Beloved Stranger: Gaian Series, Book 5 (6 page)

“You look like a man who is going to make love to a woman.”

Roan gathered her in close and held her tight against his body. She felt his strength and the pounding of his heart.

“Not just any woman,” he whispered into her ear. “I’m going to make love to my wife. There isn’t anything better than that.” He covered her mouth with his and kissed her.

She gave herself over the sensation of his mouth on hers. She’d never thought of herself as a woman who could cling to a man, but when he held her, her backbone seemed to melt and she ended up molded to his body. Roan seemed to like that, a satisfied hum rumbling in his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

It was her intention to allow him to seduce her, with her maintaining control over her reaction. But Roan seemed to want more than her cooperation. He wanted her complete capitulation.

He wanted to make love and mean it. She’d had sex plenty of times, but not like this. It was exciting and scary.

Mostly scary. For a moment she wondered if there wasn’t some way around this, some way to get away from Roan without going to bed with him. But she didn’t feel comfortable disabling him, even if she could without resorting to the dart in the robe Roan had tossed to the floor. Coming up with an excuse to deny him wouldn’t fit in with the woman she was supposed to be. All she’d accomplish would be to make him suspicious.

No, the best thing was going to be to behave as Roan expected and pretend to be a happy bride, pleased with her husband. She just needed to react as she should.

He continued to kiss her, and she opened her mouth to him, granting him access. His tongue took advantage and delved deep into her, tasting her. Another satisfied murmur came from his throat and the sound rippled through her.

She’d always enjoyed making out with a man, but with Roan it was more than enjoyable. He seemed intent on making each touch he made count, each stroke of the fingers, each kiss he gave her. She was important to him, and she felt it.

Roan’s hand slid to her breast, cupping it and playing with the nipple as he had earlier in the dark room. But when he’d touched her before, his touch had been tentative as if the experience of feeling a breast was new to him. Now there was less hesitation than before. Roan might not be as experienced as the men she’d known before, but he was clearly a fast learner.

His other hand slid down the back of her gown, finding and caressing her backside. Laying a line of kisses down her neck, Roan played with her body, touching it with a mixture of exploration and dawning skill. His touch excited her, and suddenly it was easier to play the happy bride than she’d expected.

Impulsively Sonja reached up and pulled his head down so she could kiss him. Roan’s eyes widened with surprise, but he gave in to her sudden aggressiveness by letting her control this kiss.

He smiled at her when she let him go. “That was nice.”

“Glad you liked it.”

“This isn’t going to be just one of us directing things.”

She caught her breath. “Perhaps we could work together.”

Roan seemed to consider that. “We do have a common goal.”

“Mutual pleasure.”

“A very worthy goal.” He touched her cheek. “Let’s see what we can do about moving towards it together.”

“You mean as a team?”

“Exactly.” He lifted her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way to the bed, laying her on the smooth satiny sheets. Sonja stretched out, enjoying the soft coolness beneath her.

Roan joined her in the bed, lying on his side next to her. “Now, where to begin?”

“How about here?” Sonja put an arm around his neck and drew him in close.

“Kissing again?”

“Are you complaining?”

“No.” He eyed her neck, and Sonja watched his gaze travel down to her breasts. “But there are so many other places to explore.”

“So start at the top and work your way down.”

Roan seemed to consider her words, then nodded. “Good advice.” Then he kissed her forehead, then her nose, avoided her mouth, but gave her chin a big kiss.

“I love this,” he said.

“I thought you said my chin was huge?”

“I said it felt stubborn. Looks stubborn too.” Roan grinned at her. “I never said I didn’t like it.”

“So you like my chin?”

“Sonja, I like everything about you.” He then proceeded to prove that by kissing her chin again, then her neck, laying a trail to the top of her breasts, just visible above the top of her gown. The gown closed in the front with a line of small buttons that led to her waist, and Roan took great care in undoing each one, starting at the top, placing a kiss at the skin bared during the process.

Finally he spread the gown wide, revealing her breasts. For a moment he simply stared, and Sonja wondered if perhaps he was disappointed she was so small. She almost wanted to grab the gown and close it to hide her shortcomings.

Her reaction was strange, because she’d never felt embarrassed by her breast size before. If a man thought less of her because she didn’t have breasts the size of melons, that was his problem, not hers.

But the thought of disappointing Roan made her uncomfortable. He continued to stare at her and finally shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. But truthfully, I’ve never seen anything as beautiful before.”

She blinked at him. “You think my breasts are beautiful?”

“They are so perfectly round. Their color…they remind me of the moons over Gaia.” His face darkened for a moment, and Sonja remembered that he hadn’t seen a moon in nearly ten years.

“You miss the moons.”

Roan’s face cleared. “Yes. And the sky your eyes remind me of. The sunlight that’s so similar to your hair.” He touched her face. “But now I have you, and that makes up for so much.”

She felt her face heat and knew she must be blushing. A blushing bride. Was there ever as big a cliché as that?

Fortunately, Roan returned his attentions to her breasts. He touched a nipple, and it tightened into a tight bud. Roan seemed to find that fascinating. “Does it hurt when it does that?”

“It feels good. Feels even better when you touch it.”

He leaned forward and touched the hardened tip with his tongue. Sonja let out a hiss that caught him off guard, and he startled into a smile.

“Touch it like that?” he asked with a touch of mischief in his voice.

“Oh, yes.”

Roan licked the nipple again and then closed his mouth over it. His eyes closed as he ran his tongue around the tip, and then he sucked lightly.

The sensation ripped through her, and Sonja moaned. Her back arched, giving him more of her breast to suckle on. Roan jerked up in surprise but seemed to realize that what he’d done had pleased her. With a grin, he went back to playing with her nipple. When he finished with one, he went to the other, Sonja’s moans rising.

He sat up and undid the front of his robe, letting it fall off his shoulders. Sonja stared at his wide, smooth chest. Now that she could see, it seemed even larger than when they were in the marriage meet’s dark room. She’d been impressed then with his size, but now she had to admit he was a dauntingly large man.

Roan was also a handsome man. In addition to the small one on his face, she saw a few scars along his torso. Not unsightly, but definitely the result of some kind of knife fight. She had a few like that herself, mostly on her arms from before she learned to defend herself. She traced one of the longer ones on him that stretched across his hard belly. Roan watched the progress of her hand and shook his head.

“You should see the other guy,” he said.

“Should I?”

He grabbed her hand and kissed it, his eyes turning hard. “On second thought, no. I don’t want you seeing another man this way.”

Sonja sat up and let her open gown fall off her shoulders, leaving her bare to the waist. Roan’s eyes widened with appreciation.

“I’m with you now.”

He smiled, and his face lost the trace of grimness. “And glad I am of it. Whatever your past, that’s not important. Only what’s between us.” He took her shoulders and pulled her against him. Her nipples pebbled against his bare chest, and she couldn’t help rubbing herself against it. Roan buried his head in her hair and groaned.

“I can’t believe how good you feel.”

“We’re about to feel even better.”

She slid her gown off her legs and now sat naked on the bed. Roan blinked again, but then pulled off his own robe and let it fall to the floor.

His shaft stuck out from its nest of curls, hard and proud, and it was Sonja’s turn to stare open-mouthed. She’d seen more than a few similar specimens, but Roan’s was one of the largest and certainly thickest in her experience. Come leaked from its heavy head as Roan touched it, looking somewhat awed. “Look what you’ve done to me,” he said reverently.

“I’m sure we’ll find a good use for it.”

He laughed and shook his head. “It’s strange. I’ve thought about this for as long as I can remember. Trying to imagine the first time making love with my woman. How it would be. I expected serious passion. I never expected that I would laugh.”

“Why not? Sex should be fun, not serious.”

His hand reached out to cup her face. “It is fun, with you. But perhaps we could get a little serious now.”

Something in the look in his eyes grabbed her and she caught her breath. The intensity. The passion he was looking for filled her, and for a moment she found it hard to breathe. “I guess we can have that too.”

He moved forward, and without thinking, Sonja leaned back until she was flat on the bed and he hovered over her. Her legs fell open beneath him and the next thing she knew he was caught between her thighs, his erection resting at the cleft of her sex. He glanced down at where their bodies met and something almost like worry sped across his face. “I’m so big. Will I hurt you?”

“I doubt it, not the way I feel right now. Still, there is only one way to find out.” She reached down and fit his erection to her. He felt large, but as he gave an experimental push she felt her body welcome him.

She grinned up at him. “I think we’re going to be fine.”

He gave a short laugh, which stopped when she raised her bottom, drawing him farther in. “Enter me, Roan. I want you.”

Roan pushed hard, and this time he slid in completely to the hilt. Sonja cried out at the invasion, feeling him stretch her in a way she really hadn’t experienced before. He paused, letting her get used to the sensation. After a moment she felt full but not uncomfortable.

Not at all uncomfortable. Being joined with Roan felt…strangely right.

Something in that strange rightness must have been what he sensed as well. He stared down at her, astonishment in his face and bearing. Then the edges of his eyes crinkled and he actually smiled.

“I think you look as surprised as me.”

She was, but she wasn’t about to admit it. “Shouldn’t you be moving?”

“I’m savoring this. But you are right.” He pulled back then pushed back into her.

Sonja moaned. “I think that’s the right way to do it.”

“Are you sure? Maybe I should try it again.” He did, and they moaned together.

“I definitely think you are getting the hang of this. But maybe I should help.”

“If you’d like.” He pulled out, and when he entered again she pushed up, meeting him halfway. Roan caught his breath and nodded. “Yes. I think that will do it.”

After that they moved together. Roan set up a rhythm Sonja had no trouble keeping up with. Each stroke brought them closer to a peak.

Sonja couldn’t remember any other sexual experience being like this. Maybe it was the superior physical specimen. Or maybe it was that he was totally devoted to what was happening between them. He believed and behaved like she belonged with him, and that was unusual in her experience.

No man had made her feel this way, like she had a place with him, not just now but in the future. But Roan believed it, and for just a fraction of time, she did as well.

Maybe it was that she was starved for sex, but she didn’t think so. This with Roan was different, and if she couldn’t put her finger on the why, she could enjoy the what. As he sped up, his breath coming faster, the friction built within her, and her body and mind reached for that moment of intensity, when thought slowed, giving in to simple sensation.

And then there was no thought at all, and she wasn’t able remember why she was there. All that existed was this man she didn’t know, but who somehow was part of her. Or she was part of him, or together they were halves of one whole. Memory and thought no longer existed, and Sonja’s mind danced free on a wave of pleasure.

Soon, all too soon it seemed, the pleasure flooded over her, and Sonja climaxed with a scream. Roan stiffened over her, his body tensed for what seemed to be a very long moment, and then a groan pushed from deep within him as his cock erupted within her.

He stared down at her, eyes wide and chest heaving. At the look in his eyes something stirred deep within her that didn’t seem to have anything to do with the great sex they’d just had. Tenderness—an emotion that had nothing to do with who she was or even who she was pretending to be.