Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

D arren had been in the middle of relaxing, and letting his mind wander to a particularly self-indulgent fantasy, when the door opened and his wife strode into the room.

Alayne froze. Darren froze, cursing his wayward thoughts that immediately added details - such as the expression on Alayne’s face - to the mental picture he’d been building as he sought to relax through self-pleasure.

Alayne said nothing, but he saw her eyes glide over his body, widen slightly at the sight of his growing erection, then dart away, and back.

He was tempted to invite her into the tub with him, but that was taking things a bit too far, he suspected. However, if she was going to stand there and watch him bathe…

He’d jerked both hands up and out of the water at the unexpected intrusion. Now, he let his right hand dip beneath the surface, to lightly encircle his growing hardness. Callused fingers slid along the shaft, teasing with the pleasant sensation of gentle friction.

He saw Alayne swallow, her cheeks turning crimson. Still, she didn’t move, her eyes locked on the easy motion of his hand. Darren felt his own mouth go dry.

He’d never had someone watch him pleasure himself, and never considered the idea either. He’d always assumed that if someone else was in the room, either it wasn’t a good time for such activities, or the other person was a welcome participant. In which case, the arousal, and the pleasuring, would be mutual and enjoyed by both.

He would have expected to be self-conscious, unable to act. Instead, the feel of Alayne’s eyes on him while he slowly, easily stroked himself erect acted as fuel to his desire. His mind imagined those eyes closer to his, her hand instead of his. Were her fingers rough or soft? How would she grip him?

Tentatively, he thought. Gently. A maiden untried, she would be hesitant in her touches, uncertain of how to proceed. He shifted his grip to match, letting his hand fall loose until it barely teased the sensitive, aching flesh of his hardened member.

He heard her indrawn breath, but she still made no move to leave, and said nothing.

He slid his hand across his shaft a few times, light and skimming, the way he imagined she might do. Then let his hand drift down to delicately caress his bollocks. The touch was light, and yet it went through him like a bolt of lightning, stronger than he’d ever experienced while pleasuring himself before. He flicked his hand back up to his shaft.

Stronger now. He would show her the pressure he liked best, the speed. He used his free hand and cupped it over the hand on his erection, imagining his hand over hers as he tutored her in how to best bring him pleasure and guide him toward release.

Slow, hesitant, but then faster as he imagined guiding her to the proper rhythm. The feeling was also more intense than he’d ever experienced, the edge of pleasure combined with the thrill of knowing that the figure of his fantasy was watching every move, witnessing every touch and every noise he made.

She still hadn’t retreated or protested, and Darren took that as permission. He relaxed, letting his hips shift against his hand, soft sighs and grunts escaping his mouth as small changes in pressure, speed and angle sent new sensations darting through him in waves of tingling enjoyment, mingled with desire.

How would she react? Would she continue as she was doing, or would she add more sensations to her teasing and caresses?

He reached up and pinched a flat male nipple in an approximation of teeth. She might nip him, if she knew how sensitive he was there, and how much he enjoyed it. Or perhaps… he slid his hand up to pinch on his collarbone.

She might mark him thus, with lips and teeth and tongue. He’d always enjoyed that. A bruise that marked not anger, but claiming. Not violence, but companionship.

The small darts of pain heightened the sense of pleasure and heat emanating from his groin. His hand sped up, and he groaned as he applied a little more pressure, and a slight twist of his wrist.

The head of his shaft was leaking precome, and he rubbed his thumb sensuously through the liquid of his arousal, groaning at the feel of contact against the head of the shaft. The stimulus made his hips buck in the water, and he shivered at the feel of heated skin rubbing together, the cooler water and the wash of still colder air over his exposed shoulders and chest.

He could feel his release coming, his bollocks drawing tight and heat and pressure coiling through him, tighter and higher. His breath came in harsh pants as he worked himself closer to the edge.

He felt his climax coming, and he opened his eyes and met hers. The hand he’d been stroking himself with swiped over the head of his shaft as his other hand fondled and lightly pinched his aching balls. The combination of sensations, and the delicious thrill of Alayne’s eyes on him pushed him over the edge, and he climaxed harder than he had in a good long while. Air left his lungs in a sharp burst, his head thrown back with enough force to impact the edge of the tub as he spurted his release into the cooling water of the bath.

The world disappeared in a haze of white heat and pleasure the likes of which he wasn’t sure he’d ever experienced. For several moments, he was utterly lost in bliss, his mind drifting in a haze.

He opened his eyes to find Alayne practically at the edge of the tub, eyes wide as she took in every inch of his form and the state of him. Her eyes were darting between the now cloudy water, his softening shaft, and his hands.

Alayne opened her mouth to say something. Darren braced himself for everything from a slew of questions to a blistering tirade of recrimination.

“I… can I…”

A knock on the door startled them both. Darren swore as he splashed water all over the floor. Alayne jumped like a scalded cat and immediately disappeared into the bedroom.

“Morrigan blast it…” Darren hissed the words and hauled himself from the tub. “Who the devil..?”

“’Tis Ryan me laird. Apologies fer disturbing ye, but the council has assembled. Ye wanted tae make sure everyone was informed o’ the status of the guard, and any new information we might have.”

“Och, hells…” Darren’s gaze flicked to the bedroom door, which was firmly closed. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

He wanted to speak to Alayne about what had just happened. But there was no time. The council had gathered, and he knew many of the Elders would be displeased if he made them wait any longer than he had to.

Damn it!

Perhaps tonight, after the meeting, they’d be able to talk - assuming she was willing to talk to him. Darren sighed, then moved to get dressed as quickly as he could. He made a note to send some servants to change out the water, if Alayne wanted a bath.

Once he was fully dressed, he left the room with a soft farewell and strode down the hall toward the council chamber. But though he tried to bring his mind back to the issues at hand, his thoughts kept drifting back to Alayne, and the scene in the bedchamber.

She hadn’t run away. In fact, she’d come closer. She even looked as if she might not be disgusted by what she’d witnessed. But what did that mean for them?

Was it that she wanted him, or simply that she’d been drawn in by something she’d likely never seen before? He didn’t know.

As he reached the door of the council chamber, Darren made a promise to himself. He wasn’t sure what had happened, or why she hadn’t fled from his activity. But no matter how late it was, or how long it took. Before he went to sleep, he was going to find out.

Alayne slid her dress over her shoulders, preparing for bed. Her hands moved in practiced motions, but her mind was lost in thoughts of what had occurred earlier.

She knew she should have left when she realized Darren was there, naked, and in the bath. She certainly should have made herself scarce when she realized he was having an intimate moment to himself. And yet, she hadn’t been able to move. She’d been far too mesmerized by the sight of his hand, stroking and teasing himself until he climaxed right before her eyes.

She hadn’t known such things could be accomplished on one’s own. Perhaps it was only true for men, and that was why Evina hadn’t told her about such things. Or perhaps, Evina thought she’d no need to know, given that she was married.

Either way, watching Darren as he pleasured himself had given her quite the education into male bodies, and her husband in specific. It had also raised new questions for her.

His hands were clearly skilled at giving pleasure. What would it feel like to have those hands on her? Touching her the way he’d touched himself?

And what might it be like to touch him, to try and give him the same pleasure he’d given himself? She’d almost reached for him, there in the bath, but Ryan had interrupted, and by the time she’d managed to control her embarrassment enough to stick her head back out of the bedroom, he’d been gone.

The door latch clicked, and she turned, still clad in just her chemise, as Darren stepped into the room. His eyes landed on her and he stopped so fast he almost tripped over his own boots. “I beg yer pardon. I didnae mean tae intrude. I’ll let ye…”

“Darren, wait.” She didn’t get any further than that before he whipped around, so fast that he knocked his skull against the door frame when he misjudged how close he was to it. The sight of him cursing as he gripped his head was the last straw, and the feelings she’d been harboring for days broke free. “Am I really so deplorable tae ye?”

Darren’s head snapped around. “What?”

“Am I really so undesirable?” She swallowed hard. “I’ve tried tae show ye that yer advances are welcome. I’ve tried tae invite ye closer. But all ye dae is spurn me and push me away. Dae ye really despise me so much that ye can barely stand civility, much less more?”

Darren felt as if his jaw might come unhinged from surprise alone. He’d expected to have a show tossed at his head for daring to interrupt Alayne’s changing. Possibly followed by a diatribe about his shameless behavior earlier. Instead, she was accusing him of not wanting her.

How on God’s green earth can she be thinkin’ I dinnae want her? Stars above, I near lost me mind just pleasurin’ myself while she watched!

He swallowed hard. “It isnae that I dinnae want ye.”

“Is it nae?” She raised her chin in challenge, but he caught the gleam of hurt in her eyes as well. “When first me faither offered ye me hand, ye turned it down with excuses and half-truths.”

“I told ye, yer faither wanted a contract I couldnae accept, fer the good o’ me clan.”

“But then, after we married…”

“Ye told me ye’d rather sleep with a viper.” He raised an eyebrow. “Ye wrapped yerself in so many layers ye could scarcely move, and ye looked as if ye’d geld me if I so much as touched ye. I’d say ye made it clear that ye didnae want me . Nae the other way around.”

Alayne flushed, looking embarrassed. “That was then, afore I grew tae ken what sort o’ man ye were. I’ve tried tae show ye that me feelings have changed. But even when I ask ye tae kiss me, ye refuse. How could I see anything save rejection in that?”

“Because it isnae rejection. ‘Tis caution.” Darren felt the words rasp in his throat. “I’m tryin’ tae be a gentleman fer ye, Alayne, but what I feel, and what I want… if I touched ye, I’d kiss ye. And if I kissed ye, I wouldnae want tae stop there.”

Alayne’s eyes widened. “What is that supposed tae mean?”

Darren stepped forward. His voice was sharp with growing desire as he answered her. “It means, Alayne, that I wouldnae stop with a kiss and a touch. I ken ye’re unschooled in intimacy, so I’ll say it plain: once I touched ye, I’d claim ye. Ye’d find yerself in me bed, and I’d mark me claim on ye in every way a man can. Ye’d go from unschooled tae well-ravished, me lass.”

He took a deep breath, feeling the heat that curled through him. “Once I kent how little ye kent o’ love making, I kent I couldnae touch ye, or I’d push ye far beyond anything ye were ready fer. I’d wind up makin’ ye dae somethin’ ye didnae want, and worse. I couldnae stand tae dae that.”

Alayne blinked, and he braced himself for her rejection, or withdrawal. Perhaps even for a response of disgust and a renewed declaration that she’d never share his bed.

Instead, Alayne took a hesitant step forward, then another, until she could reach out and put a hand on his chest. Darren stiffened, desire, anticipation and a faint spark of hope surging through his blood. “Alayne?”

Her eyes rose slowly to meet his. “And what if I didnae want ye tae stop taenight?”

“Ye realize that if I give ye what yer asking fer, it cannae be taken back. The marriage will be consummated and sealed.” He lifted a hand to cup her cheek. “And even if dissolution were possible, once I claim ye, I’ll nae be ever letting ye go.”

“If I wanted ye tae let me go, I’d nae ask ye tae claim ye now.”

She meant it. He could see it in her eyes, the interest in her face. “Ye’re sure?”

“Aye.” her cheeks flushed a faint rose hue. “I’ve been speaking tae Evina. She taught me some things, but…” Her blush deepened. “Now I’d like tae feel and experience the things she was telling me about.”

“Then I shall be happy tae grant me lady’s command.” And with no further deliberation, Darren brought his lips to hers in a searing kiss.

Alayne gasped as Darren’s mouth captured hers. He tasted of salt and mead and meat, his lips dry and slightly chafed as they sealed over hers. The kiss was firm, demanding, and possessive, a wordless claim that was as exciting as it was overwhelming.

His tongue teased her lips, and she hesitantly parted them, gasping again as his tongue stroked over hers, to caress and taste and claim every corner of her own. By the time Darren straightened, she was breathless, her chest and core aching with feelings she’d never felt before.

With a small grunt, Darren lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed, to lay her down. Alayne blinked at him as he began to divest himself of his clothing. She started to reach for her chemise, to remove it as well, but Darren’s low growl stopped her. “Leave it. I’ll take it off fer ye.”

A thrill of uncertainty, and desire pulsed through her as he finished divesting himself of everything but his kilt. The fabric was already bulging forward, evidence of his growing arousal.

Alayne leaned back against the pillows as Darren set a knee on the bed and settled in beside her. She wanted this, wanted him, but she had no idea how to go about acting on it. Tentatively, she reached for his kilt, only to be stopped by his hand over hers. “Nae yet.”

“What… what should I…?”

“Dinnae dae anything, fer now.” Darren’s voice lowered again, rough yet smooth, like smoke and velvet in the dimness of the room. “I ken this is yer first time, so let me dae the work. All I want from ye are yer honest responses tae what I dae. If ye like something, let me ken. If I dae something ye dinnae like, let me ken. I want tae ken everything ye feel.”

That sounded deceptively simple. She wondered if that applied to what she felt right now. What she felt - a shivery, fluttery feeling deep in her abdomen.

Warm, callused fingers caressed her cheek and stroked back her hair. Above her, Darren’s eyes glittered with something sharp, something primal - desire. Alayne had never seen such emotions directed at her before, and the thought that Darren might feel desire for her was an intoxicating one, more potent than the honey mead she’d had before.

“Ye look so beautiful. A priceless jewel, just waiting fer me tae inspect ye, and learn every facet and curve o’ ye.” Darren’s voice was low, husky, and sent another wave of tingling through her. “Yer hair is so soft, so shining, ‘tis like silk and satin on me hands, softer than the finest cloth ever a royal could wear.”

His voice caressed her as surely as his hands, and Alayne felt her mouth go dry in anticipation as he bent his head to claim her lips in another long, lingering kiss.

“So sweet. So beautiful and so sweet. Like fine wine in the moonlight.” Darren shifted, and his lips pressed a kiss to her temple, then her cheek, before marking the hinge of her jaw. Alayne gasped as his teeth nipped at the lobe of her ear, then grazed the delicate, sensitive skin above her pulse, sending shivers like lightning through her body. “Darren…”

“Aye?”

“I want… more…” She couldn’t articulate anything beyond that, but she didn’t seem to need to, because he hummed softly against her skin, a sound of satisfaction.

“Then more ye shall have, me lady.”

His hands slid down her shoulders, across her breasts. He cupped them briefly, then slid his palms down the flat plane of her stomach, molding the soft fabric of her chemise to her body as he caressed her. It felt as if he were worshiping her with his touch, his hands attempting to memorize every curve through the linen. Alayne felt bathed in the warmth of his touch, branded by the most pleasant fire.

His hands smoothed over her hips, thumbs teasingly close to the junction of her thighs, and the warmth that pooled there in her core. Alayne found herself shifting restlessly under his hands, and made an effort to still herself.

“Dinnae dae that. I want tae see ye move fer me. I want tae watch every move ye make. I want tae see every expression on yer face, and hear every sound ye make. I want all o’ it.” Darren’s voice rolled through her like a low pulse of thunder, leaving her feeling as if she’d been gently touched by lightning.

His hands slid all the way to her bare feet, and stroked them. Alayne shivered as the callused fingers traced the lines of each of her toes in turn, and applied gentle, massaging pressure to the bottoms of her feet. She flexed into the pressure in appreciation, and was rewarded with his low chuckle. “Ye like that? Massaging?”

He increased the pressure, massaging circles into her feet, then ankles, then up into her lower legs. Alayne felt bliss as every muscle was engulfed in warmth and relaxed. She was so engrossed in the sensations, she scarcely realized it when his hands slid under the cloth of her chemise to massage her thighs. She gasped at the feeling, especially as his hands moved higher, closer to the junction of her thighs. She was suddenly conscious of a tingling sensation - a feeling of warmth and dampness that seemed to pool between her legs.

Darren made a low, rough sound of appreciation. “Ye’re already so ready fer me. So wet fer me.”

Alayne felt her face blushing scarlet. “I…”

He smiled at her. “Dinnae fret. I like this. ‘Tis a compliment tae a man when a woman reacts so tae his touch.” He leaned closer, inhaling deeply. “The smell o’ yer arousal is intoxicating, better than the smoothest whiskey.”

Alayne shivered in mingled embarrassment and delight. The sensations were so new, including the feeling of pride. For the first time, she felt some confidence as a woman. Darren’s admiring gaze left no room for doubt as to the honesty of his words. Neither did the cloth-covered hardness that she felt against her leg as he bent close to her.

Darren’s hands moved higher, removing her undergarment inch by inch, massaging as he went. Alayne felt her breasts turning more sensitive as he neared them, the nipples hardening in anticipation of his touch. She actually whimpered when he did nothing more than lightly skim his palms over the sensitive flesh.

“Patience, lass. I want tae see all o’ ye. Every inch. I want tae look at ye properly, and take me time with ye.” Darren’s voice poured over her, smooth as honey.Entranced, Alayne lifted her arms as Darren slid the chemise the rest of the way off of her prone form, leaving her completely bared to his gaze.

Any uncertainty she felt was quelled by the honest desire burning in his eyes, and the way his hands slid over her arms. Every touch was both reverent and wanting, treating her like a pagan goddess worshipped and desired by an ardent follower. She’d never felt such things before, and all she could do was relax as he finished his massage, leaving her warm and relaxed against the pillows.

Darren’s hands slid down her arms to cup her breasts.Warm palms held her, and strong dextrous fingers, roughened from hours of holding a sword, gently kneaded her skin. His thumbs teased her nipples, stroking circles around them before he used thumb and forefinger to pinch and tug them lightly. The sensations made Alane quiver underneath him, shivering as heat seemed to shoot from her breasts to her core. She shifted restlessly.

“So sensitive, so responsive… dae ye ken what it daes tae a man? What it does tae me? It drives me mad, and I want tae tak’ ye, here and now, until ye’re screaming me name, and me possession o’ ye is branded on yer innermost being.”

His hands left her breasts, one supporting him while the other glided over her stomach. The muscles quivered as his hand moved lightly over them, and Alayne heard herself squeak, attempting not to laugh at the sensation.

Alayne shivered again as he palmed the soft mound of her sex, fingers carding through the fine, damp hairs that covered her there. “Already so wet… will ye open yer legs fer me? Fer me touch? Let me touch ye there?”

It was hard to breathe, against the sensation of his hand there, the feel of his fingertips grazing the edge of her slit, just at the uppermost edge of her sex. A part of her wanted to turn away, but a greater part of her, a part of her she’d never known existed before Darren, wanted more.

Hesitantly, she opened her legs to his touch, baring the lips of her sex to his admiring gaze.His hand slid lower, fingers stroking over the wet and sensitized lips of her sex. Alayne shifted, caught between wanting to pull away from the sudden onslaught of sensation, and wanting to press herself closer to his hand.

“Nae need tae be afraid. Just relax. Let me see ye enjoy it. Let me bring ye pleasure.” Darren pressed down, a slight but firm pressure, and Alayne shivered again and allowed herself to arch her hips up into his hand.

“Ye want more?”

Darren bent close, his rough voice a seductive whisper in her ear. “Tell me ye want me tae touch ye more. Tell me ye want me tae enter ye, tae feel me fingers inside those slick, soft walls o’ yers, bathing in yer heat and yer arousal.”

She hadn’t known she wanted any such thing, but the words from his lips sounded like a promise, an offering as much as a demand. “Please. Please…”

“As ye command.”

Alayne gasped, a stifled shriek emerging from her throat as a single finger slipped inside her, sliding through the lips of her sex to caress the inner walls that led to her core. Darren’s finger stroked through the lips of her sex a few times, then pressed deeper, into the channel of her. Alayne keened at the feeling of pressure, the slow burn of her inner sheath being stretched around his finger.

The hand withdrew as his movement stilled. “Too much?”

“Nae enough. Please…” She rocked her hips up. Now that she’d felt that pressure, that presence, she felt empty without his touch, empty and aching.

Another dark, smoky laugh that drifted across her senses like whiskey and velvet. “As ye will. But let me ken if I hurt ye.”

His hand covered her again, and she gave a soft cry of relief as his finger slid inside her again, pressing deep to caress her innermost walls.

“Ye’re so hot, so tight and wet. A man might call ye heaven. And ye’re me heaven and nae one else’s. Nae one else will ever see ye like this, feel ye like this, feel the heat and silken softness o’ ye…” Darren’s voice was thick, hoarse with emotions that Alayne sensed matched the rising tide of heat, desire and pleasure she herself felt.

Another finger entered her, and the added pressure made her body writhe against his hand. His thumb found and caressed a small, sensitive nub of flesh, and Alayne’s back arched as a wave of pleasure crashed over her. She keened, desperate for more, and Darren stroked her again, before guiding his fingers deeper and circling the sensitive spot with his thumb. The sensation was maddening, driving her higher on waves of heat and pleasure, like sparks dancing through her skin.

She felt something inside her coiling tighter, stronger and hotter with every stroke. It was like watching the rise of a wave made of fire and delight, standing on the top and waiting breathlessly for it to come crashing down.

Darren stroked deeper with his hand. “I can feel how wet ye are, how ready ye are… tell me what ye want, Alayne.”

“I… dinnae ken… I… more…”

Darren bent his head to kiss her, then passed his thumb firmly over that sensitive center of her pleasure again, and Alayne felt herself come undone as the wave crashed around her. She was caught up in a wash of heat and pleasure, body shuddering and rocking against Darren’s hand as the climax crashed through her. She felt a wave of fluids across her thighs and his hand as her release rocked through her, and shivered as the sensation sent a new wave of pleasure dancing through her.

Darren let her ride his hand until the sensations ended, holding her close as she drifted on the haze that followed the heat of her release.

Alayne blinked, becoming more aware as she felt him withdrawing. Darren lay next to her, still clothed in his kilt, and still very clearly aroused. “Ye…”

“Did ye think that was the end o’ it?” Darren’s smile was slow and deep, like a cat after a bowl of cream. He raised his hand, still covered in her fluids, and licked across the fingers and palm in a way that made Alayne’s stomach clench in another wave of anticipation and want, despite how sensitive she still felt.

Darren cupped her chin with his hand when he finished, and bent closer. “I told ye, Alayne, if ye permitted this, then I wasnae goin’ tae stop. I’ve claimed ye with me touch, and now… I’ll claim ye with me mouth, and taste every inch o’ ye. And then, when yer sobbing me name, I’ll claim ye properly as me wife, and bury meself so deep inside ye that ye’ll never stop feeling me possession o’ ye.”

He shifted to kiss her, and Alayne felt her whole body react at the taste of him, now mingled with the taste of herself, salt and sour and heavy with musk. A part of her thought it should have been repulsive, but the taste was oddly arousing. Proof of his desire and hers, shared between them.

His mouth slid to press at a point just behind her jaw, then he nipped at her ear. Alayne twitched, feeling a shock of heat at the pleasure/pain sensation of it.

Another kiss to her pulse point, then a firmer one and the lightest hint of teeth on her collarbone, as he marked her with lips and tongue. A faint soreness lingered as his mouth moved lower, an oddly enthralling reminder of his possession.

She’d never imagined it could feel like this - that lovemaking could be like this. Evina had told her some things, but nothing the healer had ever said had mentioned this - the sensation of Darren’s mouth slowly teasing her nerves back to life, building anew the fire of pleasure and desire that she’d thought had been wiped away in her climax of earlier.

His lips fastened over her right breast, suckling gently while his teeth pinched and tugged and his tongue flicked and danced over the taut flesh. Alayne’s hands grabbed onto his shoulders without thinking, pulling his head closer as the darts of fire shot to her already aching and wanting core.

Darren shifted his attention, suckling and teasing both breasts until she was writhing against him, whimpering at the aching need that built in her sex. “So ready fer me already, wife?”

He kissed his way down her center, each kiss light and teasing and sending sparks over her skin. Then his tongue dipped into her navel, swirling inside, and Alayne yelped and squirmed.

Darren’s hands took her thighs as he shifted lower, pressing her gently open to his gaze. “’Tis amazing tae ken that nae other man will ever have this. Only me.”

“Only… ye!” The second word emerged on a half-voiced cry as Darren’s tongue slid across her and plunged into her dripping folds to stroke deep inside her.

She’d thought his fingers were marvelous. His tongue couldn’t stroke as deep, but the sensations of it, the way he curled and twisted it inside her - within moments, Alayne was writhing against his hold, wanting more. Her legs spread wider of her own volition, desperate to grant him deeper access. “Darren… please… Darren…”

The heat was rising again, pleasure almost too much to bear. All she could do was gasp and clutch at the sheets, crying his name. She felt her release coming closer, closer…

Darren pulled away, hands and mouth leaving her cold and desperate for more. “Darren!”

“Patience, me wife. Did I nae tell ye? When ye’re begging and calling me name… did I nae promise I’d take ye?”

Darren stripped off his kilt with a smooth movement, and Alayne stared at the sight of his erect and straining manhood. She felt the heat and the rigid length of him as he bent over her, erection trailing across her thigh as he moved slowly and sensuously to cover her.

She felt the head of his shaft against her entrance, as Darren leaned close to whisper in her ear. “Spread yer legs fer me a little more. Let me feel how much ye want me.”

She did as he commanded, her whole body humming with need like she’d never experienced. She felt him shift his hips slightly, then the head of his member began to press slowly inside her.

It was larger than his finger, stretching her. Alayne whimpered and pressed her hips closer, the burn of being stretched and filled mingling with the pleasure of his flesh sliding against hers.

Darren pressed deeper, his breath going ragged to match hers, even as more words escaped him. “So hot… so tight…so soft…” Inch by inch, he slid inside her, until he paused.

Alayne tensed, sensing the thin barrier of her maidenhead. Evina had warned her that this part wasn’t so pleasurable, even with a caring and skilled partner.

“Brace yerself, Alayne.” Darren’s mouth closed over hers in a kiss, and she felt his hips thrust forward. There was a brief, sharp flash of pain as her maidenhead was broken, a dull burn as Darren slid the rest of the way inside her, sheathing himself to the hilt in her core.

They lay locked together for a moment, both panting. The pain faded swiftly under the feeling of heat and pressure. Alayne shifted, desperate for something and uncertain what. “Darren… please…”

Darren chuckled. His hips pulled back, then forward, pumping his shaft into and out of her as he set up a slow, steady pace. Their bodies rocked together, and the last lingering pain disappeared as fire and desire swept through her.

The heat built, the friction of his member gliding into and out of her channel bringing with it waves of heat. But it wasn’t enough. Alayne clutched at his shoulders. “Darren… please… more…”

Another laugh, but there was light in his eyes, pleasure and warmth and enjoyment that took any sting from his laughter as he increased his pace and the strength of each thrust. His movements became more demanding, more powerful, and she found herself watching to meet him and pull him deeper with each thrust.

She’d thought she’d felt pleasure before, but it was nothing compared to the sensation of having him inside her, having him move within her. It was driving her out of her mind, she was going to burn in waves of his passion and hers, and she had no idea what to do. Alayne felt like she was drowning in the sensations.

Then Darren’s teeth found the mark he’d made before, and his hips shifted to apply pressure to her pleasure center. A spark of pain from her collarbone as he nipped her, and a flash of pleasure as he pressed at just the right angle, and she was gone, washed away in the tide of a release so strong it sent stars across her vision and wiped away any thought she might have had. Pleasure and heat flooded through her, and her inner walls clamped around Darren’s shaft.

Darren shuddered, stiffened, and she felt it as his release spurted his seed deep into her hot and welcoming body. Fluids mingled together as they shook with shared pleasure.

Then that awareness too, disappeared, as the two of them surrendered to the aftermath of their lovemaking. The last thing Alayne was aware of was Darren’s body slipping free of hers, before his arms slid around her, and carried her into sleep.