Page 100 of When in December

“Waiting, Snow Angel,” he teased with a curl of his lip. “Are you all talk, or are you going to ravish me?”

“You’ve been reading too many of your grandmother’s old bodice rippers.” I shakily took a step toward him.

“That’s not true,” he said, though we both knew it was. “If it were, I’d be the rake.”

“I can see it.”

“And you’d be the sweet debutant I’d compromise. You, of course, wouldn’t know any better before the devilish rake exposed you to a world of desire and pleasure at his own hands.”

I giggled, reaching out to him. He grabbed my hand, pulling me in.

“I think you should get new books.”

“I don’t know. I think you’ll like what they taught me.”

His skin radiated a golden warmth, highlighted by the soft glow of lamplight in the room. My eyes traveled down his bare chest, admiring the hard muscles and defined lines, while I also felt a sense of nervousness and longing.

I wasn’t used to playing this role—the seductress. I was always just Poppy.

Safe.

Boring.

Often, I was a disappointment, which I never wanted to be ever again as long as I had the choice and capability.

Fingers lifted my chin until I looked up, meeting Aaron’s cool eyes, half lidded with obvious desire. Desire for me.

I gulped.

“I sure hope that look isn’t about me,” he whispered.

“No,” I said immediately. “Me. Only ever me.”

“Don’t be nervous. I’ve waited for the girl who made me feel whole for over a decade. You take your time with me.”

My heart took off in my chest. My fingers trembled slightly as they grazed over the skin of his neck. He arched it to the side so I could have better access, gently running my fingertips back and forth until I was cupping the back of his head and sliding over his back.

Even with his clothes on, I never realized how strong years of intense workouts and training had made him. Not only that, but it was as if he was emanating warmth, seeping into me through my skin like a poison—or maybe a salve, igniting a small fire, smoldering on embers for so long. Since Lincoln, I’d never thought I’d feel this kind of way ever again. Or maybe it had been since I’d met Aaron for the first time.

Finding the buttons at the top of his shirt, I slowly undressed him. Each piece of clothing fell away to reveal more of his taut body. He didn’t stop me as I took my time, marveling at the sight that felt much different from when I’d accidentally caught him coming out of the shower or when he’d openly walked around the house without a shirt.

This was given, and Aaron’s breath picked up as he watched me.

I traced the curve of his muscles, the strength in his frame. All of it was mesmerizing. And the way he looked at me, with such intensity and desire, made me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

Aaron’s own hands, as if unable to help themselves any longer, reached up to touch my shoulders and down to my waist.

He looked at me. “May I?”

I nodded.

He gently pulled on the tiny white ribbon holding my dress together, letting it fall open to reveal the lacy slip beneath. His chin dropped to his chest. He chuckled softly, the rumble in his chest sending a shiver down my spine. “So many layers.”

He pushed my velvet dress back over my shoulders, helping me to step out of it before he took over, picking me up and carrying me down the hallway that was gently lit with lights that kept the historical integrity of the home, but now flickered, washing his bare frame in gold.

“You amaze me,” he whispered, voice barely audible, but perfect for me to hear as let my toes skim back against the bedroom floor before I was standing front of him on my own feet.

And it was us.

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