Chapter 8

She should go back. What on earth had allowed her to come and see him? It was late and cold, and he had not been by for dinner. The conversation around the dining table had been cheerful, but she knew they had all been waiting to see if he would turn up.

When the plates had been cleared away, she had allayed everyone's concerns by telling them she was okay before going to her room. She had spent a few minutes on the side of the bed before deciding to sneak down and at least go and say thanks. She might think much of him, but he had been there for her.

Shoving her hands into the pockets of her puffy jacket, she climbed the trailer steps. He was there because his jeep was parked out in the yard. Lifting her hand, she was about to pound on the door when it was jerked open.

She was so taken aback by the sudden movement that she stepped back, one hand flying to her throat.

"What are you doing here?"

"I-I- "Taking another breath, she rushed on. "I wanted to say thanks."

Harvey had just passed the window when he saw her walking towards the porch. The very reason he had decided to stay here was standing in front of him. It was as if he could not escape.

"You are welcome. If that's all?"

"May I come in?" she asked softly. "It's cold."

Opening his mouth to tell her that she should have thought of that before venturing out, he stepped back and nodded curtly. As soon as she was inside, he slammed the door shut and leaned against it, arms crossed over his chest.

"How are you?" he asked abruptly, hooded silver eyes wandering over her face.

"Not bad." Zipping open the jacket, she removed it, the warmth from the inside making her feel uncomfortable. When he made no move to take the jacket from her, she turned to hang it on a coat tree next to the door.

"Does that sort of thing happen frequently?"

"No, so you don't have to worry about taking care of me again." She had meant it to be teasing, but his expression remained unchanged. "I should go."

She stayed where she was since he made no effort to move away from the door. "It's getting late," she added lamely. Something about him was making her unsettled. He wore all black, the sweater molded to his powerful chest and shoulders, and his thick dark hair tumbled over one shoulder.

"Why did you come?"

She blinked at him, the question throwing her. "I just told you. I came to say thanks."

"You couldn't have called?"

"I-I wasn't thinking. I have taken up enough of your time- "

"You were in my arms last night."

"What?"

"Is it possible you came here for some unfinished business we must settle?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about. I came here too. "

"Say thanks, I heard you." Leaning off the door, he started forward, forcing her to take several steps back until she came upon a wall and was forced to stop.

"What are you doing?" She whispered when he stopped in front of her.

"Satisfying my curiosity." One hand lifted to tilt her chin up. "Are you as virginal as you appear to be?"

"Please let go of me."

"My brother has a crush on you, and I can see why."

"Stop it."

"I can't," he told her gruffly, his other hand rubbing the back of her neck. "I cannot get your scent out of my nostrils or feel against me. You snore- "Titling her head up, he lowered his breath, fanning her face.

"You are so small; it feels like a strong wind would toss you aside. "I saw you writhing in pain last night and wanted to do something about it. I wanted to take it away."

His words had such a potent effect on her that she felt her knees weakening. Of their own volition, her hands drifted up his chest, fingers curling into the sweater. "I have wanted to kiss you since you were lying in my arms."

"Don't- "

"Too late." With a muffled groan, he crushed her lips.

The first contact of his mouth on hers sent her senses spiraling out of control. Her fingers tightened on the material of his sweater; her head tilted back as his hand descended to her shoulders and to the small of her back, where he pressed her against his muscled body.

He softened the kiss, coaxing her lips open so that he could get access to her tongue.

Her breath was sweet and so intoxicating it was making him faint with hunger. His tongue plunged into her mouth, his hands tightening around her waist. When his arms drifted up around his neck, and her slender curves pressed invitingly against his, he felt his control slipping away.

The kiss became hungry, his lips moving urgently on hers, tongue tangling. Her body moved against his restlessly, hands leaving his shoulders tangled in the length of his hair.

Harvey felt the pressure increasing in his loins, the kiss taking on a vivid life of its own. He wanted to sink himself into her, to slake his enormous thirst by driving himself so deep he would have a difficult time getting back out.

The passion and desire battling him were so fierce that it felt like a thousand spikes were being driven inside his body. His hands moved from her waist to wander over her spine and up where he was cupping her generous breasts.

He swallowed her gasp at the same time he felt her breasts swelling in his palms, the nipples going rigid. Drifting down to the edge of her sweater, he lifted it, a groan escaping him as he felt the warmth of her flesh.

Reaching up, he unhooked the clasp of her bra, tugging it out of the way to get to her skin. Tremors racked her body when he rolled the nipples between his thumb and forefingers, his mouth destroying her peace of mind.

Kendra felt as if she was drowning. She was going to have to stop him, but her mind was so filled with the pleasure he was giving her that she did not want to stop.

But she could not allow him to continue. Tearing her mouth from his, she pushed him away, her breathing ragged, her body trembling. When he started to reach for her again, she prevented that by sidestepping him and almost bolting for the door.

Before he could do anything, she dragged her coat and pulled open the door, slamming it shut behind her, and was gone.

"Jesus!" He whispered, leaning against the wall weakly. Tilting his head back, he took several ragged breaths to try and control his rampaging desire, but it was not working. His heart was shuddering inside his chest, and his body was hot and bursting with need.

Dragging his fingers through his hair, he relived the moment, her lips still imprinted on his. The feel of her smooth skin, the texture of her nipples- Sweet Christ! He had to have her. And dammit, she was his wife, after all. Moving away from the wall, he went to grab his jacket and keys.

*****

Kendra was so happy that none of the family were downstairs that she scarcely nodded to the maid, who took her jacket and went flying upstairs. Slamming her door shut, she sat on the edge of the bed, her knees almost buckling under her.

She had allowed him to touch her. Lifting her hand, she touched her lips lightly, her fingers trembling. He was no doubt an expert, considering his reputation with women. That would explain why she was feeling the way she was.

Not to mention her inexperience – it was natural for her to feel like this. After all, he was a beautiful man, and – Oh please God, she cried silently. She had been so tempted.

She had wanted to feel him on top of her- Shaking her head, she gripped the edge of the bed and started to her feet when the doors were flung open, and the object of her torment strode right in.

"What do you want?" she asked faintly.

"Now that's a question." He clipped, silver eyes wandering over her face. "I want to finish what we started."

"It was a mistake. Look, I am tired- "

"So am I." He bridged the distance between them so swiftly that she did not have time to move from beside the bed before he was standing right in front of her. "Did I tell you I had just two hours of sleep?" His hand captured the back of her neck hard enough to hold her in place.

"I am sorry- "

"You owe me."

Her eyes flashed, her body bristling. "I did not ask you to. "

"But if I had not helped, I would label a monster, don't you agree? I need to be repaid." He brought her slender body closer to his. "I need this." His head bent as he took her lips with his, seized it- his tongue darting into her mouth.

The moan was trapped deep inside her throat as her already weakened body sagged against his. She couldn't offer any resistance and found that she didn't want to. She had already been fighting a losing battle for the few minutes she had been alone in her bedroom.

Now that he was here, she had lost it – willingly. Her hands crept up his chest and around his neck, as she returned the hungry kiss, her body trembling as he thoroughly explored her mouth.

She had been kissed before, of course, several times, but nothing had ever come close to this. He kissed her deeply, his large, muscled body pressed against hers as if to absorb every inch of her flesh.

The evidence of his arousal sent fresh tremors through her, and when he lifted her and placed her on the pillows without breaking the kiss, she knew she had to surface from the sensual haze he was casting over her and do something.

Tell him the truth. But the kiss had taken a madness that had her clinging to him, her body writhing beneath his as control slipped away.

She was not the only one who had lost the urge to think. Harvey's experiences with the fairer sex were vast because that had been one of his outlets, and yet here he was, shuddering at the touch of her fingers, the feel of her slender curves beneath his.

The taste of her tongue and the intoxicating feel of her body against his was almost driving him crazy and making him unable to think. He was so hard, it was unbelievable!

Finally managing to end the kiss, he tried to slow things down by trailing hot kisses along her cheek, then to the sides of her mouth and the sensitive area of her lips. Moving downwards, he pulled the sweater over her head and dropped it to the floor.

Unhooking the clasp of her bra, he pulled the slender straps over her shoulders, his eyes feasting on the banquet before him. Her breasts were surprisingly generous for her size; the nipples hardened pebbles that seemed to harden even more beneath his gaze.

Her hands lifted self-consciously as she tried to cover herself, but he wouldn't let her. "You are beautiful.' He told her thickly. "Let me look at you."

Turning her head away, she dropped her hands and closed her eyes tight, her body springing up reflexively when he cupped her breasts, thumbs circling the tight buds slowly.

"You are going to have to look at me eventually." He teased her huskily. "It might as well be now."

When she refused to heed his request, he bent his head and closed his mouth over a nipple, his hand toying with the next. Emotions, such as she had never experienced in her life, exploded inside her body.

A gasp escaped her, and her hands flew off the covers and landed in his thick, dark hair, gripping the strands as he tugged at the nipple, his tongue swirling around the tight bud.

When he suddenly drew it into his mouth, she could not stop the scream. It was unbelievable! Her body lifted towards his seeking and hungry mouth as intense desire poured through her unsuspecting body.

Lifting his head, he transferred to the other nipple and gave it the same thorough treatment. By the time he was finished, she was a trembling mass of passion and desire. Stumbling off the bed, Harvey quickly tugged the sweater over his head and removed his sweats.

Opening her dazed eyes, Kendra was treated to a stunning display of masculine beauty that held her spellbound. His chest was broad and tanned, sprinkled with a furring of dense dark hair that arrowed down to a flat stomach.

Refusing to look any further, her eyes flew to his face, and she went stiff, transfixed by the glittering silver of his eyes and the taut harshness of his handsome face.

When he shed his underwear and climbed on top of her, Kendra was stirred into frantic action.

"No. Wait!" She wedged her hands between them, almost recoiling from the warmth of his chest and the muscles flexing at her touch. For a minute, she had no idea what she had been about to say.

"What is it?" he asked tautly, his muscles trembling from holding himself taut.

"I have something to tell you."

"Tell me later." His head lowered, and she felt that when he reached between them to enter her, and then it would be too late.

"It has to be now!" She cried desperately.

"Kendra, this is the wrong time to be conversing. I promise we will talk later." He lied. Trying again, he started lowering himself, fighting hard to control the rampaging desire raging through his body.

The look of her, the feel of her satin-like skin against his, was enough to drive him quite mad. And she was choosing this inopportune time to have a conversation. He had yet to fathom what women think or how they reason.

"It's my first time!"

He was at the edge of her opening and getting ready to sheath her fully when the desperation in her voice registered inside his brain.

Going still and not quite believing what he had just heard, he lifted his head to stare at her.

"What?"

Her fingers dug into his chest, and her eyes lowered to his throat, where a pulse was throbbing madly.

"It's my first time. I have never done anything like this before.'

"That's what I thought I heard. How old are you?"

The accusation in his voice had her lifting her head to look at him. "Twenty-eight."

He was stunned. He had never been with a virgin before, and as far as he was concerned, virgins were things of the past, in some long-ago era where a woman was required to be one as law.

Not in this era of promiscuity and women's movements, where a woman was not afraid to say that they were equal to a man when it comes to every damn thing. And indeed, not a woman who looked like her. It was inconceivable.

"Please don't look at me like an alien," she said quietly.

"I am looking at you as a man who cannot believe you kept yourself pure all this time. Where were you living? In a convent?"

She bristled at that. "Being a virgin is not so rare."

"It damn well is, and you know it." He countered gruffly.

"I just told you so you would not- "her voice tailed off, and he had to bite back a smile. He had realized she was innocent, but not this – this was something he had never dreamed she would be.

"So, I would not behave like an animal and hurt you."

Her eyes flew to his. "I suppose you are going to stop."

He felt his heart lurched at the regret in her soft voice.

"Why would you think that?" He murmured hoarsely, his senses already going into overdrive.

"Because I am- "

"Innocent? I never had the distinction of being someone's first before, and I don't know why you have chosen me or fate has chosen me to be, but I could not stop even if I wanted to." He was already entering her slowly, his arms taut as he held himself aloft, his eyes glittering.

"I am going to hurt you, but I want to minimize the pain." He told her hoarsely as he pushed in slowly, his body rigid. When he got to the barrier, he went still, his eyes meeting hers. Bending towards her, he brushed his lips against hers.

When she opened her mouth, his tongue darted in just as he drove into her. Capturing the gasp of pain, he stayed still for a few minutes so that she could get used to the length and width of him.

But he had a problem. He had no idea if it was because of her incredible tightness or that he was her first, but he knew instinctively that he would not last long. She completely sheathed him, his cock throbbing madly as the warmth and moistness of her flesh played havoc with his entire nervous system.

He started to move then, slowly at first, giving her time to get accustomed to the strangeness of having a man inside her and then building up quickly as she started to move with him, giving thrust for thrust, her slender curves molding to his in the age-old mating ritual.

His body shuddered, and his heart was beating so hard and fast it was drowning out everything else. Her hands came around his neck, her fingers tangling with the thick strands of his hair as she returned the kiss with a passion that had him going mad.

Kendra moved her body in tune with his; the pain she had experienced at the beginning was now only a distant memory to be replaced by a pleasure so exquisite she could hardly stand it. The pressure started and increased steadily in the pit of her and seemed to take over until she was yearning for something just out of reach.

But sensing that she was ready, he increased the pace, driving into her with long, steady strokes until he felt her body reaching toward his, her fingers digging into his shoulders and his back. Dragging his lips from hers so that he could offer her encouragement, he urged her on.

"Let go." He whispered against her mouth, one hand reaching down to cup her hip so that she was practically forged against his body. "Let go, baby." he urged huskily. "That's it." His fingers tightened on her flesh when she arched against him, her fingers biting into his flesh. "That's it."

Her body arched, her head drifting back as the violent climax slammed into her with a force that had her crying out in shock.

"I can't." She cried into his neck.

"You can." He drove into her, taking her from the brink until she was trembling, destroyed by a pleasure she had never dared dream of.

She had barely drifted down to earth before he was shuddering on top of her. With one last powerful thrust, he drove into her and shot his load inside her. Seizing her lips again, he kissed her roughly as the climax continued to take hold of him.

As soon as he was able, he shifted, afraid that he was crushing her, and brought her almost on top of him, his body still intimately joined to hers.

His heart was still thundering inside his chest, his body still shaking from the aftermath of the most incredibly powerful climax he had ever experienced. Running his hands up and down her back slowly, he stared at the intricate pattern of the ceiling, his thoughts in disarray.

He was unwilling to delve into what was happening between them, but soon, he would have to do just that. He had turned the farce into a real marriage by the simple or not-so-simple act of consummating it, and it had been done without him using anything.