Page 71 of Master of Paradise
She came to him shyly, yet willing. As heenfolded her, the hammock swung wildly, then settled into anundulating rhythm that moved her body softly against his. Her thighbrushed the tip of his shaft each time the hammock swung. Thefeeling was exquisite; he didn't want it to stop.
Amanda's cheek rested against his chest andshe could feel the strong, heavy thud of his heartbeat. "Paradiseis much lovelier than the Vicker's Plantation," she murmureddreamily.
"Too beautiful," he said softly.
She raised her head to gaze at him in thedarkness.
His strong hands held her body immobileagainst his to keep it in the pleasurable position that wasarousing him to the point where he could think of little else.
She sensed his slight melancholy. "What'swrong tonight?"
He groaned and his arms tightened about her."It's just that I've waited so long for you. I fear something willsnatch you and Paradise away before I've enjoyed you to thefull."
"Hush. Don't put the thought in the air." Shelaid her cheek once more against his hard torso.
"I want to see Paradise filled with guests.When your six months mourning period is over, we'll entertain thewhole county." His enthusiasm grew apace with his words. "We'llfill the house with flowers and musicians and light up the gardens.We'll give a ball and send out two hundred invitations. We'll servechampagne and caviar, and when it's over, I'll carry you upstairsto my bed." He lifted her on top of him and sought her mouth abovehis.
"We can't," she said against his lips. "I'llonly be seventeen on my next birthday, not eighteen."
"I cannot...will notwait so long,Amanda love. The thing I am denied becomes the one thing I musthave, at any cost. I am becoming obsessed with you. It's likespreading a feast before a starving man, and denying him even ataste."
"Nicholas, you are tasting me," she told himas his mouth possessed hers, and his tongue played with hers.
His hands stroked her back, then cupped herbuttocks and pressed her body down onto his.
Amanda felt him hot and throbbing through thethin material of her gown, and the first fragile sensations ofdesire stirred deep within her. It was all new and different fromanything she'd experienced before, and though it had a forbiddenquality, the sense of utter security she found in Nicholas'sembrace made her willing to risk anything with him. She slid downbeside him again, and he tenderly tucked his arm about her, andkissed the tendrils at her temples.
He knew it was a rare privilege granted fewmen to initiate a beloved into the mysteries of sexuality. Toawaken her, teach her, would be a delicate thing to be cherishedand savored. It also carried a responsibility to provoke hersensuality so that she received and gave pleasure in equal measure.He vowed to take the time for total delicious foreplay, show herwhat he liked, and teach her to respond. He worshipped her andwanted to love her with a healthy measure of lust and laughter andhot passion.
"Darling, have some champagne." He sat up andreached for the glass and bottle.
A small murmur of protest broke from her lipsas he broke their embrace. He held the bubbling wine to her lipsand she laughed as its effervescence tickled her skin. He sippedfrom the same spot on the rim of the glass her lips had touched.They drained the loving cup, and a second, then left the remainderof the bottle in the gazebo.
"Let's go to the lake." He slipped his armabout her and held her close as they walked. When his fingers foundthe swell of her breast through the delicate fabric, he heard herquick indrawn breath at the thrill of his touch. As they passed ahedge of yellow roses, he plucked a bloom and nestled it in thehigh curve between her breasts.
His fingers left a fiery trail on her skinwhenever they touched her and she felt faint with a longing shecould not name. When they came to the edge of the ornamental lake,their feet sank into the lush deep grass beneath the weepingwillows. Nicholas unbutton his shirt and removed it.
She placed both hands on his chest."Nicholas, please don't swim in the dark. Remember the snakebite.If anything happened to you I would want to die."
"Little innocent. I had no thought to swim. Iwas disrobing for the pleasure of being naked." He gathered her tohim, then dipped his head to find her lips. His whipcord armstightened and she entwined hers about his neck and let her fingerstangle in his crisp, dark hair.
His lips left hers and moved down her throat.He met no resistance as he pressed fevered kisses to the swellingcurve of her breasts, then with a quick movement, he had her gownundone and a ripe, rosy-tipped breast rested in the palm of hisstrong, brown hand.
She cried out as the shock of his burningmouth close over the hardened peak, and her hands moved down tocaress the slabs of muscle in his broad back. She was tremblinghelplessly now as he pulled the top of her gown away from her bodyand the cool air touched her naked skin. Then she was wrapped inhis arms and the heat of his body flooded over hers until shethought they would melt with love.
He played with her breasts until they achedwith a fullness that was at once both pain and pleasure. Withencouragement from him, she began to touch his body as she hadlonged to. She started with one finger against his lips, thentraced down the heavily corded throat to the massive shoulders. Shethreaded her fingers through the thick pelt of hair that matted hischest, and on a daring impulse kissed his nipples and touched thetip of her tongue to first one and then the other. As they hardenedand budded, every inch of him responded to the tantalizingsensation she aroused. Her hand moved to his flat belly and shetraced tiny circles about his navel.
A few large drops of rain warned of a comingdownpour. He bit off a curse and hurriedly helped her to replaceand fasten the top of her gown. "How can I bear to let you go?" Buthe knew it was best this way, at least for her, he told himselfsternly. He stepped from under the trees and let the rain wash overhis body in hope that it would cool the raging heat of his blood asit throbbed along his veins.
When Brandon arrived to pick up Jennifer forthe overnight trip to Blackville, he drove his own carriage. Whatshe hadn't let on to anybody was the fact that they were picking upBeau Hampden before traveling up there. As Jenny waved goodbye fromthe well-sprung carriage, she thought smugly that though Nicholashad forbidden her to go with Beau, she had managed to do so inspite of her brother-in-law's strictures.
When they stopped for Beau, he gestured tohis body servant to climb onto the footpad behind the carriage.Jenny tossed her head. "He can't come. I'm doing without a maid, soyou can leave your body servant at home."
Beau whispered in her ear, "I'll leave himhome if you'll shave me and do for me, Jen."
She slapped him playfully. "Now you behave,Beau Hampden, or I swear I'll never speak to you again."
It took most of the day to drive up toBlackville, and by late afternoon the novelty had worn off forJennifer. Her bantering mood had long ago disappeared, as shelonged for a cool bath. Even the effort of holding her parasol toprotect her face from the hot sun had become an arduous task forher aching arms. Jennifer had turned peevish, and all attempts atchatter had ceased miles back.
