I forced my attention to Bill, trying to ignore the warmth of Henry’s breath brushing the inside of my thigh through the fabric of my trousers.
‘Yes, of course.’ I aimed for a professional tone, but it came out far too high-pitched. ‘I’ll be with you in just a few moments.’
Henry’s hands slid around my arse, tugging me against his face. The grazing of his thumbs over my hips had me reaching forward to grip the table.
I all but forgot how to speak as he slowly kissed my thighs, grazing over the front of my trousers as he alternated sides. Mr Petersen kept talking, blissfully oblivious of the sinner beneath the table, explaining something about how one of the kids had her hat eaten by one of the reindeer.
I nodded along, hoping he didn’t hear the squeak I gave when Henry kissed me rightthere. Heat engulfed me between the thighs as I saw stars. It had been far, far too long since I’d had someone there. If only he’d yank down my trousers and let me feel his tongue.
‘You alright there?’ Bill asked.
‘God, yes,’ I sighed, before catching the throaty way I said it. ‘I mean, yes. Thank you. I’ll be with you in a moment.’
Henry’s fingers stroked higher, arching my hips to give his mouth more access to me. His lips teased through the material. The fact that he didn’t stop when someone came in sent mixed signals to my body. I should push him off. Tell him to stop. But it only heightened my need. Made tingles sweep through me.
Mercifully, Mr Petersen excused himself and left the orangery. I braced a hand on the edge of the workbench, trying to find some words.
‘Henry, what the hell do you think you’re doing?’
He rose slowly, his hands skimming the entirety of my rear as he did. When he finally stood in front of me again, he spun us around, pinning me against the bench, pure hunger marking his face. Being caged by him only had me all the more desperate for more of his delicious touch.
‘What I’m doing,’ he said, his voice deep and gravelly, ’is giving you exactly what you came looking for. You asked me to kiss you. You didn’t say where.’
‘You can’t just do that sort of thing.’
‘Yes, I can.’ He slid a hand into my hair before tightening his grip, painfully tipping my face to his. The ache took my breath away, the heady mixture of pain and pleasure sharpening the lust pooling between my thighs. ‘Because you want it. Don’t you?’
You bet you’re sweet arse I did.
Then he kissed me again, an all-consuming collision that stole any doubt straight out of my lungs and replaced it with heat so sharp it ached. My fingers grasped at him, hunting for something to hold onto, and when he pressed forward, I felt an unmistakable hardness against me. Losing any sense of shame, I ground my hips, moaning at the curls of pleasure the pressure against my leggings elicited.
‘Henry,’ I breathed.
He rested his forehead against mine for a second before pulling back, his fingers still lost in my hair.
’Later,’ he said, rougher than before. ‘I want nothing more than to let you grind your sweet cunt against me until you lose all that pent-up control, but you’ve got clients waiting, and I have a market to attend.’
It took a full three seconds for the words to make sense.
‘No… I need this.’
‘I know you do, and I’ll gladly sink between those thighs until you scream the fucking manor down, but the wait will make it all the more satisfying.’
‘You can’t leave me like this.’
He stepped back and smiled. ‘Oh, but I can.’
‘Maybe I’ll just go find my vibrator.’
‘If you think it’ll satisfy the itch, Princess. But I have a feeling it’ll only leave you needing more. There’s only so much silicone can do. It can’t make you pant like I just did, can it? It can balance pain and pleasure until you’re brain malfunctions. But by all means… If you can’t wait for me.’
That smug arsehole.
And the worst part? He was right. I didn’t want a quick fix. I wanted him to finish what he started.
‘Bring the Petersens down to the market after lunch. I’ll be waiting for you.’
I left the greenhouse with my pulse still thundering and my legs akin to Bambi’s.
