Oh, God.So, this is a kiss…
CHAPTER9
Elizabeth felt as if she had stepped off a high cliff and was endlessly falling. James’s mouth was spicy and sultry, flavored with a woodsy hint of whisky. Every sense felt heightened, and her skin quivered with almost unbearable sensitivity. The muted strains of the orchestra and laughter faded. All her awareness was contracted to the sensual softness of his mouth against hers, the sinuous, slick dance of their tongues evoking a molten heat between her thighs and sparking flames under her skin.
She clutched at James’s shoulders, moaning her delight. He swallowed the sound, thrusting his fingers in her hair, kissing her even deeper. Elizabeth was aware that one of his hands still spanned her throat, and there was something deeply … erotic yet perilous about the way he held her. He broke their kiss, and she lifted trembling fingers to her mouth, which felt bruised.
Oh, God, this is happening.
Her entire body shook with nerves, alarm, and anticipation. It felt wild and reckless and something entirely forbidden. Young ladies did not act so with men known to be rogues and rakes. Only Elizabeth had never felt like this, and she wanted this moment to stay with her, for within the storm of chaotic sensations, she felt gloriously alive. Something about the Duke of Basil filled her with an aching sense of breathlessness and apprehension.
“You are dangerous to a lady like me,” she said shakily.
“Of course I am.”
She lifted her fingers and touched the corner of his mouth. “No denial or subtle persuasion to say otherwise?”
“I deplore deception.”
The breath hitched inside her throat. “That is to say you will always be honest with me?”
“Yes.”
“I will be honest with you as well, James.” Elizabeth was silent for a few beats, then she said softly, “I wanted you to make me feel fireworks.”
“You remembered our conversation?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice achingly soft.
He made no other reply, and when he spanned her waist, lifted her, and walked deeper into the hidden alcove, Elizabeth lowered her forehead to his chest. She clasped James’s shoulders, gasping when he leaned her against something cool, a stone sculpture perhaps, nudged her legs indecently wide and lowered her so she straddled his body. Elizabeth could feel the muscle of his thigh against her sex, and the piercing sensation that he provoked pulled a restless sound from her throat. “James …” she breathed softly.
“Have you taken a lover before, Elizabeth?”
“You sound hopeful that I might have.”
James brushed his fingertips along the curve of her throat, that feel of his fingers sliding over her skin sent her pulse racing.
“I badly want to spread this sweet cunt of yours open with my cock.”
Sharp spikes of sensation shot down to her core, all because of his low, evocative words.
“However, I am not the kind of lover for an innocent,” he said with soft regret, gently touching the corner of her mouth with a thumb.
Elizabeth’s thoughts raced, and she shifted her legs to hook them behind his calf muscle lest he thought about moving away.
“How do you know it is sweet?” she whispered, knowing she had to be provocative, or he might resist her.
A charged stillness followed, and then he laughed, the sound low and appreciative. “It?”
She bit her bottom lip, understanding what he wanted. Her blushes and shyness would serve no purpose between them. Elizabeth wanted something inexplicable, and somehow, she knew it would only be found with the Duke of Basil. She slipped her hands up his shoulders and around his nape. He gripped her hips and dragged her along his thigh until they were almost positioned hip to hip. Weakness invaded her limbs, and her entire body heated. She could feel the pulsing hardness of his erection.
“Mycunt, James, how do you know it is sweet? Should you not find out for yourself?”
He slipped a hand over her throat in another tender clasp, arched her neck and dragged his mouth over her exposed skin, sucking at her flesh. Hot thrills of pleasure scythed through her body.
“Know what to expect of me as your lover,” he murmured. “If it is too much for you, say no. I will step back and discreetly escort you inside. Do you understand, Elizabeth?”
“Yes.”
