Page 26 of Snowbound with the Earl
“I always wished you’d been less of a gentleman.”
“And what do you wish for now?” he asked, his voice low.
Noelle opened her mouth, afraid she was too much of a coward to tell him what she really wanted. She dug her fingernails into the arm of the chair. “I still wish you’d stop playing the gentleman.” She let him see her gaze swing to the bed. “I want you to take me to bed.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Seven
Graham was out of hischair and pulling Noelle into his arms before she could even tear her gaze from his bed. He’d wanted to take her mouth with his from the moment he’d opened his door to her. He’d gripped the door latch so hard he feared it would break off. How could he help but want her when she looked up at him with eyes the color of warm cognac and half-parted lips she wet with her pink tongue? Graham had followed the long column of her neck to the swell of her breasts rising above the low-cut neckline of the copper gown. He’d caught Turlington eyeing her chest several times at dinner. He couldn’t even be annoyed at the rake. What man wouldn’t be tempted by the perfect roundness of her breasts? What man wouldn’t want to free them and run his tongue over every creamy inch?
But first things first. She was here, now, and she wanted him. He rested a hand on her lower back and guided her closer, so close that her body pushed against his. Her belly rested right where he wanted her—nestling his hardening cock. She gasped when she felt his erection, barely restrained by the loose trousers he wore.
“Take me to bed.” She wrapped her arms about his neck, and Graham swept her up and into his arms. She gave a squeal of surprise then laughed as he carried her to the bed. When he set her down, her arms remained locked about him, dragging him down with her. His lips slid over her soft ones. She opened for him, returning his kiss with a passion he couldn’t mistake. He need not question that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. Warmth spread from his lips to his chest and down to his belly. Finally, the heat settled low, making him ache to toss up her skirts and take her then.
But he would do this the right way. She’d been in a loveless marriage with an old man. Graham wanted to give her the pleasure she’d never experienced. He took his time, teasing her with his lips and his tongue while his hands explored the silk of her cheeks and the heavy weight of her hair. He began to pull out hair pins and loosen the coil her maid had fashioned until he had her hair free from its confines. He pulled back and spread her glossy, walnut-colored hair over the bedclothes then looked down at her. Noelle’s lips were swollen and pink, her eyes dark with desire, her cheeks flushed with pleasure.
“You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” he whispered.
She lowered her eyes. “You don’t have to say that.”
“It’s the truth. You take my breath away.”
“And you take mine.” She put a hand to her heart, and he couldn’t help but notice the way her quick breaths made her chest rise and fall. He bent and kissed the half-moons of her breasts, eliciting a quiet moan from Noelle. Graham kissed his way up to her ear. “Turn over,” he whispered.
She caught her breath, bit her lower lip, then rolled over. She turned her head so she could see him over her shoulder. Graham reached for the fastenings at the back of her bodice and began untying, unlacing, and unpinning. When he had the bodice loose, he untied her skirts and petticoats, then unfastened her stays. Finally, he drew her hair to the side and kissed the exposed flesh of her upper back. Her hands fisted in the bedclothes, and her eyes closed.
“Stand up.” He stepped back and let his robe drop to the floor, leaving him bare chested. She turned and rose to her feet, her legs wobbling a bit. He reached out a hand to steady her and then to help her discard the clothing he’d loosened. When she stood in only her chemise and stockings, she looked down at the pile of garments.
“I hope you know how to dress a lady as quickly as you undress one. I can’t go back to my room like this.”
“That won’t be a problem,” he said, taking in her delicate shoulders and the pink of her nipples visible through the thin material of the chemise. “I don’t intend for you to sneak back to your room. I want you sleeping beside me tonight.” He didn’t addand every other night.Too soon for that.
“The servants will see me in the morning.”
“Then I suppose I will have to marry you.”
