Chapter Nine
The ball had ended an hour ago, and Kitty should be tired, but she was humming with curiosity and need. Earlier in the garden, it had taken everything in her to return to the ball with Oliver. She wanted to kiss him some more. Describing their heated moment as only a kiss seemed insufficient.
Oliver would be joining her soon, but it seemed like he was taking forever to arrive in her bedroom.
Her body still ached from where her most feminine area had pressed against his shaft.
She didn’t want to appear na?ve, but in truth, she knew little of what to expect.
The only thing she could be sure of was this unexplored heat between her thighs, and the fluttering in her abdomen. Where was he?
Feeling antsy, she picked up the book Beth had recommended.
Kitty flipped through the pages and stopped when a drawing showed a man kissing a woman’s inner thigh.
She blushed and clenched her legs together.
She’d read a similar scene in one of Beth’s stories.
Now the click of the door opening between her and Oliver’s bedchamber made her look up.
Oliver was dressed in his pants and dress shirt with his sleeves rolled to his elbows.
She’d never seen him in such informal attire, but she liked it.
His gaze perused down her form. Earlier, her lady’s maid had helped her into a thin, silk nightgown.
It clung to her hips and bosom. It had been made for her wedding night and was meant to be alluring.
Oliver hadn’t said a word, but from the way he gazed at her, the silk fabric was doing its job.
His eyes narrowed in on the book she was still holding, and she gasped.
She didn’t want Oliver to see it. She spun around and frantically shoved the book into her vanity drawer.
When Kitty turned back, Oliver was watching her with an amused look.
“You didn’t have to put away your reading. Anything I might be interested in?”
Kitty couldn’t prevent the heat from rushing to her face. He stepped further into her room and took a seat on the corner of her bed. “I would never judge your interests.”
She didn’t want to lie to her husband. You already are, her mind mocked her.
Was her omission about the underground book business a lie?
It was to protect her husband’s family reputation, but what would she gain by keeping her secret?
Deciding she wouldn’t hide anything else, Kitty pulled the book from the drawer and handed it to him.
His eyes widened as he read the title and flipped through some of the pages. Finally, Oliver looked up. “I imagine you see several types of books at your business, even those that might not be publicly acceptable.”
She remained silent, not wanting to make up lies. He grinned at her wickedly, causing her lower half to ache. “I’m willing to try any of these things this book recommends.”
“A friend recently provided me with it,” Kitty said. Her voice sounded husky. Her mouth and throat were dry from nerves. She swallowed but didn’t drop her gaze from his.
He lifted a brow. “And you’ve read it.”
She nodded.
Oliver held out the book to her and asked in an equally husky voice, “Will you show me something you are interested in exploring?”
Kitty bit her lip, and Oliver added, “Let me help you sate your curiosity, Lady Everly.”
The silken tone he used sent a shiver of delight down her body.
She walked to where he sat on the edge of the bed and took the book from his grasp, then flipped through its pages, stopping at one drawing that had inflamed her.
It depicted a man kneeling before a lady’s parted thighs as she threw her head back in ecstasy.
He took the book from her and ran his finger down the picture but didn’t look away from her. His gaze steady and somehow full of fire, he murmured, “Nothing would delight me more.”
Kitty swallowed again. Her mouth was still dry but for some reason, her most feminine area felt unusually damp. Was that normal? She wondered if she should hide herself with her hands. What was happening to her body?
Oliver placed the open how-to manual on the bed and stood. Her stomach clenched from both nerves and anticipation. Did she just command her new husband to place his face between her thighs? One of his hands slid down her arm before palming one of her breasts. “These are so damn tempting.”
Her nipples tingled and hardened as his thumb flicked over one. She stepped closer to him. Oliver’s lips touched the side of her face. “Do you want me to kiss your quim, Kitty?”
“Yes,” she said breathlessly.
“I love how open you are. I want that in our relationship,” he said, his voice going even more husky. Was it possible he was feeling the same thing she was? Did he feel his heart racing in his chest as much as she did in hers?
Their eyes locked. Kitty said, “Me too.”
He groaned and cupped Kitty’s face, pulling her to him.
Their lips mashed together, intensifying the desire coursing through her body.
Kitty shyly pressed her tongue into Oliver’s mouth as he’d taught her, using it to tease him.
His hands released her face, but he still continued to kiss her, and she grew bolder, opening her mouth to him even more.
Her stomach fluttered, and she heard herself moaning deep in her throat.
The heat of his fingers burned through the thin silk she wore.
She instinctively bucked against his firm body.
She wanted more of his touch, more of…something.
Everything. Oliver broke their kiss and urged her to sit on the edge of the bed.
She glanced up at him, then at the open book beside them, at the explicit drawing.
Kitty blushed. Did people actually do that?
Would he want to? What if he didn’t? “You don’t have to. ”
He picked up the book and read, “Intimate acts are not only about pleasing one’s husband but about finding pleasure for yourself, together.”
Kitty stared up at him, somewhat horrified. “Are you going to read it aloud?”
He looked at her, his eyes twinkling. With amusement? No, she realized, with passion. He did want to do this! Yet, he seemed to recognize her hesitation. “If anything makes you uncomfortable, tell me, and I will stop right away.”
She nodded, as a sense of trust filled her. Oliver was a good man. A kind man. And, he was her husband.
“A lady should want to reach her climax, and her husband should offer his assistance. One way ladies can feel this heightened moment is for their husbands to press their face between their thighs, tasting their quim. Be kind, ladies, not all gentlemen understand that this is possible. Not to worry, the next few steps will help you and your husband explore this technique.”
Oliver placed the instructions on the bed again and stared down at Kitty. Gruffly, he said, “I think I have the gist of it.”
Her body ached for what was to come. She’d read so many stories about moments like this, but never anticipated finding herself in this position. Now, her husband slid the fabric of her thin nightgown up until it reached the top of her hips.
He groaned and stepped closer, nudging her legs apart with his own. “So the book says I start kissing up your limbs until I reach your core. Shall I do that?”
Kitty nodded, her heart pounding even faster in anticipation.
Oliver bent, his hand sliding down her leg, to her ankle.
She shivered at his calloused touch. He smiled slightly as he lifted her limb upward, causing her to fall back on the bed linen.
He moved, pressing his lips against her ankle, then trailed them up her calf, causing goosebumps to rise, and when he traced the curve of the back of her knee with his tongue, she shivered.
Before now, she’d had no idea how sensitive that part of her body could be.
Oliver released her leg gently and knelt before her.
She lifted herself up on her forearms, looking down at him.
His shoulders nudged her legs further apart as he nibbled bites along her inner thigh, his golden hair shining.
Kitty wondered if she should be embarrassed, but she pushed that thought away and gave in instead to the overwhelming urge to have him do what the book explained.
A whimper escaped her, and he drew back, staring up at her, grinning. “Shall I stop and refer back to the instructions?”
Kitty shook her head, wanting more now. “I trust you know what you are doing?”
An amused ghost of a smile flitted across his face. “Are you calling me a rake?”
“I don’t know you well enough to even hazard a guess.”
His eyes turned serious, and he rubbed one hand along her leg, slowly, sensuously. “I’m not sure anyone would call me a rake, but I’m also not an innocent. However, lady wife, I can tell you that I am yours from this moment forward.”
Kitty smiled at his reassurance as he dipped his head down and his hot breath curled against her inner thighs. Then his tongue sought and found her most sensitive spot, one she had mostly ignored until now, but never would again.
No wonder she had so many women readers buying books from their underground events!
She gasped as he licked and suckled her. His hands slid under her bottom. The ache in her core spiked, and she found herself rocking her hips frantically with each swipe of his tongue.
Her silk gown was now wrapped around her waist, but Kitty didn’t care. She wanted more of his mouth and of him. Her fingers threaded through his hair, and she tugged but then released him. “Sorry.”
Oliver glanced up at her with a wicked glint in his eyes. “Never apologize for that, Lady Everly.”
He went back to tasting her quim. His teeth scraped against her sensitive nub, and he teased her until the ache made her fall back on the bed.
Her thighs clenched his head, and she rocked against his mouth, chasing a climax she’d only ever read about.
She let out a whimper as the throbbing between her thighs became unbearable.