Page 124 of From Rakes to Riches

Was that what he thought?He looked as if he would hunt down anyone she named and usher them to their death. She swallowed before she answered.

“No. Nothing like that,” she said and placed her palm on his jaw, easing away the tightness with a stroke of her thumb. “Kiss me now, Theodore. I don’t want to talk anymore.”

He did as he was told, kissing her thoroughly, drawing her tongue into the silken warmth of his mouth. All the while he walked them backward until they’d reached her narrow bed. Without losing contact, he leaned down and snatched the coverlet, blanket and pillow before they moved in front of the fire. There he pulled back far enough to spread the thick blanket atop the wool rug creating a comfortable cushion. She toed off her slippers, her bare feet peeping out from the hem of her day gown.

“I want to see all of you.” He tugged at the ribbon near her collarbones, the bodice of her dress loosening as he spread the neckline wide, easing it over one shoulder than another until it slithered to the floor to leave her in a silky sheer chemise, pantalets, and nothing else.

“And I want the same,” she replied, as she smoothed her hands up his chest, mimicking his actions by untying his cravat and casting it to the floor.

She removed his waistcoat before she slipped her hands under the hem of his shirt, his skin hot and smooth to the touch, his muscles hard and tensed. A swirl of sensual heat pooled in her stomach. Lower, where she grew damp with longing. She collected the fabric as she raised his shirt but then he took control, his arms crossed overhead in an undeniably masculine pose as he pulled his shirt off and abandoned it beside his cravat. She licked her lips, wanting to touch and taste him everywhere, and at the same time remain motionless because he looked magnificent in nothing but trousers.

“It’s your turn, Lola,” he said, tracing the curve of her neck with exquisite tenderness, leaving a trail of sensation in his wake.

She waited and watched, the flicker of emotion in his eyes something to savor. Another wave of pleasure bloomed inside her, the deliciousness of anticipation almost too much to bear. She slipped her chemise off one shoulder, then the other, allowing the fabric to float down to the floor in a whisper. She stood before him in nothing but pantalets with the dancing flames of the fire behind her and the ends of her hair teasing her lower back. She let him have a good, long look, and then she smiled slowly.

Theodore inhaled a stilted breath,then another. He’d somehow forgotten to breathe. Before him, silhouetted by the flickering glow of firelight, Lola waited. Her body was something to behold, all firm muscle, sleek lines and enticing curves. Her pert breasts were deliciously round, the rosy tips of her areolas pinched tight. He exhaled slowly in an attempt to temper the surge of primal lust battering his rib cage like a wild animal trying to escape its cage.

Forcing his eyes to hers, he caught the gleam of invitation and realized the minx toyed with him. Two could play at that game. He closed the distance between them, threading his fingers through her hair and settling his other hand on her hip, her skin satiny soft. He leaned in as if to kiss her, her lids falling closed, but he moved past her ripe, heart-shaped mouth, and instead smoothed his palm up along her narrow waist until he held her breast. She gasped as he lowered his mouth and took the dusky tip between his lips, drawing on it to stroke wickedly with his tongue.

She squirmed within his grasp, her huff of breath becoming more of a sensual sigh. Then she circled his neck with her arms and speared her fingers into his hair as if to hold him still. He would have none of it.

He splayed his hand across her back, down to cup her firm bottom, before he lowered her to the coverlet, all the while his teeth and tongue teased her breasts. She shivered within his hold and he gazed at her, her skin aglow from the firelight and utterly beautiful. She still wore her pantalets and desire pumped through him again, this time stronger, his erection already hard and anxious.

“Come here,” she said and lifted a hand to reach for him.

He eluded her grasp as he sank to his knees. He wanted to savor her and would not hurry. Circling her ankles with his fingers, he ran his palms up her calves, all smooth skin and shapely muscle, across the sensitive curve at the back of her knees, and higher until he reached her pantalets, sliding them off before he eased her legs apart. Her eyes fell closed as she waited for his touch. He settled on the rug, his exhale on her inner thighs causing her lids to flutter open again.

“I want you to touch me,” she said, a note of aching want in her voice.

“I will,” he murmured. “Be patient.”

She wriggled on the coverlet, apparently unsettled by his reply, and he watched her muscles contract, her battle with desire as strained as his.

He traced the creases of her thighs with a featherlight touch, then the indentation of her navel, his mouth a breath away from her sex, the musky sweet scent of her longing causing his pulse to pound hard and fast, each of his exhales making her shiver. A lovely prickling of sensation dotted her skin.

“Theodore,” she said on a breathy plea.

“Yes, Lola.”

“I want you to touch me now.”

“I am touching you,” he teased wickedly as he drew a delicate line across her inner thigh with his fingertip. “Don’t you feel it?”

“Yes.” She shifted, raising her bottom slightly and resettling on the soft coverlet. “Yes, I feel it everywhere.”

He shifted too. Moving forward, he wrapped his arm across her flat stomach, anchoring her, while his other hand played along her hip.

“Be still,” he commanded right before he licked into her sex, finding her slick and hot and ready for him. She moaned with pleasure, her hips rising up to press against his arm. She tasted as delicious as he’d imagined, her soft warm skin drenched with want as he delved deeper, each sweep between her folds causing her to tremble with sensation. He flicked his tongue over the sweet little bud at her core, holding her tight as she endured his exquisite torment, her breathing ragged now.

He lay on his stomach, surrounded by her incredible softness, and yet his own body was rigid. His cock throbbed and demanded release. One more taste and she cried out, her hands clenching the coverlet, her fingers wrapped as tight as her climax. He pulled back to watch, her beauty and strength combined, his own breathing as fast and harsh as hers. He nuzzled her thigh, and she shifted away from him with a weak objection. He kissed her there, pressing his lips to her warmth as he smiled against her skin.

Lola tried to focus.She closed her eyes. Opened them again. Nothing was effective. Her heart pounded, her body simmered with sensitivity, and when she reached for Theodore, her fingers only reached his hair so she took hold and tugged. He moved above her, his wool trousers brushing across the top of her legs in yet another onslaught of sensation.

“You’re still wearing your clothes,” she said more as an observation than a complaint, her voice a little husky.

“That’s true,” he agreed, dipping down to kiss her, taking his time.

Perhaps he needed a minute for his own pulse to resume a normal beat, but she couldn’t allow that to happen. Not after the extraordinary pleasure he’d given her. She wanted him to feel equally as satisfied.

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