Page 33 of The Italian's Pregnant Enemy (A Diamond in the Rough)

She acclimated to the feel of him. Hard and pulsing inside of her. It was different. Different from anything she’d ever experienced before.

It felt good. Amazing even. But it was definitely not what she’d anticipated.

And then, as the pain slowly subsided, desire began to return. And he began to move. So deep inside of her, and she realized that it wasn’t what she had expected in many, many ways.

She had thought that she would have some control over this. She thought that she would be able to have sex and walk away without an emotional connection.

But it wasn’t what she was experiencing. Not now. Not with him.

Not with him, she said to herself.

Because she couldn’t be feeling this for him.

But then, his strokes turned from pain all the way to pleasure, and she could no longer think. She could only feel. That deep need within her driving her now. Urging her on.

She moaned as he thrust inside of her, as her internal muscles gripped him tight.

He held her hips, looking into her eyes as he built need within her with every movement of his body within hers.

She answered each thrust in kind, and when her climax broke over her, he gave himself up to it as well, on a growl, and she felt him pulse deep within her.

She clung to him, shuttering as wave after wave of need overtook her.

As he poured himself inside of her.

And when it was done, she clung to his shoulders. And she didn’t cry, only because she couldn’t. Because she couldn’t let her guard down quite so much. Because she couldn’t admit that it had been quite so intense.

“You should’ve told me,” he said.

It hurt that he was being so curt and cold now. But she shouldn’t be needy. She shouldn’t be looking for affirmations.

She’d been so sure she’d be okay with this. That it wouldn’t matter. Because she knew better than to be needy. She knew that you couldn’t count on life to not pull the rug out from under you.

But she felt needy for him. And she knew she shouldn’t. She’d wanted sex to be a nice thing she could have. Something that made her feel special or cherished, maybe even the most of something. To someone like Carter, even. It had seemed possible.

She hadn’t wanted to be torn asunder by it emotionally. Hadn’t wanted to feel scorched.

She’d been a little girl when her mother had died, so of course she’d depended on her mother, and the loss had been crippling.

She knew better now, though.

Knew better than to want to cling to a man who’d only had sex with her.

Because sex was nothing really all that deep, was it?

“Well, I didn’t,” she said. “I didn’t think that it mattered. I didn’t think it was your business. Also, I didn’t know that you would assume anything about my sexual status.”

“You were ready to seduce Carter. That was how you were going to lose your virginity?”

“Virginity doesn’t mean anything,” she said, ignoring her throat going tight. “Please don’t yell at me. We just... We’ve just been together and I can’t... I can’t...”

And suddenly, his strong arms went around her, and she wanted to stop with relief. She buried her head in his bare chest, her palms pressed against his muscles. She relished the feel of his chest hair. The feel of his body against hers.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I did not mean to be harsh with you. But you must know that I...”

“I know,” she said. “It’s just for this. Just for now. We are snowed in together, so let’s just... Be together for this. Only for this.”

“It could be tonight. It could be tomorrow.”

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