Page 50 of When She Loved Me
Nicole covered her mouth with her hand, smiling, and guiltily so, that they’d woken poor Franklin. Trevor met her gaze with his own sheepish grin, two conspirators having escaped harsh punishment from the man in charge.
Her smile faded, as reality crashed. Sadly, she realized this is what she’d expected, what she might have imagined theirmarriage would have been, had he not abandoned her on their wedding night. She’d not specifically dreamed of nighttime forays into the kitchens for nibbling, but she’d expected this ease, this type of fun.
Sad, indeed.
She stood from the stool. “I’ll say goodnight, then, before we’re scolded again,” she said, as if Franklin’s slight chastisement would chase her up to her room.
“I’m going up as well,” he said and stood, guiding her out of the kitchen with a hand at the small of her back. They took the same back stairway they’d both used to come down to the kitchen, this being narrower and darkened, lending a greater intimacy to their ascent than likely would the wider, larger grand staircase at the front of the house.
When they arrived at the door to her chambers, she noted that it was ajar. She had not left it so, which meant that likely he had first tried to find her there. She swallowed, knowing there was only one reason for him to seek her out. An excitement flowed through her at the same time an acute dread was known as well.
She turned to him, her intent a quick but firm goodnight, deciding the dread far outweighed any possible anticipation. She’d sadly realized after last night that each occasion of lovemaking—no, it wasn’t that, she had to remind herself; ‘twas no more than procreating—would likely rip a little piece of her heart away, until one day he left, and her heart was naught but tiny shards of broken sorrow scattered around the abbey.
But then he touched her, his finger grazing over her cheek before she could have uttered any words, and everything that wasn’t his touch fled from her mind. Nicole closed her eyesagainst even this small onslaught, only his fingers caressing her face, imagining her thrill just now if only he loved her.
THE WORDS WERE RIGHTthere, on the tip of his tongue, as they had been so often of late, but he bit them down. She was suspicious yet of him, bitter still and rightly so, that he was sure she would not happily receive anyI love youfrom him.
But he would show her. He would worship her body to such a point she hadn’t any choice but to know it was true.
He slipped his hand around her neck and moved closer even as he drew her near, covering her mouth with his. While he’d thought, when he’d sought her out earlier, that the night would be ruined as she was likely hiding from him, he now knew he would relive that glorious time spent with her just now in the dark and quiet kitchen, eating Shrewsbury cake and seeing her smile. Her eyes were mesmerizing as she’d laughingly related that amusingly horrific tale of the forfeited shoe, and it had taken him back to the day he’d brought her to the picture gallery so very long ago, when she’d charmed him so easily, when he’d fallen in love with her.
And now he was kissing her again, and her small hands were holding him at the waist, and wasn’t this just everything he wanted right here in his arms? He propelled her backward, into the room, closing the door behind him.
His mouth shifted confidently over hers as his tongue dashed between her lips. She was sweeter than any cake and he murmured her name against her mouth, guiding her backwardsstill, further into the room. but he didn’t push her down onto the bed and fall ravenously atop her, but turned them both, so that it was his calves the bed frame pushed against.
Divesting her of her flimsy dressing gown and then himself of his own, he wasted no time losing his own shirt, thrilling at her touch, when her hands immediately found his chest. She might well be innocent yet, but her passion was a glorious thing to behold. He was both flattered and ignited by her want to touch him. Loosening the ties of his breeches, he let these fall and kicked them off, one hand holding her close, his arm slid around her slim waist.
He pulled his lips from her and sat on the side of the bed, tugging her hand to draw her to him. When she stood just at his knees, he scooped up the length of her night rail, his hands at the back of her silky smooth legs. When her fingers reached the back of her thighs, he pulled her onto his lap, straddling him. She did not resist so surely a vulnerable position but gasped as his erection met her vulva.
He nibbled her lips and whispered as he continued to bunch up her nightgown, “You’re not going to need this for the next little while,” and helped her lift the nuisance up and over her head. No sooner had it disappeared than he lowered his face to her breasts, breathing in the scent of her arousal, more intoxicating than any perfume, the taste of her nipple in his mouth as provoking as the raspy little moan that seemed to only fall out of her. Her hands loosely touched his arms, while his own were busy with both her breasts until she set her hands with more industry upon his shoulders, and began to writhe against him, sliding back and forth.
“Tell me what to do,” she begged huskily.
“You’re doing it, love,” he growled and crushed her to him, chest to chest as he took her mouth again, thrusting his tongue deep, holding her head against him.
And then, even as he thought it would prove too damn tormenting to withstand, he took her hand and guided it between them. “Touch me,” he commanded tersely.
She responded wonderfully, wrapping her teasing fingers around him. Trevor straightened, allowing just enough space between them that she glanced down at what she beheld. With his own fingers wrapped around hers, he showed her how to move her hand even as he supposed he might expire on the spot. He removed his hand and put his palms onto the bed behind him, letting his head fall back while she tormented and pleased him with her untutored but so damn clever fingers. Her hips started moving again when she realized she could pleasure them both by rubbing him against her.
He withstood it as long as he could before straightening and returning his hands to her hips. Chuckling hoarsely, he groaned, “I see what you’re doing there.”
Her own grin answered. “Is this wrong?”
He shook his head, his forehead against hers. “Jesus, no. But it will speed things along.”
“And then you’ll come inside me, and I’ll feel that...whatever it was, again?”
“That’s your orgasm and that’s the plan.”
“Does it not always work?” A hint of worry tinted her voice.
“No, love. It will always work with us. I promise.” Jesus, had he ever known talking during sex to be so wildly exciting?
He removed her hand before he embarrassed himself and tugged her tightly against him, so that he was poised just between her folds. “Do you want me inside you, Nicki?”
She nodded, whimpering.
“Say it.”
