“Now what?”

“Do you think there’s a list somewhere, Vivvie?” He slid a hand down her thigh and tugged her leg over his hip. “Kiss three to five minutes, fondle at least two minutes. Mount, thrust, spend, wait nine months, name baby?”

She blinked up at him in the firelight, and he could see her trying to think. The way passion slowed her busy brain and softened her eyes was lovely.

“Here’s my list.” He nudged at her belly with his cock. “Kiss her until she’s mindless with it, feast my hands on the glory of her body until she’s begging for my cock, swive her until she explodes with pleasure more times than she can count, repeat steps one through three until she lies sleeping and sated in my arms.”

“Begging?”

“Begging.” He kissed her temple, more than a little surprised that all this blather was the honest truth. “Pleading, demanding, praying for me to give her what she craves.”

“Gracious, everlasting God.”

“Kiss me, Vivvie,” he whispered in her ear then drew her earlobe between his teeth. He shifted so he was over her, but kept his cock off of her lest she become too… rushed.

Hell, lest he become too rushed.

And, by God, she’d gotten the knack of kissing him. Her tongue was bold and teasing, and just when he thought maybe it was time to slide down her body and show her what else a mouth could do, she bit his earlobe, and then his neck, and he had to retaliate by slipping a hand over her breast and tugging at one ruched nipple.

“Darius.” She whispered his name on such an exhalation of longing that Darius heard it in the throbbing tip of his cock. She laid her hand over his and closed her fingers. “More, please.”

Please was not begging, but it was importuning of a sort. He obliged, experimenting with the pressure and grip she liked, until she was arching her back and rolling her hips against him.

“Tell me what you want, Vivvie.” He levered up and twisted to get his mouth on that nipple.

“More, please, Darius… God.” He suckled the one and kept his fingers busy at the other, and she shifted restlessly beneath him, her hands trailing along the muscles of his back, into his hair, over his face, over his nipples.

He’d wanted to make her come a few times before they joined, out of pride, some, but also out of consideration for her. She’d been hesitant, and nothing overcame hesitance like pleasure, except his first plan didn’t seem quite… necessary.

“Darius?” She’d arched up against his cock and gone still, then he felt her hand, carefully shaping him.

The expedited approach was going to have to serve, pride be damned. He moved over her, nudging at her damp sex with his shaft.

“Kiss me.” He lowered his head, but she’d turned her face, so he concentrated on finding the entrance to her body.

“I’m not sure…” she began when he’d settled his mouth on the side of her neck, a spot he already knew made her melt, and her words trailed off until he’d found his target.

“Just relax, Vivvie,” he said, because she’d gone abruptly tense and silent. “Relax so I can bring you pleasure.” He pushed against her gently, feeling the sweet, wet warmth of impending bliss. The urge to thrust hard, to go home in her body was strong, but she tugged stoutly on his hair.

“I don’t think…” She inhaled again and held her breath, waiting.

He wasn’t hearing “no,” so Darius pushed again, more gently, and she stiffened even more.

“Darius, wait. I can’t…”

“Vivvie?” He rested his forehead against hers, his intellect telling him very clearly the lady was having second thoughts, while his body shouted with equal certainty this was no time for thoughts of any kind.

“I can’t do this.”

Well, of course. Last minute nerves, conscience, whatever. This was Vivvie, and nothing was simple with her.

“Am I hurting you?”

“You’re going to.”

“You’re not comfortable?”

“I’m very uncomfortable.”

“Here?” He gave a small but productive thrust, gaining him the first real increment of penetration. She yelped, and her body closed against him.

And not in passion.

“You see?” she muttered, teeth clenched.

He realized as he stayed poised just inside Vivian’s body that William’s disservice to her went deeper than he’d thought. In his infirmity or inconsideration or pure blind devotion to a dead woman, William Longstreet hadn’t shown Vivian even the barest consideration due between any two people sharing intimacies—on those few and distant occasions when he’d availed himself of his marital privileges at all.

“I won’t hurt you.” He smoothed a hand down her hair but could see even by the firelight she didn’t believe him.

“This won’t work,” she insisted, her expression miserable. “I’m sorry.”

“Vivian.” His tone came out more harsh than he’d intended, but the control he’d bragged of so easily was costing him. “Vivvie, don’t you want a baby? A child to hold, to love, to treasure?”

“I want a baby,” she said, near tears, “but I’m not suited to this… I just… I can’t…”

“Hush.” He kissed her forehead and withdrew. “We’ll go with another approach.”

“Another approach?” She sounded not at all reassured, even when he shifted to his back and held out his arms.

“Come here.”

She cuddled against him, apparently ready to be comforted, but he lifted her to straddle him, smiling at her surprise.

“What are we doing?”

“We’re getting you that baby,” he said, settling more comfortably on his back. “Mount up, my lady.”

“Mount…?”

He fished between their bodies to position himself, then arched up so she could feel his cock against her sex.

Her expression changed. “One can conceive like so?”

“Two can. You’ll have to kiss me back into the mood.” Which was a patent lie. His blood was nearly sizzling with the need to be inside her, to swive her silly.

“Kiss you.” She eyed him speculatively. “I suppose that will work.” She leaned down and brushed her lips over his.

“That’s it.” He slipped a hand over the ripe fruit of her breast. “This position has all sorts of advantages, now that I consider it.”

“Such as?” She brushed her lips over his again, and Darius thought she might have pressed the slightest bit down on his cock.

“I can fill my hands with the abundance of your lovely breasts.” He demonstrated, teasing at both nipples simultaneously. “If you like it, you should reward me, Vivvie.”

“Reward… you?”

“Give me a little more of what I crave.” He arched up minutely, and she didn’t resist. “What I need.”

He dug deep for mental and physical reserves he hadn’t had to draw on before, and let her nibble and tease her way down his cock. One kiss, one fondle, one sigh, one suckle, one nuzzle at a time.

He buried his hand in the hair at her nape, holding her over him several fraught, luscious minutes later. “I want to move, love.”

“Move?” Her voice was lazy, distracted, as if she were listening to some internal melody, and he hoped to God she was.

“Here.” He gave her one slow, controlled roll of his hips. “Let me move, Vivvie, please.”

“Do that again, slowly.” She looked thoughtful. He was inside her, not as deep as he’d like to be, but not just begging at her door, either. She sighed as he moved cautiously, and dropped her head.

“Just be careful.”

“Oh, I’ll be careful.” He gathered her close, meaning it. “So careful, but kiss me, Vivvie. Your kisses will help me take you slowly.”

Another lie, for her kisses had become languorous, lazy, decadent imitations of coitus that had him bowing up to devour her mouth even as his cock began to ply her with slow, careful precision.

“You’re all right, love?”

“Mmm.” She hung over him, and he took her nipple in his mouth, not willing that she be just all right. He suckled, teased, and stroked into her, letting himself go a little, but only a little.