She inched up.
“On my mouth,” he urged.
She paused. “Your mouth? But don’t you want me to—”
“Never mind me now. This is about you.” He dragged his gaze to her hidden breasts and momentarily reconsidered.
“Although”—he licked his lips, wishing he could find relief—“if you truly wish to please, pull your breasts out. So I may see them.”
She bit her lower lip and slowly reached up to the dip between the top rounds of her breasts. Using her fingers to gently lift them out, she set each full breast atop the edge of the corset. Her nipples darkened as they hardened and peaked.
He swallowed and felt his cock throb in response. “You are so incredibly beautiful,” he murmured up at her. He reached out and grazed his thumbs against both exposed nipples. So soft, so perfect. So like the rest of her. “Sit. On my mouth.”
Carefully, she moved up, settling her hands flat on the floor, placing a knee on each side of his head, while propping the tops of her bare feet above his chest. She glanced down somewhat shyly at him then lowered herself down onto his waiting and open mouth.
Alexander grabbed hold of her corseted waist and held her in place as his tongue delved inside her. A sweet wetness coated his tongue. She was already so unbelievably wet and ready to receive him. He flicked the tip of his tongue across her nub.
She moaned and rhythmically moved against him, her breasts bobbing with each agonized moan. He flicked harder, burying the entire expanse of his mouth against her, wanting and needing her to give herself over to him completely. He suckled, causing her to buck. She grabbed hold of his hair.
“Oh!” she cried out, riding harder and harder against him, her grip on his hair tightening. “Yes.”
He kept suckling and licking until her sweet moisture flooded his tongue and mouth. Until her nub hardened against his tongue and became more and more resistant.
She was ready for him. And he was more than ready for her. He quickly removed his mouth from the entrance of her core and slid her down the length of his chest.
“Alexander,” she whispered. “I need you inside of me.”
“I need to be inside you, too,” he whispered back. “But I hardly came prepared. I didn’t think we’d—”
She tugged at him to proceed. “I am clean, I assure you. And I trust that you are, too. Now get on with it, and do not forget to withdraw.”
As if he were going to argue with her. Pressing his hands against her back, he held her tightly against his hips and rolled her onto the floor. He couldn’t seem to move fast enough.
He whipped off his jacket, waistcoat, and cravat after fumbling with them a few moments longer than he would have liked. As he yanked his shirt over his head, he felt her fingers already unbuttoning his trousers and tugging them downward. He tossed aside the shirt and glanced down just as his cock heavily sprang forth, rigidly pointing toward her.
She puckered her lips seductively and slid her slender fingertips along the smooth tip, sending shattering sensations of bliss through his stomach, torso, and legs. He groaned.
Without caring about the fact that he still had his trousers about his legs and his boots on his feet, he grabbed his cock with one hand and lifted her hips with the other, and lowered himself toward her. Slowly, he found the opening to her core and gently maneuvered the tip into her wetness.
“All of it,” she panted. She grabbed hold of his bare waist and thrust herself upward and into him. Hard. In one swift movement, she buried him completely inside her.
Alexander gasped in astonishment as unexpected moistness and warm tightness surrounded his entire cock. He struggled to keep himself from exploding. It had been too long. Much too long.
He lowered himself onto her and caught her mouth with his, slowly moving in and out, in and out, using his hand to position himself so that his length would rub her swollen nub every time.
Charlotte moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Pressing the warmth of her exposed full breasts against his skin.
Though he wanted to slow her movements as well as his own, he couldn’t help but thrust himself harder and deeper. And though their lips were repeatedly jerked apart, he reclaimed her mouth every chance he got, not giving either of them a moment to breathe. Not allowing them to think about anything but this moment.
“Oh! Ohhh!” She bucked beneath him, pushing herself harder up against him and cried out against his mouth. Her wetness exploded all around his shaft, allowing him to thrust more easily, more quickly.
His breath hitched in his throat as he realized his own climax was coming. He yanked himself out and rolled onto the floor beside her. As he jerked his hand repeatedly back and forth over the head of his cock, his stomach muscles tightened, bringing on an explosion of sensations that wrapped his entire body with pulsing ecstasy. He groaned loudly as warm seed spurted out and spattered his hand with clinging moisture.
As the pace of his heart returned to normal, he blew out a long breath and rubbed the remaining seed against his chest, trying to get rid of it. He then turned toward her and grinned. Her eyes were completely closed, as if she were still absorbing all that had happened between them.
Alexander cradled her slender body into his arms. He leaned above her so as to better see her calm, beautiful face and slowly slid her breasts back into the corset, letting only the top rounds peer out.
Though her eyes were still closed, the smile on her face was priceless.
“That is what I call a good-bye,” he murmured down at her.
She opened one eye and widened her smile into a full-fledged grin. “Dare I ask how you go about saying hello?”
He laughed and softly kissed the bridge of her nose. “Do you want to know?”
She giggled and shook her head, shifting a dark lock onto her flushed cheek and sending a few hanging wooden pins from her hair tumbling down onto the floor. “No, no.” She brought a hand to her forehead and feigned distress. “I am not worthy of any more salutations.”
“Wench,” he growled, admiring the playful sparkle in her eyes as she dropped her hand back to her side. He brushed the dark strand of hair away from her flushed cheek and smoothed it back into the rest of her soft hair, wishing he could stay. Wishing he could linger.
“Allow me to help you back into your trousers,” she whispered, her hand trailing down his bare shoulder and meandering inward toward his stomach.
His heart jumped as he grabbed for her hand and pulled it away, knowing he had already gone against every rule he had laid out for himself. “You’ll never be rid of me if you do that.”
“Never? Is the Lord of Pleasure bragging about his ability to entertain for weeks on end?”
The use of his former name caught him off guard. He suddenly felt uncomfortable with the notion that she knew who he had been once upon a time in the realm of scandal.
He eased off her and edged away from her side. “Is that why you permitted me to bed you?”
She hiccupped a laugh, then reached out and smacked his shoulder. “No. That is hardly the reason.”
He still couldn’t help but feel a crushing sense of disappointment. He didn’t want her giving herself over to him because of some stupid title women gossiped about. But because of him. “Who told you?”
“A naughty little French bird. The same one who gallantly admitted you into the school.”
Ah, yes. A woman who kept coming into all of his conversations, even though he’d never bloody even laid eyes on her. “Madame de Maitenon.”
“The very one. She was rather cross with me for having turned you away. If you must know, your fancy titles could never intrigue me half as much as your promise to grant me pleasure.” She smiled, her cheeks flushing all the more. “Chartwell never tried. It either happened or it didn’t. And most often it didn’t. Which made me wonder what all those women were really after. For it certainly wasn’t what he had below the waist.”
Despite her obvi
ous amusement, Alexander could not help but remain serious. And genuinely saddened. Saddened that this amazing and beautiful woman hadn’t been properly pleasured by a man.
He leaned over her once again. Their eyes met and the smile on her lips faded. They continued to stare at one another, their breaths mingling in what felt like timed and perfect harmony.
It was a moment unlike any he’d ever had the privilege of experiencing. He’d never wanted to connect with a woman after what Lady Somerset had done to him. Yet with her, he felt as if he wouldn’t be able to breathe if he didn’t.
Which was nonsense. He had breathed on his own accord since birth. He tightened his jaw. Clearly, it was time to return to reality. He had responsibilities to tend to. His family, namely.
He drew back, sliding his arms out from under her, and scrambled to his feet. He yanked up his trousers and buttoned them into place. Turning away, he adjusted his cock within his trousers, which for some damn reason was growing hard again.
He gathered his shirt, his waistcoat and cravat, and pulled them on, scrambling to fit, yank, and button everything back into place. He tried not to look at her, even though he felt her eyes watching him all along. After tying his cravat, he quickly smoothed it and checked to see if everything was where it needed to be. He blew out a breath and turned back toward her.
Holding out a hand for her, he murmured, “Allow me.”
She shyly reached out and grasped his hand, her soft warmth penetrating his palm. He lifted her up onto her feet, noting how light she was. She landed directly before him and simply stood there, chin upward, observing him. Sections of her dark hair were sliding down to her bare shoulders, covering the straps of her thin chemise and curling down toward her corset.
It was enchanting to watch her hair fall down on its own all around her beautiful face and onto her shoulders.
“Good-bye,” she murmured, lowering her eyes to her hand, which was still firmly pressed into his. “Alexander.”
He nodded and strangely felt as if he were about to leave a part of himself behind. Certainly, he’d only seen her on a handful of occasions, but it seemed that with each meeting, and with each word, he admired and connected with her more and more.
Which was not good.
For although she was by his standards an incredibly beautiful woman, by society’s standards she was naught but a fallen, penniless widow working for a school that in two days’ time, with its grand opening, was going to cause the biggest uproar London had ever seen. His involvement with her would not only affect his sisters’ ability to properly marry, but could very well destroy it. Which is why he needed to leave. Before it became too bloody complicated.
He slid his hand from hers and took several steps back, trying hard not to notice that she still stood in only a chemise and corset. He turned and walked quickly toward the closed doors, keeping his mind focused on getting out. The sooner the better. Once he was gone, he would find a way to completely oust her from his mind and his life.
“Alexander?” Charlotte softly called out after him.
He paused, cringing that he still hadn’t made it out the door. Slowly he turned back at her, her voice recapturing a large part of his resolve. “Yes?”
The top rounds of her perfect, pale, smooth breasts came into full view as she crouched low to retrieve his gloves from off the floor.
She swiftly straightened, her chemise settling around her shapely legs, and held his leather gloves in the air. “I do believe these are yours.”
He nodded and made his way back, every step feeling heavy and forced. He paused before her and slowly slid the gloves from her hand, his eyes holding her gaze. And damn it. All he could think about was kissing her. Yet again.
Lesson Twelve
If you always do what is right, yes, it may save your soul. But it will also make your life uneventful, most predictable, and quite dull.
—The School of Gallantry
“One last kiss,” Alexander murmured, still lingering before her. “That is, if you don’t mind.”
Charlotte’s pulse leapt in response to his words as he leaned in to kiss her. Though a part of her wanted to let him kiss her again, she knew it was a stupid, not to mention dangerous, proposition.
Holding up a shaky hand, she took several steps back, hoping to set enough distance between them to prevent any further selfish pursuits. “There is no need to prolong the inevitable, Alexander. You should leave.”
“And I intend to.” He grabbed hold of her waist, then yanked her possessively against his muscled body, leaned toward her ear, and whispered huskily down at her, “But not until I collect my last kiss.”
His heated words prickled her ear and the side of her cheek. Her breath hitched in her throat. All she wanted to do was revel in this glorious moment of being so wanted, so needed. To the end.
His large hand drifted up the laces of her exposed corset with a sly purpose, causing her senses to fade and explode all at once as he trailed around the curve of her shoulder. His warm hand cupped her neck as his green eyes met hers with firm and clear lust.
Charlotte swallowed and tried to maintain a steady mind, despite the fact that his smooth, freshly shaven face, full lips, and muscled body seemed to be closing off her ability to think, let alone breathe. It was as if he was looking to repeat their earlier good-bye.
Which is why she needed to bring this idea of a kiss to an end. He had a family to return to. And she had her own reality to return to. And he, this, was not part of her reality.
Charlotte pushed his arms away and quickly stepped back, suddenly very aware of the fact that she was still half-naked. Which probably didn’t help this situation.
She glanced toward her robe pooled on the floor. Clearly, she needed to put some sort of barrier between them. She hurried over to her silk robe and sash and plucked them up. She slipped her arms through the sleeves of her robe, pulling it down and around her chemise and corset, and tied the sash snug around her waist.
She spun back to him and sighed. “Surely you don’t intend to perpetuate this.”
His expression stilled. Oddly, it was as if he were looking at her for the first time in his life and he didn’t know what to make of her. As he continued to stand there, his shaven jaw tightened and a taut muscle flicked in response.
“Truth be told,” he finally murmured, “I wish we could perpetuate it.”
She blinked at him, her pulse fluttering wildly. He said it as if he meant it.
He quickly looked away and stared off somewhere beyond the distance of her statues. “Whatever it may be worth, know that I genuinely enjoyed our time together. And I’m not even including our incredible romp.”
Her cheeks stung with heat. Yes, it had been incredible, hadn’t it? “You mean that?” she whispered.
He nodded, pulled out his gloves from his waistcoat pockets, and yanked them on without meeting her gaze. “Yes. I do.”
Complete astonishment seized Charlotte’s ability to breathe as he turned away and strode toward the closed double doors leading out. For it felt as if he were actually sharing a bit of his heart with her. Something she hadn’t thought he was capable of. Mostly because he always seemed so…flippant.
She swallowed. This had to be the real Alexander. The one she had been waiting to meet all along. The brother to five sisters. A man who, above all, understood that duty to one’s family was a duty to one’s heart.
He flung the doors of the parlor wide open and stepped out into the foyer. Then turned back. “If you need anything, anything at all, do not hesitate to send word. I will see to it.”
Charlotte half nodded, her heart squeezing. A woman could learn to fall in love with a man who not only saw to his family but also offered a struggling woman assistance without making it feel as such.
“Oh, and do be careful around all those students,” he added. “Caldwell included. God knows why they’re even here. It may very well be because of you. I know that’s the only reason why I enrolled.�
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A smile stretched her lips, unable to form the words to thank him for being genuine. It was what she admired most about him. He was who he was, and did not try to hide it.
“Good-bye.” He grabbed his top hat from off the red velvet cushion set out on the hall table, yanked it onto his head, and disappeared without even waiting for Mr. Hudson to lead him out. He slammed the front door behind him, causing the old Greek landscape portraits in the parlor to quake.
Charlotte flinched and shakily adjusted the sash around her waist. She didn’t know why she felt as if an opportunity for happiness had just walked out the door. The man was naught but a rake. A scoundrel. A man incapable of understanding the true meaning of a relationship. Or love.
And yet…she still wanted to get to know him because she knew full well she would never meet another man like him. A man capable of stirring her deepest passions, her deepest hopes, and the grandest of dreams.
Charlotte placed a shaky hand against her lips, which still burned from his kiss, and turned away. Why was it she always leapt heart first instead of headfirst? Why?
Lesson Thirteen
Lust is a path men will always walk on.
—The School of Gallantry
11 Berwick Street
Several days later, shortly before seven o’clock in the morning
Mr. Hudson peered out from behind the door. His gray brows rose in clear acknowledgment.
Alexander grinned and sheepishly admitted, “I am here for class.”
Although he had tried to stay away—hell, how he had tried—he found that he simply could not. He simply hadn’t been able to sleep, eat, or even think rationally since leaving Charlotte. For every day he had spent away from her, he worried. Worried that she would continue to have to battle the Court of Chancery on her own. Worried that while she waited for her settlement, men like Caldwell, and God knew who else, would be marching in and out of her house eyeing her and waiting for the perfect opportunity to do…more.
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