Page 48 of The Secret Desire of a Fiery Lady

He had taken her by surprise when he had questioned her about her life. It had seemingly come out of nowhere. He was suspicious that she was lying about who she was. And she had made it even worse by lying again. For a brief moment, she had contemplated telling him the truth, laying it all at his feet, but something had stopped her.

Perhaps it was fear that he would be angry and not want anything to do with her ever again. Or perhaps her instinct for self-preservation was stronger than anything…even her love for him.

She loved him. But she didn’t necessarily trust him.

However, she had believed him when he said he would keep control and not take her maidenhead. He didn’t want any consequences of their passion to follow him to Bradford. He didn’t love her. He’d had ample opportunity to assure her when she had questioned him about his intentions, and he hadn’t. The best he had been able to give her was that he cared about her.

But she loved him. And suddenly, having even a small piece of him like this was enough. Itmustbe enough, for she would get no more from him.

Desire was overtaking her as he kept suckling at her breast, causing fierce shooting sparks to consume her body. She felt a sweet trickling moistness in her most intimate area, which increased to a flood. She sighed with delight, clawing the bed harder, slowly being transported to heaven once again.

His mouth left the nipple, trailing to the other one. When he clamped his lips around it, drawing it deep, she gave a small cry. His tongue flickered over it, teasing it, before suckling again. The combination was driving her crazy.

She felt his male hardness, taut and straining through the fabric of his britches. Her curiosity got the better of her. She reached down, stroking it through the material. It was as tight as a drum and seemed to be pulsing with life.

The effect was immediate. He stiffened, groaning in his throat, bucking against her. She was both alarmed and thrilled by the power she had over him. She kept stroking, slipping her hand in to feel the flesh. It was hot, stiff, and leapt beneath her touch.

He gave an agonised groan, his mouth leaving her nipple. He gazed up at her with fierce eyes, before slowly moving down her body. The action caused her to lose contact with him. He was trailing hot kisses down her abdomen. Then he gently prised her legs open, before ducking his head to the very core of her, burying it within the soft folds.

Delia gasped in shock as she felt his warm tongue against her hot flesh. He was licking and lapping at her like a cat at a bowl of cream. The sensation was immediate and electric. A fierce shudder went through her body, and she bucked on the bed, twisting her head from side to side. She had never felt anything like it before.

Suddenly, she felt his mouth close over her small nub, and he was suckling at her just as he had at her breast. It was both incredible and alarming. Fierce shafts of sensation started pulsing through her body. A hot flush rose up, consuming her entire body and face. She was literally on fire, feeling like she might explode at any moment.

She closed her eyes in ecstasy, giving herself over to the experience. She was on the same divine journey as when he had caressed her against the tree, but it was as if it was accelerated. The sensations were far more intense than before. She was climbing towards the peak, step by step, to such a dizzying height that she thought she might fall off the edge of the world entirely.

“Oh,” she gasped, twisting her body. “Oh….”

Suddenly, it swept over her in ferocious crashing waves, flooding through her body. She gripped the bed, unable to stop herself from crying out with ecstasy. It went on and on, over and over, until she almost couldn’t bear it. He never let up for an instant.

Slowly, her hips fell back to the bed. She was gasping, panting, overcome. Her eyes slowly opened, and she was staring at the ceiling in confusion. She started to focus again but was only vaguely aware when he drew away from her.

He slid up the bed, taking her gently in his arms, intently watching her face. She was still hot and flushed, and she didn’t know what she looked like. She felt his hardness against her, strong and insistent. She realised suddenly how hard it must be for him to not indulge himself and take his own pleasure, which surely must be as strong as what she felt.

“You are beyond beautiful,” he said in a throaty whisper, his eyes never leaving her face. “I think feeling your pleasure envelop you beneath my lips was surely the most sensual moment of my life, Delia.”

“Really?” she whispered, overcome.

He nodded. “Yes. I am not lying. I haveneverfelt such desire for a woman before.”

She nestled into his arms as her breathing started to return to normal. “It must be hard for you to deny yourself,” she whispered, her heart beating hard.

He laughed softly. “It is. But I am willing to do it for you.” He reached over, slowly stroking her face. “Giving you pleasure must be enough for me. It is truly a luxury to have you in my arms. I know how conflicted you are about it. So, thank you.”

She smiled slowly. “It is me who should thank you, Ambrose. I never dreamt that such pleasure existed. It is a revelation to me.”

He softly trailed a finger down her face. His eyes darkened. “I knew you were a sensuous woman from the first moment I laid eyes upon you.”

Delia bit her lip, feeling herself blush. Was she a sensuous woman? She hardly knew. She had never contemplated what it took to be such a woman. Her entire focus had been on romantic love—the kind of romantic love that existed in the novels she read. But outside of them, she had little idea what any of it entailed. She had never been in love before, nor had she ever felt desire for a man.

She exhaled slowly. The power and force of desire had been the most surprising thing. The extreme reaction of her body to his was simply out of her control. But she realised now that it was part and parcel of her love for him—they were intertwined and couldn’t be separated. She knew she could never feel this extreme desire for any other man, no matter how handsome, charming or attractive they were.

Ambrose Hartfield was the only man for her. He was the only man who could evoke this intense desire within her and garner this response from her body. She belonged to him.

Her heart twisted. But it seemed like he would never belong to her. And that was the tragedy of the whole thing.

***

Ambrose slipped out of the room, glancing left and right. There was no one in the hallway. The music from the main room of the inn drifted up the stairs, along with shouts of laughter and bursts of applause. He prayed that everyone was having such a good time downstairs that they hadn’t even noticed that he and Delia had vanished.

---