Burning Up

heavy shaft. Finally, he settled between her spread thighs, elbows braced beside her shoulders, and looked down at her.
    Sweat sheened his skin, dark gold by the light of the gas lamp. He brushed a stray hair back from her forehead. “Tell me if it becomes too painful. I swear to God, I’ll stop.”
    She could feel him, the blunt tip wedged between her slick folds. Anticipation was driving her insane. “I ache now.”
    His mouth lowered to hers. “Then take me.”
    The muscles in his back flexed beneath her hands. Pressure built at her entrance, followed by tearing pain. By the starry sky—it did hurt. Biting back a scream, she turned her head, squeezing her eyelids shut. Eben gently kissed her cheeks and her lips; his cock split her in half below. He murmured her name, sipping away the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. And still he drove deeper, until she felt as if a heated piston had been grafted inside her.
    He finally stopped, his hips pinning hers and her thighs open wide, the weight of his upper body supported on his forearms. “Ivy?”
    She couldn’t look at him. Only moments before, she’d begged for this. Now she just wanted him to get on with it and then get off her.
    “Have you finished?”
    “No.” He kissed the corner of her mouth. “We’ll wait a few minutes while your bugs heal you up around me. You won’t have to go through that again.”
    “Good.” The burning pain had faded. Now she was just full . She couldn’t decide if it was uncomfortable or not—but she definitely didn’t like this.
    She could see that Eben liked it, though. His breathing was quick and shallow, the muscles in his chest and arms straining with the effort of keeping still. Beneath her hands, his nanoagents raced like fire, sparking across his nerves. His heart pounded. Experimentally, she lifted her hips.
    Though she only managed to nudge him, his reaction was everything she could have hoped. He sucked in a sharp breath, his spine bowing as he jerked upward. His hands fisted beside her head. As if gratified by his response, her inner muscles clung to him when he began to withdraw.
    “No, Ivy. Wait until—”
    Her fingers digging into his firm ass, she hauled him back. The impact rocked Ivy to her toes, little ripples that seemed to reverberate in the slick channel hugging his length. Eben shouted in surprise and pleasure, his head falling forward, teeth clenching. A deep groan tore from him.
    “I can’t, love . . . I can’t—Ah, God . I’m sorry. I have to—” Muscle bunched beneath her palms. He rose above her, bracing his left hand beside her shoulder and sliding his right hand between them, the tip of his middle finger brushing her clitoris. “I’ll try . . . to go slow.”
    He pulled back. Ivy stiffened, preparing herself—and wishing he’d go fast. If he finished quickly, then she could . . . she could . . . Oh, blue heavens. He pushed into her, and though his thick length stuffed her too full, the stretch wasn’t painful, and the movement of his finger flicked little sparks into her belly, a fire building higher and higher.
    She still didn’t know if she liked it. But she wanted more. Her palms smoothed up over his back. She hooked her leg over his hip, and cried out when he suddenly thrust deep.
    Eben froze. “Did I hurt you? God, Ivy. I didn’t expect you to wrap your leg—”
    “No.” Her back arched. She couldn’t stop moving, writhing against him. “More. More .”
    Tension shook through his big body, sweat gathering on his skin and glistening in the lamplight. His gaze fixed on her face, he worked leisurely into her again. And again. She bit her lips to stop herself from crying out, but her moans were almost as loud. At the end of each long stroke, she stiffened and trembled until his fingers on her clit pushed her into motion again, and she twisted her hips, trying to take more. He slowly slid in to the hilt, and she was as desperate as before. Helplessly, she spread her legs wide.
    “Eben, I need . . .” She didn’t know. Her chest heaved with her labored breaths. “Please.”
    With a tortured groan, he paused with his cock lodged inside her and closed his eyes, as if gathering strength. He withdrew his hand from between them and slid it beneath her hip, tilting her pelvis up.
    In a low voice, he said, “Tell me if it’s too much.”
    He slammed forward. Ivy gasped, tried to catch her breath, but he was already there again, deep and hard. Her hands spasmed.