steady, every caress designed with one purpose in mind—to please her. Stefan cupped her jaw with his palm, his fingers around the back of her neck positioning her for his kisses. His thumb stroked down over her collarbone, his hand exploring the delicate line of her throat.
So gentle, but it sparked the flint of desire over and over again.
His mouth followed, first kissing the corner of her mouth, then the edge of her jaw, down to the pulse in her neck. He pulled his shirt from her with practiced ease, leaving her bare to his ministrations, but he didn’t touch her breasts or work his talented fingers between her thighs.
He continued to pet her, caress her, like he was mapping her skin and had to explore every inch. When his lips met her collarbone, his hands were ghosting down her arms, her sides and her back.
“Like silk, woman.” Stefan kissed the valley between her breasts and knelt to do the same to her flat belly. He rested his cheek against her, his arms wrapped around her hips.
Beth pushed her fingers through his hair, feeling at odds with herself. The fire that burned in her threatened to incinerate her from the inside out, but this moment of tenderness was an unexpected treasure.
His journey continued, fingers moving to ghost down her thighs, the backs of her legs, even her ankles. His mouth made contact with her hip, but this time his tongue darted out to trace a teasing design on her skin.
Stefan cupped her ass and kneaded the flesh before abandoning the task to slide his hands back up her spine, and then he took her mouth again. Every nerve ending clamored for more, and even when he gave it, it wasn’t enough.
“Stefan,” she pleaded, trembling.
He drew her closer, pressed her tight against him, but continued the carnal assault. Her sensitive breasts were crushed against the width of his chest, the hard length of his swollen cock restrained by his fatigues but pressed against her belly.
Sharp stabs of lust pierced her and she wanted him inside her, but he seemed content to keep ratcheting her need higher. Beth clung to him, and raised her leg around his waist so she could rub herself against him. The contrast of the fabric of his fatigues gave her a taste of the friction she sought.
Stefan gripped her thighs and helped her swing her other leg around his waist. He kept kissing her, his tongue mingling with hers. His muscles rippled under her hands and flexed to hold her up, but it was no great tax on his strength.
She rolled her hips, seeking more and more stimulation.
He carried her to the vardo and lay her down among silk and velvet.
“I always imagined you like this, Beth. Spread for me on this bed, your hair like a fan of flames behind you and your skin like sweet cream in the sunlight.”
His words were like a caress, sliding up between her thighs and licking at her softness.
He kissed her again slowly, his hard ridge grinding against her heat. This time when Stefan descended her body, he sucked her pebbled nipple into the hot cavern of his mouth, his tongue working the bud, while his hand worked the other—plucking at the tender flesh and playing her body for every pleasurable note she was capable of.
Beth was so sensitive, she didn’t think she could take any more, but couldn’t stand it if he stopped either. Not only because she didn’t want to be the first to bend, but because she’d never experienced anything like it.
He switched, her breasts aching and tight from his ministrations but primed for more. He suckled and nipped, winding her need tighter. She continued to buck against him and made sounds that seemed so desperately wanton, but she didn’t care.
Finally, he descended farther.
Beth was afraid that if he touched her again, she’d shatter—her whole body would explode in a single burst.
The first touch of his mouth to her cleft was as equally slow and meticulous as it had been on her lips. With precise pressure, he laved her sensitized and swollen flesh, and