shock. He heard the soft whisper of his name as she climaxed. Beautiful. Hot. For him.

She was ready for him, and he couldn't wait another moment. He pushed her knees up, placing each foot on the cover, knees wide apart so her thighs were open for him. His heart accelerated at the sight of her open and ready for him. Circling the thick shaft with one hand, he nudged his way into that hot, wet inferno.

Azelie's gaze clung to his, all that beautiful blue wide with shock as he shuddered with the exquisite sensation of the tight squeeze.

"Andrii," she whispered his name again, a kind of awe, wonder mixed with trepidation in her voice. Her small teeth bit into her lower lip.

"That's right, Solnyshkuh , Andrii. No one else." He leaned forward, nearly helpless to do anything else, needing to lick at those little tooth marks on her lip. His cock slipped a bit deeper into that scorching tunnel, her muscles seizing the sensitive head like a vise.

He could barely find his voice. Nothing in his life had ever felt so good. Heaven. Hell. He didn't know which, but he never wanted to leave.

"Stay with me, Azelie. Promise you'll try with me. Give all of yourself to me."

Her body squeezed and burned around the broad head of his erection. His cock throbbed with need, pulsed and jerked. He couldn't help himself; he pushed deeper until he encountered her barrier. Swearing softly under his breath, feeling her hot, sweet tunnel close around him, he leaned forward a second time to lick at her mouth, and then took her lower lip between his teeth. One shocking nip and he pushed past the barrier. She gasped at the burn, tensing. Every muscle taut.

"Relax for me, baby." It was difficult not to move when everything in him urged him to drive deep. "You're so fucking tight, Zelie."

He forced himself to go slow, sinking another inch into that tight fist of scorching flames. He didn't want to be rough with her, and he had to fight for control. Her lush body was producing a kind of rapture, pleasure he'd never experienced with any of the partners he'd had, not even as a teen.

"Relax, Solnyshkuh ," he coaxed. "Give yourself to me. Trust me to make this good."

She took a deep breath. "I'm afraid you're making it too good. I feel as if I'm losing myself in you."

A feeling of utter joy burst through him. Triumph. "That's what you're supposed to feel. Let go and give yourself to me. You won't regret it."

Very slowly she widened her knees. He rubbed the tight knots on the insides of her thighs, using a circular motion. Always, he was gentle, cognizant of her fears. He waited for those inner muscles to ease just a little, enough for him to inch his way inside her. He stroked her clit with the pad of his finger, trying to ease not just the tightness of her body but also her fears.

He knew she was afraid she was giving him too much of herself, and she wouldn't be able to pull back if he let her down. His fingers stroked, circled. Eventually, the helpless pleasure eased the tension on her face and in her body.

"I've never given myself to a woman, Azelie. Not ever. Not one single time. Not until you. I've never taken time with one, didn't kiss, didn't give anything of me. I got them off, but that was the extent of what I did. You're so different. Everything about you, about us, is different."

All the while he spoke, he worked her body and pushed gently to allow his cock to invade deeper into those scorching-hot depths. The strangling vise robbed him of air. He licked at his fingers, not wanting to miss one single drop of her addicting honey. He was careful not to surge forward. There would be no powering through those tight petal-like folds.

Her body slowly gave way to his invasion, stretching to accommodate his long, thick cock as he relentlessly sank into her. He couldn't repress a groan. Sweat broke out as he held himself back from ramming ruthlessly into her.

"For you," he murmured aloud. "All for you." He was a man who had more control than most, needed it. Wanted it. But with Azelie, his control was threatened.

He'd never seen such a beautiful sight as his woman lying there, taking what he was giving her, his cock impaling her, stretching her. Each time she thrashed or lifted her hips in an attempt to get more of him, her lush breasts swayed and jolted. He began to make small thrusts with his hips, holding back power, setting a rhythm that rocked her with each stroke.

The pleasure was so intense it bordered on pain. Her body so scorching hot and tight, surrounding him with those silken muscles, squeezing down on his cock like the tightest of fists. She had to stay still, or he was going to lose all control. He pushed farther as he wrapped his hand around her calf and drew it around his waist. That simple move allowed him to sink deeper. His breath caught in his lungs as her tight muscles loosened enough to allow him to push forward, sinking deeper and deeper into her.

He drew her other leg up and wrapped it around him. "Lock your ankles for me," he commanded. His voice was deliberately velvet soft, but husky as he pushed forward again, this time burying himself all the way. He was surrounded by a fiery tunnel of silk, so tight the pain was exquisite. It felt as if her every individual muscle was wrapped around his cock.

Azelie's body pulsated. That pounding beat radiated up his shaft to his sensitive crown. Pleasure burst through him. Now he had to move in her; he had no choice. The slow slide withdrawing had her gasping. Her eyes widening. Legs tightening around him. Even her inner muscles grasped at him.

"We're going slow, baby, until you get used to me."

"I don't think I can wait for slow."

He loved that little admission from her and gave her one hard stroke, surging back into her, sending streaks of lightning through them both. She gave him a scowl when he withdrew slowly again.

"You'll like this," he assured her.

He set a slow pace, driving deep but moving through her hot channel with a leisurely slide, savoring the way her tight muscles grasped and tried to lock down on his cock. He made certain to press hard on the bundle of nerves as he moved with lazy strokes. Color spread over her satiny skin, turning it a delicious rose. He kept his attention on her sweet spot, building her need.

All the while he could feel the power building in his body, his own need gathering. His balls tightened, signaling he wasn't going to be able to hold out for long. He felt the force gathering in her body. Building. Always building. Fists of desire gripped his thighs. Her thighs tensed. He could see her breath catching in her throat. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as her delicate muscles, so scorching hot, locked down on his cock. He surged forward, hard. Several strokes. Over and over.

Azelie's eyes widened in shock. The breath hissed from her throat. She cried out softly as the orgasm tore through her. The grasping, greedy muscles felt like a scorching fist, taking him flying with her. He drove through that paradise another three times, but then it was impossible to move. His cock jerked and pulsed in the silken fist as her body milked his, flinging him somewhere he'd never been before. He had the sensation of floating in another realm, surrounded by Azelie.

Maestro collapsed over her, holding her tight, his heart pounding out the rhythm of hers. He could feel her heartbeat around his shaft as his own throbbed in his cock. Never had he ever felt the way he was feeling. Not the bliss. Not the emotion. She might not be tied to him yet, but she owned him. He knew that. He would never be free of her. He didn't want to be. He sent up a silent prayer to a higher power he wasn't certain he believed in that she was the real thing. That she would never betray him.