Chapter Eighteen
Savannah
I stared at the dark ceiling of my bedroom, wondering if Rhys was asleep yet. Glancing over at the clock, I saw that it was just after midnight and sighed. When Ava suggested that he spend the night, I wasn’t sure what I expected, but it definitely wasn’t him insisting that he sleep in the guest room.
I turned over in the bed and stared at the wall, watching the shadow of the tree outside my window sway as the wind blew. I knew what I wanted, but I was too intimidated to ask for it. For so many years, I’d been alone and now it felt strange for me to tell a man that I wanted to have sex with him.
But I did. I’d even added a box of condoms to my grocery delivery list and I’d been unable to look the delivery driver in the eye when I accepted my bags.
I wanted Rhys, body and soul.
If I wanted him, I would have to go and get him. Rhys was not a modern man who expected a woman to be intimate with him. Chastity was valued during his time as a human and it was only in the last few centuries that attitudes had loosened somewhat.
I got out of bed and looked down at the pretty purple nightgown edged with black lace I wore. I’d put it on in the hopes that Rhys would come to my room when we went to bed. Hopes that remained unfulfilled.
If he wouldn’t come to me, I would go to him.
I opened the nightstand drawer next to my bed and removed a condom from the box I’d opened earlier. I tucked it into the material that stretched over my breast. Satchel opened one eye and watched me as I crept around the end of my bed and toward the door, but she didn’t move. Hoping that she would stay in my bedroom, I walked down the hall toward the guest room, surprised to see the door standing open.
I hesitated in the hall, right outside his door, my courage wavering.
“Savannah?” Rhys called quietly. “Are you okay?”
Taking a deep breath, I reminded myself that I was asking for what I wanted. I walked around the corner. Rhys hadn’t bothered to close the curtains over the blinds and the moonlight poured in, falling across the bed in thin lines. His upper body was bare and the lean muscles of his shoulders and chest were illuminated in the pale beams.
My mouth was suddenly dry and I swallowed hard at the sight. He was beautiful. “I, um, couldn’t sleep,” I murmured, standing just inside the door to the guest room, staring at him like some sort of creeper.
He sat up, leaning back against the headboard. “What’s wrong?”
Unable to stop myself, I took several more steps into the room and heard his quick intake of breath when the moonlight touched my body. “There’s something I need but I’m afraid to ask for it,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.
“I told you that you could ask me anything and I meant it.”
I crept forward, putting one hand on the end of the bed then lifting a knee and crawling up the mattress toward him. I heard his muted groan as I moved closer.
“Savannah, I’m not sure—”
I stopped with my knees on each side of his thighs and straightened so my bottom rested on his legs. “Do you want me, Rhys?” I asked, unsure of what I would do if he said no.
“Of course I do,” he replied gruffly. “But I’m not certain you understand what you’re doing.”
I frowned down at him. “I’m nearly twenty-nine years old, Rhys. I realize I’ve not had thousands of years under my belt, but I am an adult and I know what I want.” I started to shift off the bed, hurt welling within me.
His hands shot out and gripped my wrists. “That’s not what I mean,” he said, holding me still. I stared at the amulet that rested against his sternum, unable to meet his eyes. “Look at me, Savannah,” he pleaded.
Feeling exposed, I lifted my gaze to his face and felt my heart thump hard in my chest at the sight. His eyes were fierce and his jaw was clenched tightly, as though he were holding himself back with iron control.
“I want you more than anything, but I need you to understand what this means to me. If you let me touch you like this, I won’t be able to let you go. I will be yours forever.”
My body began to tremble as he spoke. I craved what he was offering me. A partner who would never want to leave me despite my abilities. I was falling in love with him and I knew that his feelings for me were strong. He was everything I wanted in a partner, even though I hadn’t realized it before.
“I like the idea of you belonging to me forever,” I replied.
His hold on my wrists tightened. Then he pulled me forward until my knees straddled his hips and he placed my palms on his chest. I could feel the hard, fast rhythm of his heart and knew that he was just as affected as I was.
“Then touch me,” he whispered.
I splayed my fingers wide, feeling the firm muscle beneath his hot skin. I shifted my body against his and he made a low noise in his throat. Moving my hands down his chest, my fingertips trailed over his nipples and down his abdomen. His muscles twitched under my touch and his hands came up to grab my hips, pulling me tightly against him.
Through the thin blanket and sheets between us, I felt the hard ridge of his erection grind against me. I gasped, undulating against him once again. I wanted to feel more.
I cried out as he reared up and flipped us over on the bed, coming down on his knees between my spread thighs. The blankets were tangled around our legs, holding me prisoner beneath him, but I didn’t care. I didn’t want to escape him.
I realized he wore nothing beneath the blankets but a pair of silky athletic shorts. The material slid against my inner thighs, making my skin tingle. My palms were still on Rhys’ chest and trapped between our bodies.
He looked down at me, his blue eyes glittering in the moonlight. Slowly, he lowered his head and took my mouth with his. I tugged my arms free of his weight and arched beneath him, pressing my breasts against his chest. The heat of his skin burned through the silk of my nightgown. I could feel the cool metal and stone of his amulet where it rested against my breastbone.
Wrapping my arms around him, I gave myself over to the kiss, my tongue dancing with his and my legs circling his hips to bring him closer. Rhys groaned into my mouth, giving me more of his weight.
I felt his hard length at the juncture of my thighs and moved restlessly beneath him. I wanted skin-to-skin contact, to feel his naked body against mine. Instead of telling him what I wanted, I unwound my arms from around his shoulders and tugged the straps of my nightgown down over my arms. The condom wrapper scraped my skin as I slid down the top of the garment. I pulled it loose from the fabric and set it on the pillow next to my head.
Rhys lifted his mouth from mine, raising his upper body so he could see me. Resting his weight on one arm, he traced a finger over my collarbone and down to my bared breasts.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured, his eyes taking in my partially clothed body.
My nipples beaded as he drew light circles around each one with his fingertip. Then his mouth closed over the sensitive tip, enveloping my nipple in wet heat. I couldn’t breathe as the sensation overwhelmed me. After so many years without a man’s touch, the contact was intense.
When his tongue flicked my nipple, my back arched and I cried out. My body melted into the bed when his mouth moved to my other breast, giving it the same treatment. He levered his weight off me, lifting his hips so he could push the nightgown down my body. I took advantage of his position and hooked my fingers in the waistband of his shorts. Within seconds, he was naked and all I wore were a pair of pink lace panties.
He brought his weight back down on top of me and our mouths met again in a kiss full of desperation and uncontrolled desire. I was ready for him. Ready for everything he offered me.
Lifting my hips, I pulled the lace panties down, pushing them to my knees and struggling to free my legs. Rhys reached down and yanked them off, leaving me bare. His hand traveled back up my leg until he reached my center. I spread my thighs wider as first one finger then another slid inside of me. His touch was incredible after the years of loneliness and emptiness.
I felt the release already building inside me, the ache between my legs turning into a burn.
“Rhys, I need you,” I whispered. I felt the tip of his cock brush my center and lifted a hand to his chest. “Wait, wait, we need a condom.”
I reached up and found the packet, tearing it open. When I tried to hand the condom to him, he looked at me in confusion. “What is that?” he asked.
I realized then just how long it had been since he’d been with anyone. He didn’t understand about contraception. “It’s a condom. It prevents pregnancy and the spread of diseases,” I answered.
“Will it hurt?”
“No, it won’t hurt,” I explained. “It’s what we call a contraceptive. I’m not on the pill that prevents pregnancy and I’m not ready to be a mom just yet, so we won’t be able to make love without it.”
He stared into my eyes and nodded. “Okay, show me how to use it.”
With shaking hands, I reached between us and placed the condom at the head of his erection. He let out a harsh breath as I rolled it down his length, his eyes watching every motion of my hands.
When I was done, I wrapped my fingers around him, guiding him inside me. His eyes met mine and one of his hands slid beneath me to cup the back of my neck. I sucked in a deep breath as he slipped inside me a little at a time. His other hand rested on my hip, pinning me to the bed as I trembled against him.
“Am I hurting you?” he asked.
“No,” I answered, trying to breathe through the pressure. After seven years, my body struggled to accept him inside me. “Just…go slowly please.”
He nodded, leaning down to brush his lips against mine in a gentle kiss. As he kissed me, he withdrew slightly and pushed forward again. He moved an inch at a time until finally he was seated deep inside my body.
I was nearly wild with need by the time he fully entered me, desperate for him to move, to set a rhythm that would take me over the edge where I was poised. I kissed him fiercely then, nipping his bottom lip.
He made a sound low in his throat and his body grew taut. “Savannah,” he whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“I’m ready,” I insisted, lifting my hips toward his, using my body to urge him on.
He withdrew from me and thrust forward slowly. With each movement, my body followed his, seeking a deeper contact. Craving it with every fiber of my being.
My hands clutched at his back and buttocks, pulling him toward me each time he slid outward. “Faster. Please,” I gasped, my muscles twitching with the orgasm that swelled within me. I needed more to carry me to the pinnacle.
Finally, he gave me what I needed. My thighs tightened around his hips and I rocked against him, a long moan slipping from my throat.
Within moments, I was there, hovering on the brink. Rhys lowered his head and pulled my nipple into his mouth as he moved and that was all it took.
Crying out, I fisted my hands in his hair and went flying. The spasms seemed to go on and on, shaking my body to the core. Rhys’ mouth crashed into mine, our tongues tangling, as he kept moving, drawing out the orgasm until it nearly hurt.
I whimpered against his lips and he groaned, thrusting into me one last time as his body went rigid. After a long moment, he relaxed against me, letting his weight pin me to the bed. I relished his warmth as my body quaked with intermittent aftershocks. Tucking my face into his neck, I kissed his throat and collarbone, my tongue darting out to taste his skin.
As our breathing returned to normal, Rhys lifted his head and looked down at me, his eyes concerned. “Did I hurt you?” he asked.
“No, that was perfect,” I sighed.
The corner of his mouth lifted in a small, crooked smile. “Perfect?”
I snuggled into him, wondering how I had waited so long to seduce him. He felt incredible. “Definitely.”
Moving carefully, he pulled out of my body and looked down. “What am I supposed to do with this now?” he asked.
I followed the direction of his gaze and saw the condom. “I’ll throw it away,” I volunteered.
Rhys shook his head. “No, you stay here. I’ll take care of it.”
He climbed out of the bed and I watched as he walked out of the room. Even in the watery moonlight, I could see the beautiful musculature of his back and buttocks and enjoyed the loose-hipped grace of his stride. While he was gone, I took a moment to straighten the blankets and sheets on the bed, locate my panties and slip them on. I briefly debated putting on my nightgown but decided against it. I wanted to enjoy the feeling of Rhys’ skin against mine.
Stretching out in the bed, I pulled the sheets up to my chest. Now that Rhys was no longer next to me, the room felt cool. He returned a few moments later with a glass of water in his hand. Considering how my mouth went dry when I got my first true glimpse of Rhys’ naked body from the front, I needed the liquid he offered to me.
“Thanks,” I murmured, taking the glass from him. Unbidden, my eyes wandered over his body as I drank. He reminded me of a Greek or Roman statue and he seemed completely at ease with his nudity. When I finally met his eyes, I felt a blush heat my face because he was watching me with a small smirk on his lips.
“Seen enough?” he asked, gently teasing.
“For now,” I replied, feeling surprisingly bold.
He grinned wide enough to reveal those intriguing creases in his cheeks that weren’t quite dimples, but were charming just the same. He took the glass when I held it out and drained the rest of the water from it before setting it on the dresser and coming back over to the bed.
He climbed beneath the covers and pulled me against his side so that my cheek rested on his shoulder.
“How do you feel?” I asked him, suddenly wondering if his emotions resembled mine at all.
“Happy,” he sighed. “How do you feel?” he asked in return.
I tilted my head back to look at him. “You can’t tell.”
“Maybe,” he drawled.
I smiled at him. “I feel the same way you do. Happy.”
And in love, but I didn’t say it aloud. I needed a little more time to come to terms with that feeling before I shared it with him. I might have loved some of the men in my past, but I had never felt like this before.
When Rhys cuddled me tighter against his side, I had an inkling that he already knew anyway but he was willing to wait until I was ready to say it.
I laid my hand on his chest, stroking his skin idly as I drifted closer to sleep. I decided that I wanted to sleep like this every night for the rest of my life.