The Ashtons - Cole, Abigail & Megan

walked the short distance, he willed himself to slow down and consider what their lovemaking would mean for both of them.
    He’d bet every dime he had that this would be her first time. And just knowing that she’d chosen him to be the man she gave her virginity to was enough to send him into complete meltdown. But even though she’d assured him that she knew what she was doing, he had to know that she really wanted to make love with him and hadn’t based her decision on the heat of the moment. All things considered, it was completely insane, but he wanted her to need him emotionally as well as physically.
    When they reached the door to the living quarters of his horse trailer, Russ stopped to gaze down at her. God, she was the most beautiful creature he’d ever seen, and he couldn’t believe what he was about to say. It could very well end what would otherwise be the most exciting and meaningful night of his life. But he had to be certain she knew how much their lovemaking would mean to him.
    “Honey, as much as I want this, and as hard as it would be to walk away from you now, I’d rather we didn’t make love at all than to have you regret one minute of what we’ll be sharing.”
    The feel of her soft palm as she cupped his cheek sent a flash fire straight to his groin, and to his immense relief, her gaze never wavered. “I know exactly what I want, Russ. And I want you.”
    Pulling her to him, he buried his face in her herbalscented hair. “Abby, I want you so damn bad, I can’t seestraight.” Then, kissing her temple, he stepped back and dug his keys from his jeans pocket. “Let’s go inside.”
    His fingers felt clumsy as he hurriedly unlocked the door and turned on the light. But once they were standing inside the living quarters, he took the time to put his hat on the top of the tiny closet, shrug out of his jeans jacket, then help her out of her denim coat. She probably thought he’d lost his mind, but that couldn’t be helped. He was doing his damnedest to slow down and get enough blood back into his brain in order to think of what he needed to ask her.
    Finally feeling a little more in control, he took her into his arms and held her close. He needed to put to rest, once and for all, the question of her virginity. “I have to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me, even if you think it’s none of my business.”
    “Okay,” she said, sounding hesitant.
    Her warm breath on the exposed skin at his open collar sent a wave of heat straight to his groin, and it took every bit of his concentration to string the words together. “Abby, are you still a virgin?”
    He heard her sharp intake of breath a moment before she slowly nodded. “Yes.”
    His gut twisted. “I was afraid of that.”
    She leaned back to look up at him. “Does it matter?”
    “Oh, yeah. It matters a lot.” The vulnerable expressionon her pretty face had him hurrying to reassure her. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m honored that you’ve chosen me to be the first man to touch you. But it also means that to make love to you, I might hurt you.” He ran his index finger along the satiny skin of her jaw. “And I’d rather die than cause you pain in any way.”
    Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink. “I know that I might not enjoy our first time together as much as I will other times,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper. “But why did you want to know?”
    “Because now that I know you’ve never made love before, I’m going to take things slower and easier than I might have otherwise.” He hugged her close. “I give you my word, Abby. I’ll do everything in my power to keep your discomfort to a minimum.”
    A shiver of excitement coursed through Abby at the heated look in Russ’s dark blue eyes as he lowered his mouth to hers. The contact was so gentle, it brought tears to her eyes, and she knew he’d make sure their lovemaking was just as tender and sweet. Any lingering doubts she might have had about her decision to give herself to him evaporated like mist on the wind.
    Her eyes drifted shut when he deepened the kiss, and as his tongue stroked hers with the promise of a more intimate union, she felt as if a thousand butterflies had been released inside of her. His hand sliding from her back to lift the hem of her T-shirt caused her heart toskip several beats, and curling her fingers in the fabric of his shirt, she clung to him for dear life.
    His calloused hand caressed