Page 29 of Impassioned
“I’ll do it.” Closing her eyes, she whipped it over her head before she lost all semblance of courage.
When she finally opened her eyes, it was to see him staring at her, his eyes slitted. She couldn’t read his expression. Perhaps she should have let him take the garment off as he’d requested.
The urge to cover herself with her hands was great, but she summoned the steel that Evie had said she possessed to stand straight. She might quiver, but she would not bend.
“May I touch you?” He’d asked her permission on every occasion. As with each time before, she murmured in the affirmative. Unlike their prior encounters, however, her shivers were not entirely due to apprehension. Now that her body knew there could be pleasure, there was a nudge of anticipation.
He touched her hair, his fingers gliding over the locks before he gently tugged on a curl. She hadn’t expected that and let out a soft gasp.
“I’ve never seen your hair down.” His voice was soft and captivating. It settled her a bit, and she wondered if this time might truly be different.
“I hadn’t braided it yet.”
“It’s…lovely.You’relovely.” His gaze dropped, leaving no question as to what he was looking at. Her. He was looking ather.
Again, she wanted to wrap a hand over her breasts, but she resisted. She did not, however, stop herself from moving one hand in front of her sex.
He met her eyes. “Are you certain you want me to stay?”
She moved her arm back to her side. “Yes.”
There was a long moment in which they only looked at each other. She suspected he was waiting to see if she would change her mind. She had to be clear, to make a move.
Hardly any space separated them, but it was enough for her to take a small step. Her breasts didn’t quite touch his chest, but her nipples tightened at his proximity.
He bent his head and kissed her cheek, his lips soft and gentle against her. Sabrina closed her eyes, both because it was easier and because she wanted to focus on the feel of him instead of the anxiety of what was to come.
His lips moved to her jaw before descending to her neck with whisper-silk kisses that barely teased her flesh. He clasped her nape, his touch light, while his other hand skimmed from her shoulder down over her breast. When his palm stroked over her nipple, she bit her lower lip as sensation rippled through her and bloomed in her sex.
However, his hand didn’t linger on her breast. He continued downward, grazing her belly, until his knuckles swept along her curls. Her breath snagged, and her muscles tensed. In the past, he’d stroked her there—soft, surface brushes before he positioned his sex at her opening.
But he was still clothed from the waist down, and they were standing up. Sabrina struggled to imagine what he would do in this position, but she’d seen drawings of couples having sex standing up in the book Evie had given her. Perhaps her lack of imagination was because her thoughts were consumed with the very real things that were happening right now instead of possibilities.
When his fingertips slid across her folds, she jerked. He withdrew his hands from her but didn’t step back.
Sabrina opened her eyes. “I didn’t mean to do that.”
“I can stop.” He’d offered that too on many occasions, and she’d never once asked him to.
She shook her head. “Please continue.”
He didn’t resume touching her. “Do you want to get on the bed?”
“Yes.” Then she wouldn’t be able to feel her legs shake. She went around to the side and slid onto the coverlet where she reclined against the pillows.
He joined her on the bed, his pantaloons still fastened, and moved between her legs. “Have I ever hurt you?” he asked, surprising her.
“No. I mean, the first time was uncomfortable, but that is to be expected.”
“I know you wanted to go more slowly, but perhaps we should move this along tonight. With an orgasm.” A faint smile swept across his mouth, and she tried to relax her body into the mattress.
He was different too. He was always in control of himself—ruthlessly so—but she sensed something else. She just wasn’t sure what it was. Perhaps it was the discussion of orgasms. A giggle threatened to burst forth, but she held it back.
Leaning down, he brushed his mouth over hers. Once, twice, a third time, and with each pass, she felt a tug of desire in her belly. He kissed down her throat again as his hand lightly caressed the outer edge of her breast.
The contact jolted her, making her gasp again. He hesitated, and she wished she could stop deterring him with the sounds she was making. Intent on staying quiet, she clamped her teeth together and gathered the coverlet in her hands, gripping the fabric.
He touched her again, stroking her in a circle, his fingertip barely touching her nipple. Sabrina squeezed her eyes closed.
