Dancing With the Gull (Revenge of the Wallflowers, #14)

Chapter Fourteen

After receiving Kit’s advice, Henny felt much better about how things were proceeding with Lady Penelope. This week he’d escorted her to a tea house and a museum. They’d also attended two suppers where the hosts expected them to be seen as a couple. Although they’d had no further discussion of exactly what they planned, he wasn’t overly worried. Time with her was companionable.

There’d been no announcement of a betrothal, but most everyone seemed to expect it was coming. Kit thought it was most likely assumed they were holding the announcement until more of Society was back in Town.

Tonight was the most intimate gathering they’d attended yet, just Lady Penelope and himself hosted by Lord and Lady Wilkins. He was surprised that Lady Penelope was allowed to attend such a small gathering, but knew that she’d grown closer to Lady Wilkins over the past fortnight.

After supper, rather than the ladies and gentlemen withdrawing separately, as was expected, Lady Wilkins led them all into the drawing room and said, “I suspect you have things to discuss. You may have the next half hour to do so before we return.” She turned and led Kit from the room.

Henny was a bit flummoxed because this wasn’t how things were done at all. On the other hand, it was true that he and Lady Penelope were overdue to finalize their plans. Certainly Kit wouldn’t have left him alone if he didn’t agree that this was wise.

“Are you all right?” Lady Penelope asked softly.

He forced himself to look at her directly. She was easier to look at than most people, even when he was upset. He shouldn’t be upset. This was a good thing, even if it was unexpected. He’d spent so much effort on meeting her gaze that he forgot to answer her question. “Oh. Yes. I’m fine. Quite fine.”

She stepped closer to him and captured his hand that he’d been flexing. “You don’t have to be fine. I wanted an opportunity to speak with you and wasn’t sure how else to achieve it.”

The idea that she wanted to speak to him was distracting. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong, I’ve just been... thinking about what we should do.”

He nodded, having also been thinking about just that topic for the last fortnight. “Have you been thinking about whether you want me to kiss you again?”

She chuckled and traced her fingertip over his hand. “I very much want you to kiss me again.”

He took a deep breath. Did that mean she wanted to marry him? Or did she merely want him to kiss her again? Blast, but people were too complicated. Even Lady Penelope wouldn’t speak clearly enough that he could be sure of what he was doing.

But she wanted him to kiss her, and he very much wanted to kiss her, so he would focus on that.

This time when he brushed his lips over hers, she responded immediately. Her lips clung to his. She gave a pleased sigh. When he probed her lips, she opened her mouth and enthusiastically sucked at his tongue. Gods, but she was sweet and so, so alluring. He buried his hands in her hair and kissed her the way he wanted to, the way she invited him to. All slick heat and swirling tongues.

Her enthusiasm stoked his desire. She would be so pleasing in bed. Soft warmth and a mouth made for pleasure. He thought of kissing other parts of her, and the notion of licking her made him even harder. He never thought he could marry a woman of his class who made him drown in attraction. He’d assumed most were too concerned about propriety and station to let themselves enjoy such things.

A half hour wasn’t enough time for what he wanted to do to her. Her arms wound around his neck, and he placed a hand on the small of her back to pull her close. He was cradled against the softness of her stomach. By the gods, he wanted her!

He broke the kiss to whisper in her ear, “What do you want, Lady Penelope?”

Her gaze was like a narcotic as she said, “More of this. More pleasure.”

He stepped away and took her hand, leading her to a settee. Her face and decolletage were flushed, and the rosy hue was perfection on her. He sat and pulled her into his lap. She smiled at him shyly.

He ran a fingertip over her jaw, her lips. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” she hissed, so softly that he instinctively tipped his head toward her. She closed the last inch to meet his lips again. He let her lead the kiss and she feasted on him. While she licked and sucked, he slid his hand under her skirts. She wriggled when his hand reached the delicate skin at her knee. He paused there, circling the skin with his fingertips, so as not to scare her away.

Once she settled, he moved up to her inner thighs. So soft and warm. He wanted to feel them wrapped around his hips. He brushed one finger over her mound and she gasped.

“Lord Henry?” She sounded aroused, but confused.

“Just Henry, sweetling. I think we’ve earned that intimacy.”

He kissed her throat as he played his fingers over her mound and listened to her breath quickening. He took her mouth again as he boldly stroked her slit the first time. She made a surprised squeak against his open mouth.

She was already damp with need, and as he gently worked her, she became slick and swollen. Her thighs dropped open in abandon. He started a rhythm of working her pearl with his thumb and sliding two fingers into her channel. She was tight, hot, and flooded with moisture. She would feel so exquisite if he could bed her.

He broke the kiss again to whisper instructions to her. “Meet my hand with your hips, love. Rock against me.” She unsteadily tilted her hips against his hand. After a few minutes she gave a soft moan. He directed her some more. “Pull your gown down, love. I want to kiss you there.”

She put an unsteady hand to her gown and pulled it down roughly, one luscious breast spilling out of her gown and stays. He clasped his lips to it immediately, and she curled her arm around his head. He sucked and stroked her until he felt the inner walls of her channel start to tighten in sharp spasms.

Gods, she was glorious, shaking with her completion. She said his name over and over in a soft chant. He wanted the right to unfasten his breeches and pull her down on his hard cock. He wanted to hear her gasp and moan as she rode him.

Instead, he removed his hand from her skirts. She watched him with soft, dreamy eyes while he licked her juices off his fingers.

“I had no idea,” she moaned, lounging comfortably across his lap. Her breast was still on display and once his hand was clean of her juices he cupped it and gently pinched the nipple. She wriggled, making a pleased sound deep in her throat. He kissed her while fondling her breast and her hips became restless. Her responsiveness was addictive. He would have put his hand up her skirts again if he wasn’t sure their half hour had almost elapsed.

The next time they were alone, if she wished for more pleasure, he would push up her skirts and immediately set to licking her. He wanted to feel her come apart on his tongue, wanted to feel that swollen flesh trembling under his mouth.

He worried that the Wilkins would return soon. Even Kit would question Henny’s actions with Penelope, he was sure. He righted her dress and kissed her lightly on the lips before standing up with her in his arms, then depositing her back on the settee by herself.

He needed to be away from her if he had any hope of calming his cockstand, but his body wouldn’t move more than a few feet from her orbit. She still looked mussed and thoroughly kissed as she looked up at him.

He cleared his throat. “You wanted to talk?”