Page 56 of My Darling Rogue
She used his body as if she were a spoiled empress and he the most comfortable of pillows, her arms and legs in a tangled sprawl. Despite her standoffish behavior during the ceremony and even earlier when he entered the suite, Celia possessed no qualms when pressing closer to him. She practically straddled him, one leg thrown up near his hip, the other entwined with one of his legs. Her arm lay haphazardly across his stomach, her fingers touching bare skin and setting him ablaze with awareness.
Gabriel shifted, growing more uncomfortable by the second. He hadn’t been with a woman in weeks. And that abstinence was making this even more difficult than he thought it would be. His cock was a hardened staff of iron beneath the bedclothes, and Celia’s knee rested dangerously close alongside it.
Damn, how he wanted to roll his new wife over onto her back. Press his lips to the perfumed softness of her breasts. Discover all the places on her body that reacted to his touch. He would make her cry out loud with satisfaction and revel in the fact he’d been the one to do that to her.
But he’d already made his promise. He would not touch her this first night they shared. He would let her sleep in peace and keep his hands to himself.
When Gabriel’s muffled sigh of discontent ruffled her hair, Celia snuggled even closer. Her breath passed from between softly parted lips and feathered his shoulder. She slept like the dead, unphased by his agitated shifting. The deepness of her slumber was both a blessing and a curse.
God’s teeth. How can I lay with her like this and not touch her? Fuck, why should I? She’s mine. My wife. I’ve every right to do as I please.
Ishoulddo as I please.
Hoping he could relieve the pressure building in his groin, Gabriel moved his arm from behind his head. Remaining on his back with Celia cradled on his opposite side, he carefully reached between his legs.
Giving his aching cock a squeeze, he nearly groaned aloud at the sensation, even as he breathed deeply of the rose and lemon scent emanating from Celia. He really shouldn’t be frigging himself while she lay right beside him. He was a bloody degenerate for even entertaining the thought. But still, his hand found its way beneath the blankets and into his sleeping pants until his hand closed around his bare flesh.
If the deep inhales and exhales coming from Celia were any indication of her unconscious state, Gabriel thought it possible he could ease the ache pounding within him while also keeping his vow.
He gave himself a quick stroke, his hand forming a circle around the base of his cock and moving upward. It wouldn’t take him long to come to a finish. He felt as though he might burst at any moment, especially when he thought of the woman lying beside him in the quiet darkness of the night. He could imagine her hands drifting over him. Learning his shape. His strength. Her whispers that she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.
Lust surged through Gabriel like a hot tidal wave. Eyes closing with the fantasy, his hand loosened then tightened, moving again and again. Up and down. Gripping harder. A bit faster. Almost violently. But oh, so necessary. Because if he held any hope of stemming the maddening desire that he sink himself inside Celia’s softness, this must be done.
Bliss shimmered just beyond his reach. He hovered on the verge of exploding. Seconds from plummeting over the precipice.
Almost there.Almost…
“Gabriel?”
Celia’s soft voice broke through the haze of pleasure of his impending climax. Gabriel clutched himself, trying desperately to stave off the inevitable. She raised herself up on her forearms. Now, she would discover just how depraved he really was. How hungry he truly was for her.
CHAPTER24
“Celia, turn away from me this instant.”
Gabriel’s voice was a guttural growl. And while the darkness she’d woken to frightened Celia, his response only intrigued her.
“But the lamp has gone out. And, and I cannot sleep without it.”
“It did not go out, I turned it down. Now, please. Do as I say. Turn over.” His tone reeked of anguished hope that she would do as he commanded.
Celia could just barely make him out in the dark. Her new husband was a mountainous form beside her in the bed, but oddly enough, it was comforting to have him so close. Heat emanated from his body, and although she wasn’t quite sure what awoke her from such a deep slumber, she was warm and cozy because of his nearness.
Peering at him, she leaned closer, her hand sliding up from his stomach to his chest. It was heaving beneath her hand, distracting her from the realization she’d woken with that same hand on his stomach and her legs thrown over his. “Are you ill? Or perhaps injured in some way?”
He let out a bark of a laugh that sounded pained. “Jesus Christ. I’m two seconds from exploding in my own hand with your name on my lips, Celia. For the love of God, please roll over. I cannot stop this from happening.”
Celia wasn’t quite sure if he meant what she thought. Having overheard conversations she had no business hearing in the past, she was aware that men sometimes pleasured themselves. Especially if a woman was unavailable.
However, she was right beside Gabriel. Why would he feel this was necessary if she was his wife? Did he not think she was worthy of such attention? Well, she was. Even if she didn’t quite understand it all and the thought of any man pushing his way into her body left her drenched in a cold sweat, this was Gabriel. Her husband. And he would not harm her. She was certain of that.
In a swift movement, she leaned fully across Gabriel so she could increase the lamp light. Her breasts swung in front of his face as she reached for the lamp’s lever, and he let out a groan of helpless lust.
“Celia, I swear on all that is holy, if you don’t distance yourself immediately…”
She sat back on her haunches. The low light illuminated Gabriel’s face. Celia found herself entranced by the raw emotion that darkened his eyes. Beneath the coverlet, it appeared his hand was between his legs, and a flush of heat pinkened her cheeks. Hewaspleasuring himself.
“It’s either this or I take you, sugarplum,” he said in an almost forlorn voice. “And I promised you would not have need to fear my attentions tonight.”
