Page 55 of The Duke Says I Do
He started to roll away as she turned and grabbed his arm, overbalancing him. For a sizzling moment, he splayed over her, squashing her into the hay. He drowned in the wonder that was Portia.
Just as she moved in his direction, he shifted to create some room between them. When he reached down blindly to find his balance, his hand closed on her breast.
She gasped and raised a hand to hold him there. He told himself to let her go, but his hand flexed over that lovely round bosom. Even through layers of clothing, he felt the jut of her nipple. When he increased the pressure, she exhaled in surprised response.
“Yes,” she sighed, arching into his touch.
He was lost. By God, he was only human. He caught her in his arms for a famished kiss, then pushed her into the hay beneath her.
Chapter 14
Relief flooded Portia. She sensed the precise moment that Alaric yielded. The resistance drained from his body, and his hand shaped her breast with delightful purpose.
She made an incoherent sound of pleasure, as sensation arrowed down to concentrate in that yearning space between her legs. She’d wanted him to touch her breasts forever. Thinking about his hands on her body had kept her awake or twisting in feverish dreams.
Her nipples tightened with such wicked longing that they hurt. When he plucked at a pearled peak through her clothes, she whimpered.
“You’re a devil.” The heat in his voice made the words sound more like praise than criticism. “I can’t resist you.”
She channeled her fingers through his thick, fair hair. “I’myourdevil.”
A faint smile lightened his features. “You are, at that.”
His lips on hers always transported her into another world, so it took a few seconds to realize that he tackled the buttons down the front of her pelisse. It took her even longer to note that he performed the action with a smoothness that betrayed his familiarity with getting ladies out of their clothes.
She drew back from the kiss. “Goodness me, you do that well.”
With a huff of laughter, he shifted to the side to support himself on one elbow. “I have done this before, I’ll have you know.”
“There’s never been any gossip about your affairs.” Her pelisse was open as far as her waist.
“That should reassure you that I can be discreet.” He dipped his head and kissed the slope of her breasts above the gown. “I approve of the ensemble.”
A thrill rippled through her, then another as his teeth scraped across her skin. “Do that again.”
He laughed against her skin and squeezed her breast at the same time as his lips explored her décolletage.
She glanced down. “It seemed sensible to wear something that I could undo myself.” How did she manage to put two words together when he stirred such marvelous feelings?
He raised his head and studied her with a focus that was arousing. “Good for you.”
As he undid her gown down to its high waist, his hands were sure. With a shiver of anticipation, she imagined what those hands would soon do to her.
Gently, he brushed the edges of the dress aside to reveal what lay beneath. The top of her stays and her white shift. The corset pushed her breasts high against the linen. Her beaded nipples were raspberry pink through the frail covering.
When he didn’t speak, a twinge of uncertainty had her biting her lip. His features were stern. Once that had fooled her into thinking that he had no feelings. She knew better now, but the taut silence made her nervous. “Please say something.”
“Portia…” The word trailed away to nothing.
“Yes?” Her voice wavered.
When she’d pulled him into the hay, she’d brimmed with confidence. Now that he undressed her, she was less self-assured. Especially as it became clear that Alaric was adept at the sensual game, while she remained a rank beginner.
At last he looked up. The blaze in his eyes incinerated her insecurities. “You’re so beautiful.”
Joy blossomed inside her. She stretched up to kiss him in an excess of desire and gratitude. As he met her with unabashedenthusiasm, she curled her hand around his neck. He deepened the kiss and stroked the skin above her shift. Every cell in her body came alive to his caresses. He teased her, edging closer to her shift without delving beneath.
At last he slipped his fingers under the linen and cupped her naked breast.
