Page 74 of Tender Blackguard

Though his sensual need had been satiated by the greatest pleasure he’d ever known, his thoughts were restless and troubling. In the quiet sanctuary of his bed, with Lark wrapped so trustingly in his arms, he analyzed the truths of his life. Those he’d inherited from his ill-fated parents and those he’d formed while traveling—running from his origins. He thought over the words Lark had spoken this very night. Her assurance and confidence. Her steadfast faith in him.

Just recalling the conviction in her dark gray eyes made his chest tighten. But he didn’t know if it was from acceptance or denial. Didn’t know if he could ever see himself as she did. Not after so many years of believing himself to be tainted past any personal redemption.

But wasn’t that exactly what this quest against the brotherhood was all about? It was based on a need for justice and vengeance, but wasn’t it also a battle to redeem his own soul? To prove himself to be in direct opposition to everything his father stood for?

And yet he was going to willingly and knowingly bring Lark into their depraved circle. That in itself was proof that he wasn’t a man of honor. He was but a villain with a noble purpose. And after this was all over, the noble purpose would be no more.

And where would that leave him?

He didn’t realize that his dark thoughts had been translating through his muscles and bones until the woman in his arms squirmed in protest at his tightening hold. He immediately relaxed but it was too late. Her eyelashes fluttered against his skin as she shifted and stretched against him.

The sinuous movement scattered his focus, leaving only one thought behind. One need. One primitive desire.

Palming her rear, he rolled to his back, bringing her with him to sprawl atop his prone form. Her thighs fell open over his hips, and her breasts plumped against his chest as she tried to lift herself to her elbows. Alastair refused to allow it and grasped her wrists in his hands before stretching them up over his head. Though she lay on top, she was effectively his captive.

And by the light flickering intently in her eyes, she was not opposed to the partially submissive position. She trailed her desirous gaze over his features, and the softness in her expression made his heart stutter. But when her tongue swept over her bottom lip, that tender organ stopped dead.

With a ragged groan, he lifted his head and claimed that glistening bottom lip with his teeth, tugging it gently before drawing it into his mouth. She responded by tilting her head and opening her mouth to him. Their tongues danced wildly about, seeking, tasting, claiming.

Releasing her wrists, he reached down to grab her hips. Then he moved her against his hardening length. Just a gentle rocking at first. But as her breath shortened with renewed passion and she adjusted her position to tuck her knees up along his sides, he lost control. His grip tightened and he moved her hips in a punishing rhythm. The heat and wetness of her sex slid with erotic torment along his erection, bringing him shockingly close to climax before he issued a harsh groan and stopped the blissful torture by holding her still atop him.

But she would not be denied.

Pressing her hands to his shoulders, she rose up to sit straddling his hips. The sight was simple perfection. The modest curve of her hips was accentuated by her spread thighs cradling his body between them. Her slim torso met the gentle swell of her breasts, tipped with dusky, plump nipples that begged for his tongue. And her shoulders held a proud angle, as did her chin as she looked down at him from beneath a sultry sweep of lashes.

“I’m entirely at your mercy.” The words were thick and raw. They slid from his lips unbidden. He hadn’t meant to confess such an intimate and vulnerable truth. But when her lips curled into a naughty little smile and anticipation flared in her gaze, he decided the reward might be worth the risk.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” she whispered huskily.

A soft hum rolled in her throat as she smoothed her hands over his chest before reaching along his arms, gently forcing them up over his head in a position similar to the one he’d used on her. Except this time, her hands were free to explore.

And she did.

Brushing her fingertips first over the tension in his brow, then down the slope of his nose to his lips. She seemed inordinately fascinated by the shape of his mouth as she traced the outline before using her thumb to draw his lower lip down. Then she leaned forward to slip her tongue past his teeth in a quick, teasing taste.

His groan was half growl as she rose again, leaving him hungering for a deeper mating. But she wasn’t nearly finished with her exploration.

Her fingertips drifted next to the pulse at the base of his throat, then down to circle one flat nipple before scraping the edge of her nail over the other. The hiss of his breath at the sensation drew another smile to her lips and inspired her to test his endurance further.

Using only her fingernails now, she softly scratched down the center of his abdomen to where the swollen head of his erection lay against his belly. He tensed from head to toe, closing his eyes and holding his breath as he anticipated the delicate scrape of her fingernail across his sensitive tip.

Still, he was unprepared for it when it came. The intricate dance of pleasure and pain shocked his nerves, jolting his system, causing his hips to buck beneath her. And that caused a moment of gorgeous friction between their intimate flesh.

Her gasp mingled with his groan as he fought the urge to reach for her. To roll her beneath him and plunge into her.

Rising up on her knees, she lifted her weight from his groin. For a moment, he thought she might leave him and he took a ragged breath to protest. But she was just repositioning herself lower on his thighs.

He opened his eyes to see her staring down at him with a look of wonder and lust.

His cock throbbed in response, bumping against his belly and drawing a soft hum from her throat.

She reached for him then, encircling him in the warmth of her touch. Her thumbs explored the shape of his ridged tip before her grip tightened and slid down to his base. Gentle fingers cupped his balls then trailed up and down his length, learning the shape of him, testing his weight.

And as she stared intently at what she was doing to his body, he stared intently at her face. The fascination and rising passion displayed in her features, the increasing breathlessness and longing in her gaze had him nearly exploding in her hands. He clenched his teeth and fisted his hands in the pillow above his head. He arched his neck and breathed harshly through his nose.

But all the while he watched her. He couldn’t stop soaking in the pleasure she received from touching him. Exploring and discovering him.

Until it finally got to be too much.

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