Chapter 3 :

 The kiss ended as abruptly as it began. Alexander pulled back, his eyes dark with an emotion Emily couldn''t name. Desire, yes, but something else tooomething that looked almost like conflict.

 Without a word, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her deeper into the tub. The water was chest-high now, warm and buoyant. Emily gasped as her feet left the bottom, but Alexander held her securely against him.

 "Relax," he murmured against her ear, his breath hot. "The water will help."

 Help with what? She wanted to ask, but the words wouldn''t come. Her mind was a whirl of sensationshe heat of the water, the hard press of his body against hers, the unfamiliar weight of his erection against her thigh.

 Alexander''s hands moved to the straps of her dresshe was still wearing the white silk, though it was soaked through now. With a quick motion, he pushed the straps off her shoulders. The wet fabric offered no resistance, sliding down her body to pool around her waist in the water.

 "Beautiful," he breathed, his eyes on her breasts.

 In the water, they floated slightly, the pink nipples hard and prominent. The candlelight played over her skin, turning it golden. Alexander lowered his head and took one nipple into his mouth.

 Emily cried out, her hands flying to his shoulders. The sensation was electricot and wet and utterly foreign. His tongue circled the peak, then sucked gently. A bolt of pleasure shot straight to her core, making her legs tremble.

 "Alexander..." she gasped.

 He switched to the other breast, giving it the same attention. His teeth grazed the sensitive tip, and she moaned, her head falling back. She was mortified by the sounds she was making, by the way her body was responding, but she couldn''t stop it.

 One of his hands slid down her back, over the curve of her bottom, and between her legs. Emily stiffened, but he didn''t stop. His fingers found her through the wet silk still tangled around her hips.

 "You''re wet," he said against her breast, his voice thick with satisfaction. "Already."

 She was. She could feel the slickness between her legs, could feel the way her body was preparing itself despite her fear. It was a betrayal, this arousal. She was supposed to be doing this for the money, for her father. She wasn''t supposed to feel anything.

 Alexander''s fingers pushed aside the soaked fabric, finding her bare flesh beneath. He traced her folds, his touch surprisingly gentle. Emily whimpered, her hips jerking involuntarily.

 "Shhh," he soothed, his mouth moving to her neck. "Just feel."

 His finger slid inside her, just the tip. She was tight, virginally so, but slick with her own arousal. He worked slowly, carefully, stretching her as he kissed along her collarbone.

 "Does it hurt?" he asked, his voice rough.

 She shook her head, unable to speak. It didn''t hurt. It felt... full. Strange but not unpleasant.

 He added another finger, stretching her further. Emily gasped, her nails digging into his shoulders. There was a slight burn now, a stretching sensation that bordered on pain.

 "Breathe," he instructed, his lips against her ear. "Breathe through it."

 She tried, sucking in air as he worked his fingers deeper. He was exploring her, learning her body''s responses. When he found a particular spot inside her, she cried out, her back arching.

 "There," he murmured, circling that spot with his fingers. "That''s where you''ll feel me."

 The thought of him inside herhicker, longer than his fingersade her whimper with a mixture of fear and anticipation.

 Alexander removed his fingers, bringing them to his mouth. He tasted her, his eyes closing briefly. "Sweet," he pronounced. "Like honey."

 Then, without warning, he pushed the rest of her dress down her legs. It floated away in the water, a ghost of white silk. She was completely naked now, completely exposed.

 He turned her in his arms, her back to his chest. One arm wrapped around her waist, holding her securely. The other hand returned to between her legs, but this time from the front, his fingers finding her clitoris.

 Emily jolted at the contact. It was too much, too intense. She tried to squirm away, but he held her fast.

 "Easy," he murmured, his lips against her shoulder. "Let yourself feel it."

 His fingers began to move in slow circles, applying just the right amount of pressure. Pleasure built within her, a tight coil winding tighter and tighter. She could feel herself clenching around nothing, could feel the heat spreading through her body.

 "Alexander, I..." she gasped, not knowing what she wanted to say. Stop? Continue? She didn''t know anymore.

 "That''s it," he encouraged, his voice a low rumble against her back. "Let go."

 The coil snapped.

 Emily cried out as her first orgasm washed over her. It was unlike anything she''d ever experienced wave of pure sensation that left her trembling and breathless. Her body convulsed in his arms, her hips bucking against his hand as he continued to stroke her through the climax.

 When it finally subsided, she went limp against him, boneless and spent. Alexander held her, his breathing ragged in her ear.

 "Good girl," he whispered, and there was genuine warmth in his voice. "Very good."

 He turned her to face him again. Her eyes were glazed, her lips swollen from his kisses. She looked thoroughly ravished, and the sight seemed to affect him deeply. His erection, which had softened slightly during her climax, hardened again, pressing insistently against her stomach.

 "The water provides lubrication," he said, his hands moving to her hips. "And buoyancy. It will make the first time easier."

 He lifted her, his strength surprising her. Her legs wrapped around his waist instinctively, her arms around his neck. The water supported most of her weight, making her feel light, almost weightless.

 Alexander positioned himself at her entrance. Even through the water, she could feel the broad head of his penis pressing against her.

 "Look at me," he commanded.

 She met his eyes. In the flickering candlelight, they looked almost black.

 "This will hurt," he said, his voice gentle now. "But only for a moment. Then it will feel good. I promise."

 She believed him. In that moment, she would have believed anything he said.

 He began to push inside.

 The stretch was immediate and intense. Emily gasped, her fingers digging into his shoulders. He was so much bigger than his fingers, so much more substantial. She could feel every inch as he entered her, could feel her body struggling to accommodate him.

 "Breathe," he reminded her, his own breathing labored. "Just breathe."

 She tried, sucking in air as he pushed deeper. There was a sharp pain, a tearing sensation, and then he was fully inside her, buried to the hilt.

 Tears sprang to her eyes. Alexander stilled, giving her body time to adjust. He brushed the tears from her cheeks with his thumbs.

 "The worst is over," he murmured. "The worst is over."

 He was right. The initial pain was already fading, replaced by a feeling of fullness, of completion. She could feel him inside her, could feel the way her body was stretching to contain him.

 Slowly, carefully, he began to move.

 The water created resistance, making his thrusts slow and deliberate. Each movement sent ripples through the tub, water sloshing against the marble sides. Emily clung to him, her face buried in his neck as he established a rhythm.

 It was strange at firsthe friction, the movement, the intimacy of it. But as he continued, something shifted. The discomfort faded, replaced by a building pleasure. With each thrust, he brushed against that sensitive spot inside her, the one he''d found with his fingers.

 A low moan escaped her lips.

 Alexander''s arms tightened around her. "That''s it," he growled against her ear. "Feel it."

 He increased his pace, the water churning around them. Emily could feel another orgasm building, could feel the tension coiling in her belly. She was moving with him now, meeting his thrusts, her body learning the rhythm of his.

 The candles burned lower. The steam thickened. And in the warm, scented water, Emily Carter lost her virginity to a man who was paying her to bear his child.

 But in that moment, with pleasure singing through her veins and Alexander''s breath hot against her skin, she forgot about the money. She forgot about the contract. She forgot about everything except the feel of him inside her, moving in her, claiming her.