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  She saw stars behind her closed eyelids. She whimpered, and when he slid in a third finger, she yelled, the climax coming suddenly and without any type of prelude. She came hard, her muscles clenching and a sob tearing from her throat. “James!” She cried out his name on the end of the scream that tore loose from her.

  Still, he sucked her nub, his fingers rubbing that spot deep inside, and then let up as she shuddered. Lifting his head, he moved up and over her slowly, his fingers gently sliding from her body. “Breathe, Sophia. Come on, honey, you need to get some air into your lungs. Nice, slow breaths.”

  His kiss seemed to ground her, his body against hers giving her a focal point. When he pulled back, she smiled at him and licked her lips. “Amazing,” she whispered in complete awe. “I never dreamed that would feel so good. Amazing.” She was repeating herself, but he had fried her brain. “We aren’t finished, right?” Her body was still humming. She was aching and wanted more. God help her, but she needed more.

  “Not even close,” he said. “But I need to warn you that this next part may hurt. Not every woman feels the pain of losing their virginity, but some do. I want you to wrap your legs around my hips, nice and high. I’m going to slide into you slowly. We’ll only go as far as you want, at any given time, until you take all of me. And your body will take me. It’s made for me. So, believe that, honey.”

  “I do.” She smiled. “I love you, James.” She had actually spent a great deal of time with him, and if she was honest with herself, she had fallen in love with him that night they spent before the fire on the Island.

  Stroking a finger over her cheek, he pressed another kiss to her lips. Sucking on the bottom one, he ran his hand down her side and up her leg, lifting it higher on his waist. She felt the head of his cock sliding through her folds. “Keep breathing, Sophia. You hold your breath, and you’ll turn blue, and then everyone will be damn upset with me.” He slowly pressed deeper.

  She bit her lower lip, whimpered, and shifted against him. “You’re too big. This isn’t going to work.” This was all new to her, and she was afraid of the sensations.

  Instantly, he stopped pushing forward. Instead, he began to rock in and out slowly. “It’ll work. I swear to you. Take a nice, slow breath and focus on feeling. We were made for one another, Sophia. No other woman could fit me like you do. Trust me.” Nibbling on her jaw, he kept rocking his hips, his cock sliding in and out that little bit, but never going farther.

  Sophia relaxed. She felt her muscles loosen, and once more, the moisture began to pool between her legs. Her fingers tightened on James’s arms, and she shuddered with a gasp of air, arching up against him as she did so. “Goodness gracious, yes.” She moaned and whimpered when he slid in just a bit more and finally opened her eyes to look at him. “I trust you.” She did, she trusted him with every single part of her. “Love me.”

  “Always,” he whispered, gently. When he pressed another kiss to her lips, she felt him smile against her. “I’m going to have to push through, sweetheart. This might hurt. Hold on tight to me, and relax as much as you can.”

  Sophia nodded. “I’m ready. I want to be yours, completely.” She grinned. “So, bring it on, big boy. Just remember that you have to kiss it and make it all better later.”

  “I will kiss you absolutely anywhere you want.” Doing just that, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug, rocking his hips in shallow thrusts. As she became lost to the kiss, she relaxed. When she did, he jerked his hips forward to fill her and stilled when she tensed.

  Sophia cried out, the sound lost in his mouth. She clenched him tightly with her arms and felt her legs tighten around him, as well. She was panting. “Goodness” was all she could say in that moment, because it felt so amazing that she simply couldn’t think.

  James brushed the backs of his fingers to her cheek. “Slow your breathing down, Sophia. You’re not allowed to pass out at this point in the proceedings. Later, sure, but not now. Talk to me. How do you feel? Any pain?”

  “Not anymore. Please, do that again?” She wanted him to move and give them both pleasure once more.

  His face creased as he smiled and gave a nod. Slowly, he slid out and then pushed back in. He never once looked away from her as he did it again, and again. “Better?” he asked softly, his fingers still stroking her jaw.

  “Oh God, yes. That feels so good. Please, again.” It was a demand, pure and simple. There were no two ways about it. She needed more from him.

  “Good,” he whispered, with a smug look. Sliding his hand down her neck, he trailed his fingers over her arm. He continued to thrust. Each time, he stroked a little harder, a little faster. His hand moved to her thigh and squeezed gently.

  “Yes,” she hissed. She felt as if parts of her skin were being lifted and little threads were moving from her soul to his, but not in a painful way, oddly enough. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she moaned, pure pleasure racing through her as she hooked her heels at his back and demanded that he give her more.

  “Look at me,” he growled. “Let me see your eyes, Sophia.” His hand flexed and released on her thigh as he lifted her leg higher. James was thrusting faster now, the bed under them moving from the force.

  Sophia opened her eyes and watched him watching her. She couldn’t help herself. “I’m looking at you.” And she saw him. Gods, she saw the very soul of the man and loved him all the more in that moment. When she spoke next, it was only his name, and it held a healthy dose of fear because she didn’t know what was happening.

  “I have you, honey.” Sweat was tracking down his temples and catching on the light scruff of his cheeks. “Just let go. I’ll catch you, Sophia. I swear it.” Biting his lip, he slid in and out of her faster, the look of concentration on his face was intense as his fingers clenched around her thigh.

  She trusted him. With every single part of her being. She felt the bond growing tighter between them and then it happened. It was in the very pit of her stomach, like a mad herd of butterflies that demanded to be let free. She screamed, her back arched and her nails raked down his back. She climaxed so hard that her whole body shook, and those ties that she felt twinning their souls together seemed to snap taunt.

  His body went tight against hers, bowing out as he bellowed her name. Something hot poured into her body as he shuddered and collapsed over her. Breathing hard, he wrapped his arms around her and held on tight, as if he was afraid she’d get away from him.

  Sophia giggled and snuggled in closer to him. “I liked that. A lot,” she all but purred. Yawning, she closed her eyes and sighed. “I love you, Billy,” she whispered, before she fell into a stone cold sleep.

  “I love you, too, Soph,” he followed her into the darkness.

  Chapter Four

  A finger stroking over her skin brought her awake. “About time you woke up,” James’s voice said next to her. “I was beginning to think you’d sleep forever, Soph.” He kissed her gently, his teeth lightly nipping at her bottom lip before drawing away.

  “I just needed Prince Charming to kiss me.” She had no idea if that was the right prince or not, and honestly, she didn’t care. She had a real man that loved her. “Goodness, I could get very accustomed to waking up in your arms like this,” she said, as she stroked her fingers over his mouth. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Actually, yeah. I normally don’t. Again, with the old life issues of never knowing when a bullet might be coming my way. But I will admit that, both times I’ve slept with you, I’ve slept better than I have since I was a kid.” Leaning into her, he gave her another kiss—slow, deep, and enough to have heat building in her body again. “You need to eat, and you should have a nice, hot bath. You’re probably going to be feeling muscles you didn’t even realize you had as soon as you start moving around.”

  “I wouldn’t turn it down. Why don’t I get started in the bathroom, and you go and grab us some food? You can come and climb into the tub with me when you come back.”

  “Sounds good
to me.” He smiled, pressing another kiss to her lips before he drew back. Rolling from the bed, he stretched his arms up over his head and twisted his torso left, then right. “I’ll lock the outer door when I leave. Likely not necessary, but I’ll feel better. Did you want anything specific? Since we’re at the dinner hour, you’re non-carnivore choices are going to be a little more limited.”

  “Anything that doesn’t have a face. I’m actually pretty easy. So as long as it’s not meat, I’m totally good.” She gazed at him and grinned. “Goodness, I’m a happy and seriously lucky woman.”

  Reaching out a hand, he caught hers and pulled her to her feet in front of him. “I’m the lucky one, Soph. And I will never, ever forget just how lucky I am. I love you,” he said, softly. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he squeezed her fingers. “I would like to mention, that anything good has a face on it. You really are trying to challenge me, aren’t you?”

  “I know, but if anyone can pull it off, you can, Billy.” She moved onto her tiptoes, kissing him as she did so. “Do you feel that?” she asked him quietly, with her lips brushing his. “It feels amazing. The way that you touch me, but it’s more than that. It feels as if we’re connected at a soul-deep level now, doesn’t it?”

  “We are,” he admitted. “We’re bonded now, Soph. A Guardian and VV, when they come together the first time sexually, forge a tie between themselves. Your lifespan is now tied to mine, which means you’ll live as long as I will. That same bond will also allow us, in time, to talk to one another without words. It lets us feel each other’s emotions at any given time.”

  “Oh.” She hadn’t even thought about that. “That’s good, because I don’t want to live without you. It’s a good thing that we’re bonded because it means that I get the rest of forever to give you a hard time.”

  “You would focus on that, wouldn’t you?” Laughing, he gave her a hug, swung her around, and set her on her feet. Turning her, he smacked her bottom. “Go and bathe. I’ll be back in twenty minutes or less.” He went into his closet, muttering about vegetarians living with meat eaters.

  She giggled. God, I love that man.

  Turning on the faucet, she winced as the slightest of pains hit her hard and fast. “Oh, crap. That kind of hurts.”

  “I told you that it would,” James called to her. He appeared in the bathroom door and gave her a sympathetic look. “Sorry, honey. Until you use those muscles a few times, you’re going to feel some aches and pains.”

  “I’m totally willing to give it a million tries. I don’t care if it hurts every time, as long as you are loving me, I’m happy. Now, what did you get me for food?” she asked, with a grin. “Because I’m starving. I might be a vegetarian, but I still love to eat.”

  “I’m going, I’m going.” He held his hands up and backed out of the doorway. The sound of the door opening and shutting let her know she was alone, and the noise of a bolt being thrown told her she was safe.

  She leaned back in the tub. Once she was comfortable, she closed her eyes and relaxed, the hot water making her muscles loosen a great deal.

  The door opening and shutting again a while later announced his return. “Do you know how much flak I got for what I put on your plate? Do you even know what this is doing to my reputation, Sophia? Woman, you are damn fucking lucky I love you.” A soft sound of dishes knocking together was followed by silence. Then, he was walking into the bathroom to glare down at her, his hands on his hips.

  Sophia just grinned up at him. “Yeah, I know you love me, and I love you too. Just know that whatever shit they gave you, you’ll be able to put it back on them later. That’s something to look forward to, babe. You have me in your life, so isn’t that enough to put up with whatever they might have said to you?”

  He let out a growl at that. “You are so damn lucky I adore you.” Shaking his head, he crouched down next to her and reached out to stroke her hair. “How are you feeling? Any better?”

  “A great deal better, surprisingly,” she admitted to him. “How about you get into the tub with me? I really would love it. Your hands over my shoulders. Your thighs on each side of mine.”

  “Can do,” he said. Leaning in close, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “Scoot up a bit more. I’m not as dainty as you are, honey.” Winking, he straightened up, stepped back, and began to strip. He did it nice and slow, too, giving her a show.

  Sophia licked her lips. “Oh God, do you know just how much I love the way that you look?” She was panting. God, she loved how sexy he was, but it was more than that. She loved how he treated her, how he loved her. She loved everything about him. “Heavens, I’m a lucky, lucky woman.”

  Chuckling, he dropped his pants, kicking them aside, and stepped back up to the tub. Climbing in behind her, he slid down into the water at her back. “Damn, this is toasty,” he said, shifting around a little. “All right, honey, come here and let me cuddle you.”

  Sophia turned slightly and shifted so that her feet were on the other side of his thighs. Laying her head on his shoulder, she sighed. Her arms wrapped around his back, and she simply smiled.

  His arms came around her, one hand sliding up and down her ribcage. “Much better,” he told her.

  “I couldn’t agree more. Being held by you makes me all kinds of happy. I think we should do this often. It would be wonderful to be naked with you all the time.”

  “Any time we’re in our rooms we can be naked. We may need to adjust the temperature in here a little bit, just to keep you from getting cold. Though, I would warm you up any chance I got. You know that, right?”

  “I know.” She grinned. “Although, I do tend to get cold easily.”

  “I’ll adjust the thermostat a bit for your overall comfort. But if, and when, you get chilled, you come and find me. I’ll find very interesting and unique ways to warm you up.” One of his hands slid down to run over her thigh. After a moment, he moved it between her legs, slipping down to cup her mound, a finger sliding between her folds to rub at her clit.

  She shivered and found herself opening her legs even more for him. She moved her hand down his chest and to his neck, her thumbs stroking over his rapid pulse. “More,” she begged.

  “Spread your legs for me, honey. Let me have access to all of you,” he said in a low, rough tone. “Are you wet for me, Sophia? Hot and ready for anything I might do to you? Is your pulse racing, your body humming in need for me and my touch?”

  “Yes,” she hissed. “I’m very wet for you. I think that I stay that way, honestly.” She whimpered. “I need you,” she told him, without hesitation. “Please, don’t stop.”

  “That’s good to know,” he said, against her ear. The kiss of his teeth to her earlobe was the prelude to his fingers pushing into her. James curled them and hit that spot deep inside that had her tensing almost immediately for what was to come.

  “Oh God, James.” She sobbed his name and opened herself wider for him. “No pain. Feels so darn good.” She was moaning again, rubbing against his finger as he moved it in and out of her body. “More.” It was a demand, pure and simple. “More, James.”

  “Touch yourself, honey. Play with your clit. Learn your own body, and its responses.” He cupped her breast in his free hand, pinching and rolling her nipple.

  Sophia did just that. She slid her hand down her body, over his that was working in and out of her, and rubbed her thumb over her clit.

  “That’s it, Soph.” He pulled his fingers from her body, laced them through hers, and pressed a digit from each of their hands back inside her. “Feel how hot, how wet, you are, Sophia. You’re so slick, so ready to accept anything and everything we do together.”

  “Yes.” She was, too. “Jesus. Please, James.” She was desperate for more. “I want you inside of me. Love me,” she begged.

  “I do love you, with everything I have in me.” He drew their fingers from her body again and grabbed her hips. Lifting her up, he poised her over himself. “Guide me into your pussy, Sophia. Take hold of my cock
and help me slip into your sweet, little body.”

  Reaching between them, Sophia closed her hand over his thick shaft. “Holy hell,” she moaned. “You’re so hard.” She adjusted herself, her thumb still stroking over her own clit, and sobbed while bracing her other hand on his arm. “You feel so good.”

  He let her slide down his cock slowly, one of his hands moving up to cup her breast and pull her back to his chest. “You’re in the position to move, to control what we do, Sophia. Move your legs so you can use them to lift and lower yourself on me.”

  She moved experimentally up then down on him and sobbed back a sigh of pure, intense pleasure. “Holy hell,” she moaned again.

  “Nice and slow, Soph. Take your time, honey. We have all the time in the world. It’s just you and I, here in this moment, enjoying one another.” He gave her breast a gentle squeeze, flicking her nipple as he caught her free hand. Sliding it down her body, he pressed it to where they were joined.

  “That feels so good.” She rocked back and forth on him, shivering in reaction to his touches. “There, that feels good.” She was moving slowly now, taking his advice and simply loving every single part of their union.

  “It should always feel good between us, Soph. No matter what we do, no matter how we do it, it should always be fucking amazing when we come together.” James pressed a kiss to her neck, her shoulder, and scraped his teeth lightly over her skin.

  “Couldn’t agree more.” She was rocking faster now, her actions just a bit rougher. “James.” She felt that feeling in the pit of her stomach, of the butterflies threatening to burst free and take flight. “What is this?” Her pussy tightened against his cock. “Please.”

  “It’s your orgasm, Sophia. Ride it all out. Let it break free. Just let it consume you. I’ll be right here to catch you when you fall. I’ll always be here to catch you, honey.” He was rocking his hips, driving his cock through her folds faster, taking her higher and higher. “Let go and scream for me, honey.”