Tangled Pursuit (20 page)

Tal’s whole body burned from his slow, sensual assault against that erotic zone, his calloused hand moving slowly down her back, following her spine, his fingers following the curve of her cheek. A low moan drew out of her as she felt him graze her swollen, wet flesh.

“I ache so much,” she whispered.

“I know you do,” he said gruffly, maneuvering her onto the bed, onto her back, and then came alongside her, stretching his powerful body beside hers. He propped himself up on one elbow, studying her in the low light. “Don’t worry, I’m going to ease some of that ache inside you in just a minute . . . ,” he promised as he leaned down, taking her mouth slowly, cherishing her, his other hand curving around her breast.

Tal gasped with anticipation, arching into his callused palm as his thumb moved lazily across her hardened nipple. She cried out, the sound absorbed by both their mouths. His lips left hers and began a trail of light kisses and nibbles. Then he soothed the area with his tongue.

Tal twisted and moaned as he began a sensual assault upon her. Her breath came fast and shallow, her fingers digging into his taut shoulder as he ravished each of her sensitive nipples, the bolts of heat jaggedly flashing through her.

Tal couldn’t even speak; little whimpers caught in her throat as his hand left her breast, trailing down, down, down until his palm lay over her mound of dark curls. Her entire lower body throbbed, wanting so desperately to be touched by him. The gnawing pressure inside her could only be eased by Wyatt entering her. The moment his lips captured that hard nipple once more, taking it into the heat of his mouth, she cried out, pushing her hips into his palm. Her entire world melted as he eased her thighs open and gave a low sound of satisfaction, his fingers instantly coated with thick, hot fluids from her body, telling him just how much she wanted him.

Tal opened wider for him, sobbing against his chest, gripping his shoulder, desperate to ease the painful ache rising swiftly within her. And, as if knowing what she needed, she felt his fingers slide through her folds, sliding downward. She choked on a sob as she strained into his welcoming touch, now caressing her wet entrance.

“Easy, easy,” he crooned against her ear, taking the lobe and nipping it lightly.

His fingers moved slowly into her entrance, engaging her swollen knot, and Tal cried out, rubbing against his callused fingers, the scalding urgency climbing within her until she felt she was going to explode. The moment he slid two fingers into her, teasing that throbbing knot, caressing her tightened channel, her world shattered around her.

Someone was screaming and Tal didn’t realize it was her as the orgasm careened through her, flooding her with a nearly violent, painful release because she had been so long without one. Her fingers dug deeply, frantically into his shoulder as he crooned to her, his lips against her ear, his fingers moving magically, milking her, asking her body to give him everything it had stored for so long, and more.

The undulations were agony one second, then, just as quickly, became extreme pleasure. She felt overwhelmed by the pain and then the intense satisfaction that followed. Tal sobbed, pressing her face against Wyatt’s neck, thrown into a universe of white-hot fire fusing with the skilled motion of his fingers. He continued to coax from her everything her body could give him. She could hear his low growl near her ear, hear the satisfaction in it as it reverberated throughout his chest and into hers. He was that Anatolian leopard, so proud, beautiful, confident, and powerful.

She rode that tsunami now living inside her, gripping her body, felt the keen waves of every widening pleasure, now a torrent rushing through her, heat spreading across her long torso and surging into her neck and face. And all the time, she was sobbing Wyatt’s name, lost, sinking into his arms, eyes tightly shut, tumbling mindlessly in the erotic ecstasy that only an orgasm could give a woman. She held on to him as if clinging to him for her life.

To let him go meant she was lost, she realized as her fingers frantically dug into his lean, hard shoulder, unaware of her own strength, caught up in her raging physical and emotional release.

Wyatt held Tal tightly, his eyes shut, head against hers, as he absorbed the hoarse cries that tore out of her. Her orgasm had been violent, her vagina flexing tightly, contracting, trapping his fingers within her. The scent of her sex made him crazy, made him want to take her right now, but he placed steely control over himself.

He was so much in tune with Tal on so many levels now. She’d trusted him completely, given herself to him, and Wyatt held her, loving her and listening to her cries of fulfillment and of utter, raw relief.

It was then he felt her warm tears sliding down his neck. He was so lost in her release that at first he didn’t feel the wetness sliding down his chest. Her body was still contracting around him and her sobs became a cry of pain. Wyatt eased his fingers from within her, drawing her tight against him, his hand moving to her hip, holding her close. He realized that these were tears about the past. He forced himself to climb out of the heat of his own arousal and focus on giving Tal whatever she needed from him.

He knew that this had to do with her loss of Brian, the only man she’d given her heart to—until now.

He rocked Tal in his arms, allowing her to relive the moments that her orgasm had brought back to her—he was sure she was recalling the last one she had experienced with Brian. Wyatt kissed her hair, the strands silky against his nose and cheek. He inhaled her spicy fragrance mixed with her unique sex scent, and his erection throbbed with agony. Right now, Tal needed his loving, not primal sex. That would wait. She needed him to help her get through the guilt or whatever else she was feeling after so long a time. He continued to move his hand slowly up and down her long, supple spine, feeling her shoulders shake, hearing cries of pain, of feeling lost.

Wyatt closed his eyes, cradled Tal, kissed her hair, and kept murmuring against her ear. She cried harder for a while, and he simply kept her in his embrace, allowing her that release. Finally, she quieted, hiccupping every now and then, her fingers drifting from gripping his shoulder to resting against his tear-dampened chest.

Thank God they were here, alone, uninterrupted, and Tal had the time to work through this part of her journey. Wyatt couldn’t feel jealous or hurt about it. He understood human nature.

Finally, Tal began to relax. Her breathing softened and slowed. Wyatt saw that her green eyes, always so luminous, were now darkened with pain. “You needed that orgasm for a lot of reasons,” he told her, kissing her brow.

Tal gave him an anguished look, fingers trembling as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. “I-I’m sorry, Wyatt. I don’t know what happened. One moment I’d never felt so good and the next second, I felt like someone had hurled me into hell.”

“Maybe this was about you and Brian?” he asked her gently, caressing her damp cheek with his fingers, watching her eyes soften, some of the anguish dissolving as he stroked her.

Tal sniffed and looked away. She took in a shaky breath, turned, and held his gaze. “Yes . . . it was . . . the memories . . . the loss . . . what we had . . . God, I didn’t know it was still there. I thought—I thought I’d grieved for him. I thought I’d released him . . . I’m so sorry, Wyatt . . .”

Shaking his head, he said thickly, “I want a woman who loves so deeply that it takes her this long to get over that kind of loss.” He saw Tal’s eyes grow confused. He smoothed her brow with his thumb. “Darlin’, you love deep and hard. I’m not surprised this happened. Hell, I’m hoping that if things go right for us, you’ll open your heart to me like you did Brian. I’m not angry or jealous of him. What you shared with him was priceless and beautiful.”

When he looked back at her, she was now calm. There was no guilt or remorse in her eyes, only peace and, finally, acceptance. If he could give her that gift? That was the kind of relationship he wanted with Tal. One of care, sensitivity, kindness, and equality always shared between them. Someday, she might need to hold him, and he knew she’d be there for him if the tables were turned.

Wyatt knew Tal needed this kind of reassurance. He didn’t want her to feel guilt, only pleasure, and his love he held silently for her. And he damned well knew it was love and refused to call it anything else. He’d never lied to himself before, and he wasn’t starting now.

“What we have,” Wyatt told her gruffly, kissing her ear, nibbling on her lobe, “is something very, very special, Tal. I recognized it from the beginning. And I’m more than happy to wait for you, let you set the pace. You’re a woman of immense strength and courage, and you lost someone who was very important to you. You closed up your heart because you couldn’t stand the pain of ever opening it again to another man. Now I’ve found you, and things are being asked of you that you never thought you’d find again.” And Wyatt knew, without it being said, that Tal worried about losing him as she’d lost Brian. He felt that anxiety and yet, despite her fear, she had finally reached out to him. She had a rare courage, as far as he was concerned.

Tal was torn between grieving and still feeling the effects of her powerful orgasm. Clearing her throat, Tal lifted her hand to caress Wyatt’s cheek. “You give me so much, Wyatt. I-I don’t know why you do . . .”

“Because I want to give to you, Tal. You make me feel good in so many ways, I could spend the rest of our night together giving you that list. But right now”—and he leaned down, gliding his mouth against hers, tasting the salt of her spent tears beneath them—“I want to love you. I want to show you how I feel about you. And it doesn’t need words, darlin’ . . .”

Tal basked in Wyatt’s ability to give. He had brought her to an orgasm that was more like agony waiting to be released than anything else. Right now, she felt such relief, and yet she felt new heat stirring deep within her. Her moistness was flowing once more, and she breathed in his masculine scent, closing her eyes, drifting on that effortless cloud of intimacy he’d established with her. She was wildly aware of his body against her own, his thick, hard erection pressing deeply against her belly, lighting new flames within her. She opened her eyes, staring into his, a new feeling of courage overtaking her. That orgasm he’d triggered within her had released and washed away the last of her grief and pain over the loss of Brian. Tal had had no idea it was hiding there until the orgasm lifted her to heights she’d never experienced before and then brutally hurled her down into such grief and loss that all she could do was cry.

Giving him a pleading look, she pulled Wyatt down so she could kiss him from the bottom of her heart and soul. Her anguish had dissolved in the blaze of her orgasm, and for the first time she felt light and free, no longer invisibly shackled to her past.

Tal knew she loved hard and deep. Now Wyatt realized it too and was helping her face a new, uncertain future with him. He’d been present; he’d borne witness to her pain and tears. And throughout it, he’d cradled her in the safety of his arms and body. Never once did she hear or see jealousy or envy or anger over her tears of release. This man, she realized as her mouth now opened hungrily to his, had a depth and breadth to him she’d never found in anyone. Not even Brian.

Tal was utterly losing herself in Wyatt Lockwood. His hand was now moving, cupping her breast, and she moaned with anticipation. And as he lifted his mouth from hers, that very male, predatory look gleaming in his eyes, she gloried in being a woman—his woman.

“Come here,” he said, his voice low, gentle yet commanding. He turned onto his back, then slid his hands over her hips, lifting Tal over him. “Settle down on me.”

She wasn’t a small woman by any stretch, and yet Wyatt had lifted her as if she were featherlight. Tal slid her long legs around his narrow hips, her hands coming to rest on his chest, holding his aroused gaze. Confused, she said, “But . . . Wyatt—”

“No, darlin’, it has to be this way.” He settled her against the long, hard thickness of his cock and groaned. His eyes shuttered for a moment as he felt her thick, hot fluids and absorbed her heat against him. Forcing open his eyes, he rasped, “You’re too tight. I’ll hurt you in any other position. This way”—he settled his hands against her hips, slowly sliding her back and forth against him—“you take as little or as much of me as is comfortable for you. I don’t want you in pain, Tal. You’ve had enough of that for one night.” His gaze bore into hers. “Is this all right?” he asked. “Tell me, darlin’.”

Tal belatedly realized Wyatt was more than right. “I’m not a virgin,” she said wryly, absorbing his warm, hard length gliding teasingly and slickly against her core, sending a new, throbbing fire up through her channel.

“I know, but you’re tight. I felt that myself. Take your time, Tal. Let’s ease into this. We have plenty of time.” Wyatt knew it was going to kill him, he was so damned close to coming himself. Somehow he had to get that control to hold himself back for her sake.

Grateful for his consideration, Tal nodded, her hair sliding across her shoulders, touching the tops of her breasts. “Okay,” she managed in a shaky voice, “but I’m ready again, Wyatt.”

His smile grew, his hands moving her slowly across his well-muscled chest. “Go for it, sugar. I’m enjoying this ride, too. Let’s do it together . . .”

Closing her eyes, Tal lost herself in his warm hard thickness rubbing against her, the swelling of that knot just beyond her entrance humming and throbbing once more. This time, Tal focused on Wyatt, on pleasing him. This was a rare man. He’d been so unselfish with her, so her goal was to give back as much pleasure as he’d given her. She knew how important it was for him to claim her, slide into her, and she began the process of doing just that. His fingers gripped her hips as she raised herself just enough to allow him to nudge into her entrance. She was so slick, so wet, that she barely felt her body opening, stretching. Just the feeling of Wyatt entering her sent a firestorm arching through her. She couldn’t help it—she gasped, the sensations sending intense pleasure through her tight channel as it gripped him.