Page 49 of One Night of Scandal
She put her hands on his shoulders and returned the kiss with a rapture that matched his own. He gripped her hips as she assumed the role of valet, stripping him of his cravat and unbuttoning his waistcoat. Impatient, he helped her, nearly ripping the garment in his haste to tear it off.
She broke the kiss and slid from the bench. “Your turn.” She guided him to take her place, then she went about removing his boots.
Her eyes met his and never broke contact the entire time she divested him of his footwear and stockings. It was the most erotic undressing he’d ever experienced. His cock raged with want, and he was nearly panting with desire.
She frowned up at him. “You’re still wearing a shirt.”
“And you’re still wearing breeches.”
“So are you,” she countered. “Shirt. Off.”
He pulled the cotton from his breeches and whisked the garment over his head. “Better?”
Her gaze locked on his bare chest, and her lips parted. “Oh, yes.”
“Viola, if you continue to look at me as if I’m a sweetmeat on a tray, I’m going to throw you on the bed and shag you senseless.”
She continued to stare at him. “All right.” Then she licked her lower lip.
Groaning, Jack clasped her by the biceps and stood. “Enough.”
“Not nearly,” she murmured before his mouth claimed hers.
He completely gave in to his lust, his lips and tongue devouring her more thoroughly and desperately than any sweetmeat. She was an equal partner in this madness, her hands exploring his shoulders, his back, his hips, then coming up between them. She splayed her palms over his chest, her fingers finding his nipples and rubbing back and forth across the points until he moaned.
It was past time to remove the binding.
He pulled his mouth from hers and led her to the side of the bed so they’d be next to one of the lanterns. “I want to see every inch of you,” he whispered, grasping the end of the binding fabric tucked between her breasts.
She lifted her arms so he could easily unwind the muslin. Four times it went around, and with each revelation, his breath caught anew. At last, her breasts bobbed free, and he dropped the fabric, now forgotten, to the floor.
She was absolutely exquisite. He stroked her neck, caressing where it met her collarbone, which swept out in an elegant line to her shoulder. From there, he skimmed his fingertips down to the tempting swell of her breast. With both hands, he cupped her, the weight filling his grasp. He traced his thumbs over the nipples, and they responded instantly, becoming deliciously erect.
He leaned down and drew one into his mouth. She gasped as her hands clasped the back of his head. With lips and tongue, he tormented her—or tormented himself, depending on one’s perspective. But it was the sweetest torture he could imagine. Teasing her and touching her only increased his arousal to an incredible height.
“Jack, please.”
He pulled on one nipple with his fingers while he suckled the other. “Please what?” he managed while he moved his mouth to her other breast.
“I don’t know exactly.” When he pulled hard on her nipple, his lips drawing on her flesh, she cried out. “Yes.”
He reached down for the fall of her breeches. Finding the buttons, he worked to set them free. A moment later, he pushed the garment down her hips. He took a tiny step back so he could look at her nude.
He’d imagined her a thousand times like this, but the picture in his mind couldn’t compare with the reality. Her hips flared gently from her waist, and golden hair cloaked her sex. He wanted to taste her, but maybe not tonight. He assumed this was her first sexual encounter; however, maybe it wasn’t. She’d been betrothed before.
He raised his gaze to her face. “Sorry, I can’t seem to stop staring at you. You’re so beautiful.”
“It’s all right. I keep doing the same to you. Except you’restillwearing breeches.”
The frustration in her voice made him chuckle. But then he sobered. “Is this your first time?”
She nodded. “I mean, I kissed Edmund, and he touched me a—”
“Stop, please. I don’t want to hear what you and Ledbury did.”
“I’d rather talk about what you want to do to me. Can you touch me now? Please?”
She wanted to talk about it? Oh, he could talk about a hundred things he’d like to do to her. “Where would you like me to touch you?”
