Page 43 of Romancing the Heiress
Her fingertips dug into his nape and the back of his head, her hand threaded in his hair. She clung to him with the same desperation he felt for her. Or so it seemed.
He pulled his head up, panting. She was struggling for breath too. “Do you want to go?” he asked huskily, praying she would say no.
“Not on your life.”
Chapter14
“Thank God.” Phin kissed her again, his mouth claiming hers with a rough demand that she never would have imagined. This was not the sweet, generous boy she’d grown up with. This was a man driven by hunger, and she was eager to sate him.
Were they really doing this? She could hardly believe she was finally in the arms of the man she loved. He’d asked if she wanted to go. That was an invitation to stay, wasn’t it? And if they were kissing like this and she meant to stay…well, she hoped their expectations were the same.
But it was best to be sure.
She slid her hand over his ear and along his cheek and jaw, savoring the heat of his skin and the faint scrape of hair that threatened if he didn’t shave on the morrow. Moving lower, she found the knot of his cravat and loosened the folds. When he didn’t stop her, she went faster, plucking at the linen until it came free.
He reached up and tossed the cravat away before starting to unbutton his waistcoat. Hallelujah! Joy burst inside her.
This was really happening.
She helped him with the buttons, moving up from the bottom until their hands met. With the garment unfastened, she pushed it open and pressed her palms against his abdomen. He was warm and hard. She could feel the evidence of how hard he worked.
Tearing her mouth from his, she rasped, “Take your shirt off for me. Please.”
He shrugged out of his waistcoat, letting it fall heedlessly. “Since you asked so nicely.” He whipped the garment over his head and threw it away. Leaning forward, he kissed her cheek in front of her ear and dragged his tongue to her lobe before giving her a gentle nip. “You don’t really have to ask. Nicely or otherwise. Just take what you want.”
Leah shuddered. She had no experience with this, just the urge to see and touch him, and a wild throb within her that begged to be tamed and satisfied. “I’m not sure what to do,” she whispered, her hands shaking. She still couldn’t quite believe this was happening.
He swept her up and walked until she felt the worktable against the backs of her legs. “One moment.” Setting her down, he reached behind her and pushed whatever was on the table onto the floor. The sound of breaking pottery made her gasp.
“I hope that wasn’t important.”
He cupped her face. “It wasn’t you, and that’s all that matters.”
Leah nearly melted into a puddle at his feet. Luckily, he was holding her and then he was kissing her again, his lips and tongue making her body spark with desire. But he didn’t linger on her mouth. He kissed her jaw and her neck, again using his lips and tongue to create a path of fire. She clutched his shoulders and parted her lips as her breathing became more ragged.
He lifted her onto the edge of the table, which gave her an excellent view of his bare chest. She flattened her palms against his flesh, reveling in the contours of his muscles. “I can see how hard you work.” She’d imagined being close to him, touching him like this, but it did not compare to actually doing it. “Is this real?” she breathed.
“I hope so.” His hands moved down to her waist as he kissed his way to the edge of her bodice. At the same moment, his hand brushed up her side and cupped her breast. Suddenly, every sensation within her was focused right there.
Raising his hand to the center of her neckline, he hesitated. His fingers were poised just above the small string that cinched her gown tight over her undergarments. “May I?”
“You don’t have to ask either. I want everything you want.”
“I will still likely ask. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do.”
She’d always thought he was perfect, and now she had undeniable proof. “Are you going to loosen my gown or not?”
His lips spread into his familiar heart-stopping grin, but there was something more to it now. Because of the way he was looking at her. At last, he was seeing her the way she’d always seen him.
He lifted one end of the tie and snagged it between his teeth, then used his hand to pull the knot free. Tugging at the neckline so it gaped away from her chest, he skimmed his fingertips along her flesh to her left shoulder. “It fastens here?”
“Yes.” The word came out short and breathless. Her entire body was aquiver. Every touch was a new, captivating sensation.
He found the small button and slipped it free from its loop. The front drooped on that side. Deftly, he moved to the other shoulder and performed the same task. Her bodice fell open.
“Still trapped,” he said with a sigh before pressing his lips to the top of her breast.
Leah pushed her dress down so she could access the laces, which were on the front of her stays so that she could easily tighten them herself. Making quick work of them, she loosened the garment and untied the straps. Then she pushed the corset down beneath her breasts. That was as far as it would go. “Good enough?”
