“Why?”
“Because someone has to know what to do, or the entire situation will be a disaster.”
He was trying not to smile as he said it, and that made her grin. “That is very naughty, you know.”
He laughed softly. “Not as naughty as I can be.”
She frowned. “What do you mean?”
He could see she hadn’t a clue what he meant. Reaching up a big hand, he cupped her head and pulled her down to his lips.
“Let me show you,” he whispered.
Gently, he kissed her cheek, so sweetly that Elle felt lightheaded. That kiss was followed by another kiss to the cheek, to the ear, to the jaw, to the neck. Each successive kiss made her feel giddier and giddier. When he finally turned her head slightly and kissed her soft mouth, Elle thought she might faint. This was no wrinkly old man with foul breath. This was a powerful, handsome, virile knight. An English knight. Could a man’s touch truly be this wonderful?
She quickly decided that she would let him show her.
This was all part of opening her eyes and letting the world in. It was part of understanding that there were people out there who were kind and gentle. Once Curtis touched her with his big, warm hands, she wanted more. It was a glimpse into somethingshe’d never had, but something she was coming to want. She wanted to experience it all. For once, she wanted to be touched and loved. She wanted Curtis’ hands upon her.
It felt like the most natural thing in the world.
The fighting was over. The hatred was gone. Curtis was kissing her now, taking the dominant position and forcing her back onto the mattress as he unfastened the ties on her shift. She could feel his hands on her waist, yanking loose the ties as his kisses grew feverish. She was breathing so heavily, trying to catch her breath between heated kisses, but instinctively, she moved to help him. All she knew was that there was a fire building in her body that she had no control over. It was a shocking realization.
Every time Curtis kissed her, the fire grew.
Her shift went over her head and she was nude against his naked flesh. This wasn’t anything like her time spent with Cadwalader. She’d shuddered with disgust at every touch, but Curtis ignited a roaring blaze. Once her shift came free, his mouth left hers, seeking her neck and points farther south. He was kissing the swell of her bosom with heated lips.
The wildfire raged.
This was something she could learn to crave. He left her bosom and moved to her belly, kissing and suckling the flesh, and Elle heard herself groan in delight. He dragged his tongue over her rib cage, under her breasts, before finally capturing a tender nipple in his mouth.
Lightning struck.
Elle came alive in his arms, gasping and bucking beneath him, hardly realizing he had pulled her legs apart to settle some of his weight between them. She had her hands on his blond head, experiencing his mouth on her breasts with the utmost delight. Nothing Cadwalader had done to her came close to this, and she began to see what the excitement was about. Soldiersand servants seemed to speak freely of coupling, and she’d never understood the allure. Now, she did. Legs spread wide, she gave herself over to Curtis completely.
His fingers moved to the junction between her legs. When Cadwalader had touched her there, however briefly, she recoiled. But she wasn’t recoiling from Curtis. His fingers were stroking her, touching her in a way that made her entire body quiver. Curtis suckled strongly on her right breast as he plunged a finger into her, acquainting her with his intimate touch. But Elle didn’t want to simply be acquainted with it—she wanted to know all of it. If this were coupling as it was meant to be, she realized what she’d been missing out on.
Her nubile body was prepared for him, her woman’s center swollen and primed for his entry. The next thing Elle realized, his weight came down on her and he was thrusting into her gently, full and hot and hard. With a gasp, she rose to meet him, winding her legs around his hips and pulling him in deeper. Curtis’ mouth covered hers, suckling her, kissing her deeply, as he tightened his buttocks and thrust into her again and again, a steady rhythm building. When their loins came together, that fire burning inside of Elle sparked brilliantly every time.
“Oh… God,” she breathed. “Naughty… Is this naughty?”
Curtis laughed low in his throat, nearly fracturing his concentration. But not quite. He was on fire also.
“I told you that I would show you,” he said, biting gently at her lower lip.
She gasped again as he ground his pelvis against hers. “Swear to me,” she whispered. “This—you—is only for me. This belongs to me.”
That seemed to feed his lust. “Until I die,” he murmured in her ear. “I shall belong to you and only you. And you shall belong to me.”
She nodded her head, wrapping her arms around his neck as he plunged deeply into her, causing sparks to fly. After a few such deep thrusts, she felt an explosion in her loins the likes of which she had never experienced before. Nothing Cadwalader had ever done to her could come close. Tremors radiated throughout her body, and she cried out, clutching at Curtis and driving her nails into his flesh.
Dazed, she lay there gasping as Curtis continued thrusting until he took one hard, final push and she heard him grunt. She could feel his male member inside her twitching as he released his seed. Elle continued to lie there, in a stupor, her arms around his neck, holding on to him so tightly that she was afraid to let him go. Afraid this moment was only a dream and she would awaken alone in a world that was as cold and sorrowful as she was.
Was.
She wasn’t any longer.
All wrapped up around Curtis’ heated body, Elle began to weep. She didn’t know why, but silent tears came and wouldn’t stop. They flowed down her face, touching his flesh as he lay there and held her. She was weeping because never in her life had she ever known such closeness, such warmth, or such care.
