by Never A Lady
She stood in the midst of her nightclothes like a gorgeous, night-blooming flower, her pale skin bathed in both the silvery moonlight coming in from the window and the golden glow from the fire’s last embers. His gaze tracked slowly down her form, and he had to fist his hands to keep from snatching her against him like a green, randy lad.
High, full breasts, topped with pebbled rosy nipples beckoned his hands and lips. The indent of her waist gave way to the sinuous curve of her hips. His gaze lingered over the triangle of dark curls gracing the apex of her thighs before continuing down her shapely legs to her slim ankles.
“At the risk of being redundant,” he said, his voice a soft rasp, “you are exquisite.” Reaching out, he untied the ribbon securing her braid, then sifted his fingers through the silky twines of hair. Glossy strands separated and spilled over his hands, and a delicate citrus scent wafted from the soft tresses. He brought a handful of curls to his face, breathed deeply, and groaned. “God. You smell so incredibly delicious.”
“Thank you.”
Noting the slight quaver in her voice, he asked, “Are you nervous?”
She hesitated, then nodded. “A bit, yes.”
“So am I.”
Surprise flashed in her eyes. “Why? Surely you have experience in these matters.”
“Yes. But you do not, and I’ve never made love to a virgin before. It’s rather daunting, especially as you make me want to do things…in ways that would make me forget I must go slowly.”
She settled her hands against his chest, and he knew she felt his hard, rapid heartbeat. “It’s true I’m a virgin, but I’m not a shy, delicate lady made of spun glass who has lived a sheltered life, Colin. I am fully aware of what will happen between us. And I want it all.”
He slowly wrapped a handful of her fragrant hair around his fist. “How do you know what will happen between us?”
“I’ve…seen things.”
“What sort of things?”
“Men taking their pleasure from women. Women on their knees servicing men.”
An image of her, on her knees, her plump lips wrapped around his erection, flashed through his mind. Hot blood rushed to his groin, and he swelled against the already strangling confines of his breeches.
Lifting her chin a fraction, she said, “I’ve always wondered what all the fuss was about as the proceedings seemed rather furtive and, well, rushed. I’ve managed to suppress my curiosity, but with you, I no longer can. The sensations you make me feel…they must be explored.”
He untwined his hand, watching her silky curtain of hair unfurl to her waist. “I’ve no intention of rushing the…proceedings, Alexandra. And I certainly encourage you to explore. In any way you wish.”
“An invitation not easily taken advantage of, I’m afraid.” She shot him a very pointed head-to-toe look. “At least for me as you are not the one standing about with all your…parts dangling in the air.”
He swallowed the bark of laughter that rose in his throat at her disgruntled tone and managed to merely smile. “Would it make you feel more comfortable if my…parts dangled in the air as well?”
“I certainly think it would be more fair. After all, I want you to be as impatient as I am.”
If she had any idea how impatient he already was, how close his control teetered on the edge—without even yet touching her or being touched by her—she’d be more than “a bit” nervous.
“I can assure you there’s no worry on that score. However”—he spread his arms—“feel free to have at it.”
Interest and uncertainty flared in her eyes. “I’m not sure exactly where to begin.”
“My cravat would probably be a good place.”
Her gaze fell to his neckcloth. Stepping from her pile of nightclothes, she reached out and set to work on untying the complicated knot. Standing in front of him, wearing nothing save a frown of concentration, she stole his breath. He tried not to touch her, and succeeded—for precisely three seconds. Then, unable to stop himself, he settled his hands on the curve of her waist.
His eyes slid briefly closed as the realization hit him with stunning force—that he was finally touching her skin. That this night she would be his, this woman who’d haunted his dreams for so long. He opened his eyes and watched her, his fingers lightly kneading her supple waist, then trailing slowly up and down her smooth back.
“You’re not helping my concentration by doing that,” she said, her gaze flicking up to his.
“Oh.” He slid his palms upward and cupped her breasts. “Is that better?”
Alex gasped at the bolt of pleasure his touch incited, and her busy fingers stilled, then clenched against his shirt. She dipped her chin and watched him tease her nipples between his long fingers until her eyes drifted closed.
“Better?” he asked.
Questions? He expected her to answer questions? “I…I’m not certain. Perhaps you’d best do that again.”
His soft chuckle blew warmth against her skin, and it took her only a single heartbeat to realize that his hands were magic. They skimmed over her breasts, igniting a trail of fire. Then he leaned down and traced the outer curve of her breast with his tongue.
She gasped, a soft sound that melted into a long moan when he circled his tongue around her nipple, then drew the aroused peak into the wet warmth of his mouth while his fingers continued their magical tugging tease on her other nipple.
Her head dropped limply back, and she arched forward, greedily wanting more. Each drugging pull of his lips curled heat deep inside her. The folds between her legs grew damp and heavy, and she rubbed her thighs together, but the movement brought no relief. Nor did Colin, who switched his attention to her other breast, while his hands skimmed downward to caress her buttocks.
She gripped his shoulders, drowning in sensation, flushed with the conflicting desires to sink further into this abyss of pleasure and to emerge to yank off his clothing. Never in her life had she felt so alive. So aware of herself and her body. And so eager to learn and experience more.
“Delicious,” he murmured against her breast. “So damn delicious.”
Before she could catch her breath, he bent to drag his mouth down the center of her torso, kissing, licking her skin, circling her navel, then delving his tongue inside. Shivers of delight raced through her, and a growl of pleasure vibrated in her throat.
“Look at me,” he commanded in a rough whisper.
With an effort, she dragged her head up and opened her eyes. He knelt before her, his lips a mere whisper from her abdomen. His eyes looked dark and burned with a desire so deeply potent her breath caught.
“Spread your legs for me, Alexandra.”
Wordlessly, heart pounding, she obeyed him.
“You say you saw women on their knees before men. Did you ever see a man pleasure a woman that way?”
She shook her head, losing her ability to speak when he slipped a hand between her thighs and lightly stroked—a slow, maddening rhythm over sensitive nerve endings that felt…so…good. She’d touched herself there, in the dark, on nights when her body had cried out for…something. But while her own touch was pleasurable, it had never made her feel like this.
His other hand meandered lazily up and down the backs of her thighs, around her buttocks, tracing the line between them, drawing a gasp from her.
“I want to see you,” he said, his voice like rough velvet. “All of you.” His fingers slipped away, and a groan of protest rose in her throat. But before she could voice it, in one smooth motion, he stood, scooped her into his arms, and strode to the bed. With his gaze intent on hers, he set her on the edge of the mattress, urging her legs wide apart with his hands. He then sank to his knees between her splayed thighs and hooked her calves over his shoulders. The smoldering desire in his eyes burned away her shyness, melted her modesty, leaving only curiosity and aching need. Propped on her elbows, she watched his gaze drop to her exposed flesh and he groaned.
“Beautiful,” he said, his fingers
spreading her wider, then teasing her with light, perfect strokes. “So wet. So silky and hot.”
He slipped his hands beneath her to cup her buttocks, then lifted her and leaned forward. She gasped at the first stunning touch of his mouth against her swollen flesh. The shocking sensation of his tongue caressing her, the sight of his dark head between her widespread thighs was the most erotic, arousing sight she’d ever seen. With a long moan of pleasure, she sank back onto the mattress and gripped the counterpane, wallowing in the sensations licking fire through her veins.
Nothing existed except him. His lips and tongue and fingers were relentless, arousing her beyond the impatience he’d wanted. Shamelessly she arched her back, straining toward his mouth, her every muscle trembling. Pleasure coursed through her, building, coiling low in her belly, tightening, gathering, pushing her closer to something that remained just out of reach. Until he did something…something magical with his mouth that concentrated on a spot so exquisitely sensitive she gasped.
Fisting her hands on the counterpane, she arched her back and spread her legs wider. For several breathless seconds it felt as if she stood on a precipice, then she soared over the cliff. Spasms of pleasure gushed through her, pulsing, until, all too quickly, the intense shudders tapered off into tingling ripples, leaving her limp and languid.
She felt him shift, and dragged her eyes open, watching him press a trail of soft kisses up her torso. After a final kiss to the side of her neck, he settled his lower body against hers and propped his weight on his forearms to look down at her. Their gazes met, and she stilled at the fire burning in his eyes.
“Alexandra,” he whispered.
He uttered that single word with such heated reverence, her breath stalled. Lifting a limp arm, she rested her palm against his cheek. “Colin.”
The feel of him, fully clothed and hard, pressing against her naked softness, rushed a heated shiver through her. Without moving his gaze from hers, he turned his head and kissed her palm. “Are you all right?” he asked, his warm breath touching her fingers.
“I’m…” Her voice trailed off, uncertain how to describe this wickedly delicious languor. “Breathless. Speechless.”
A crooked smile pulled up one corner of his mouth. “Breathless and speechless. I suppose that makes you ‘breachless.’”
“Every time I’m near you,” she agreed, brushing back a thick lock of silky hair from his forehead.
“Every time I’m near you,” he concurred. Then he leaned down and kissed her, a soft, deep, lush, intimate kiss that tasted of him and her and passion. A kiss that reignited the flame he’d just doused.
When the kiss ended, she looked up into his eyes, wishing she could read his inscrutable expression. “Now I know what all the fuss is about,” she said softly. “I had no idea I could feel like…that.”
“The pleasure was all mine.”
“I assure you it was mine as well. I now know what melted wax feels like. Very impatient melted wax.”
“Ah. Impatient. So it would seem I got my way.”
“Yes. And now I want mine.”
“Impatient, demanding—two delightful qualities in a naked woman. As for you wanting something, I told you earlier this evening, you’ve only to ask.”
She arched beneath him, pressing her belly more firmly against the hard ridge of his arousal. “I want you impatient.”
“I assure you, it’s done.”
“More impatient. And undressed. I’d started on your cravat when you very sneakily distracted me.”
“Sneaky tactics—it is the way of us spies. However, I am more than pleased to grant your request.”
He dropped a lingering kiss to her lips, then pushed himself up and off her. He extended his hand and helped her to rise.
“I want to please you,” she said, eyeing the very obvious bulge in his breeches, “but I’m not certain what to do.”
“There is no chance of your not pleasing me. As for what to do, I’ll help you.” Clasping her hands, he brought them to his chest. “Take off my shirt.”
She raised her brows. “Do you promise to keep your hands to yourself and not distract me again?”
He immediately cupped her breasts. “No.”
She laughed. “Well, at least you’re honest.”
Raising his hands, he framed her face in his palms and gazed at her through suddenly serious eyes. “Yes, I am. Given the nature of my previous work, I haven’t always been. But with you—”
She reached out and pressed her fingertips to his lips to halt his words. Given her dishonesty regarding her past, her conscience balked at hearing any declarations of truthfulness from him. For one insane instant she considered telling him of her sordid past but immediately pushed the notion away. Their time together was fleeting at most. No point in shortening it even further with confessions that wouldn’t matter a short time from now.
Stepping out of his reach, she shook her head. “I want you to remain still. Do you agree?”
His green eyes glittered. “I agree to try.”
She cocked a brow. “If you do not, I feel it only fair to warn you that I’m a very fast runner.”
A slow smile lifted his beautiful lips. “I’m faster.”
“I doubt it.”
“I’m also dressed. The places where you could run to in your present state”—his gaze traveled lazily down then up her naked form, suffusing her entire body with heat—“are somewhat limited.”
“You won’t be dressed for long,” she said, erasing the distance between them and applying herself to his cravat.
Colin remained perfectly still, attempting to cool his burning ardor, but it was damn difficult when she stood only a foot away, her hair rumpled from his hands, her lips swollen and moist from his kisses, her skin glowing from the aftermath of her climax, and her velvety nipples erect from his mouth. The scent of her—sweet oranges mixed with feminine musk—rose between them, and he had to grit his teeth to suppress the need to lean forward to kiss her. She didn’t want him to move, and bloody hell, he didn’t dare, not with his control teetering so close to the edge.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally finished untying his cravat, and he made a mental note to employ a much less complicated knot next time. Then she slowly slipped the long length of linen from around his neck. Instead of dropping the material to the floor, however, she shot him a mischievous look and looped it around her neck, like a boa.
His gaze riveted on that length of white material, and his imagination instantly took flight, picturing her on his bed, naked, her wrists loosely bound—
His thought cut off when she pulled his shirttails from his breeches and the soft material skimmed over his aching erection. His shaft jerked, and he gritted back a groan. After unfastening the shirt, she slowly separated the sides, exposing his chest, and he had to forcibly relax his tensely bunched shoulders so she could slide the garment down his arms. He’d expected her to simply drop the shirt onto the floor, but instead she pressed the bundle to her chest and buried her face in the material.
“It’s still warm from your body,” she whispered. She closed her eyes and drew in an audible breath, which she released in a long sigh. “It bears your scent. I never knew a man could smell so wonderful.”
He clenched his hands, confounded by the conflicting waves of tenderness and heat that flooded him at the sight of her clutching his clothing to her. Then she surprised him again by slipping on the garment.
“What do you think?” she asked, her lips curved in a playful smile as she turned in a slow circle.
His gaze tracked downward, along the thin ribbon of pale skin visible between the edges of material, lingering on the indentation of her navel before continuing lower to the alluring shadow of dark curls between her thighs. The sleeves covered her hands, and the wrinkled ends dangled midthigh. He found the sight of her wearing his clothes, her tousled hair falling over her shoulders utterly erotic, and his already speeding pulse quickened further.
> He had to clear his dry throat to locate his voice. “I think it looks better on you than it does on me.”
She flashed a smile, then rolled back the long sleeves while her gaze roamed over him. “I thought it looked very good on you, but I must say, you look even better without it.”
“Thank you…” His voice trailed off into a low groan as she settled her palms against his bare chest, then dragged her hands slowly downward.
His eyes closed, and he tipped his head back, determined to retain his control and savor her every touch. His muscles contracted with each pass of her fingers over his skin. Her touch, tentative at first, grew bolder with each caress, and a growl of pleasure rumbled in his throat.
“Do you like that?” she asked, brushing her fingertips over his nipples.
“Aaaah…I’m not sure. Do it again.”
He felt her huff of laughter against the center of his chest, just before she pressed her lips to his skin. Raising his head, he watched her kiss her way across his chest while her hands smoothed over his shoulders and down his arms. When her tongue peeked out to sweep over his nipple, a tremor ran through him, one he knew she felt by the feminine smile that curved her lips.
Bloody hell, she’d barely touched him, and he was shaking. How the hell would he survive the rest of this sweet torture?
She flicked her tongue over his nipple again. “I liked it when you did that do me. Do you like it?”
“Yes. If you enjoyed something, chances are very good that I’d enjoy it as well.”
“I see.” She ran a single fingertip around the skin just above the waistband of his breeches, and he sucked in a breath.
“You’re very…manly,” she said, running her palms upward, over his abdomen to his tense shoulders. “Very muscular and strong.”
“At the moment you’re testing that strength, believe me.”
“Good. How is your patience?”
“Strained.”
