Page 71 of The Lady and the Footballer
“Colin,” she said, her voice soft and breathy. “What am I to do with you?”
“Anything you want.”
Her heart raced as she gazed into his eyes, the intensity of his words sending a shiver down her spine. Lily's breath caught in her throat as Colin lowered his head, his lips brushing against hers in a tender kiss that quickly deepened, igniting a fire within her.
He carried her to one of the padded benches, gently setting her down without breaking their kiss. His hands roamed over her the soft grey wool of her dress before deftly unfastening the row of neat buttons down the bodice and the narrow ribbon at the waist. Lily helped him, eager to feel his touch on her bare skin.
As he peeled away the layers of fabric, Colin trailed kisses along her neck and collarbone, eliciting soft moans of pleasure from Lily's parted lips. She tangled her fingers in his hair, pulling him closer, desperate for more.
"I need you, Colin," she whispered, her voice heavy with desire. She did need him. For more than just this moment. Worry for the future would have to come later.
He smiled against her skin, his hands caressing her newly exposed flesh. "I'm yours, luv. Always."
Colin shrugged off his jacket, spreading it on the bench beneath her before lowering her onto it. Lily's heart pounded as he settled between her thighs, his arousal pressing against her core. She arched her back, silently begging him to take her.
But Colin wasn’t so quick about it. Instead, he reached down, his fingers finding her, playing with her, making sure she was ready for him — which she had been since the moment she landed in his arms beneath her bedroom window.
With a groan, Colin claimed her lips once more, his tongue delving into her mouth as he slowly entered her. Lily gasped at the exquisite sensation of him filling her, stretching her in the most delicious way. She wrapped her legs around his waist, urging him deeper.
They moved together in perfect harmony, their bodies joined as one. Colin's thrusts grew more urgent, more demanding, until he wrapped his arms around her and picked her up, surprising her when he turned around and took a seat on the bench, their bodies still joined as she straddled him.
“Ride me,” he whispered, and it took her a moment to become used to the position, but soon enough, they found their rhythm, made even better as he bent his head to take one of her nipples between his lips, his thumb circling her bud of nerves. The gazebo filled with the sounds of their passion – ragged breaths, soft moans, and whispered words of devotion.
As their climax approached, Lily clung to Colin, her nails digging into his back as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her. She cried out his name, lost in the throes of ecstasy, and felt him shudder right before he lifted her off of him and found his own release on the floor of the gazebo.
He picked her up and held her close as they sat, entwined on the bench, their bodies glowing from exertion and contentment. Colin brushed a stray lock of hair from Lily's face, his eyes shining with adoration.
"I shouldn’t say this,” he murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “But I think I just might be falling for you, Lily.”
"I feel the same," she replied, her heart swelling with the depth of her feelings for him. “I shouldn’t, but I do.”
Lily knew that this moment, here in the gazebo with the man she loved, would be forever etched in her memory. A perfect, shining example of the bond they shared. They had to find a way to be together, one way or another.
She wasn’t sure she could bear it if they didn’t.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Thornton!”
Colin looked up in surprise at hearing his name over the constant hum of the machinery. Most of those who worked here called him “Mr. Thornton,” which meant that it was either the foreman of the mill or – even worse – the owner.
Which was not promising when he had been sneaking around and making love to the man’s daughter every chance he could get.
He knew it was only setting them both up for heartbreak as, so far, he could find no future ahead for them, but they couldn’t seem to stay away from one another.
The truth? If he truly wanted to admit it, at least to himself?
He was falling in love with her.
Sure enough, Lord Harcourt stood upstairs in the office window, motioning for him to come up and join him. With a turn in his stomach, Colin called out to one of the other workers to take over for him and began a heavy trudge up the stairs to the mill manager’s office.
“Lord Harcourt,” he said with a slight bow in the doorway before the viscount waved him in, gesturing to one of the hard-backed chairs in front of his desk.
“Take a seat,” he said, his face hard, unrelenting.
Colin sat with some inward trepidation.
“Has my work been satisfactory?” he asked, unable to remain in suspense for any length of time.
