Chapter Eleven
Lisbeth stared at Thomas, her heart still pounding from their kiss. She’d dreamed about being in this man’s arms one more time since she’d left him in Tuscany. Rationally, Lisbeth should say no, but every part of her being prevented her from doing so.
“Only one night,” she reiterated.
His eyes glowed with desire, and he brushed his lips across hers. “One moment to say goodbye, and then you can go back to being a duchess, and I can continue with my life as is.”
The words were both a blow and a tempting offer.
Deep down, Lisbeth had no desire to say goodbye to this man, but knew she had to.
His hand trailed down her shoulder, arm, and then along the curve of her lower back.
He leaned closer, and his lips brushed against her ear. “Let me love you tonight, Lizzie.”
She nodded, unable to deny his request. He was her Serious Thomas, and she was his Lizzie—at least while they were in this room.
His mouth made its way back to hers, making the desire spike within her.
She wanted this man desperately. Thomas’s tongue dipped into her mouth and sparred with her tongue, tempting and enticing her.
Lisbeth folded her body into his, needing to feel his warmth against her.
Her core clenched as his shaft pressed against her belly.
He untied her wrap, and it fell to the ground. He palmed one of her breasts through the thin fabric of her nightgown. Thomas groaned, “You are so responsive to my touch.”
Thomas pinched and teased the tip as she whimpered, arching into him. The front of the gown contained dozens of buttons, and too impatient, he grasped the fabric and pulled. Buttons flew everywhere. One side of her gown fell off her shoulder, revealing her from the waist up.
Her gaze returned to Thomas’s face, and she studied him as his eyes hungrily perused her form.
An amorous sigh escaped him as he dipped his head down, bringing one of her nipples between his lips.
Thomas walked them backward towards the bed, stopping only to allow the nightgown to fall completely off her.
She flushed, finding herself suddenly shy to be naked in front of him. Her bottom bumped the edge of the bed, and any reservations about being bare before him quickly disappeared. His face was filled with such a deep longing that it made her tremble. She felt emboldened that he desired her so much.
He stepped back and removed his jacket and shoes. His eyes didn’t leave her. “Christ, Lisbeth, how are you still so beautiful?”
She flushed. “Older, still.”
He pulled his shirt from his head and stepped towards her. “Only more beautiful with time.”
His lips sprinkled kisses along her shoulder and down her arm until he reached her fingertips.
Lisbeth clenched her legs together, wanting much more from him.
Gently, he placed his hand on her chest and pushed her back onto the bed.
She looked up at him, and he ran a thumb across her lips.
“You tempt me like no one else ever has.”
The words were too much for one night, but she didn’t care.
Lisbeth wanted them to feel everything in this moment—not to hold anything back.
His fingers ran down her breasts and stomach, causing her to whimper.
He stepped back and removed the rest of his clothes, then returned to staring down at her.
His broad chest and taut stomach had been bronzed by the sun. Absurdly, she wondered where he spent so much time shirtless outdoors. Her body ached for him. His hand palmed one of her breasts again before trailing down her stomach, stopping right before he reached her quim.
Her legs fell open, and she rocked her hips. Thomas ran his tongue along his lower lip. The fingers on her stomach moved further down and dipped into her most feminine place. She groaned and closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of Thomas’s touch.
“Open your eyes,” he said gruffly.
They fluttered open. She looked at him through a haze of desire. His mouth turned up at the corners. “You have no idea how beautiful you look. This right here will be seared to my memory for the rest of my life.”
A flash of pain passed between them, and Lisbeth didn’t want to feel it. She murmured, “Thomas, kiss me.”
His slight smile turned to a cocky smirk. He pressed a finger to her mouth and then her quim. “Where do you want my mouth?”
She rocked her hips, hoping he would catch on. Huskily, Thomas added, “Show me with your hands.”
Lisbeth, wanting to drive him mad, ran a finger over her mouth, her tongue darting out. He stroked his cock. Then she ran her hands down the path his own took before she touched herself, feeling how wet she was for him. “Here.”
He slid her further up on the bed. “There is nothing I would like more.”
Thomas kissed her hip, then the roundness of her belly that never disappeared after her last pregnancy, before his mouth found the spot she wanted him so badly. Lisbeth dug her heels into the bed, arching up. His large hands grasped her bottom as he lapped at her.
Lisbeth threaded her fingers through his hair, savoring every kiss, scrape, and lick. Her body bucked against his mouth. The ache in her became heightened, and she whimpered, “Thomas.”
He briefly looked up, the taste of her glistening on his mouth. “I want you to explode, Lizzie. Do that for me.”
Her body throbbed for her release, needing it. His mouth teased her most sensitive nub, and her hip movements became more frantic until the ache exploded in her. She crashed against the bed, moaning. Her climax pulsated through her body.
Lisbeth threw an arm over her eyes, gasping with delight. He slid up next to her, pulling her body against his chest, spooning her. His cock pressed against her bottom, but they lay there. His hand roamed over her leisurely. As her breathing slowed, Thomas kissed her neck and then her shoulder.
She pushed against him, playing the part of a temptress. He groaned and grabbed her hips, pulling her more firmly against him. “Do you see how much I need you?” he hissed.
The ache flared up again in her lower body. She nodded and ground against him more. His shaft pushed against the opening of her quim. She shivered in anticipation, wanting more than anything to have Thomas deep inside her. “Please.”
His tongue ran along her neck, and he quietly said, “I only want to please you.”
He slid a little further into her, and she attempted to push him even deeper, but he grasped her hips, stopping her. “If I’m going to have one night with you, I’m going to slowly savor the first time my cock slides into you.”
She nodded, and he slid further in and moaned before running kisses along her shoulder. Lisbeth thought she would combust. She wanted him to bury himself in her. She wiggled but tried to stay still. He chuckled darkly. “Do you want me deeper? Is that what has my minx all frustrated?”
Lisbeth didn’t deny it. “Yes.”
He arched into her, pushing his shaft as deeply as he could.
Both he and Lisbeth gasped. The fullness of having him in her was perfection.
Why did this man feel so right? He slid out of her and then back in.
She rocked into him backward—the closeness was not enough, but she doubted it would ever be.
The ache in her intensified; her body screamed for another climax, demanding it. He chuckled as he continued to pump into her. He slid one hand to the front of her, stroking her mound as he took her from behind. “Is that what you want?”
She gasped, nodding, his fingers tormenting her in the best way. And then a sob tore from her lips, her body exploding for the second time. He kissed her neck. “Good girl.”
One of his hands gripped her hip tighter, and his own movement became quicker and harder. He was driving towards his release. She pushed back into him continuously, knowing he was so close. His lips grazed her neck, and he moaned, “Lizzie.”
Thomas’s hand moved to one of her breasts, caressing and exploring as his thrusts continued.
The way his body wrapped around her was perfection.
How did they fit so right, even after all these years?
With his other hand, he dug even more deeply into the skin at her hip as if he didn’t want to ever let go.
The rocking of their bodies became more frantic, and then suddenly, he withdrew, spending. They were both gasping for air. He rose briefly and cleaned them up. Afterward, they said nothing, their breathing mingling together.
*
Lisbeth rolled away from Thomas, lying on her stomach. He wanted to pull her back into the curve of his body, missing the feel of her, but refrained from doing so. She turned her head to look at him, where he still lay on his side. Her eyes were wistful.
He brushed a blonde strand out of her face. “What is it?”
“I’d convinced myself that I imagined how special this was between us.”
Thomas leaned forward and brushed his mouth across hers. “You weren’t wrong.”
She blushed. “I’m sure you’ve had a dozen lovers, or at least that is what the serials indicate.”
He grimaced. “Wildly exaggerated.”
“You do receive plenty of mail from admirers.”
Thomas stroked her cheek. “You can try to change the subject all you want, Lizzie, but this is special.”
Her eyes watered. “I know. It makes me think this was a bad idea.”
“I could come to London.”
Real fear flashed in her eyes. Why didn’t Lisbeth want him to visit London? He didn’t understand it. “Are you concerned about what people will think if you associate with a commoner?”
Her eyes sparked with outrage. “Of course not. I would be proud to be your friend.”
Yet, he expected she didn’t want any more than that. Thomas supposed he couldn’t blame her. They were practically strangers, well, not in this bed but in real life. His hand slid along the curve of her back, swirling over her bottom. Desire flared in her eyes.
They’d promised each other just this night. He wouldn’t push it. Lisbeth was a duchess and lived a completely different life from him. Perhaps the next few hours could resolve all the anger of the past and allow them to move on. She reached for his hand, kissing his knuckles.
He rolled to his back, pulling her on top of him astride. Lisbeth gasped. Thomas grinned at her, even though his heart was aching, and said, “We still have a few more hours left of this night.”
*
Days later, Thomas paced back and forth as he watched other people board a ship. He glanced at Rafe, who chuckled at him.
“Is this a crazy idea?” he asked his friend.
Rafe shrugged. “Who cares if it is? If you don’t go to London, you will always wonder about what could have been between you and Lisbeth.”
He and Rafe had departed Latakia before Lisbeth, Benson, and Abbas’s ship. The further Thomas was away from the city, the more he started to realize that he shouldn’t have ever kissed Lisbeth goodbye. His need for her was too strong. He didn’t want to go decades without seeing her again.
Why couldn’t he live in London? Rose had moved there, and she was happy. Still, there had been no confessions of love or promises of a future. In all honesty, they’d departed like they would never see each other again.
“I’m chasing the woman who abandoned me once,” he explained to his friend.
“You, yourself, said she didn’t have much of a choice. Why not go back to London and woo her?”
Thomas hated to admit it, but he was nervous to return to the city. He’d been barely a man when he left, and the son of a housekeeper.
Rafe grasped his shoulders. “Do you love her?”
He did. It didn’t matter that a decade had gone by. Thomas loved her with every part of his being. “She has always been the one.”
“Then go and fight for her.”
Thomas hugged Rafe. “Will you come visit?”
“Eventually, but you’ve inspired me. I might return home first and see where things stand. If I don’t, I will always wonder.”
“Good luck, my friend. You are always welcome at my home in England.”
Rafe grinned. “On the ship, you go. Tell Lisbeth I said hello.”
Thomas stepped onto the gangplank, ready to change his entire life if Lisbeth would have him. In three weeks, he’d be in London.