Page 100 of Oddity of the Ton
“D-did you not like it?”
“I liked it very much—but I fear that if you continue, I shall spend.”
“Spend?”
“Aye, my love—and no man can call himself a gentleman if he cannot abide by the unbreakable rule of lovemaking.”
“What unbreakable rule?”
“Ladies first,” he said. “And now—I believe it’syourturn.”
He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back on the bed until she lay before him. Her thighs parted, and a flare of need pulsed in his eyes.
“My Eleanor is overdressed.”
He placed a kiss at the top of her thigh, then peeled off the stocking, following a line of kisses along her leg until he reached her toes. Then he repeated the gesture with the other stocking and paused at the top of her thighs to inhale deeply.
“Ah—the sweet,sweetscent of woman. There’s nothing in the world to compare—my delicious, clever darling.”
He crawled along the bed, covering her body with his, and nudged her thighs apart with his knee.
“At last,” he said. “You’re ready.”
She shifted her legs, and he slid between her thighs, moving slickly against her flesh, while a thick wall of pleasure pulsed deep inside her body, swelling with each heartbeat.
Dear Lord—no…
The myriad of sensations threatened to overwhelm her, and she closed her eyes, retreating into her mind, fighting the desire raging through her body.
Then he stilled.
“Eleanor,” he said, “I shall go no further until you can look at me—until I look into your eyes and see no pain.”
“Montague, I—”
“Only when you trust me completely will I take you.”
She opened her eyes. Two sapphire pools stared back at her, filled with desire. Then he smiled and began to move against her, and the tide of pleasure swelled at the delicious friction. Thepleasure began to crest, and a wave of panic rippled through her. She drew in a sharp breath and lowered her gaze.
Almost immediately he stopped. She glanced up to see him looking at her, raw agony in his eyes. His jaw bulged as if he gritted his teeth, and his whole body trembled with restraint at the spike of pleasure. Then he moved again, and she closed her eyes once more.
He stilled once more, his arms trembling as he held his body above her.
Then she understood.
He was waiting for her—to be certain of her trust, despite his own needs.
Did he show the same consideration to every woman he made love to?
“No,” he said.
Sweet Lord!She’d voiced her fears aloud.
“I’ve never shown such consideration—because this is the first time I have truly made love.”
His words shattered her fears, and she lifted her gaze to his, no longer afraid to bare her soul—and, for a moment, they simply stared at each other.
Then he thrust forward, and she felt a tight pinch between her thighs.
