Free Love Lessons at Midnight by Shirl Henke Page A

very…merciful,” she whispered inreturn. “Now lie back.” He complied. “Remember what I said about exploring bodies…hmm?”
    A smile touched his mouth in spite of his extremity. He was learning far more than he ever could have imagined. What a remarkable creature his lady in darkness was!
    She sat up and let her hands glide down his chest, following the narrowing arrow of body hair over the hard muscles of his abdomen…“You are very strong,” she cooed breathlessly, pausing only long enough to feel his body tense in anticipation. “And very much a man.” Her hand closed around his staff, grasping it, feeling its heat. “It is so smooth…and long.”
    “Does that please you?” He could barely get the words out.
    “All of your body pleases me. Women enjoy the freedom to touch, to become familiar with a man’s body…to admire its power…provided…”
    “Provided…?” He spoke through gritted teeth now.
    “Provided the man has a body as splendid as yours.”
    He had never imagined touching his naked body could bring a woman pleasure. Oh, women admired his face and form in public, but that was entirely different. She leaned over him and kissed him, her breasts pressing against his chest, her hair spilling around his shoulders like satin.
    “Now,” she murmured against his mouth, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He rolled on top of her without breaking the kiss, his hands caressing the curve of her spine, the flair of her hips. He worshipped her body as she had his. How could any woman resist parting her thighs, inviting him? “Please, come inside me…but…do not end this swiftly as nature urges you to do.”
    He paused at the entrance to paradise, aching yet amazed. “You can…you can do it again—this way?” he blurted out.
    “Not this time, I think…but your pleasure will be greater if you prolong the culmination…and I have not beentaken by a man in so long that…you might hurt me if you rush.”
    He felt a wave of tenderness mixed with the breathless excitement that inflamed him. “I would never hurt you, Gaby,” he whispered.
    Ah, yes, you will…but not in the manner you imagine. “I trust you, my love,” she murmured.
    Tamping down the fire raging through his blood, he brushed the head of his staff against the creamy moisture of her petals. They felt swollen. She made a slight sound—discomfort or excitement? He was not certain. Setting his jaw, he held still for a moment, waiting for her signal. “Are you all right?”
    The concern in his voice made her heart ache for his sweet intensity. “Please, this feels wonderful,” she whispered, burying her mouth against his shoulder.
    When she arched and clamped her thighs around his hips, he pressed down, easing an inch into her. Then he forced himself to stop. She was incredibly tight, every bit as much as—no! He would not think of Credelia now, lest his manhood desert him. “My little one,” he murmured in French as he kissed her temple, her nose, then her mouth, urging her to return the fevered caresses.
    His mouth was magic, but his staff was stretching her, bringing back the old terror…yet she realized that this time there was no pain. She was not exactly certain what it did feel like, other than fullness, the merging of his body with hers. Concentrate on the kisses! She felt him ease a tiny bit deeper, shaking with the strain of holding back when she knew he wanted to blindly plunge.
    But he will not do that. He will not cause you pain. She arched her back, allowing him to move deeper, accommodating slowly to his size and hardness.
    Rob felt her tightness enveloping him. Losing controlwould be all too simple. But he would never forgive himself if he hurt this sad, loving woman. Gaby had suffered so much already. Holding on to that thought, he eased in a tiny bit at a time, waiting for her body’s signals that she wanted him to proceed. The creamy moisture still slicked his path. That was a good sign…was it