Page 28 of A Raven Realized
With a delighted smile, she pointed to the table. “Sit.” She poured them both a cup of the tea she’d just brewed, then split the scone and spread strawberry jam on both halves before depositing one on his plate.
“You don’t have to share your only scone.”
“I had one earlier,” she said quietly, as if it were a confession. “I was probably more bored than hungry, but they’re delicious. And even more so when shared with good company.”
His heart warmed at her comment. Rarely did he get to be good company. “Well, thank you.” She seemed to be waiting for him, so he took a bite. Only then did she finally do the same, but she also closed her eyes to better savor it. Watching her made him realize how much he took for granted in his life. Things that were simply mundane to him brought her so much joy. He could learn a lesson from her.
For the past year, he’d been so wrapped up in delivering justice and exacting revenge, he’d forgotten what joy was. But in spite of being put through a lifetime of misery, Madelene was the embodiment of it. Her enthusiasm brought a smile to his lips as well.
Suddenly, he realized he’d been staring, and she was now staring back. He swallowed, a frisson of excitement rushing through him as hunger grew in her eyes. He forced himself to take another bite and she smiled before following his lead. A scone had never tasted so good, nor had eating one ever been so sensual. Their eyes stayed locked but they shared not a word as she licked jam from her lips.
“Do you want to go upstairs?” Simon asked breathlessly.
“Yes.” She immediately started gathering their dishes.
“Leave it.” Simon wrapped his arms around her and crushed his mouth to hers. Her urgency matched his own and she gripped him in a tight embrace. She didn’t hesitate to plunge into his mouth this time, and their tongues swirled around one another.
He skimmed his hands down to grasp her backside and she hummed her approval against his mouth. Her hands moved between them and she opened the top button of his jacket as he pulled his lips away. She looked up at him before moving onto the second one, seeking his permission.
“Yes,” he said simply.
She opened the remaining buttons and he shrugged out of the garment and hung it over the back of the chair. Not putting it in its proper place felt odd, as if it set the world off-balance. But then her hands were back, opening the buttons on his waistcoat and it ceased to matter.
“Are we going to do this in the kitchen?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I don’t know the rules for these things, but I don’t see why we would enjoy it any less down here than up in your bedroom.”
“There are no rules, I suppose. I’m just somewhat…”
“Particular,” she supplied when he didn’t finish.
“Particular.” He couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ve noticed, have you?”
“What I’ve noticed is that, although that seems to be the case in the rest of your life, you haven’t been that way with me, and I don’t see why you should start now.”
Apparently, she was more observant than he’d realized. He’d underestimated her… again. She was also smarter, stronger, and more self-assured than he’d originally assumed.
“Yes or no?” she asked as she grasped the last button. How had their roles suddenly reversed? Perhaps it would put them on a more even footing if he was outside the comfort of his bedroom. It was a challenge he was keen to accept.
“Yes.”
She slipped the button free and watched as he loosened his tie. He draped them over the back of the chair with his coat. He pulled her in for another kiss as he reached around to open her belt. He added it to the growing pile before reaching for the buttons on her bodice.
“Yes or no?”
“Yes,” she answered without hesitation. The rising and falling of her chest increased its rhythm as he worked his way to the bottom. She hung the garment on the back of the other chair, along with her corset cover. The white of her corset made the golden swells of her breasts all the more enticing.
Her smooth skin tasted divine as he slid the tip of his tongue over one breast before dipping between them.
“Yes,” she said, breathlessly, driving him on. He licked over her other breast before taking a long, meandering path over her chest and collarbone and eventually up the side of her neck so he could whisper into her ear.
“If you want me to open your skirts, turn around.”
She looked into his eyes briefly before turning, but it didn’t feel like a hesitation. Instead, it was a moment of connection. He pushed her skirt and petticoat to the floor, and she stepped out of them.
The anticipation he had endured as she’d removed her nightgown was nothing compared to this slow torture. Before she could turn back, he wrapped an arm around her waist and tasted her neck. He bit her shoulder lightly and watched as goosebumps rose on her arm.
“Do you want me to loosen your laces?” As desperate as he was for more, he needed her to understand that she could still tell him no.
