Page 33 of Seven Swans a Swimming

Nathaniel had feared intimacy, feared meeting someone he would be forced to wed, feared disappointing them.

But she knew now he could never disappoint her.

“This is all new to me, too,” Arabella said softly. “And I-I am glad. I am glad we are sharing this together.”

Nathaniel stepped across the room and pulled her into his arms, kissing her furiously, pouring all his fear into his passion.

Arabella welcomed it, welcomed him. She clung to him, kissing him just as eagerly. Her body tingled with the pleasure he washed through her, and she moaned a little as his kisses trailed down her neck toward her breasts.

“Do…do we need to be quiet here?” Arabella managed to gasp.

Nathaniel kissed her collarbone, making her quiver. “No, there are no servants in this part of the house, and it’s so old, no sound ever reaches the living quarters. We can be as unrestrained as we want.”

“Oh, God,” Arabella moaned, unable to hold it in any longer. “Then kiss me, Nathaniel, love me!”

His fingers scrabbled to the buttons down the side of her gown, and Arabella returned the favor, pulling at the cravat which had been tied most untidily. As the fabric fell to the floor, as she kicked off her shoes and pulled down her stockings, Arabella gasped. Her gown was undone. The only thing holding it up now was her arms.

Nathaniel looked at her, half afraid, half passionate.

Arabella smiled and, knowing not how this surge of confidence had overcome her, allowed her gown to fall.

He groaned aloud. “Arabella, you are so beautiful.”

Beautiful. She had never believed such a thing until this moment. Arabella flushed, looking down at her body, now only covered by a light undershift. Perhaps it was beautiful; but she was certain she would like it all the more once Nathaniel had touched it. Kissed it. Made love to it.

“Now you,” Arabella said, her throat a little dry.

Her fingers hardly managed to undo the buttons that went down Nathaniel’s waistcoat, and by the time it and his jacket was removed, she was so filled with desire, so unable to concentrate as Nathaniel’s lips once again met hers, that she simply pulled the shirt over his head in desperation. Arabella did not care.

Her fingers traced the lines of his chest, the muscles she had felt but never seen, the hair that had tantalized her at the top of his chest, which she now saw coated most of it, trailing down to…

Arabella swallowed. His breeches.

“Now you,” Nathaniel murmured.

With slightly shaking fingers, she lifted the straps of her undershift off her shoulders, pulled them out, and allowed it to fall.

She stood there, utterly naked, but Arabella felt no shame. Shame was for when one was doing something wrong, and this was not wrong. This was right. So right.

Nathaniel looked, slightly abashed, but clearly desperate to take in every inch of her. She watched as his gaze lingered at her breasts, the curls of her secret place, the way her hips flared.

“Christ,” was all he could manage.

Arabella laughed slightly, a rush of power searing through her heart. It was pleasant, rather heady, to have such power over a man. To know he was so enamored with her.

“Now…now you,” she managed to say.

It took Nathaniel less than a heartbeat to pull off his boots and pull down his breeches.

Arabella gasped. He was not wearing anything underneath.

She was not entirely sure what she had thought gentlemen had on under their breeches, but she had assumed it was something. Perhaps other gentleman did.

But not Nathaniel. There he stood, in all his glory. The hardness she had felt through the fabric of the breeches was there now, for her to see, erect and desperate for her touch.

Arabella could feel that, knew it instinctively. Before either of them could say a word, she had reached out and touched it.

Nathaniel shuddered. “Careful, or this will all be over very quickly.”

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