Chapter Eleven #3
The leather against her palms as she sought to balance herself was in direct contrast to the heat in her blood.
Awareness tingled through her when her erect nipples moved over the leather bolster, due to Nathaniel urging her legs apart.
Gooseflesh rippled along her skin the second he gripped her hips, and an unexpected cry left her throat the moment the tip of his member glanced at her opening.
Before she could urge or beg him to join with him, he thrust inside her passage with such strength that every nerve ending she had lit up with pleasure, and he didn’t stop until he was fully seated.
“Oh, God!” This was much different from the last time they’d coupled. At this angle and the way he’d penetrated her, the sensations were so intense she suspected she might go over the edge straightaway.
“Good, yes?” He gripped her hips more firmly, and she wondered if he’d leave finger-shaped bruises.
“Like the best French pastry or a well-aged bottle of champagne.”
He leaned over and pressed his lips to her nape. “At least I’m in good, if expensive, company.” Then he withdrew, and when she offered a whimpering protest, he chuckled and thrust back into her.
Their moans blended together.
The next few minutes were spent in wild, frantic intercourse. Each time he plunged into her passage, Diana pushed back against him as best she could, but it was difficult with her front half over the bolstered end of the sofa and her toes barely finding purchase on the floor.
Though he moved in and out like a man possessed, there was also a gentleness to his strokes, an unspoken need to see her thoroughly pleasured, and that bonded her to him more than anything else.
Tears welled in her eyes, for every thrust, every push sent her hurtling closer to the edge, but this physical act also showed her what life could be if she chose him for more than just an affair.
Deeper he drove, and faster his thrusts came.
More frantic were his movements as he pressed against her, claiming her, keeping her trapped between his body and the bolster.
Wave upon wave of pleasure slammed into her, urging her to let go, and when he groaned behind her, the sound unlocked the last of her inhibitions.
With a low cry of surrender, Diana fell into his care.
Immediately, she broke, tumbled into a release that flew her to the stars and beyond.
Bands of exquisite feeling rolled over her so intense that she was barely aware Nathaniel thrust twice more before following her into that special place where only lovers knew.
The warmth of his release filled her core, and it was such an intimate, trusting act that she wanted to weep because of it.
How was it that in such a short time, she’d become completely enthralled with this man? In him, she was finding everything she’d wanted in another person, and she wanted him for more than just the bliss they shared while engaged in carnal games.
When her knees, her very bones, wouldn’t support her weight any longer, Nathaniel pulled away.
Seconds later, he guided her onto the sofa then wrapped his arms around her as they lay on their sides, her back flush against his front.
Cuddling, being tucked into a nurturing, safe embrace following relations, was the ultimate exercise in bonding, for Atterbury always refused anything soft like this between them.
Another piece of her heart flew into Nathaniel’s keeping.
I think I’m in a bit over my head. There were worse things, though.
“While I was in London and you were still in Surrey, one of the young bucks came to call on me.” Why she chose now to tell him of this, she didn’t know, but she didn’t want misunderstandings between them.
Though he grunted, his hand tightened on her hip. “What did he want?”
Heat played in her cheeks. “To pay his addresses.”
“The same man who wished to dance with you two weeks ago?”
“Yes.”
“Damn, but I’m going to call him out. You are not for him.”
“Ha.” She couldn’t help but snort even if his possessive nature amused her. “You don’t own me, Nathaniel.”
“No, but I thought what we have together is solid.” A hint of vulnerability lingered in his voice, and it tugged at her heart.
“It is; don’t you feel that connection between us?” When he remained silent, she went on. “However, what we have is only an affair. I can come and go as I please.” Tears prickled in her throat, for wasn’t that what she wanted from him? Then why was it suddenly not enough?
For long moments, the viscount was silent. Then he huffed. “Do you wish to encourage that man?”
She couldn’t help a laugh. “Goodness, no. He’s far too immature for me.
I just wanted to mention it to you for full disclosure.
” Would it make him jealous enough to secure her future?
She stifled a gasp. Did she want to marry him?
Knowing his prior history and his affinity for bedding women, did that make her a fool?
“I appreciate that.” Yet his body was still taut against hers.
Taking one of his hands, Diana brought it to her lips, pressed a kiss into his palm.
“I don’t wish to sink time into a man I’ll need to train, and I certainly don’t want to align myself with a man whose attention is divided instead of being on me.
” Was she trying to convince him or her?
Did it matter? “Where is yours, Nathaniel?”
“On you. Always.” The heat of his breath when he whispered warmed her cheek, the shell of her ear and he held her closer.
Her heart trembled. “I need to get home. I’d like to arrive there before my children do.”
“There is still time, I’ll wager.” As he spoke, Nathaniel brushed his fingers over her nipple, chuckling when it immediately responded to his touch. “Let me read one of Keats’s poems to you, so you can understand why I like his work.”
Another piece of heart flew into his keeping. What am I going to do with you? “I would like that.”