Chapter Eight
The master suite was enormous, and unlike the rest of the flat, which was done up in baroque splendor, it was comparatively simple. The floor was chilly black marble adorned with woven charcoal gray rugs, and nearly the only piece of furniture was an enormous canopied bed. It was hard to imagine just one or two people sleeping in it; it would have barely fit in her entire apartment in Chicago.
Luna took this all in in a flash, because the moment that the door was shut behind them, Tucker dragged her into his arms again. There was something desperate this time about his kisses, something that she knew wouldn't be put off by something as simple as the weather again. It tugged at the heat inside her, but suddenly she couldn't make her mind quiet.
Can he tell that I'm not used to this? she wondered. Oh god, what am I supposed to do? Do I try to undress him? Do I undress myself? Is he just going to tear my clothes off?
The thoughts whirled through her head, threatening to make her dizzy. He was still kissing her, and it still felt good, but now her secret trembled between them. When could she tell him? When would it stop looking like some kind of trick that she had played on him, something that would make him send her away? Could she keep kissing him for a little longer, at least...?
Finally, however, the thoughts bubbled over, and she knew that if she didn't do something sooner rather than later, she was going to send herself off into some kind of panic.
“I... I have to use the bathroom,” Luna squeaked, and to her intense relief, Tucker let her go with a slightly quizzical look.
Once she was in the master suite's bathroom, she shut the door and turned on the faucet, trying to make herself breathe slowly and evenly.
Okay, she thought. Okay. He still doesn't seem to know. That's good. That's awesome.
She glanced up at her reflection in the mirror, and then she stared. She could barely recognize herself. In the mirror, her eyes looked far darker than she thought they ever had, and her hair was rumpled as if she had been out in a high wind. Perhaps most damning of all was her mouth, as red as if she had applied the wildest lipstick that she could find. When she touched her lips gently, she nearly whimpered because she could still feel Tucker's mouth on hers, and then she could imagine his hands on her, running up and down her body, making her feel as if she was on fire.
To distract herself for the moment, she looked around the bathroom. Her apartment could have easily fit inside it. There was a large glassed-in shower where it looked as if the water fell from the ceiling like a rain, the sink basin was clear crystal, but perhaps the most impressive thing was the bathtub, sunk into a raised marble platform and with crystal fixtures. Two people could fit easily into that tub, and it occurred to Luna that more could fit if they were close. She remembered a few of the rumors that she had heard about Tucker, and she could have groaned again.
What the hell am I doing? Luna wondered. He's going to think that I'm a naïve idiot.
Well, she was a naïve idiot that had been paid well for this service, and regardless of how nervous she was or how she wished she had at least had a boyfriend before this, it was something that she had to go through with. Almost on the spur of the moment, she decided to confess to him. You could never go wrong by telling the truth, right?
She washed her hands in icy cold water to brace herself, and putting her chin up in the air, Luna marched back into the bedroom.
Tucker stood by the window, staring out at the storm, but he turned back to her quickly when she appeared. He started to say something, but she stopped him. She walked closer to him until she was nearly in arm's reach and then stopped. To her relief, he didn't tease her or question her. Instead, he only looked at her curiously, and she wondered if she could sense some compassion in his gaze.
“Thank you for waiting,” she said, painfully aware that she sounded as if she was at a business meeting. “Tucker. I'm afraid that I have something to tell you. I'm worried that you might take it the wrong way or be angry, but I need to tell you anyway. It's not easy, and-”
“Is it that you're a virgin?” Tucker asked and she gaped at him, a hot blush rising up on her fair skin.
“What... I mean, yes, but... oh my god, did you know the whole time?” The last phrase came out as a wail, and she might have run back into the bathroom and locked herself in if he hadn't caught her hand in his. His hand was inexpressibly warm, and even as her heart was beating fast and her face seemed to turn as bright as the sunrise, she took a strange comfort in it.
“I didn't know,” he admitted, and that was something at least. “It wasn't something I expected. I mean, you're twenty--two, living in the United States, independent and so confident...”
He shook his head.
“And before you start getting worried that it's about technique or something like that, no. Not at all. I wouldn't have known at all from the way you kissed me, believe me. The way you kissed me... well, it was something else again.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Luna asked, her voice high and nervous. In response, Tucker simply laughed and dragged her close. She was startled by how easy she already felt in his presence, how normal and safe and warm she felt with his arms around her.
“Christ, take a compliment once in a while,” he said with another soft laugh. “No, I didn't know when we kissed, but I suspected when I could see you start to over-think things. Suddenly it looked as if you were wondering whether you were kissing me right, where you needed to put your hands, what you needed to happen next." Tucker shook his head, and she found herself both slightly resentful of his experience in these matters and a little resentful of her own inexperienced.
"Well, that about sums it up," she said, trying to be as blasé as he looked. "I suppose you have the answer to all of that?"
"For virginity? As a matter of fact I do," Tucker said with a laugh. "Take me to bed, and don't call me too early in the morning."
It wasn't a very good joke, but something about the way that Tucker delivered it surprised a giggle out of her. She covered her mouth with her hand, but Tucker tugged it away with a brief grin, running the knuckles of one hand over her cheek. Without thinking about it, she leaned in, and unexpectedly, there was that heat again, rising up and making her whimper with need.
"Oh, see, that's better," he murmured. "That's better. It doesn't have to be so serious all the time, after all. There are only two people here, and if we can please them both, we are doing very well indeed."
He pulled her into his arms for another kiss, and she went willingly, tipping her face up to his. This kiss was different from the others, however. Tucker's kisses were like a storm at sea, but there was something soothing and sweet about this one. There was no urgency to it, she realized hazily. He kissed her as if he had all the time in the world. He had all that time, and all he wanted to do was to lazily explore her mouth, to run his hands up and down her back, to press his body against hers. She could feel his arousal again, but this time there was nothing terrifying or demanding about it. All that mattered was that it was a part of the man who was kissing her, and that he felt good.
"Come to bed with me," he murmured in her ear, and mutely, she nodded. She could have said that she gave in so quickly because of the contract, for this or for that, but she knew that deep inside, it was only because she wanted to. She wanted to be in bed with this man, and more than anything else, she wanted the pleasure that he was offering her.
She followed him to the bed, and when she lay down in it, it was like resting on a cloud. As Tucker rose over her, she wondered hazily if that made him a storm god. There was something dark and foreboding about him as he loomed over her, gazing down at her with his eyes like fiery sparks in the darkness, but then he leaned down to kiss her. There was nothing but fire in that kiss, and her body lit up for him. All thoughts of gods and monsters went out of her head, and she twined her arms around his neck, dragging him even closer.
He came to rest his weight on her body, and though Luna had always thought that such a thing would be suffocating, she found that it was a welcome weight. It came with a feeling of being utterly overwhelmed, of warmth and pleasure.
"There's nothing to fear in bed here with me," he murmured, planting a sweet line of kisses down her throat and on her collarbones. "Nothing to fear here with me at all. I promise that I will take it easy with you, nothing terrible will happen here."
There was a tenderness to his words that she had not expected, and she groaned as his kisses started to bring out that summertime heat deep inside her again. She could hear the distant thunder and the slap of the rain against the windows, and it felt as if they were locked in a moment of time that belonged only to him.
"I'm going to undress you now," he said, and the words were strange to her that for a moment, she barely understood what he meant. Surely not? But then he started to tug at her clothing, revealing bare skin with each piece removed. She almost flinched when he reached for her bra and her panties, but after a brief internal struggle, she submitted. Tucker deposited them over the edge of the bed with the rest of her clothing, and then she was naked in front of him.
Luna started to raise her arms to cover herself, but with a soft sound, Tucker pinned her hands to the bed. The moment was not alarming at all, but instead it brought a blossom of fire through her body. Luna knew very well that she could never budge this man if he did not want to be moved, and something about that was incredibly sensual and exciting to her.
She could feel his gaze on her almost like she could feel his hands. It was almost a tangible warmth traveling from her face, down to her breasts, over her thighs and back again.
"I looked in on you while we were on the plane," Tucker said conversationally. "I did not expect you to be naked, so please forgive me for that, but when I saw you lying on your back, bare down to your waist, I knew that I wanted you, that a part of me would be counting the moments before I could see you and touch you ..."
"You saw me?" she squeaked in surprise, and he laughed a little.
"I did, it was very bad of me," he said unrepentantly. "I saw how round your breasts are, how white your skin. I saw your hair shining in the light, and your mouth was slightly open, as if we had just been kissing. You are so very beautiful, little one."
When he said it like that with that amber light in his eyes, she could almost believe it. Her nipples tightened under his gaze, and when he ran a finger down her wrist and tickled her palm, goose bumps dotted her skin.
He leaned down to kiss her mouth again, but he did not linger there. Instead, he started to trace kisses up and down her body, nuzzling her gently as he did so. There was something soft and gentle about his motions, as if he was doing his best not to frighten her. She gasped when he nuzzled the crease of her thigh, and then he traveled down her hips to the sensitive place behind her knees.
His mouth was warm and slightly damp. He left fire in the wake of his touch, and a kind of restlessness filled her that she could not quite explain. She roused to his touch, but then she did not calm down again, and when he brushed his palm over the lightly-furred mound between her legs, she groaned out loud.
"I want you to spread your legs for me," he said, and though Luna blushed at his blunt words, she did as he said. When she looked up at him hopefully, he shook his head with a smile.
"Wider. No, wider than that..."
When Luna felt as if her legs must be spread obscenely wide, he came to kneel between them. There was something incongruous about him there. He was still dressed, though at some point, he had discarded his tie, jacket, shoes, and socks. His white shirtsleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and the intent look on his face could have been related to business instead of to the naked woman sprawled below him.
However, when Luna looked closer, she could see drops of sweat on his brow, a slight flush to his cheeks. She knew that he was breathing a little heavily, and when his hand came up to cup her breast, massaging gently, she could see him tremble.
"I'm going to make you feel good now," he said. "It will make what comes next easier."
She nearly asked him what he meant, but then to her surprise, he reached a hand between her legs. The sudden touch nearly made her want to close her legs again, but with him seated where he was, that was impossible. Instead, she simply bit her lip as his fingers probed her entrance gently. She wanted to whimper at the dampness he found there, but Tucker's soft groan made shudder in turn.
"You are utterly perfect here," he murmured. "Completely and utterly perfect..."
She gasped when she felt his fingers slide along her entrance, close but not penetrating yet. Instead, he carried some of that clear wetness up to the sensitive bundle of nerves above, stroking her clit with it until she could feel her hips toss in shock and pleasure.
"Oh! Oh my gosh, Tucker!"
"Really? All I warrant is an 'oh my gosh'? We'll have to see about that."
He increased the pressure he was using to stroke her, and the speed as well, and before Luna knew it, she was sliding her hips up to meet him, pressing her hands and her shoulders deeper into the mattress to desperately gain some purchase.
"Oh, oh..."
There was a pressure that was building up inside her, and soon enough, it could not be ignored. She frantically tried to fight the tide of sensation that was rising up inside her, but she couldn't. It felt like it was taking over every part of her, rising through her and conquering her. It felt good, it felt so very good, but there was an urgency to it that was nearly terrifying. Luna knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was not in control anymore.
Her eyes flashed open and she looked up, only to see that Tucker was watching her, his gaze intent and bright.
"Do it," he growled. "I swear to you, I'll give you what you want, just reach for it, beautiful. I promise, I'll give it to you..."
She whimpered at the force in his words, and then, as easily as slipping into a warm bath, she gave herself up to him. Luna stopped fighting the power of the release that was running through her. She gave herself up to the pleasure that howled through her, and it took her viciously. The fire that she had felt whenever she touched Tucker raged through her, and as his fingers worked her clit with fierce determination, she shook and howled, her hands flying up to cover her face as she climaxed so hard she saw stars.
It seemed to take several long moments before she came back to earth, before the trembling stopped and she felt even the least little bit human. She moaned a little as Tucker pulled his hand away. The loss was almost painful, but then he was rising up over her.
"Tucker?" she whispered, and he grinned at her.
"Don't worry, beautiful. I am not going to be away long."
She watched, half in awe, as he started to strip. Clothed, she had known that Tucker was powerfully built, but now she could see his lean bronze body. He was beautifully muscled with a strength that was barely leashed, and when he turned towards her to crawl back into the bed, she had the image of being stalked by some splendid predator in her mind.
Then he repositioned himself over her, and she looked up at him, biting her lip at what was going to happen. Tucker smiled down at her, reaching down to stroke her hair back from her face.
"I swear to you," he whispered. "You will enjoy this."
He leaned down, grasping the column of his cock to guide them together. Luna couldn't help but whimper a little in alarm when she felt the blunt head of the cock press up against her entrance. She was warm and wet, but surely he was too large? There was something intensely intimate about the bare touch of flesh, and a part of her wanted to call the entire thing off, to renege no matter what the consequences were.
The larger part of her, however, somehow knew to hunger for this. This was what she had wanted, what a primal part of her had wanted ever since she first touched this man. She wanted him, she wanted him to claim her, and finally, at long last, it was actually happening.
She moaned when he pressed forward. She was ready, but she still felt tight, as if he was too large by far. Surely that couldn't be true? That didn't seem very likely...
Suddenly, Tucker stopped her thoughts by kissing her hard, his tongue thrusting between her lips just as his hips thrust forward below. He entered her with a single hard motion, and pain spilled bright and hot over her body. His mouth drank in her shout, and for a moment, her hands came up to push him away, to claw, to do whatever it was that would make the pain simply stop. She could feel tears start up in her eyes, but Tucker did not stop until their bodies were as close as they could get, until he was pressed hard against her. She could feel the weight of him inside her, and she looked up at him.
"Shh, shh, it's fine, I promise," he murmured, dropping soft kisses all over her face. "It's fine, the pain will pass..."
Even as he spoke, she could feel that he was right. The pain pulled back and allowed her to feel the pressure of him inside her, to see how her body was stretching to accommodate him, how that heat was still there, low in her belly and ready to be kindled again.
"Yes," she said, not sure why she was speaking. "Yes... yes, I can feel it..."
She tensed when he got ready to move again, but at the first long and slow thrust, she could feel a wave of intense pleasure wash over her. It was different to the pleasure she had felt before, but there was something deep about this. She sighed, and she felt the last of the pain disappear altogether as he started to move over her.
She let him move over her for a few minutes, relishing the glide of their bodies together and how good it felt, but Luna had never been one to settle for good when she could do better. She went from stroking Tucker's body gently to wrapping her arms around him, and then, acting on a pure and primal instinct that she was not sure that she could explain even to herself, she wrapped her legs around his hips.
Her motions made Tucker groan, and then she tightened her legs around him, dragging him even closer to her. She felt a shudder go through him, and then he was looking down at her, his eyes hot and wild.
"If you do that..." he said through gritted teeth, "if you do that, I may not be able to control myself..."
There was still a shred of fear that haunted the back of her mind. There was still a vague heat that had been pain lingering in her body. Instead of heeding them, however, Luna threw caution to the winds. She shifted her hips up towards him, and she reveled in the nearly-wounded sound that he made.
Tucker held out for another moment, every muscle on his frame trembling, but then something inside him broke. He took her hips in his large hands, and he held her still as he plunged deep inside her, pulling back only to do it again.
"Oh, Tucker!" she cried out, throwing her head back, and he made a sound that was more a victorious bellow than anything else as he started to plunge into her, his entire body behind it. It should have been painful, and perhaps it was, but she was too overwhelmed by the passion that grew between them to care at all. There was absolutely too much sensation for her to think about pain, not when the pleasure was coming up inside her again. She could feel that same pressure start, and this time she knew to follow it. She clung to Tucker, and she could hear him murmuring soft words in her ear. His words were tender and passionate by turns, and though she would have blushed and squirmed if she had heard them earlier, now they only made her hotter.
Between one moment and the next, she could feel another blinding climax come over her, spilling heat through her body and making her shout. She clung to Tucker, and perhaps that was what pushed him over the edge. A violent shiver went through his entire frame, and then he thrust into her one last time, even deeper than before as he poured his climax deep inside her.
They clung to each other, their breathing harsh in the silent room. Luna only became aware of things slowly. She could feel his body slowly relaxing by inches over her, the slowing of her heart, the patter of the rain on the window panes, less violent now.
Finally, Tucker pulled away from her, making her whimper a little. There was a little bit of soreness there that felt as if it would linger, but then he was getting to his feet. She started to ask what he was doing, but then he gathered her in his arms, lifting her as easily as if she were a bag of feathers.
"Tucker, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to take care of you," he said simply, and it struck her that it was one of the first times she had heard Tucker speak without any kind of sarcasm or guardedness. They had been together, and now he was going to take care of her. Simple.
She looped her arms around him as he carried her back to the bathroom. It felt strange, as if she had crossed some kind of threshold since she was last in here some while ago. He seated her on the edge of the marble vanity, her legs dangling down as he went to the tub. A few twists of the knobs there sent hot water gushing into the basin, and then he returned to her with a towel in hand.
"Spread your legs for me."
The command was identical to the one he had given her before, and it made her shudder a little at the remembered pleasure. She did as he said, and this time, he simply laid the hot towel against her sensitive flesh. She hissed at the sensation of heat, and then she relaxed against his chest. His free hand came up to rub her back gently, and he used the cloth to clean her. When he threw it into the hamper, she could see that it was flecked with blood, making her wince a little.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "Look at me."
It was surprisingly hard to look up at him, Luna realized. There was something intense about the way he gazed at her, searching her soul. She managed it somehow, and she even managed to smile.
"I didn't think you'd be like this," she murmured.
"Like what?"
"So sweet. So caring afterward. Getting to know you in Chicago, well, I guessed that you would be... perhaps more brusque?"
He scowled at her, shrugging a shoulder.
"You thought that I would simply, what, ride you and put you away?"
She was in such a state of pleasured lassitude that even that only amused her.
"Well, you did say something of the sort," she reminded him, and to her surprise, she made Tucker Keene drop his gaze first.
"I suppose I did," he said. "Things were, well, different then."
She started to ask him how anything had changed, but then he was lifting her again, carrying her to the steps up to the enormous bathtub.
"Go on, while it's hot," he said, and he poured in a thick solution that made the water foam into bubbles, filling the room with the gentle scent of lavender.
The water was almost too hot when she touched the surface, but she gritted her teeth and got in. After a moment of discomfort, she relaxed with a sigh, feeling the heat sink deep into her muscles and making her whimper with the pleasure of it.
She cracked an eye open for a moment, watching Tucker watch her.
"Come in with me," she said simply. "There's more than enough room.”
He hesitated for a moment and then did as she said. He sat facing her, the hot water coming up to his chest. She could feel his strong hands massaging her feet and her calves under the water, and her eyes fluttered shut with pleasure.
She had not thought much about how her first time would go, but god, she had not expected this...