Chapter 18
“How?” Helena croaked. “What can we even do?”
She was grateful that Evander had found her.
She was even grateful he had ripped her gown.
It had been strangling her chest and cutting off her air as she had struggled to control her panic—yet despite her feeling calmer now, despite wanting to believe that Evander could protect her, her mind was still shrouded with unease.
“He did not stop when he discovered that I was to marry into the Winterbourne family,” she went on, watching curiously as Evander removed his black leather gloves and laid them carefully to the side.
“He did not even stop when I told him I could pay back our debts. How will you convince him to leave us alone? I do not believe it is money he cares about.”
“I assure you he will stop after I have a talk with him,” Evander answered quickly, his deep voice full of promise as he stared deeply into her eyes. “You will not worry about him again after tomorrow, I swear to you.”
“You swear it?” she whispered.
“On my life,” he said, and something in the flat certainty of his tone left no room to doubt him.
Helena swallowed as she saw a threatening look cloud Evander’s piercing blue eyes.
“What are you going to do?” she asked, feeling her fear shift toward something else as she became suddenly aware of how good it felt to be in Evander’s lap.
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with tonight,” he murmured, his hand sliding beneath her jaw to tilt her face up to his. “Tonight, you belong to me, and I intend to remind you of it.”
Evander leaned forward, inching down the collar of his jacket from her throat. A sigh escaped Helena’s lips as she felt his soft, caressing kisses at her neck, further pushing away the fear she had been holding onto.
“First, I am going to take care of you,” Evander’s deep voice rasped as kisses sensually traced from the top of her throat, down her neck, and to her collarbone.
Such kisses sent tiny, delicious tingles throughout her entire body, and slowly, the tight grip she had on his jacket relaxed, giving Evander the ability to pull it down to continue his line of kisses.
“Then I am going to take care of your problem,” Evander huskily went on, shifting her off his lap and onto the chaise until her head was laid gently atop the pillows. “You will never have to worry about that scoundrel again. I promise.”
“All right. I trust you. Will you… Will you touch me?”
“Oh, sweet Helena, I plan to do so much more than touch you.” He kneeled over her, his shadow swallowing what remained of the firelight. “Tonight I intend to ruin you for any other man.”
“Evander—”
“Say you understand me,” he said, his voice low and unyielding, though his fingers were gentle as they traced the curve of her jaw.
“I understand,” she breathed.
“Good girl.”
Helena whimpered and pulled the jacket between them away, wanting to be as close to him as possible.
Evander let out a throaty chuckle as his jacket dropped to the floor, his delicious kisses never stopping as they moved from Helena’s neck to her breasts.
Warmth began to bloom in the apex of her thighs as Evander let out a low, tortured groan just as he reached her nipples—and in that moment, Helena started to forget about everything else.
His large, bare hands, calloused from boxing, smoothed up Helena’s bare ribcage as his kisses moved lower, and just as his hands were able to cup the underside of her breasts, his lips found her left nipple.
Helena jolted at the sensation of his tongue swirling lazily over the taut bud.
She had never known she could be so sensitive there!
Her lashes fluttered, and her back arched as Evander took his time, tracing his lips over the taut bud.
Nipping softly. Licking slowly from the back of his tongue to the very tip.
Then, using that tip to flick rapidly at the taut bud.
With each new sensation, Helena reacted differently, her little sounds shifting from a whimper to a moan to a hiss.
She quickly found she enjoyed them all, but there were some she loved more than others.
It was as if Evander was studying her reaction to each little shift, for when he moved to her right nipple, he only sank his mouth down and lapped slowly as his hands cupped and massaged her breasts with an almost reverent care.
“Talk to me, sweetheart. How do you feel?” Evander murmured around her nipple as he sank his much larger body down over hers.
Helena moaned softly at the delicious feel of his weight atop her.
He was so very big compared to her, yet she did not feel smothered or crushed.
Instead, she felt warm. Protected. Safe.
She could not help but reach for his sides and smooth her hands over his muscled back, wanting more.
As she did so, Evander’s hips settled between hers in a way that had his hard manhood pressing against her own sex.
Excitement sizzled through her veins as she remembered what had happened the last time such parts of them had been pressed so close.
She had never felt anything so extraordinary as that moment of release, and despite the constant stress surrounding her, she had spent the night thinking of it and wondering when she might experience it again.
“Better,” she breathed, boldly lifting her hips just enough to apply the slightest pressure to Evander’s trouser-clad erection. “Much better.”
“More,” she pleaded, and slid her hands up to his face. “I need more of you.”
“Careful,” he warned, a low growl vibrating in his chest. “Keep doing that, and I will not have the patience left to go slow.”
“Perhaps I do not want you to go slow.”
His eyes darkened at that. “You do not know what you are asking for.”
“Then show me.”
This time, as she moaned, Evander moaned with her, sending a slight, delightful vibration through her breast that made her quiver.
Evander did not stop her as she lifted his head and brought his lips to hers, locking them in a deep kiss as their hips found that familiar rhythm they had found the evening before.
Small waves of pleasure began to lap at Helena’s sex and inner thighs, growing a little higher with every thrust, and she completely gave herself over to the moment.
Just as she thought those waves were about to crest to their highest peak and crash down on her again, though, Evander stopped and drew away, sitting up on his knees between her spread legs.
Helena moaned in protest; her body craved more as Evander’s hooded blue eyes traveled slowly from her face all the way down to her parted thighs.
Such an intense look made her suddenly self-conscious, and she began to move her arms to cover herself.
Before she could even try to hide her breasts or press her knees together, though, Evander caught her wrists and pushed them back into the chaise.
“Keep those legs spread open for me, Helena. You are so very beautiful,” he rasped, his blue eyes pleading as they made their way up to hers.
The insecure parts of her quieted immediately, and she let her arms rest under his restraining hands.
“If I am so beautiful… Why did you stop?”
“Because I want you desperate before I let you come,” he said, his voice rough with restraint. “I want you begging, Helena. I want you to know exactly whose name you are saying when you finally break.”
Something dark and possessive passed through Evander’s eyes as they dipped back down to her breasts.
“I am going to marry you, Helena,” he replied, letting go of one of her wrists so he could lace a hand around her throat. He gave her a gentle squeeze, and Helena’s lashes fluttered under the lovely pleasure. “You are going to be mine, and there are so many ways to experience pleasure.”
His hand pulsed with every accentuated word, sending ripples of pleasure from Helena’s throat all the way to her wet, pulsing core. “Open your eyes.”
Helena obeyed without a thought, completely enthralled by his commanding presence. He smiled with satisfaction as he let out a deep, rumbling sound from his chest.
“There are those gorgeous eyes,” he praised. “I prefer to see them watching me while I teach you.”
Through her haze of pleasure, a question formed in Helena’s mind.
“Teach me what?”
Evander’s satisfied smile shifted into a devilishly handsome smirk as his hand caressed from her throat and down to her breasts. His fingertips traced over her hardened left nipple, then suddenly, he pinched it with his hand.
Helena let out a startled cry, but in a flash, Evander’s other hand was clamped over her mouth as the other rubbed soothing circles over the still stinging flesh until the pain shifted to pleasure.
“About pleasure,” he answered, sliding his hands down over her breasts, her waist, and to her parted thighs. He spread them wider as he shuffled back and leaned down.
It was a strange, exhilarating feeling to see a man so powerful and tall bow so low before her, and she wondered why, now more than ever, he was showing her such devotion.
Yet before she could ask, Evander slid down to his chest, shouldered her thighs, and pressed a kiss to the aching spot between her thighs.
Helena’s mouth dropped open as she inhaled a shaky breath, unable to believe what he had actually done.
Then he moved his lips, parting them just enough so that he could slide his tongue through, and pleasure exploded between her legs.
Helena’s questions caught in her throat as she arched her back and threw her head back into the pillow. Her body was caught in a backward bow when suddenly she felt a sharp slap to her sex, and though it did not hurt, the shock of it had her looking down at him with wide, questioning eyes.
“Eyes open, love,” he all but growled the reminder as his lips hovered above her mons. “I want you to watch me give you pleasure.”
Helena obeyed, locking her gaze onto Evander’s. His blue eyes sparkled with feral hunger, both startling and exciting her at the same time.
Then he began again. Flicking his tongue so very softly against the little bundle of nerves atop her sex, Helena had to fight to keep her eyes open. With each brush of his tongue, her body sank deeper into that well of pleasure, making her limbs feel heavy and useless and powerless to stop him.
There was no struggle when it came to Evander’s touch. With him, she gave herself freely, trustingly, with no fear of pain.
“Evander, I do not think…”
“Helena…” Evander moaned into her sex. “I do not want you to think right now. You are so very good for me. Let me take care of you.”
And she did. Helena gave herself over to the weighty feeling in her limbs, moved past the flush of insecurity of a man being so close to her bare sex, and fully gave in to the skills of Evander’s mouth.
My man, a voice whispered in her head as he drew her pleasure to greater heights. Mine. Mine. Mine.
Helena trembled at the realization, which only heightened her pleasure. Yes, she was Evander’s. But he was also hers.
Helena’s breaths and soft moans grew deeper as Evander’s sinful kisses skillfully ignited her desire, and within moments, she struggled to keep her fluttering lashes from shutting and her trembling thighs from squeezing tighter around Evander’s shoulders.
She was nearing that peak she had reached with him the day before, only this time it was much more intense.
“Evander,” she panted, her body undulating of its own volition as he slid a finger into her wet, tight sheath and began to coax her from within.
“Say it again,” he commanded between the flicks of his tongue, his voice sinfully deep and gravelly with need.
“Evander,” she obeyed, her breath drawing in quicker as he drew her closer to climax.
“Tell me you are mine,” he commanded, thrusting his finger faster and making her moan low in her throat.
“I am yours,” she breathed.
No longer able to keep her eyes open, Helena closed them and let her head fall back, now on the verge of ecstasy.
She half expected another one of his little slaps, which she now wondered if it would push her over the edge.
Instead, Evander’s finger drove deeper, curling inside her in a slow, deliberate stroke that had her back arching clean off the chaise.
“Right there,” she gasped, not even certain what she was asking for until his finger found that spot again and dragged over it, again and again, until her thighs clamped hard around his shoulders and she could not have stopped them if she tried.
He added a second finger, stretching her, working her open with faster thrusts, and all the while his mouth stayed fixed on her sex, licking and suckling intensely until her quivering thighs started to shake.
She could feel herself clenching around him, could hear the slick sound of his fingers moving inside her, and the shame she should have felt at such a sound was drowned out entirely by how badly she wanted more of it.
“Evander, I cannot—”
“You can,” he said against her, his fingers never once slowing. “Give it to me, Helena. Let me feel you fall apart on my hand.”
A needy, keening cry escaped her lips as she felt herself teetering on the very brink of it, and then, with one final, curling thrust of his fingers as he suckled her bud between his lips, she fell.
Her climax rushed through her bloodstream with abandon, stealing her breath and ability to move as Evander slowed his ministrations and whispered words of praise.
She could only feel her melted body being pulled into strong, protective arms as soft, wet kisses caressed over her neck, her cheeks, and her lips.