Chapter 20
When Anne finished fantasizing about all the things Colin could, and probably would, do with her, she met his gaze.
He studied her. His beautiful green eyes searched hers but held a patience she didn’t expect from a man so typically irritable.
What had he asked? Those kisses had driven it right out of her mind.
“Anne? Your gown? You would be more comfortable if I removed it and loosened your corset.”
“Is that the real reason, or are you trying to get me naked?”
He blinked, and a slow smile crept across his face. “I should have known you’d be direct. Although it’s true you’d be more comfortable, I won’t deny I have selfish motives.”
“Good.”
“Good?” He shook his head. A low chuckle rumbled against her hand on his chest. “That I have selfish motives?”
“Good that you want me.”
“How could you have any doubt? Now, since I have your permission.” Pure masculine desire brewed in his green eyes. With deft hands, he unfastened her gown until it dropped haphazardly down her shoulders.
Grateful when he unlaced her corset and removed it, she drew in a much-needed breath and hoped more air would help her spinning head. Yet, as he trailed kisses along the newly bared skin, her thoughts remained muddled.
With each sensual touch of his lips, her skin tingled with electric excitement, and when he stopped, she protested.
“One moment.” He rose from his seat beside her and made quick work of removing everything but his shirt and trousers.
Placing his hands on either side of her hips, he knelt before her. “I know ours is not a love match, Anne, but if you will allow me, I will show you it can still be enjoyable.”
If it were any more enjoyable, Anne thought she might explode, but she was more than willing to test her limits.
The white linen of his shirt gaped at the neck, exposing a smattering of dark auburn hair. Her fingers itched to touch it.
As if reading her thoughts, he pulled the linen over his head and tossed it aside.
Curious, she ran her fingers across the hard planes of his chest and through the sparse hair. “It’s soft. I thought it would be prickly.” It trailed down his abdomen, growing narrower until it disappeared beneath his trousers. Her face heated, knowing exactly where that trail led.
His gaze locked with hers. Those green eyes of his mesmerized her so thoroughly, she didn’t even realize he’d lifted her skirts and removed her slippers and stockings until she felt the touch of his bare hands running up her calves to her thighs.
Oh, my goodness. Had her eyes rolled back in her head?
Rising, he kissed her again while gently pushing her back and lifting her legs onto the bed. His gaze captured hers with predatory focus as he settled next to her. How had he managed to slip her gown off entirely?
Rain continued to patter against the windowpanes. One window remained open a crack, and even on the summer day, a breeze chilled the room. Left in only her chemise, Anne should have been cold, but the heat from Colin’s body next to her warmed her.
“Don’t be afraid to touch me, Anne.”
Not only didn’t she need encouragement, but the mere suggestion she was afraid spurred her forward.
Accepting the challenge, she explored his broad shoulders, the way the muscles in his back bunched when she nibbled at his neck.
Delighted in his soft groan and the tightening of his abdomen when she traced her fingers over that trail of hair and across the waistband of his trousers.
As she toyed with the buttons, he stayed her hand, then lowered his head to her breast. Through the soft cotton, he teased her nipple with his tongue, and her body arched off the bed when he drew the peak into his mouth and suckled.
“That’s it. Surrender to the sensation, my little Nymph of Nuisance.”
Had it not been for his words pinging in her brain, the trail of his hand beneath her chemise should have sent her into ecstatic oblivion.
“Wha-what did you call me?”
He blinked, and his unfocused gaze met hers. “Oh. Did I say that aloud?” The sheepish expression on his face indicated he knew very well he had. “It seems your affliction is contagious.”
Aghast, she stared at him. How dare he! “That’s horrible.”
He continued his path upward under her chemise. “Would you prefer my Elfin Menace? My Little Sprite?” He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “It would seem fair play given your names for me.”
“You are horrible.” She wanted to push him away, but his hand had reached the apex of her thighs, and she couldn’t think straight.
What was happening to her? Whatever it was, it promised something forbidden and exciting, and she rushed headlong, not caring if she fell from a precipice in search of it.
“Should I stop?” He flashed her a grin as he touched the exact spot that throbbed with need. “If it makes you feel better, you may call me whatever name you wish. I understand Ogre was a favorite of yours when we first met.”
He teased the area some more, and the pressure building within her seemed unbearable. “You would be an ogre if you stopped now. The worst kind of ogre.”
“We can’t have that now, can we?” Laughing, he bunched fistfuls of the cotton chemise in his hands and, tugging upward, removed it. He tossed the thin fabric aside. “Is there a good kind of ogre? If so, I hope I qualify.”
Sparks of mischievous fire licked along every nerve ending at his touch.
Pressure built within her, and an unnamed need grew out of control.
Their kisses became more insistent, and their tongues entwined in a frantic dance.
Always believing she was an expert in pursuing pleasure, she never expected something so wonderful and yet at the same time so frustrating.
She gasped at the heat of his body, his thick-muscled thigh nudging against hers, his breathy pants against her ear.
When she thought she couldn’t bear any more, he lowered his head to her breast and, suckling, pushed her toward the precipice.
Rather than Grump, Grouch, or Ogre, she called out, “Colin!” right before falling into blessed oblivion filled with shooting stars and colorful fireworks.
Waves of pleasure rippled through her; she grabbed handfuls of the sheets for support.
If she’d only known what awaited her, she wouldn’t have been so stubborn.
Why didn’t people do this all the time?
Warm, languid, and blissfully content, she curled into his embrace and played with that fascinating hair on his chest. Unexpected shyness at her nakedness, or perhaps vulnerability of relinquishing herself, had her burying her face against his chest. Her cheeks flamed as she found the courage to ask, “There’s more, isn’t there? ”
“There is if you’d like me to continue.”
“Yes, if you would.”
“Oh, I’d very much like to.” His voice, always deep and resonant, sounded raspy, as if he were parched. He removed his trousers, sliding them off his hips and tossing them aside to join her chemise.
Unable to keep from staring, she remembered his encouragement to touch him and reached out a finger. When she touched the tip of his sex, it bobbed. She wanted to giggle but couldn’t. This was too momentous, too important.
She grew bolder, and wrapped her hand around him, relishing the different texture of his skin, the hardness of his shaft and the velvety softness of the tip.
He hissed in a breath. “God, that feels good.” With a groan, he pulled her in for a deep kiss. His hands wrapped in her hair, sending the carefully crafted coiffure into disarray.
Both breathless, they broke the kiss, and he leaned his forehead against hers.
“Which way will we . . .” Unsure how to say what she wanted, she left it hanging in the air and hoped he would understand.
An eyebrow cocked. “Which way?”
“Yes. In Alice’s book, there are a lot of different ways people . . . you know.”
“Book?”
Good gracious, her face was on fire. Yet Colin seemed more curious than embarrassed, so she continued. “From India. There was one way in particular Alice recommended.”
“Was there now?” His chuckle, deep and sensuous, rumbled in his chest against her hand. “Show me.” Slightly provocative, the purr of his words brought his voice down to a murmur.
In one motion, she rolled him away and onto his back.
Perhaps Colin should have been shocked by Anne’s forthrightness, but nothing could have elated him more. Given her reluctance to retire upstairs, he’d anticipated a coupling similar to those he’d shared with Margery. Only once in their marriage had he ever been able to bring her to release.
Although she’d never refused him and had given him two beautiful daughters, she’d never initiated their couplings, and in truth, he thought she rather endured them as her duty.
Not Anne! How could he have doubted her? Their kisses alone had been heated, and her response to him quick and strong. His touch alone brought her to release with surprising ease. He couldn’t wait to explore her with his mouth.
But that would have to wait for another time, and at least he knew he would look forward to it with eagerness instead of the trepidation he faced when he tried to convince Margery to try. At the moment, his own pressing need took precedence. And yet again, it was Anne who took charge.
The Nymph. No. My Nymph. She truly had bewitched him from the moment they first met.
Flat on his back, he reined in the grin threatening to break free. He couldn’t laugh when she appeared so serious. Did she really understand what she was proposing?
When she climbed on top and straddled him, he supposed she did. “You will have to tell me more about this book of yours.”
“It’s not mine. It’s Alice’s. And it has pictures.” Her brow creased in a frown. “But I’m not sure how I’m supposed to . . .”
Alice Weatherby? The woman he presumed to be reserved and sensible? The idea that he was a poor judge of women vanished as quickly as it had flitted in. He had more important matters to devote himself to.
“Allow me to assist. But first.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and pulled her down toward him, lifting his shoulders and meeting her halfway for another deep kiss.
The scent of her perfume, sweet and heady, rested on his tongue.
Thick locks of her red hair, loose from her coiffure, dangled over him and curtained his face.
She was wet and ready, her nipples peaked from arousal.
Grasping her hips, he lifted her and positioned himself at her entrance. “Lower yourself when you’re ready. And, Anne?”
Tentative and unguarded, her blue eyes darted to his. “Yes?”
“There may be some pain, but I’ll do my damnedest to make it good for you.
” And he would. The fact he’d already brought her to release gave him the confidence he’d lacked for so long.
That was if he could last. Still holding himself with one hand, he gritted his teeth and gripped the satiny soft skin of her hip with his other as she lowered herself onto him.
When she met resistance, she hesitated, and he sucked in a breath. Wait. Wait. He pleaded with himself, although all he wanted to do was thrust upward and seat himself fully.
“Why can’t I go farther? Am I doing it wrong?”
Something in his heart cracked at the distress in her voice. Fear of failure was his constant companion, unwelcome but ever present, taunting him. He couldn’t allow his nymph to suffer like that. “You’re not doing anything wrong, love. I can help if you’ll allow me.”
She nodded once, and he needed no further encouragement. With one thrust, he breached the barrier. Good God, she was incredibly tight. So long ago, he’d forgotten what it was like being with a virgin.
When she uttered a little cry and caught the plush curve of her lower lip with her teeth, he pulled her down to soothe her with a gentle kiss. “The worst is over, Anne. Move whenever you’re ready.” He prayed to God it wouldn’t be too long.
Thank God, as flawed as he was, he still deserved mercy, and she began awkward attempts to rock back and forth.
“Up and down.” Gripping her hips, he guided her, pleased, not to mention grateful, that she was a quick study.
Quick enough that her rhythm, although far from perfect, pushed him close to the edge. Would it be too much to ask to bring her to release again before he found his own? Perhaps. But he was a greedy man. At least he would enjoy trying.
With one hand, he caressed her breast again while he slid the other between their joined bodies and found the sensitive spot between her legs. Satisfaction and pride swelled in his chest as she tightened around him.
“Oh God, Anne!” She was so close, and he watched her carefully. He wanted—no, needed—to see her face if she came again.
The adorable line between her brows creased once more, her eyes squeezed shut, and her mouth dropped open.
But before he could appreciate her beautiful face further, she pulsed around him, the sensation so overpowering, he squeezed his eyes and roared in ecstasy.
His mind reeled from his explosive climax.
Dear God, what was that?!
He wasn’t an inexperienced lover, even before he and Margery married. But something shifted in him, and he didn’t know what in the world to make of it.
Anne collapsed on top of him, leaving him little time or energy to ponder it further. Instead, he pulled her to his side and cradled her head on his chest, incredibly content and happy for the first time in ages.