Page 49 of Rules for Heiresses
“Please, Courtland. Give me this.”
The plea was his undoing. He bent toward her at the same time that she slid her fingers around his nape and arched up to him. The meeting of their mouths washungry, nearly making his eyes roll back in his head as he molded his lips to hers, parting them and delving deep. Her tongue touched his, softly at first and then with more fervor when he growled his approval deep in his throat. Tremor after tremor of pure pleasure slid through him.
How had he kept himself away fromsuchgratification? Kissing Ravenna was like diving from the highest of cliffs and soaring for an eternity before plunging into the balmy depths of a tropical ocean. All consuming, intense, and shattering. Courtland swallowed her moans, delighting in them, and groaned when she tugged at his hair. Breaking the kiss, he nibbled at her lip, kissed down her jaw to her throat, relished the sweetness of her taste, and dragged her body closer, filling his palms with her feminine curves.
He pulled away, staring down into passion-glazed eyes the color of molten copper streaked with gold. “Are you certain this is what you want?”
“More than anything. I’m yours, Courtland.”
Her lips met his again, sealing her words with another torrid kiss. Unable to resist the decadent feel of her, his palm slid up her ribs, the friction of the silky fabric of her chemise over her hot skin making him delirious, until he felt the underslope of her breast. Ravenna flung her head back with a strangled gasp when his thumb grazed over one tight, beaded nipple.
Hell, she was too lovely to be real. His nymph. His queen.His.
Courtland gathered her into his arms and stood easily, taking them both toward the back of the conservatory where a worn chaise lounge was tucked into a nook, hidden in an alcove behind an enormous fern. It used to be one of his favorite places to curl up and read, or hide when he didn’t want to be found. Faint music and lights from the adjacent ballroom filtered through the trees, glittering across the panes and dancing over the glass roof.
He set Ravenna gently down on the embroidered cushions, coasting his palms over her bare ankles and calves, and feeling her eyes holding on to his. Slowly, he sank to his knees in front of her, grasping the seat on either side of her legs. Never one to deny herself, she bent down to steal a kiss from him, eyes bright and eager.
“You have exquisite feet,” he told her in a husky voice, and she bit her lip, releasing a tiny gasp when his big hands skated over the delicate arches. They were so fine-boned and elegant, much like the rest of her. He wanted to kiss them, work his way up every single mouthwatering inch of her endless limbs…chart her with his tongue. He wanted to expose all of that velvety skin to the moonlight. See her for the ethereal sprite she was.
Soon.
On the ocean liner, Ravenna’s long legs had been covered in stockings, but he could recall the beautiful lines of her with precision—her shapely calves, rounded knees, and soft thighs that all led to the warm heart of her. Visions of her coming apart just from the touch of his hands filled his brain. Courtland wanted to see her fall to pieces again and again. His fingers twitched against her skin, his cock straining against his falls.
He loosened the tapes of her drawers, drawing them down over her legs before lifting the hem of her chemise. With every inch of skin he exposed, her breath hitched. His was quick to follow, his heartbeat thudding in his ears. Courtland’s hands trembled as the embroidered edge grazed the tops of her thighs, and then she was completely bared to him. He sucked in a ragged breath at the sight of those slender thighs and the tantalizing V of her groin nestled between them. A fiery thatch of hair greeted his hungry gaze, and a grin broke over his lips.
A huff of laughter had him looking upward. “Don’t you dare,” she warned, mischief and lust warring in her beautiful eyes. She’d been studying him carefully, watching him as he unveiled her, desire burning in that open gaze. A smile played over her lips, too.
“Don’t I dare what?” he asked, his grin widening. “Call yougingersnap?”
A blush tinted her cheeks. “I have no idea why the hair on my head darkened, butthatdidn’t.”
“I love it,” he said, lifting his hands under her plump bottom. He kneaded the soft globes for a moment before shifting her forward on the seat, and then settled himself between her legs. She fought him when the motion made her knees push outward, exposing her to his gaze.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, eyes going wide when he kissed the inside of her knee.
“Exploring.”
Her breath caught as he trailed his lips upward, wedging his shoulders in between her thighs. Fingers clutched at the seat before coming to rest in his hair. His mouth was watering as her intoxicating scent filled his nostrils. Courtland stared up at his wife, her eyes half-lidded but fixed upon him. Curiosity burned in them, trepidation, too. Once more, he was struck by the opposing counterpoints of her innate sensuality and her obvious inexperience.
“Has anyone ever done this to you before?” he asked.
She blinked, voice hoarse. “Done what?”
“Kissed you.” His fingers skated over her mound. “Here.”
Ravenna shook her head, eyes widening with shock, though the curiosity in them intensified. “Why would anyone want to do such a thing?”
Courtland found himself smiling—another first that would soon be his. “Because it feels good.”
With that, he set his lips to her body. His eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the first silken taste of her, and if he hadn’t been gripping her thighs with his palms, she would have bucked off the chair. Warm color flushed through the skin of her thighs, suffusing her hips and torso. One of his hands drifted up to her belly, stroking gently and holding her in place, before he swiped his tongue from her entrance to the knot of nerves that made her gasp. Courtland barely held back his groan of sublime delight. She tasted better than he’d imagined, the tart sweetness of her bursting on his tongue like fresh, ripe mangoes. One lick and he was lost.
“You’re fucking delicious,” he muttered, inhaling deeply.
She moaned, trembling beneath him, legs falling open in hesitant invitation. He knew what she needed, and he gave it to her, settling down to feast on the banquet in front of him, his tongue gliding hungrily through the hot, wet folds. Within moments, her fingers were yanking at the roots of his hair, and he worked his mouth faster, flicking the bud at the top of her sex. The tightening of her limbs wound more with each stroke, her body reacting beautifully to his ministrations. She was so responsive, he couldn’t help thinking about what it would feel like to be buried inside her. To be joined in such a moment.
Ravenna writhed against his mouth. “Please, Courtland.”
When his finger slid into her sheath, her thighs clamped around his ears, her body shuddering uncontrollably as she cried out and shattered around him. Wringing the last drop of pleasure from her, Courtland climbed up her still quivering body and took her lips in a deep kiss before pulling himself to his feet to shuck out of his coat. He stared down at her, skin rosy and flush from her orgasm, eyes bright and fastened on his.
