She stood and took his spectacles from him, crossing the room to the small dresser that sat opposite the bed.
Matthew watched her, heart in his throat. Clad only in her delicate underthings, she still moved with the graceful self-assurance of a clever and powerful woman in her prime. With his vision blurred, her chemise appeared ethereal, almost angelic. Matthew wished to slide the thin garment from her shoulders, to expose more of that neck, of her beautiful back.
The spectacles knocked softly on the wooden surface as she set them down.
“Have you never considered yourself, Doctor?”
Of course he had. Matthew was well aware of how people regarded him; some women would offer surmising smiles but nothing more, while vain men looked upon him with contempt and hostility, eager to challenge him and prove their worth to themselves. But he’d always done his best to escape notice, to avoid the easy romances and self-serving altercations. It was no way to live, defining oneself by the luck of one’s corporeal form; after all, he had never asked to grow so tall, for his shoulders to widen or his arms to thicken as they had.
“I…” he began, then swallowed thickly before changing his tack. “Humility is a scarce virtue.”
“Perhaps because most have no use for it.” Her voice betrayed a hint of that beautiful smile. “I certainly don’t.”
With her back to him, she reached up for her hair and withdrew one pin, then another, and still another. Her hair fell, lock by lock, cascading down her shoulders.
Matthew could bear it no more.
He closed the distance between them, heart pounding, and seized her, burying his face in the space where her neck met her shoulder.
Lady Caplin gasped. She pushed back into him with the same sudden urgency.
He clawed at her corset, fumbling with the laces as he kissed her neck. After a minute that felt an eternity, he tugged it off and spun her about. He was overwhelmed by the need to devour her, to feel her skin against every inch of his. Matthew gathered her into his arms and took her mouth again. And again. Had he ever before lost his head like this? His body felt both light and heavy, his mind filled with poetry as he caressed her all over.
She moaned as he palmed her chest, grinding back into him. It wasn’t enough. He needed more.
Blood coursed through him, strengthening him. He felt like an enhanced version of himself, every sense heightened. With a low growl, he lifted the chemise and slid one hand under, relishing in the soft curves of her waist, the weight of her breast. Fuck, the things he wanted to do with her.
Emboldened, he snaked his other hand around her, ghosting over her drawers.
Lady Caplin gasped.
Chapter Sixteen
“Would you like this?”he murmured against her hair.
Cressida nodded. Every moment felt lush, rich, drawn-out… she dared not speak and break the spell.
He kissed the top of her head, one hand teasing at her hardened nipple. The other continued to stroke along the slit in her drawers, gradually increasing in pressure.
“Are you quite sure?” he rumbled devilishly.
“Of course I am,” she said, grabbing his wrist, halting the torment. “If you’ll recall…” She pushed his hand back down, past her curls, until his fingers lay atop her lips. “I believe I’ve fancied you removing my underthings from the moment I first saw you.”
He froze. “Is that true?”
“Of course it is,” she hissed, bucking against him impatiently.
He chuckled, but Cressida allowed it, for at least he slid his thick fingers within, then his thumb. She sighed happily, writhing back against him. She relaxed into him, his thumb circling the center of her pleasure while two fingers dipped inside, and he began to build into a pleasant rhythm.
“I doubt the same could be said for you,” she added, her tension building. She bit back a moan as she glanced down to appreciate the sight of his hands feeling her underneath her chemise, fucking her underneath her drawers.
“Why do you say that?”
Goodness, had his voice always sounded this delicious?
“I nearly had to beg you to accept my affec—oh, Doctor.” Her breath hitched and she breathed, “Just like that, please.”
Cressida allowed her eyes to flutter closed. She felt so hot, so tense. And his voice was so rough, but oh, did she adore it. If only she’d known he’d be like this, she’d have pursued him more aggressively.
