Page 86 of Lesson In Forgiveness

Chuckling, he picked up the condom and set it on the small wooden table acting as a nightstand, then settled himself into bed next to her. While she huddled into herself with the covers acting as a shield, his body stretched out as though he didn’t have any sense of modesty at all. “A virgin has nothing to fear, not really. Their first sexual awakening falls prey to their imagination, yes, but if they choose the right partner, someone with patience and compassion, it can be exciting.”

Tabitha blocked out memories of her father’s hands pinning her down with bruising grips, the sounds she’d made, how afraid she’d been despite Dominic’s efforts to train fear out of her.

Grit turned onto his side, facing her. Eyes soft with sympathy, he reached out to brush his knuckles down her cheek. He was close enough for her to feel his heat, for her body to tingle and ache. “You, my little tiger, don’t have the luxury of blind innocence. Dominic and his friends subjected you to every torture under the sun in the name of science, and you… Under all your bravado, your brain knows what a man is capable of doing to you. Your body remembers the pain. This isn’t about teaching you what sex is, Tabitha; it’s about showing you how it’s meant to be.”

She knew how it was, period. Whether it was a one-night stand, a committed relationship, or some fucked up arrangement without a name, sex boiled down to one person having the ultimate power over another, using their body to dominate and violate under the guise of procreation, recreation, fun.

Still, she was aware that sex was considered an integral part of a relationship, and she found her obsession with Grit continued to evolve. A man like him didn’t wait around forever, no matter how far his patience stretched, and it would be nice to keep him around for a while longer.

Plus, he’d been right when he said her phobia was a liability.

All in all, she surmised, if she had to take this step with anyone, there was only one man for the job.

God help her.

Chapter Ten

Grit

Fuck, she looked like a goddamn child.

He hated feeling like a predator waiting to pounce on his prey, but with the covers pulled up to her chin, her face almost ashen, and those pretty ice-blue eyes lacking any trace of her usual insanity, it was difficult to see himself as anything but a monster.

Yes, it was ridiculous thinking this way. They were both consenting adults—consenting and adults being the operative words. They weren’t virgins, as Tabitha so kindly reminded him.

This whole thing should be easy, yet it was the hardest task he’d ever faced.

So many lines to watch, so many limits unknown.

So many ways to fuck up, but she was worth the risk.

Mimicking Tabitha, he dragged his side of the covers up his chest. Once he was suitably concealed, he hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his boxers and removed the last barrier between them. Despite drinking his fill of her nakedness, his cock wasn’t even at half-mast; her fear wasn’t an aphrodisiac for him, quite the opposite, and she was terrified no matter how she tried to fool him.

She wasn’t ready for this. He knew it in his bones, she was pushing herself to the finale for reasons of her own. However, if she was expecting him to simply mount her like a bull, all heat and instinct without any semblance of care, she was about to be sadly mistaken.

This was the critical turning point for them both. One slip, one wrong touch, and Tabitha wouldn’t let anyone close to her again. Trust hung in the balance.

The bed was shaking.

It triggered his primal need to protect, he realized. His woman was afraid, yet the threat was already dealt with—she’d taken care of it herself, but the mental scars Dominic had left behind were every bit as real as the ones she wore in her flesh.

Shifting onto his side, Grit propped himself up on his elbow, studying her quietly. They were close enough he felt the warmth of her body without touching her, felt the quake of fear through the mattress. “Pretty little tiger, so brave. Take a deep breath for me, hold it for a few seconds.”

She did exactly as he asked, because at the core, she was a very good girl. Maybe she believed it was Dominic’s training that forced her to jump through whatever hoops were thrown in her path, but Grit’s opinion was slightly different—yes, she’d been trained to obey or face the consequences, but at the heart, she liked to please.

“Again,” he told her as she blew out a shaky exhale. Beneath the covers, he found her hand, cold and damp. “Count the seconds, beats of four. Inhale, hold, exhale. Beats of four, Tabby, nice and slow.”

Sweat beaded along her hairline. “I know how to breathe, Grit.”

Good, some attitude. Her inner spark hadn’t given up the ghost yet. “I should hope so; you’ve been doing it long enough. Focus on the rhythm.” He gave her fingers a gentle squeeze before running his palm up her arm. “Don’t bother telling me to just hurry up and do it,” he advised when she opened her mouth. “I’m in charge, remember? You don’t get my cock unless I think you’re ready for it.”

Her next exhale came in the form of a raspberry.

“Careful, little tiger. I still owe you a spanking for trying to leave when you could barely walk.” His touch trailed over her shoulder, along her collarbone, until he covered her upper chest with the spread of his hand. “Now, be a good girl and pull the covers down to your waist.”

Ah, hesitation. Apprehension flickered in her eyes as she licked her lips nervously. Slowly, the duvet slid down, revealing his hand, then her breasts, then the flat expanse of her belly.

“Gorgeous,” he murmured in honest appreciation. “Fucking gorgeous, and all mine. Aren’t I the luckiest man alive?”

---