“Because I was hard as iron.” He tweaked her nipples, tearing a moan from her lips. “It took a good scrubbing, and all mymental discipline, to get my cockstand to subside, knowing you were watching me.”
His fingers teased her nipples, driving her mad with want. Turnaround was fair play. She wiggled her bottom against him. “It doesn’t feel like it subsided at all.”
“It never stays down for long around you.”
She smiled with all the feminine power that statement imparted. It emboldened her to take the next step. Give in to the temptation that had been simmering in her mind. Turning within his embrace, she pushed him back and wiggled down his body, kissing his neck, his chest. He helped her maneuver, always attuned to her needs.
Her chemise rucked around her hips, exposing her legs and bottom as she continued to slide down his body. Kai lifted himself from the bed, his abdomen contracting as he braced himself on his elbows to watch her.
“Esther, what are—” His sentence dissolved into a groan as she closed her lips around his cock.
She hummed in pleasure, exploring its shape, running her tongue over the edge of the flared tip, teasing the little patch of rougher texture at the underside of its head.
He grunted, falling backward onto the pillows as if his arms couldn’t hold him up anymore. She had done that to him. He was all power and sleek strength, yet she, who had no physical power at all, had him under her control with her hands, her mouth. It was a heady feeling. It was glorious.
She had heard about this act years ago, when she still moved around in society. It had sounded intriguing, but she had not understood how a woman could find pleasure in that. Now she knew. Every groan he emitted. Every involuntary tightening of his muscles. Every jerk of his rod in her mouth ratcheted her pleasure.
When his hand grabbed her hair and commanded her head, she moaned as a rush of moisture soaked her intimate parts. He guided her with his hands, with the undulation of his hips. She took everything he offered, and more. She was greedy, insatiable. Wanting it all. The tightening of his muscles announced it was near. She redoubled her efforts, sucking, caressing. She was ready, so ready. Any moment now…
He yanked his cock out of her mouth with a wet smack, holding her head away.
“Stop. Wait,” he panted.
No! Not again. She wanted him to fall apart in her mouth. Wanted to taste his release.
“Why do you always interrupt me? Am I not doing it right?” she pouted.
The sound he made wasn’t quite a laugh, more like a grunt of disbelief. “On the contrary. It feels sublime. But I’m about to lose control—”
“Then let go. Lose control. Release.” Her voice was lower. Sultry. She barely recognized herself in the seductive tones. But this new persona felt right.
“Esther, I can’t release in your mouth.” His voice was tortured now, his gaze frantic, as if fighting a losing battle with himself.
“Why not?”
“Because you are a lady—”
“I’m a woman. And right now, I’m desperate for a taste of my man.”
He muttered something in Chinese that she thought might be a curse or a plea. Or maybe an acknowledgment of surrender, because grabbing his cock with his other hand, he presented it to her, easing her hold on her hair so she could move closer and take it.
This time, she gave no quarter. Allowed no retreat. And received her reward when, with a groan, he surrendered. Warmliquid exploded in her mouth, but she was ready. More than ready. Without pause, she swallowed it all, staying with him until the last tremors left his body and he opened his eyes again to gaze at her. High color tinted his cheeks.
“I can’t believe I did that. How are you?” His tone was cautious, as if she were a porcelain doll that might shatter.
She smiled with female satisfaction and licked her lips for good measure. “Never better.”
“Minx.”
Maybe she was. She felt wanton, bold, seductive. Today she had taken the initiative, had claimed some power. She had conquered her indomitable lover, and his sensual surrender made her feel powerful.
CHAPTER 16
TheSSChinaglidedinto New York Harbor eleven days after departing Liverpool. Esther sat by the rail, the salty wind tangling strands of her hair as she gazed upon the bustling waterfront. The city rose before her, a jagged silhouette of brick and stone against the sky, the masts of docked ships swaying like a forest of wooden spires.
The voyage had been an enchanted time, a perfect oasis of togetherness with Kai. She felt so much closer to him. In some ways, she wished she could extend the journey, but in other ways, the sight of land relieved her. They had made it. Tomorrow, she would continue her treatment. Soon, she might walk again.
Oh, she did not deceive herself that the path there would be easy or without challenges. It would take all the strength she had. But today marked a new beginning for her, and she would give it her all. For her daughter. For herself…and for Kai.
