Page 72 of Lady of Providence
He fused his lips against hers, the softness of them turning his bones to liquid. This was no quick, stolen kiss, whether in the gardens or even in his own bedchambers. This as a kiss of promise. Promise that they would have a lifetime together, that they would be one another's partner in every way that mattered.
She broke the seal between their lips with her tongue before he did, and the corners of his lips turned into the slightest smile at her forwardness. There was one thing he could say about Elizabeth — she certainly wasn't shy.
Her tongue sought out his as her hands swept up and around his head, her fingers stroking the nape of his neck where his hair curled over the collar of his jacket. Finding their position rather uncomfortable, he lifted her up and placed her upon his lap, his fingers digging into her bottom, feeling the lushness awaiting him there.
One thing she certainly would never have to worry about was him ever wanting another. She was more woman than he could ever imagine, and he loved everything about her. He wanted nothing more than to lay her down on the sofa and make love to her, but he knew how foolhardy that would be. A servant, or even her grandmother, could walk in at any moment.
She was apparently feeling the same, for she broke their kiss, her breathing as ragged as his.
"Come," she said, hopping off of his lap and holding her hand out to him.
"Anywhere," he said, meaning it. "But..."
"Do you trust me?" She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, and he nodded.
"Of course. With anything."
"Then follow me."
And so he went, feeling like a young man again as she looked out the door one way and then the other, before rushing him down the hallway after seeing no one about. They ducked past the back sitting room, wherein Elizabeth whispered to him her grandmother would be. She giggled slightly after they passed before leading him up the stairs and down the corridor, pushing open the door in the back corner.
He looked around, astonished to find her own room within. It was finished in deep purple and accented in cream, reminding him of her in every way.
"My home will need some serious redecorating," he said, looking around him in awe as she locked the door behind her. "Are you up for the task? Though that may be a foolish question as I hardly think there is anything you cannot do.”
"There are some things," she said, her hands coming to the buttons on the front of his jacket, "That I believe you can teach me."
"Ah," he said, grinning down at her. "If my lady commands it, then teach you I will."
With a growl, he picked her up and laid her down upon the bed, lifting a hand to trail a finger down her cheek, her neck, to the swell of her bosom now rising above her dress.
"What would you like to learn today?" he asked, then quickly kissed her lips.
"How to truly make love, with all of the emotion behind it," she said, her lashes dropping as though she were somewhat embarrassed, and he chuckled.
"That, Elizabeth, we shall have to learn together."
As she worked the buttons on his jacket, her fingers somewhat trembled, but she was determined all the same. He brought his hands behind her back to rid her of her dress. He expertly released the small buttons from their laces and then nudged the sleeves down her shoulders. He lifted himself up on his elbows, appreciating that in the waning light of day through the open windows, he could see the silky dew of her skin. Needing to taste her, he dropped his lips upon her shoulder, kissing his way along her collarbone to her neck, then down lower. She gasped, arching up against him when he nudged her dress down and found one nipple, sucking it through the light, transparent material of her chemise. Her hands found his hair once more, lacing her fingers through it, and for once he had not a care for how disheveled he would look following this encounter.
Somehow, as he divested her of her own gown, she had rid him of his jacket and was now working on his shirt. While she was determinately stubborn, his urge to feel his skin against hers overcame all else, and he ripped his shirt off before lifting her chemise over her head. When he lay back down, he didn't think anything had ever felt as good as her bare breasts against his chest. He couldn't be sure, but he thought she might even be rubbing against him, and his desire for her began to burn even hotter.
And then she brought her hands to the fall of his pants, and when she freed him, the simmer he had been feeling before burst into flames. He had meant to make love to her slowly, softly, with the promise of forever, but he would do that later. For at the moment, he could think of nothing but finding himself inside of her once more, loving her with all that he was, body and his soul.
She seemed to be of the same mind, as together they rid him of his breeches and guided him toward her. He was sheathed within her in one swift motion as they moved together simultaneously, and he let out a shout at how right it felt, how he knew that this was where he was meant to be more than anywhere else in the entire world.
"Elizabeth," he managed, bringing his lips to her ear. "I love you."
"And I you."
They began to move, synchronized together in an experience unlike any he had ever had before. They may have already known one another in a bodily sense, but now that they knew their love for one another was more than a fleeting desire, but something that would last forever, the physical manifestation of it tore through his body as he gripped her hips, unable to hold on much longer.
His dipped his head, taking a nipple within his mouth as he reached between them and found the bud of her desire, stroking it in time to the motion of his hips. She gave out a scream which he captured with his mouth, taking the sound within him, as together they found their release while the world seemed to explode around him with the brightest of intensities.
It took him more than a moment to calm down from it. He held himself up from her body, keeping his entirety of weight from her, but he allowed his forehead to rest against hers as their choppy breath mingled together.
Finally, he rolled to his side, bringing her along with him.
"Elizabeth," he said. "I don't think I can ever let you go."
