His gaze took in every inch of her body. “I make no promises. I wonder that you can withstand a night with me.”
“I submit to your pleasure, Mr. Ashley.”
He shook his head slowly. “Do you? We shall see.”
She inhaled sharply. Did this mean he had accepted her proposition? She hoped so and could barely contain her glee. But as her excitement grew, so did her trepidation. Would she indeed be able to handle Mr. Ashley?
CEDMAN HAD CLOSED THE distance between them and saw her breath catch. His ardor responded. Of course she would make for a lovely partner, and her insistence upon having him was indeed flattering as well as provocative. He could not refrain from admiring her assertiveness, even though he deplored her use of extortion. She needed to be taught a lesson. She needed to learn that he was not to be toyed with.
And yet he had to be careful. He knew little of her. Could she be trusted? If he had had time, he could have made inquiries among their shared friends and acquaintances, but she had allowed him no time. That she should attempt to force his hand, that his appeals on behalf of his mother seemed to have little effect upon her, suggested to him that she was a woman in want of more compassion. He had no assurances that even if he delivered a night of pleasure to her satisfaction that she would stay her decision to turn his family out of Merrybourne.
He gazed deep into her eyes and saw a vulnerability that had not existed moments before, but if it was him she desired, then she would have him. The clock on the mantle chimed the half hour. If he wanted to go to the theatre still, he could delay no longer.
Damnation. Miss Adams had remarked to him yesterday that she hoped he would be in attendance, but he supposed there would be other opportunities to make his intentions known to the heiress. Nevertheless, Lady Pennington was proving a great inconvenience.
She had a charming scent to her, one that was her own and did not owe itself to floral perfumes. If he were not so the vexed with her, he could take much pleasure in her.
"I must send my regrets for canceling my engagement this evening. You may prepare yourself as you wish."
She nodded. "Then you agree to my proposition?"
His cock perked at her eagerness. "If it means you will do as I say and wait the six months before deciding the fate of Merrybourne."
"Yes, Mr. Ashley. My footman will take any message for you. My staff have all been with me for years and know how to be discreet. I shall await you in my chambers."
"Thank you."
She bobbed a curtsy. Gone was her earlier haughtiness. He watched her depart, admiring the curve of her back and wondering as to the shape of her derrière. When she had closed the doors behind her, he shook his head.
The seeds of a long-dormant carnal anticipation began to sprout, and with surprising speed. He closed his eyes, and the vision of Lady Pennington on top of him flashed through his mind. His desire throbbed, but it was no easy matter to succumb to these base instincts. Alas, to stay her hand and enable his mother and sister to stay at Merrybourne, he had no choice but to accept her ladyship as his for the night. Even if he had had the funds to entice her cooperation, her objective was clearly not pecuniary. The brazen doxy. He half wondered if she had purchased Merrybourne for the sole purpose of blackmailing him. Regardless, for certain he would find a way to give her a much deserved set-down.
GEORGEANNA EYED HERSELF in the looking glass above the vanity. The blush in her cheeks came not from the rouge. She would have applied a hue to her lips or some powder to her complexion but recalled that Mr. Ashley preferred no cosmetics. She almost wished Judith hadn’t left, so she could have someone to speak to in this moment. Her courage rallied, though. She knew what she wanted, and she was going to get it. She’d learned much from her marriage to her late husband, including what she wanted in bed. Sir Thomas had been a good husband but was too quick and bland when it came to the venereal. She hoped Mr. Ashley proved as firm and full of vigor as she had heard and oft imagined.
Georgeanna wondered where he had intended to meet Miss Adams tonight. Well, Miss Adams could have him another night. Tonight, Ashley was hers.
Georgeanna bit her lower lip. Her maid entered, helping her undress to her undergarments.
It was not her preference to be sans clothing during her first engagement with Mr. Ashley. Since giving birth to two boys, it seemed her hips had grown wider, and for certain there was more roundness to her belly. She had not the slender form she once had. Still, she had seen the pleasure in his gaze upon her. She was desirable to him. Donning a silk robe, she dismissed the maid.
There was a firm knock on the door before it opened. It was him.
He stopped in front of her. A gleam in his eyes told her he was perhaps as full of anticipation as she. Arousal percolated from deep within her to the surface of her skin. She would have greeted him, but she would not speak first, though she greatly desired to when the silence between them lengthened.
His gaze swept over her from head to toe. He divested himself of his coat. Walking toward her, his muscles flexed. He had a very fine form, and already his erection tented his trousers. He had not even touched her, but his nearness was enough to make her nerves stand on edge. She wondered if he would discipline her as he had said, and she wondered why she had even suggested he do so. There was still a hard set to his jaw and a frown to his lips, which she was impatient to kiss. One kiss would make the entire night worthwhile. She would make amends and turn his frown into a smile by being providing him a night he would not soon forget.
When he did nothing but watch her for several minutes, her forbearance began to waver just a little.
“Are you uncomfortable, Lady Pennington?”
She was glad for the end to the silence but not for the question.
“I am a little uneasy,” she admitted.
“Do you regret the situation you sought?”
She glanced up quickly and answered emphatically. “No.”
He stood within inches of her, close enough for her to inhale his essence and sense the power within his form.
“And what is the source of your unease?”
“I do not know what to expect.”
“Indeed? You led me to believe you understood what a night of pleasure, of awaiting my pleasure, would mean.”
“Yes, but I do not know what you will do at this very moment. You have much you can draw upon. Perhaps my unease is more properly anticipation.”
“Is that all?”
“I believe it so.”
As his gaze raked over her, he grazed the back of two fingers down her upper arm. She tried not to jump at his touch. It felt exquisite and made her nerves dance.
“You are certain you can forbear to await my pleasure, and withstand the discipline you merit for your impertinence and blackmail?”
“I am ready to commence our evening together without further ado, Mr. Ashley.”
“Very well. As for your anticipation, I will give you this insight: if you are a little uneasy now, you will soon be a great deal more uneasy.”
HE PULLED A PADDED, armless chair over toward the fireplace where a low fire kept the room warm. He would soon warm her backside.
“Come here,” he said as he sat. She complied quickly. Most women would envy her form. She still had slender limbs, smooth skin, and a ripe succulence. In a quick movement, he raised her robe and shift so he could gaze upon her derrière. It was delightful. He felt a tug at his groin. It should not surprise him that his body should react to the sight of a naked woman, but he was beginning to feel anticipation.
“You have been more than naughty, Lady Pennington,” he said.
He grasped her by her wrists and pulled her over his lap, her soft belly pressing on his thighs, her breasts brushing the side of a leg.
Letting out a gasp, she squirmed. The movement so near his crotch made his blood boil.
“Be still.”
To his relief, she complied. He slid his hands over her rump, the silkiness of her robe
lending a further sensual element to her already alluring form.
“In truth you deserve a caning for your impertinence, but since this is your first offence, I shall be lenient.”
He trailed his fingers up her warm thighs, taking her robe higher, exposing the porcelain flesh beneath her garments. Her legs twitched from his touch.
“Be still,” he reminded her and pinched her inner thigh. She took in a sharp breath. There was a part of him that wanted to see her writhe, her beautiful form uncontrolled, in spasms from his touch.
She stiffened, as did his erection. Continuing his slow displacement of her garments, he focused on the softness of her skin. Reaching her plump, smooth rear, he caressed her cheeks. Now her breathing quickened to match pace with the beating of his heart. He raised a hand and brought it down with a hard smack. Her cheeks quivered. He would taste every part of her. For now, he continued his smacks, making each one firmer until her derriere glowed pink. But with each strike upon her supple backside, his arousal grew stronger, making the area of his groin more than uncomfortable.
His final blows made her cry out. He caressed a buttock. “Your cheeks blush quite nicely, Lady Pennington. I should be happy to continue with more, lest you have learned your lesson?”
“I have. Thank you. Shall I pleasure you, Mr. Ashley?”
“Not yet.” He set her on her feet and stood behind her, caressing the gentle curves of her hips while leading her to the full-length mirror in the corner. “Gaze upon your beauty.”
He stopped in front of the looking glass, his fingers slowly parting her robe, slipping it off her rounded shoulders, letting it pool at her feet. Next, he began to unlace her stays. They were the short form and laced in front.
She stiffened. “It is not necessary...surely...”
“You are uneasy, Lady Pennington?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She stayed his hand when he resumed unlacing. “It has been sometime since last I was naked before a man.”
“What of yourself? You do not admire yourself in the looking glass?”
“’Admire’ is perhaps not the most apt word.”
“That is a shame. You ought to and often.”
“Please.”
If she had been any other, he would have honored a request to keep her undergarments, but she merited no consideration. “You said you would make my pleasure a priority. I wish for the pleasure of seeing you naked.”
She let out a sound, almost a whimper, but she did not stop him from undoing her stays. She closed her eyes when his fingers brushed against her breasts. After pulling the ribbon from the last grommet, he pushed the stays off her shoulders.
“You must watch, Lady Pennington.”
Her cheeks heightened in color as she opened her eyes to behold him pulling one side of her shift down a shoulder, then the other. He caressed her shoulders, making the shift dip down onto her breasts.
“Do you ever pleasure yourself, Lady Pennington?” he inquired.
Her cheeks deepened to a jewel tone as rich as the dress she had worn earlier. He moved a hand over her belly, tugging the shift down with the movement. Her full breasts now exposed, he used his other hand to pinch the nipples into peaked, pinkish heights, delectable to behold.
“Yes, sometimes,” she replied, her voice breathy.
“Have you ever watched yourself do so, seen the color on your cheeks, the beatific expression on your countenance?”
“I have not.”
“Then you shall tonight.”
The flush in her countenance deepened down to her shoulders. She bit her lip. A quick move let him see whether she was indeed aroused. He dipped a finger between her nether lips; the moisture of her arousal coated his digit. She groaned and leaned into him.
“Steady, my lady,” he whispered. He smacked her other arse cheek more gently, to bring her back to task.
She moaned lightly and snuck her hand to her inner folds. Parting herself with her thumb and finger, she found that hidden nub and circled it.
“Very good, my lady. Behold yourself.”
Her gaze growing glassy, she glanced into the mirror. She was glorious. He envisioned her writhing as she spent at her own hand.
Keeping one hand on her breast, he moved his other to trace her curves. “See how beautiful you are in your pleasure?”
He grasped her hip and squeezed her breast. When she slowed, he joined his hand to hers. Her lashes fluttered but she kept her gaze upon the looking glass. Her lips were parted, and he wondered how it would feel to claim her mouth with his own. Her earlier hesitation gave way to increasing arousal as their fingers fondled her engorged bud of desire. Her body became suffused with a delicate glow, her cheeks reddened, and her breaths turned into gasps. She was nearing the edge when delight turned into rapture.
“Cease,” he commanded.
“Wh...?”
Her brow furrowed. He pulled her hand from between her thighs. As much as he would like to see her spend, the denial of that ultimate bliss was part of the set-down he intended.
“You will spend when I deem the moment right.”
“Oh...”
After she had collected herself with long, deep breaths, she turned to him. “Then will you allow me to pleasure you?”
“If you wish.”
“I do. And I want you to watch.”
She pulled the chair to face sideways to the mirror. With a sensual move of her arm, she guided him into the seat. She poured herself a glass of water from the low table nearby, sipping it. A droplet escaped. When he brushed away the wetness at her chin, his thumb grazed her bottom lip. She licked at his digit, enticing it into her mouth. His breath caught as she sucked his thumb deep and hard. Good God. He wanted those lips wrapped about another appendage of his. With his thumb, he probed the inside of her mouth, then mirrored a motion he would have liked to perform with his hardening cock. She sucked harder. Needing distance, he pulled his thumb out. His breath grew uneven.
She seemed to sense it. With her eyes uncommonly bright in the dimness of the room, she knelt in front of him and undid his fall.
SHE FOUND HE WAS STARING at her rather intensely. His gaze dropped from her countenance to her bosom. He cradled a breast. His touch ignited the unquenched arousal still flaming through her. It was the most blissful and torturous agitation to come so near to ecstasy but remain bereft. But as much as she wanted him to take her to the carnal heights she knew he could, she wanted him to remember the night with fondness as well.
A muscle rippled along his jaw. “You have tasted of men before, my lady?”
Heat swirled in her belly at the prospect of taking him in a most naughty fashion. He reached between her thighs, where moisture still clung. She purred when his fingers grazed her folds.
“Yes.”
He seemed impressed and caressed her till she panted.
“You will take all of me, then, and enjoy every inch.”
“Yes, Mr. Ashley.”
Gleefully, she sank onto her knees as he pulled out his hardened length. She had much practice in the act of feasting upon a man in the manner of doxies for her husband had often preferred it to congress.
She drew in a long breath as his beautiful shaft was revealed. It appeared quite sturdy and possessed an enticing flare of the head. She wrapped her hand about the rod and shivered at its hardness. It was larger than what she had been accustomed to with Sir Thomas, but she was determined to swallow all of it.
Ashley grunted when she licked at the slit atop the head. She flicked her tongue at it several times before giving the head a long, lingering kiss. A clear moisture seeped from the opening. Her own wetness increased as she squeezed his thickness. How she greatly desired to be speared by such a rod! But she knew he would not grant it soon, if at all this evening. Nevertheless, she would gain much satisfaction from taking his cock into her mouth.
She encased her lips about his tip, and he would have thrust himself into her if she had not
retained her hold on him. For now, he permitted her leisurely pace. Such a fine meal ought not be hurried. She pulled her head back till his cock popped out of her mouth. This she did several times, each time encasing a little more of him. When she slid up his shaft upon the eighth time, she saw him close his eyes and felt a small tremor go through him. She slid more of him into her mouth and made sure her tongue dragged against his underside as she drew up.
“Good God,” he breathed.
She sucked upon his tip, then swirled her tongue about the crown. She kissed and lapped at the length before taking him once more into her orifice as deep as she could. It was not all of him but sufficient to make him groan. She sucked harder before allowing his length to slip from her. It glistened from the wetness of her mouth. Pressing his cock upward, she attended next to his cods, tugging at one of the delicate balls with her mouth. She gently sucked one, then the other. Replacing her mouth with her hand, she cradled his scrotum and rolled the balls as she licked at his rod.
“Enough teasing,” he said, fisting his hand into her hair. “You’ve yet to do as I said.”
Dutifully, she took him into her mouth. He pressed her head down. He was longer than she could easily accommodate, and when his tip struck the back of her throat, she gagged, but she refused to fail him. Forcing herself to relax, she tried to swallow him without choking. He pulled her up his shaft to give her a moment’s reprieve. When she went down, she was able to keep her reflexes to a minimum, triumphing when the hairs at his pelvis tickled her nose. She had taken all of him.
It lasted a few seconds before the urge to gag could not be overcome, but she assumed a steady motion up and down his shaft, making him moan. His hand tightened in her hair, and he bucked his hips in rhythm to her. Pressing her tongue against his hardness, she assaulted his sensitive underside and came up far enough to ensure that her lips grazed the flare of his erection. He grunted a curse and pumped his hips more vigorously. He had passed the point of no return and, within minutes, his seed filled her mouth. She drank it down easily, barely letting a drop escape her lips.
Pleasuring Lady Pennington (A Super Steamy Regency Romance Book 6) Page 2
