Page 68 of The Duke's Second Bride
She melted into his touch, greedy for more of his skin against hers than what the fabric of their night clothes allowed. Her hands moved hastily at his shirt, trying to undo the rest of the buttons and pressing back the fabric to reveal those strong, freckled shoulders.
They were just as delicious-looking as she had imagined. Every inch of him was corded with strong, full muscles, muscles which flexed and jumped beneath her every touch.
He growled, pleased by the sensation of her hands on his bare skin. The touch seemed to make him all the hungrier to have her bared before him. He reached down, his hands grasping her backside, and lifted her up so that she could wrap her legs around him.
He carried her like this to the bed, lowering her gently before crawling over her. His hands danced beneath the hem of her nightgown, lifting it over her head, and letting out a choked, hungry sound at the sight of her bare breasts.
“Ava,” he breathed.
Heavens, she would never tire of the way her name sounded on his lips. It was nothing short of heaven, the way he said it, and the way he always looked at her while he said it.
“Christian,” she whispered in response.
“You are exquisite,” he said, his honesty turning his voice raw and desperate.
“You are a fine one to speak,” she said, hearing out loud that her voice was just as ragged as his.
She allowed herself to run her hands across his chest, tracing down to where his waist disappeared into his pants.
It was as though her lust had transformed her into someone new entirely. Or, rather, that it had stripped away any and all pretense, so that she had no other choice than to be utterly vulnerable and utterly herself, unencumbered by any fears or inhibitions.
He took her hint and made quick work of his pants, ridding himself of them and any undergarments until he matched her in nakedness. Ava felt her mouth go dry at the sight of him. The length between his legs was such that she had never dared imagine.
“You are …” She cleared her throat before shyly looking back up at his eyes.
“What is it?” he urged her, his voice hoarse. It was clear he was both pleased and intrigued by her reaction.
“You are larger than I had grown to expect,” she admitted. “I am unsure if it will … fit.”
She blushed deeply as the words left her mouth. More heat flooded through her as he climbed atop her and bent down for a kiss.
At the press of his tongue inside her mouth, she went entirely liquid, remembering how that tongue had felt pressed against her core barely twenty-four hours prior.
Even more than that was the new sensation of his bare chest against hers. She thought she could feel her own frantic heartbeat mirrored in his own, so close were they without any meddlesome fabric to keep them apart from each other.
“Oh, I assure you,” he said, pulling back to press his forehead to hers. “I will make sure you are ready by the time that is even a question.”
And then, as if he had read her thoughts from a few moments ago, he pulled away to kneel again between her legs.
Though she longed to protest at the lack of warmth from his torso against hers, any possible protests quickly died in her throat at the now familiar strokes of his tongue up against her.
“Mmm, there it is. Mine to feast,” he whispered before bringing his mouth back to her center.
He brought her to the edge even more quickly this time. It was clear he had made a point of carefully studying her the night before, ensuring that he understood each and every one of her reactions.
He continued to fine-tune his technique, learning even more details about what she liked, how to touch her, when to stop, and when to keep going to have her begging for him not to stop.
She reached that blessed edge even more quickly than she had the first time. When she fell apart, it was as though she were a shooting star, and the bedroom a galaxy, the only points of importance being the two of them.
He brought her to completion once more. The last time, the pleasure was so intense, she nearly felt as though she might faint.
She came back to the present moment, to him, kissing his way back up her body, worshipping her waist and her breasts and neck.
When he reached her mouth, capturing her lips with his, he simultaneously reached down with one hand to touch between her legs.
“You see, Ava,” he murmured against her lips, slipping two fingers easily into her center, “how warm and wet you are for me now? How relaxed? How ready?”
“Yes,” she said, kissing him again and again. She moaned into his mouth as he curled his fingers deep within her. “Yes, Christian, please.”
