Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“This is not what I was expecting,” Deborah murmured.
Behind her, Cedric chuckled. His touch was quick and deft, drawing out the ties of her gown expertly.
“And pray, what were you expecting?” Cedric asked, smoothing the loosened gown down her shoulders and over her waist. The fabric dropped to the floor with a soft rustle, and Cedric’s fingers moved back up to her corset, working that free next.
“Something more…seductive?” Deborah offered, glancing over her shoulder. “You are Redwyne the Divine after all.”
“Oh, you do love to remind me of that, don’t you?” Cedric mused as her corset joined her dress on the gown.
“Shall I remind you of something as well?” He whispered in her ear.
Deborah shivered, then nodded.
“You made a rule, remember?” His husky tone taunted in her ear, “No touching until you beg.”
Cedric then pulled down the cupped sleeves of her shift, the last bit of her clothes, and let them join the growing pile on the floor. He then stepped around her, drawing in a sharp breath as his gaze greedily landed on her bare flesh.
“Though I am starting to wonder who is going to be begging first,” rasped.
He reached out, his eyes entirely black with lust, but just as Deborah thought his fingertips were going to caress over her hip- just as she realized she wanted them to- he pulled back, drew his bottom lip between his teeth, and muttered a curse as he turned to grab the nightgown.
“Arms up,” he commanded, an edge entering his husky tone as he turned back to her with the garment.
He’s holding himself back, Deborah realized as she obeyed. Fighting himself. For me. To keep his word to me.
Power, bold and delicious, swept through her veins as Cedric carefully lowered the gown over her body, taking great care to ensure that he did not graze her skin with his knuckles.
Once he had it on her, he pulled the white ribbon tight under her breasts, cinching the gown so that it pushed her breasts together and up. Another surge of power moved through her as she took in the tremble in his hands as he tied the ribbon into a bow.
Finished, he took a step back and rubbed the back of his neck as he let out a groan.
“God in Heaven, angels do exist,” he muttered, raking his gaze repeatedly up and down her body.
“How do I look?” Deborah asked, glancing down at herself.
It was not the best angle, but she immediately decided that she loved it. It truly did make her feel like Aphrodite. All she was missing was a giant seashell, and the thought made her smile.
“Perfect,” Cedric breathed, his eyes meeting hers. Then his brow creased, and he stepped toward her again.
“Well, almost,” he muttered, reaching for her hair, “Let me just-”
Deborah let out a sigh of relief as she felt Cedric pull the pins from her hair, releasing the tight pressure of having the heavy locks bound atop her head all day.
“There,” Cedric murmured, fluffing her long auburn curls around her shoulders.
His hands froze in her hair as she reached out and placed her hands on his chest; sparks erupted in her hands as she smoothed her palms over the fabric of his shirt, down his chest, and over his rigid abdomen.
Heat radiated from the muscles lying just beneath, and she could not help but relish the feel of him.
“Deborah,” Cedric rasped, a hint of warning in his voice.
“I am trying very hard not to break your rule.”
She let her long lashes flutter down to her cheeks before she opened her eyes and looked up at him, meeting his lust-filled gaze. It was not he that was going to break her rules- but herself.
“Kiss me, Cedric,” she breathed, curling her fingers around the lapels of his shirt, “Please.”
A groan erupted from Cedric’s throat as his powerful arms bound around her.
He dragged her to his chest, barely giving her time to move her hands to his back as she tilted her head up and met his lips.
Pleasure surged through her body, sending delicious jolts through her nipples, lower belly, and between her legs.
She pressed her thighs together, surprised at the sudden wetness she felt there, and whimpered as she let herself get lost in his kiss.
It was not as gentle as his first, but again, nowhere near as brutal as she had expected. Still, that did not make the kiss any less demanding. His plump lips drew her in, leading her to press and open at his will.
“God, you taste like heaven,” Cedric rasped between kisses, moving one of his hands up to cradle the back of her head.
Wanting to reward him for his praise, Deborah rose on her toes and boldly skimmed the tip of her tongue over his bottom lip, just as he had taught her to do during their first kiss.
Another desperate sound rumbled from Cedric’s chest as she did so, and he greedily captured her tongue, suckling it into his mouth and massaging his tongue against hers.
The intimacy of such a kiss made her dizzy and weak, and her hands fisted into the fabric of his shirt as she tried to remain standing.
A sudden ripping sound erupted into the air, and though it startled her, Cedric seemed undeterred as he continued to kiss her.
“I ruined your shirt,” she rasped between kisses.
A husky chuckle rose from Cedric’s chest, and as she tried to take her hands away, his were suddenly cupped over hers, urging her to grasp at him again as he stopped the kiss.
“Ruin anything of mine that you like,” he rasped, curling his fingers tighter around hers so she was forced to dig her nails into the fabric again.
Then he dragged her hands down, forcing another rip into his shirt, sending the buttons of the collar flying off.
A thrill moved through Deborah at being responsible for such destruction, and the next time, she applied more force.
The fabric parted, giving her glimpses of the hard muscles and smooth flesh that lay beneath.
Curious, she leaned forward and pressed her lips there. Cedric shivered as he drew in a hissing breath.
“You can do better than that,” he taunted.
She glanced up to see him smirking down at her, and her lips pulled into a smirk of her own as she bared her teeth and sank them into the supple muscle.
A low groan poured from Cedric’s throat, and in the next second, he was wrenching her head up to kiss her again.
Need poured through the kiss, sending his desperation for more into her, and she kissed him back with equal fervor.
“More,” she whispered on his lips, “Show me more.”
A feral growl rumbled from Cedric’s chest as she emphasized her words with the raking of her nails down his front, sending more buttons flying through the air.
With one hand still around her throat, Cedric smoothed the other down her back until he was able to cup just under her backside, and he lifted.
Deborah broke the kiss with a gasp as she felt herself being pulled upwards, and she wrapped her legs around his waist without a moment’s hesitation.
Moving her hands to his hair, she scraped her nails through the thick strands and over his scalp, earning her another groan from his lips as he carried her to the couch.
He sat her down gently, but instead of laying her down the rest of the way, he dropped to his knees in front of her, his hands moving to shove the thin skirt of her nightgown up to her hips and exposing her legs.
For a brief moment, Deborah remembered her modesty, but as his lips ripped from hers and began to suckle at her throat, she quickly forgot it again.
She wanted this, wanted him.
“Please,” she whimpered, feeling his strong hands squeeze her thighs and move up to her hips. Though, what she was asking for, she had no idea.
A throaty, wicked chuckle poured from Cedric’s lips, sending a delicious vibration into the flesh at her neck.
“Are you begging for me, little goddess?”
“Yes,” she breathed, no longer wanting to play. Her need was too much, her arousal too pulsing to try to play off any sort of carefree notions.
Cedric wrenched his head up, and as he met her eyes, she saw no humor in his eyes. It seemed to him that such a moment was beyond him as well. All that was left between them was need, and neither wanted to pretend anymore that they were not affected by it.
With a groan, Cedric captured her lips again; the quickness and intensity of it made another wave of dizziness course through Deborah’s veins.
When he pulled away, she was panting and breathless, but even so, she hissed in a breath and tightened her grip in his hair as he once more kissed down her throat.
His hands were like magic, sending little lightning bolts everywhere as he smoothed his palms over her hips, up her waist, and to her breasts.
A loud moan poured from Deborah’s lips as he squeezed both, and she arched her back into his touch.
His fingers made quick work of the ribbon he’d only tied moments ago, and then he dragged the tiny straps down her shoulders, freeing her breasts only a moment before he captured her left nipple between his lips.
“Cedric,” she breathed, pleasure forking through her nipple like lightning as his lips and teeth suckled and teased the sensitive flesh.
Deborah shivered as she felt another gush of warm wetness surge between her thighs, and without thought, she spread her legs wider as she clung to him. Her nails continued to drag over his scalp, then down his back and wide shoulders, urging him for more. Even so, Cedric did not speed up his pace.
He took his time, using his mouth to worship the small, taut rose-pink bud of her nipple until she thought she was going to go mad.
Only when her entire body began to rock continuously with shivers did he finally release the little bundle of nerves.
A soft sigh of relief left her lips as he let go, but it quickly turned into a sharp inhale as he moved to the right and paid the same worshipping attention to her other nipple.
“So delicious,” he rasped, swirling his tongue teasingly over her nipple, “So perfect.”