Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Juliet sprawled in his chair, her disheveled hair cascading over her shoulders like a golden waterfall. Her lips remained parted, as did her thighs—thighs as soft as silk and leading to a quim the flavor of salted honey. Eric involuntarily licked his lips, tasting her delicious orgasm.
“Mmm,” he murmured. His cock throbbed its agreement.
The devil take him, but he selfishly wanted her—heart, soul, and body. Yet, his niggling questions remained. First and foremost, was the illegitimate son of a marquess worthy of a baron’s daughter?
He knew the correct answer; he simply refused to accept it. To hell with superficial rules made by supercilious men. That being said, could he truly provide her with the life she deserved?
She deserved to be loved and cherished, and he could do that in spades.
Ultimately, she needed to make her own decision, he concluded.
He would present his offer, and she could either accept or reject it.
Not giving her a choice because he thought he knew what was best for her was patriarchy at its worst. He would not be that kind of man.
Now that all of that was settled, one more question remained.
Should he give her delicate cunny time to heal before shoving his throbbing cock deep inside her?
He had worked her over, and the way she’d come apart on his tongue was evidence of her enjoyment.
His chest puffed as if he were a cocksure peacock.
He probably hadn’t needed the instructional manual, since his instincts and desires told him precisely what to do.
Still, it had been fun to look at, and he’d picked up a bit of ye’ ol’ tongue swirling artistry—the author’s words, not his—from the detailed descriptions.
“A silver shilling for your thoughts,” Juliet said.
Honesty was well and good, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to admit that he’d been stroking his own ego or that he’d learned cunny eating skills from the book.
Well, he’d actually mastered them on her sweet quim.
The point was, even when a man was trying to be a better communicator, he still needed to keep a few things to himself.
“I enjoyed your ministrations,” she said with a mischievous grin. “Everything felt quite lovely.” Staring at his torso, she gnawed on her kiss-swollen lip. Her gaze slid lower, landing on the bulge beneath his trousers.
“Oh, my.” She licked the length of her top lip.
It seemed he had his answer; Juliet was ready.
His heart hammering, he slid his trousers down his legs. His small clothes followed. His stiff rod sprang free, the mushroom-shaped head pointed at Juliet and vibrated as if expressing an ecstatic huzzah!
Her appreciative hum was more than he could handle. With a feral roar, the beast within him escaped its carefully constructed confines, bursting forth to frolic.
“I want to tup you until neither of us can see straight,” he blurted.
Her gaze remained glued to his jutting arousal. “Then come and get me,” she said, in a deep, sensual voice he didn’t recognize.
She didn’t have to ask him twice. He was in front of her in an instant. Looping his forearm beneath her, he easily lifted her feather-light body. Then, cradling her in his arms, he carried her to the bed, tossing her onto the mattress.
He was about to pounce when the adoration in her eyes calmed his wily beast.
“Are you sure?” he asked. As much as he wanted her, this needed to be her choice.
“Yes.” She reached for him.
Leaning on his elbow, he stretched out alongside her. The glow from the bedside lantern played in her hair and illuminated the twinkle in her eyes.
Luxuriating in touching her, he traced figure eights around her breasts. Her pert nipples reached for the ceiling. He continued downward, drawing the same shape around her navel as she emitted sensual-sounding sighs.
He couldn’t help but grin.
“I love your smile,” she said.
So, she’d said before. He’d aim to smile a hundred times a day just for her.
“May I touch you, too?” she asked.
His cock pulsed with excitement.
She must have taken notice because she giggled. “I will take that as a yes.”
An emphatic yes. Like a submissive puppy, he rolled onto his back, anticipating her touch. If he had a tail, it would be wagging joyfully.
She leaned over him. Her fingertips explored his pectorals, then slid down his abdomen, leaving tingling flames in their wake.
“You’re so strong,” she said.
Everything this woman did made him feel like a God. If he didn’t keep his hubris in check, she’d turn him into an arrogant sod.
Her palm drifted along his thigh, edging closer to his erection. He sucked in a breath, willing her to keep going. His fantasy came to fruition the instant she wrapped her palm around his cock. He moaned as a shiver shot up his spine.
“’Tis so hard,” she said.
He had no idea why, but he chuckled. Perhaps because happiness bubbled through his blood. She broke out in a fit of giggles, which made him laugh harder. Together they chortled like jolly, besotted fools. That is, until she squeezed his cock, and his balls caught on fire.
“Fuck, yes,” he moaned.
She instantly sobered. From a gleeful party of two to crackling need in seconds flat—he wagered they now held some sort of record.
He leapt upon her, taking her to the mattress as he tried not to crush her beneath his weight. Straddling her, he swallowed her ragged breaths.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and met his demanding mouth with the fervor of a starving woman.
Since she was undulating beneath him, and his cock was already stabbing her in the belly, he might as well move the unruly snake closer to the place they both wanted it to be. He rubbed the tip along her wet seam.
“Yes.” She panted. “I’m ready.”
As was he. Since he didn’t want to hurt Juliet with his brute strength, he paid attention to her reactions as he pressed his cock into her wet heat.
Wrapping her legs around him, she clung to him as if holding on for dear life.
“Fuck,” he grunted. But there was no other word that accurately described how perfectly she gloved him.
He entered her, little by little, only piercing deeper when her walls tugged on his cock. Although she was tight, and he was large, she was so wet that he was soon embedded to the hilt.
“Juliet?” he whispered.
Her blissed-out gaze momentarily focused.
“Should we continue?” he asked.
“Oh, yes.” Her golden lashes fluttering, her lids drifted closed.
He kept his eyes open so that he could witness her expressions. Currently, her lips were parted and curved upward, as her sweet gasps gusted across his jaw.
Holding onto her hips, he slowly pumped. As much as he wanted to increase the friction by pounding into her, he fought his desire and remained gentle. Soon, their breaths and heartbeats synced.
“Harder, Eric.” Digging her heels into his lower back, she thrust her hips upward, clapping them against his.
Fuck, yes. “That’s it, Juliet,” he cooed in her ear. “Tell me what you want.”
“Faster, please,” she begged.
He crashed his cock into her pulsing cunny, and the headboard banged against the wall. For a moment, he feared he’d been too violent, but she cried out for more.
He hammered into her as she rocked her hips, meeting the force of his punishing thrusts.
The tension within him built until the head of his cock tingled.
A sensation akin to diaphanous butterfly wings brushing over his skin traveled the entire length of his rod, spreading to his pelvis, then shooting up his spine.
He couldn’t be ready. Not yet. He didn’t want this decadence to end. Ever. Or at the very least, not until after Juliet had experienced her pleasure again.
It took every bit of his discipline to withdraw. He rested his forehead against hers and talked his cock into submission.
“Don’t stop,” she begged. “More.”
As inexperienced as he was, he must remember that she was a complete innocent. “I’m so close, and I want you to climax with me,” he explained.
She responded by grinding her mound against him.
“Passionate little minx,” he teased as his thumb searched for her pearl.
He easily found the swollen nub and rubbed his finger over it. Her ecstatic cries echoed. He added his middle finger, curling them both in a come-hither motion. Her walls pulsed, milking his fingers.
It seemed his sunshine-filled virgin was ready to fly alongside him.
He withdrew his fingers to drive his cock deep. She met his thrusts with more strength than he would have guessed a slender woman had.
Every part of him tingled, swirling inward until his entire world was contained in a single point in his groin. His muscles coiled, and his toes curled.
Juliet’s walls quaked and her body shook. “Eric!” she cried, as she came apart beneath him.
His entire body shuddered in one glorious burst of color. “Fuck, Juliet.” With a beast-like grunt, he pulled out in time to coat her belly with his seed.
Collapsing beside her, he reveled in the euphoric sensation of floating. Once his equilibrium returned, he used the edge of the blanket to clean her.
She smiled up at him.
He grinned back, then kissed her—one perfect, loving kiss. Infused with confidence, he sought her gaze and held it.
“Juliet, I want to spend my life with you. I know that I don’t have as much to offer you as a man of your class, and I am aware that your parents will disapprove. But I’ll spend my life trying to be the man you deserve. If you will have me as your husband, that is.”
Bolting upright, she squealed and bounced on the mattress. “Oh, yes.”
Grinning, he sat up and wrapped her in his arms.
“Keep in mind,” she said. “I am ruined. No man of my class will have me, having broken my engagement. Then I was kidnapped by the villainous Knight Roamer, who probably took my maidenhood.” Her smile was pure mischief.
She shrugged. “My parents will have no choice but to approve. And for that, I am exceedingly happy.”
As was he.
Rearranging the blankets, he pulled the counterpane over them. He dropped his head onto his pillow. She rested her cheek on his shoulder and played with his chest hair, which was both decadent and relaxing.
“This afternoon, we should visit your parents, and I will ask your father for your hand. However, we won’t mention that I grew up in a brothel. I shall find us another place to live. I also don’t think we should tell anyone that I am Knight Roamer.”
“I agree. But before you speak with my father, I must grovel with my parents and beg them to forgive me.”
“Of course,” he said.
She huffed. “I’m quite hungry. I’ve not eaten since this morning.”
“We can go to the kitchen and eat anytime we want. Mrs. Paulson always has extra food prepared. I look forward to introducing you to her. You’ll adore each other. And she is a splendid cook.”
“I might need time to recover first,” she said.
He chuckled. Thunderation, he hadn’t laughed like this since… Hell, he’d never laughed this much.
He kissed the top of her head. “Whenever you are ready, Sunshine.” Snuggling against her, he closed his eyes.