with a shake of her head. “This isn’t my first time. But...”
He swept his fingers along her face. “But what? You can talk to me, Cailey.”
She looked him straight in the eye and said, “You’re the first man I ever wanted.”
Her words roiled through him like molten lava.
“Come here, you.”
He tugged her to him, blood pounding through his veins, powering the need to taste, touch, taunt...and fulfil her every desire.
Cailey tutted playfully. “I’ve waited twenty-seven years for this...let’s take it slow.”
She pushed his hands down, then began with trembling fingers to unbutton his shirt.
He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed each of her fingertips. “Don’t be scared. It’s only me.”
Her cheeks pinkened. “That’s precisely why I’m shaking, you fool.”
“I don’t frighten you, do I?” He almost laughed at the absurdity of it.
“No.” She shook her head. “It’s how I feel about you that frightens me.”
She looked so vulnerable the only thing he could do was pull her to him and whisper into her ear that she could trust him. He meant it, too. And couldn’t imagine making the promise to anyone else.
“How do I know?”
He held her away, so he could look her straight in the eye as he said, “Because I feel exactly the same way as you do.”
“What? Excited, terrified and itching to get naked all at once?”
He laughed softly. “That about captures it.”
She tipped her head to the side, as if ascertaining whether he meant it. “You’re not quite who I thought you were, Theo Nikolaides.”
“Oh? And who exactly did you think I was?”
She shook her head, “I’m not really sure anymore, but...” She lowered her lashes then opened her eyes with a teasing flash of a smile. “Do you think we should just go for it?”
“I think that’s a most excellent idea.” He laughed again, before weaving his fingers through hers. “Come on.” He led her to the big sprawling bed he’d indulged himself with when he’d bought the place. “Let’s spend as long as we need to get to know one another all over again.”
She held her ground. “Sorry. Just one more little thing. Can we have a no-strings-attached rule? Like, what goes on at the earthquake...stays at the earthquake?”
“If you wish.” He shot her a sidelong look. “Unless it’s to keep this a secret from a boyfriend back in London?”
“No.” She sucked in a quick breath. “No boyfriend. Just big brothers...and a mother who seems to find out everything anyhow and...well...your father.”
“My father?” He barely recognized his own voice it had hollowed out so quickly. “What’s he got to do with anything?”
“I don’t really think he likes me.”
“Well, I don’t like him very much.” The bastard. If he’d so much as said a single word to her...
Cailey’s eyes widened. “Really?”
“Really.”
He flicked a switch in his head. He didn’t want to be talking about his father right now. Or anyone else, for that matter.
“C’mere, you.” He pulled her over to the bed and straddled her before pressing his lips gently to hers. “What goes on at the earthquake...stays at the earthquake.”
He took Cailey’s hands and put them back on his chest as he dipped his lips to hers for another deep, erotically charged kiss. Feeling her breasts press up into his chest, her nipples taut with anticipation, sent a surge of blazing heat straight to his groin.
He gave the hem of her scrubs top a gentle tug. “May I?”
She nodded, her eyes sparkling in the candlelight.
He slowly lifted her top up and off her, his fingers lightly grazing the bands of lace cupping her breasts as he did so. By God she was beautiful. Olive skin. Full breasts. Dark nipples, taut and tempting.
He put the top on a chair by the bed and knelt in front of her. Unable to resist, he softly cupped her breasts, relishing the sensation of lace and warm skin as Cailey wove her fingers through his hair and tugged his head back for an urgent kiss.
Enough with the niceties, her kiss told him. It’s time to get down to business.
All he could absorb in his overwrought brain was that he wanted more. To touch. Caress. Give her every ounce of pleasure he could.
He curved an arm around her waist and pulled her to him, his fingers cupping one of her breasts as he licked the other one through the gossamer lace barely containing it. He shifted the fabric to one side and gave her nipple a hot, wet lick. Her fingers dug into his hair again, giving him all the permission he needed to continue. Swirling, tasting, touching, caressing...
He forced himself to adopt a more luxurious pace, relishing the soft shudders of approbation as Cailey’s body reeled and recovered from the erotic journey of his tongue and lips across her breasts, down to her belly. Shifting across her hips. Making the most of the luscious dips and curves along the way before lowering his lips to her waistline.
His fingers worked slowly, tauntingly, at the butterfly bow she’d tied in her scrub bottoms. Before releasing it, he encouraged her to lie back as he teased two of his fingers over the gently rounded surface of her belly, stopping only to draw in a deep breath of her skin. Vanilla? Or was it honey? The sweet and pure scent of olive oil? Enchantingly indescribable aromas all designed to drive a man wild. Drive him wild.
Centimeter by centimeter he lowered her scrubs...then her panties...adoring the shivers of excitement buzzing across her skin as he dropped kisses, little nips and licks, along the swoop from hip to hip and lower until she wove her fingers into his hair and cried out to be with him.
“Not yet. Not yet, koukla mou.” He spoke the words and his lips whispered against the delicate skin just above the thin strip of hair leading to the soft folds between her legs. “If you have waited this long, I want to make it worth it.”
He thought he heard her say, “It already is!” and “Now!” but then her words melted into moans as he slipped his fingers between her legs and stroked the honeyed response to his caresses.
He was as fully erect as he had ever been, and sustaining this level of control was going to be a challenge, but she was worth it. Especially if it was true that she had wanted him all along...
* * *
Cailey felt drugged with pleasure as Theo slid his warm, assured hands between her legs and parted them.
She’d had sex before, but she was certain she had never been made love to. And they hadn’t done anything much beyond kissing yet!
All the blood in her body surged and collected at the pulsing triangle between her legs as Theo cupped her buttocks in his hands and began to lick her. The level of pleasure he elicited was electrifying. She felt so sensual, so alluring—it was as if he was drawing an inner goddess out of her she’d never known existed. Each of his touches inflamed a deep-seeded pulse from her very essence that grew and hummed until she dug her nails into Theo’s shoulders, pressed closer to his lapping tongue and cried out to him to let her release. She tried and failed to stem a wail of sheer ecstasy as her body tightened and arced as wave after wave of pleasure luxuriously swept throughout her body.
Theo held her tight to him after climbing up onto the bed alongside her. “Feeling better?”
“I was never feeling bad,” she managed