He removed his shoes and waistcoat.
Her eyebrows rose.
He undid his cravat and tossed it aside. Hands back at his collar, he scanned the room for candles to snuff.
But Beth had caught on. She settled on the bed. “A show.” A clap of her hands. “All candles shall stay lit, thank you.”
He sighed in defeat and undid his shirt. As he was tugging it off, the fabric muffled his words. “Not just a show.”
He made short order of the rest of his clothes and strode to the bed. He’d thought standing in front of her would be fraught with tension and wanted to lie down, but hovering by the bed while she perused him, he realized her proximity gave her the opportunity to see more flaws. His hands fluttered. How embarrassing, on top of everything else.
Gathering his courage, he lay next to her. “’Tis an interactive reward,” he grumbled, closing his eyes in fear of what he might find in her expression.
“Oh, Robert!” Her voice was breathy.
With fear?
“Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.” She peppered kisses over his face.
Well, that was both gratifying and disappointing. He realized he’d been looking forward to her lips on his skin. He wanted his own reward for doing this.
Happy kisses of gratitude were nothing to sneeze at, however. He dared a peek.
Beth was grinning from ear to ear, running her gaze over the length of him.
His cock stirred, preening.
Her hand hovered over him, then came to rest lightly on his furred chest.
“You are magnificent.” She gave him the words he needed. “All these muscles from wrestling leather tools. These broad shoulders ready to hold me up or pin me down. This extra masculinity—” she rubbed chest hairs between her finger and thumb.
“You’re laying it on a bit thick.” His face heated.
“Hush. I told you when we first met that I preferred to form my own opinion. And I find you magnificent. Now, let’s see if you are as delicious everywhere as your cock is.”
Yes, please.
Nerves forgotten, he relaxed and lay still as she stripped and then straddled him. He focused on her gorgeous breasts so he needn’t look at her expression if it turned to distaste.
She ran her hands over every limb, humming under her breath. Her breasts dangled over him as she leaned to stroke each shoulder and he reached a hand toward them.
Slapping it down, she wagged a finger at him. “My turn.”
He smirked at her, promising payback later for that slap.
“I want to sink my teeth into these muscles.” She squeezed his biceps, then prodded at the slabs of muscle on his chest.
His waist did not narrow as the fops’ did, and he tensed as she smoothed her fingers downward.
She petted the trail of hair from the cluster across his sternum to his groin. “I adore your breadth and strength. The dandies always leave me cold. You are hard but not rigid. Unyielding yet tensile. Firm to my softness. I always feel safe from the evils of our world with you.”
Robert whooshed a breath out, her words the reassurance her fingers could not fully provide.
Those fingers stole lower, taking his cock in a firm grip. Her tone mischievous, she added, “Mmm. The same could be said for this part of you.”
He jerked in her grip, his hands reaching for her again.
She shifted back, however, hovering over his legs on her knees. Kneading his thigh muscles, she watched her fingers constrict and release, muttering, “We really must try a wall one of these days.”
