Joanna Fulford by His Lady of Castlemora Page B

please and arouse, unwilling to hurry this and lose all the ground he had won. She was prepared to trust him and he would ensure her trust was not misplaced. It was no hardship. He’d wanted her from the first, but what he felt now went beyond the thought of physical gratification. This woman excited him in ways that no other ever had. For all manner of reasons he wanted to prolong this experience.
    Gradually the caresses became bolder, exploring her breast and waist and buttocks. Isabelle tried to follow his lead, returning his kiss, sliding her hands across his shoulders and thence to his back but the woollen tunic was a hindrance. She paused, fumbling for the fastening of his belt. At length she found it and unlatched the buckle. The belt came loose and was discarded. The tunic rode up easily, allowing access to the shirt beneath. Tugging at the fabric she managed to free it, then let her hands slide across the warm skin beneath, feeling the play of his muscles. His kiss deepened in response, became a little more demanding.
    He guided her hand to his groin and with a sense of shock she felt his erection, huge and rock hard, quite unlike anything in her experience and, for a second, deeply disconcerting. Summoning her wits she began to stroke him, heard a sharp indrawn breath in response. She felt his hand along her thigh, the touch gentle but assured. His fingers slid between her thighs and thence to her sex. She tensed; then heard his voice, quiet and reassuring.
    ‘It’s all right, sweetheart. Nothing bad is going to happen.’
    Obediently she made herself relax a little, permitting the intimacy. The light stroking movement created a sensation of unexpected warmth in the core of her pelvis. That too was disconcerting but not unpleasant. She relaxed a little more as he continued. A few moments later the warmth was followed by slick wetness. For a terrible moment she thought that her flux had begun but he seemed not to find anything untoward and went on stroking her. What had been pleasant became closer to pleasurable. Her pulse quickened a little.
    Ban unfastened his breeches and his erection sprang proud. She closed her hand around the shaft, wondering how on earth her body was going to accommodate him. Surely it had to hurt. Even if it did there was no turning back now. She had to go through with this, couldn’t fail him a second time.
    He raised her skirts higher until she was naked to the waist. She reddened, acutely aware of broad daylight and the vivid blue gaze surveying her lower body. Apparently he was not dissatisfied with what he saw because she saw him smile. A few moments later his knee parted her thighs and he slid into her, slowly, carefully, until she had the length of him. Isabelle blinked. It hadn’t hurt. As she was assimilating the fact he began to move inside her. That at least was not unexpected. Recalling what her former husband had commanded of her, she put her arms around Ban and raised her knees. He thrust harder, deeper, the rhythm increasing. Isabelle moved with him, praying she might please him this time. Then he might not repent of the bargain.
    The action caused an unaccustomed surge of excitement in him. However, he reined desire in hard. No matter what, possession must not become violation. Nothing that happened here today must frighten or disgust her. Consequently he held back as long as he could but eventually release became inevitable. He had to hope he’d done enough to convince her that he didn’t intend to hurt her. This exercise was going to be oft repeated and when he took her in future he wanted her willing compliance.
    He took his weight on his elbows and withdrew, surveying her keenly. ‘Are you all right, sweetheart?’
    ‘Yes, my lord.’ She paused. ‘That was...nice.’
    He smiled wryly. ‘Indeed it was, but it’s going to get a lot better.’
    ‘Better?’
    ‘That’s right.’
    She remained silent, uncertain what he meant. Things had already gone far better