They need never know.
“Seven nights,” she whispered, “to teach me what I need to know? To teach me to seduce a man?”
“Yes, and to give me your company in return. Do you agree?” He angled his head the other way, mirroring her movements, not allowing her to escape his intense gaze. “Evelyn, do you agree?”
“I…” She thought fast. She could say no, but with the way the snow was beyond the windows, it was impossible to get away now regardless, and did she even want to?
I am not sure I do wish to leave.
“Yes,” she murmured.
“Then here comes our first lesson.” His eyes closed. “How to kiss.”
When he pressed his lips to hers, Evelyn quite lost track of where she was. She could have been in the library again, drunk on his kisses.
He pressed her against the wall, his body enveloping her own. Her hands clenched to his shirt, wanting him closer and closer as his kisses grew deeper. He bit her bottom lip, urging her to part her lips. When she did, he dominated the kiss, taking her tongue with his own and exploring her completely.
When his hands shifted from the wall to her waist, his fingers splaying across her corset, her own hand went to rest against his cheek.
“You’re a natural,” he whispered, pulling back from the kiss momentarily. “Now, you take control,” he breathed.
“Me?” Her eyes opened in surprise. He winked at her.
“Trust me. You take the lead.”
She did as he asked, rising on her toes and kissing him. As he had done with her, she playfully bit his lip, but not too hard. It made him open his lips, and this time, she was the one to explore. Their tongues met in a clash, and their hands grappled with one another.
One of his hands slid down to her hip, pulling her off the wall in such a way so that her hips brushed against his own. While her own hands slipped through the open flap of his shirt, desperate for a touch of his bare skin. It was warm, hard with muscle beneath. All she wanted was for that shirt to be gone.
“Kisses don’t end on lips, Evie.” His new nickname for her startled her, but she didn’t have a chance to question it. He’d moved his lips to her neck and started kissing her there. “No part of the body is off limits.”
He kissed his way up her neck and found a sweet spot beneath her ear. She tilted her head back, breathing heavily at the attention.
“Let me show you.” He suddenly moved downward.
Unprepared for what he was doing, she was sorry to lose the touch she had on his skin and was forced to hold onto his shoulders instead as he kissed down her open neckline, then across her cresting breasts above the corset. Gradually, he dropped to his knees as he worked his way down with his kisses.
Evelyn braced herself against the wall behind her, with one hand clambering to cling to the paneling to hold herself up. She was so certain he was going to repeat what they had done the night before with his fingers, and she watched him in awe.
When he finally reached his knees, one of his hands gripped to her pale thighs. His fingers danced teasingly up her thigh, near her hip, then he swept the hand down behind her knee and thrust her leg over his shoulder.
“Lean on me,” he urged. “I will not let you fall.”
Evelyn was in a strange position of half leaning on the wall, half leaning on him, and still having one foot on the floor. She held her breath, waiting for the touch of his fingers, but it didn’t come.
The second touch Evelyn ever knew on her core was from Rafe’s lips. He kissed her center, and Evelyn was so shocked that a gasp fell from her lips as stray locks of hair fell across her face. Where shock first was, pleasure soon followed. He was attentive with those kisses, starting small with gentle laps of his tongue, then he grew bolder. He struck such buds of nerves with his attention that Evelyn could not stand still. Her hand scrambled on the paneling behind her, and she halted herself, stopping her body from rocking into his lips and wanting more of it.
“I didn’t… know…” She panted through her gasps. “This was even a thing!”
“That’s what I’m here for.” He lifted his lips off her momentarily, and for a short second, she regretted speaking at all! “As I said, every part of the body can be kissed, Evie. It can be adored.”
He returned his attentions to her, only this time, it wasn’t just his lips and tongue. As he kissed a bud of nerves outside of her, he shifted his hand from her hip and entered her with his fingers. The dual pleasure had her overcome.
Within seconds, she tilted her head back against the paneling, as the overwhelming pleasure she had known the night before struck her hard. If anything, it was stronger this time. She closed her eyes, stars dancing in that darkness and lighting it up in the most beautiful way, while her body tightened with a pleasurable coil. The release was unbelievable. Her nails dug into his shoulders as he scarcely stopped his attentions to her but rode out her wave.
When her body was weak and she struggled to stand, his hands released her and gripped her waist, pulling her down from the wall and down with him. They ended up on the floor together, with her body straddling his. Breathlessly, she stared at him, looking at the smile on his face.
He seemed much happier now, more at ease and at peace than when he had first stumbled into her chamber all pent up.
