Chapter Six #3
While devouring her mouth as if he were a man starving, Laurence encouraged her backward until she reclined against the decorative pillow at the end of the sofa.
He came over her body with a knee between her legs, and delicious sensations crashed over her, for she well remembered what it felt like to allow a man access.
The pounding of her pulse kept time with the insistent throb of need deep in her core as her body came awake from a long slumber.
When he dragged his lips along the column of her neck, a half-stifled moan escaped her.
Dear Lord, she would come undone soon if she wasn’t careful.
As he held her head between his palms and moved between her naturally splayed legs, her eyes fluttered open.
“Laurence, I…” Rose didn’t finish the sentence, for he returned to her lips as if he couldn’t bear to be parted from them.
A soft sound of pleasure came from her throat, for she was naught but a fool.
She fumbled with his cravat, and when she had it untied, she surged upward to press her lips to the skin of his throat she’d uncovered.
Oh, he smells so good!
Need swirled through her body; she was nearly drunk on him, and they hadn’t done anything beyond kissing.
Deciding she would worry about that later, she encouraged him closer.
Thank goodness he took the hint, for he nibbled the underside of her jaw while working the few buttons at the back of her dress.
The soft wool gave way, and when the bodice of the garment gaped open, he tugged it downward until her breasts popped free of the fabric.
Would he think her scandalous or fast because she hadn’t worn stays?
Honestly, she hadn’t wished to bother with them this morning, for she wasn’t entertaining, even if the captain was a guest.
“Perfect,” he whispered, and his hands shook slightly when he cupped the globes. “Like a work of art.”
“I think you are slightly mad.” But his obvious praise warmed her. When she trembled, their gazes connected again, his dark with the same desire swamping her. And she needed to feel his fingers on her skin. “Please touch me.” She pressed a hand over his, guiding his fingers to a pebbled nipple.
“As if I could deny you that little request.” As he kissed her again, he worried those hardened tips with the pads of his thumbs. A tiny whimper left her throat and she squirmed, which led him to caress her breasts before rolling the nipples. Another moan escaped her.
“Oh, yes.” Her breath came in fast pants. The familiar feelings of when she’d allowed that earl access to her body broke in waves over her, and all she wished to do was lose herself in them.
But that would end in disaster.
Yet each nip, nibble, or suckle he gave her, the more she wanted to continue with him, and she needed to explore his body as he was doing to hers. “Perhaps if we removed some clothes…” She plucked at his sleeves, his waistcoat, shoved the jacket halfway from his shoulders in her newfound delirium.
“Patience will win the day; there is no rush.”
There was if she wanted to go flying. Desire clouded her mind as Laurence slipped a hand beneath her skirting. The presence of a man’s hand on her thighs both delighted and frightened her.
“Why do you hesitate?” she whispered against his lips.
“Because this isn’t proper and you deserve better.”
“Better than you?” Confusion threaded through her inquiry.
“No.” He kissed her lips again, and when he shifted, she felt the hard evidence of his arousal against her hip. “A better time and a better place to become intimate than a quick rutting in a drawing room with no privacy.”
“Oh.” Good heavens, when had she become such a dunce at conversation?
A frown tugged at her lips when he levered off her and finally stood, raking a hand through his hand.
“Uh, perhaps you are right, but what we did have was lovely, and I look forward to another bout of kissing.” She appreciated that he’d had the wherewithal to stop when he could have just done the deed.
It made him quite different than that earl. Still, a tiny thread of relief twisted down her spine, but she knew it was only a matter of time when they would both succumb.
“Damn, don’t tell me that.”
“Why?” Quickly, Rose struggled into a sitting position then yanked her bodice back into place.
“Because that is all I’ll think about.” When he met her gaze, they both chuckled. “It is good there is physical labor in my future because I’ll need the distraction as well as the work to take the edge off the tempting picture you make.”
Heat went through her cheeks. “I should retire to my room for a bit and give you privacy.” To punctuate the fact, she dropped her regard to his tan-colored breeches where an obvious bulge rested.
“Damn.” But he gave her that slightly crooked grin. “I did tell you that you were tempting, and beautiful.”
“Have a good afternoon, Laurence. I shall see you at dinner.” Then she fled the room as quickly as she could and didn’t stop until she’d gained the stairs while longing continued to bedevil her.
What am I going to do now?