Soft, Gentle

I couldn't breathe.

He was so close. So impossibly, devastatingly close. I could feel the heat radiating from his body like a furnace. I could smell his cologne. Something dark and expensive, mixed with the clean scent of soap from his shower. I could feel his breath on my skin, warm and uneven.

"Diego," I whispered.

"Hmm?" His voice was low. Rough.

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know what to do. My mind was a blank slate, wiped clean by the sheer intensity of his presence. Every thought I'd ever had had evaporated, replaced by a single, burning awareness of him.

His body above mine. His skin against my skin. His eyes—those dark, beautiful eyes fixed on me like I was the only person in the world.

I just knew I didn't want him to move away.

I reached up. My fingers trembled as they touched his chest. His skin was warm. Smooth. I could feel the muscles beneath, hard and defined.

Diego's breath caught.

"Olivia." His voice was strained. "You're killing me."

I didn't know what that meant. I just knew I wanted to touch him. To feel him. To prove that this was real, that he was real, that I wasn't dreaming.

My fingers traced the lines of his chest. The ridges of his abs. The trail of dark hair that disappeared beneath the towel still hanging low on his hips.

He grabbed my wrist. His grip was firm, but not painful.

"If you keep doing that," he said, his voice ragged, "I'm not going to be able to stop."

I met his eyes. "Then don't."

Something flickered in his gaze. Hunger. Desire. Something deeper, something that made my heart pound.

He lowered his head. His lips brushed my neck. Soft. Warm. Gentle.

I shivered.

"Your skin is so soft," he murmured against my throat. "So beautiful. I've been dreaming about touching you like this."

His lips traveled lower. To my shoulder. To the edge of my nightdress. He kissed the curve of my collarbone, his tongue flicking out to taste me.

I gasped. My hands fisted in the sheets.

"Diego—"

"Shh." His voice was a whisper. "Just let me worship you, gattina. Let me show you how beautiful you are."

His hand found the strap of my nightdress. He pushed it down, exposing my shoulder. His lips followed, kissing the newly exposed skin. Then my other shoulder. Then the swell of my breasts.

I arched into him. I couldn't help it. Every touch sent sparks through my body. Every kiss made me want more.

"Diego," I breathed.

He pulled back. His eyes met mine. They were dark. Hungry. But there was something else there too. Something tender.

"Tell me to stop," he said. "Tell me to stop, and I will."

I didn't say anything.

"Olivia." His voice was strained. "I need you to say it. I need to know you want this. That you want me."

I stared at him. At this man who could have taken anything he wanted, but was asking for my permission. At this man who'd been called a monster, but was treating me like something precious.

"I want this," I whispered. "I want you."

His smile was slow. Hot. Devastating.

"Good," he murmured. "Because I've wanted you since the moment I saw you."

He lowered his head again. His lips found my cleavage. He kissed the swell of my breasts, soft and deliberate.

I gasped. My back arched off the bed.

"Olivia." His voice was thick. "You're so responsive. So beautiful."

His hand slid down my body. Over my stomach. Over my hip. Down to my thigh.

I trembled. Every inch of my skin was on fire. Every nerve ending was screaming for more.

"You're shaking," he observed. "Are you nervous?"

"Yes," I admitted. "No. I don't know."

He smiled. "It's okay to be nervous. I'm nervous too."

"You?" I blinked. "Why?"

He met my eyes. "Because I've never wanted anyone the way I want you. Because I'm terrified I'll do something wrong. Because I need you to know that this isn't just about tonight. This is about forever."

My heart swelled. "Diego—"

He silenced me with a kiss. Soft. Gentle. Full of promise.

And then he was moving again. His lips trailed down my body. Down my stomach. My hip.

He pushed the hem of my nightdress up. Higher. Higher. Until it was bunched around my waist.

I felt exposed. Vulnerable.

And I didn't care.

His lips found my stomach. He kissed the soft skin there. My hip. The inside of my thigh.

I gasped. My hands fisted in the sheets.

"Diego," I breathed.

He didn't stop. His lips traveled higher. Closer. His breath was warm against my most intimate place.

I moaned. A sound I didn't recognize. Something desperate and wanting.

"You're so sensitive," he observed. "Everywhere I touch, you react."

He kissed my inner thigh. Closer. Closer.

I whimpered. "Diego, please—"

"Please what, gattina?" His voice was teasing. "Tell me what you want."

I didn't have words. I didn't have thoughts. I just had feelings. Desire. Hunger. Need.

His hands gripped my thighs. Firm. Possessive. He spread them apart.

I let out a sound I didn't recognize. A moan. A whimper. Something desperate and wanting.

Diego smiled. His eyes were dark with desire.

"Beautiful," he whispered. "You're so beautiful, gattina."

He moved up my body. Slowly. Deliberately. Every inch of his skin against mine.

And then he was at my face. His lips hovered over mine.

He brushed his thumb across my lower lip. Gentle. Tender.

"I won't have you yet," he said softly. "Not until you tell me so."

I stared at him. "You... you do all that to me, and then you just stop?"

He shook his head. "Just say the word, Olivia. Just tell me you want this. Tell me you want me."

I couldn't speak. My heart was pounding. My body was on fire.

"I need to hear you say it." His voice was raw. "I need to know you're not just doing this because you feel obligated. I need to know you want this. Want me."

"I do," I whispered. "I want this. I want you."

He started to move away.

"No!"

I grabbed his arm. Pulled him closer.

"Please," I whispered. "Please, Diego."

His eyes blazed. "Please what, gattina?"

"Please," I repeated. "I want this. I want you. I need you."

His smile was slow. Hot. Devastating.

"Anything for you," he murmured. "Anything."

He lowered his head. And I let myself fall.

I didn't know what to expect. I was nervous, trembling, unsure. But Diego was patient. Gentle. He took his time, worshipping every inch of my body. He whispered sweet words in my ear, telling me how beautiful I was, how perfect, how he'd waited his whole life for someone like me.

When he finally entered me, I gasped. The pain was sharp, brief. He stopped immediately.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice strained.

I nodded. "Don't stop."

He kissed me. Soft. Gentle. "I've got you, gattina. I've got you."

He moved slowly at first. Giving me time to adjust. But the pain faded, replaced by something else. Something warm. Something electric.

"Diego," I breathed.

"I know," he murmured. "I know, gattina. Let go. I've got you."

And I did.

I let go of every fear. Every doubt. Every insecurity.

I just felt him.

His body against mine. His lips on my skin. His voice in my ear, whispering my name like a prayer.

When it was over, I was breathless. Shaking. Sated.

Diego pulled me into his arms, cradling me against his chest.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

I nodded against his chest. "I'm more than okay."

He kissed my forehead. "Good. Because I'm not done with you yet."

I blinked. "What?"

He smiled. "I told you, gattina. I've waited my whole life for someone like you. I'm not letting you go anytime soon."

And he was true to his word.

***

I lay in his arms, exhausted but happy. My body was sore, but it was a good sore. A sore that reminded me of everything we'd shared.

"Olivia," Diego said softly.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you." His voice was thick with emotion. "Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for staying."

I turned my head to look at him. His eyes were wet.

"Diego." I reached up to touch his face. "Are you crying?"

"I'm not crying," he said, but his voice cracked. "I'm just... happy. I've never been this happy."

I smiled. "Me neither."

He pulled me closer. "I love you, Olivia. I don't care if that's too fast. I don't care if we barely know each other. I love you. I've loved you since the moment I saw you."

My heart swelled. "I love you too."

He kissed my forehead. "We're going to be so happy together, gattina. I promise."

I believed it.