Page 62 of Love Denied

“Word of Daniel’s death reached me the next day. It was release from hell, this family obligation. At least, I thought it was, until I got home.” He snorted. “Hell has been losing you.”

She raised her head and shifted forward, feeling for his lips, tracing them with her fingers, then brushing hers softly against them. She pulled back, wishing she could see his face. “You haven’t lost me. Have never lost me. I’ve always been here. Waiting for you.”

She leaned in and pulled his bottom lip into her mouth, sucking sensuously, her moan a mixture of mourning for his losses and the joy of tasting him once again. He groaned in response. She pushed the sheet fully off and crawled on top of him, luxuriating in skin upon skin. After Nicholas had left her at the folly, she’d known he would need her. She had not gone back to Stratton. Instead, she’d sent a missive to Sadie, telling her to join Catherine in the morning. There were no amenities in the room. Sadie having followed Catherine’s direction strictly, everything had been quickly removed to Stratton Hall. So she’d undressed herself and slid under the covers as God had made her.

Nicholas’s hands roved her body, cupping her buttocks, pulling her close. His erection pressed against her abdomen, and she squirmed in response. He groaned into her hair as he thrust against her.

Her body responded. Emboldened by his need and her own, she reached between them, grasping him firmly. This was the game they’d played before he’d left for the continent, and she was familiar with the feel of him in her hand. His silken flesh shifted over his hard length, and she crested it with her thumb. A shiver ran through his body.

“Catherine?”

She couldn’t see him but recognized his need and knew for certain he wanted her. She kissed his nose, then licked a slow path down its slope, over its peak, to his lips. She teased with soft kisses before deepening them, pulling at his tongue as though her life depended on it. Her body responded in anticipation.

He shifted quickly, and she was beneath him instantly. He groped frantically, then oddly calmed, leisurely tracing a path, his fingers feeding the flame already ignited. “You want this. You want me.”

“Only you, Nicholas. Only you. It’s only ever been you. Surely you know that in your heart.”

He stilled for a second, then entered her. She bit back tears as he took her. This was how it should be. How she’d dreamed it would be. He was relentless. Emotion and desire overwhelmed her, and she struggled to catch her breath. Finally he slowed, his rhythm methodical and tantalizing, release just out of her grasp.

“You,” he said and thrust again. “Kept me sane.” He dove deeply. “You.” He pushed several times, and her body fought to keep him close. “If I did not have you, I might have lost my mind. Lost my mind and given up like Dan—” He choked, then gave one last forceful thrust.

She pulled him close as he let go. She didn’t join him in his release. Instead, she held him tight, keeping him safe, a haven in the storm of his emotions. He lay heavily upon her, his breathing deepening. She stroked his damp back. Nicholas was finally, truly home.

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