He blinked, then nodded slowly. “So there is. You may be sure I will be rectifying that when we return home.”
“Not here?” she asked coyly.
“Not quite. Ladies have that advantage over gentlemen. They recover far more quickly. I need a touch more time before I can go again.” His fingers brushed over the back of her hand. “When we get home, however, I will be more than ready. I hope you will be, too.” By the sounds of it, he would ensure she was one way or the other.
Again, she knew she ought to hate his presumption, the expectation that he would command and she would yield, but a not-insignificant part of her thrilled at the thought. He was right, too: she was already aching for more. By the time they arrived back home, she would be near desperate.
As was, she was sure, his intention.
“Thereisone other reason,” he added.
“Oh?”
“The first time I have you, Aurelia, I intend for it to be in my bed.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
The rest of the night passed in flashes. Now Sebastian knew he would have her, and had stated as much, the urgency seemed rather less. He enjoyed the state of her desire, knowing that she was waiting for the moment he would declare they were done and were leaving.
Then he would have a long carriage ride in the dark with her.
He would be able to tease her into a frenzy.
And so, they danced. He held her close, his hands ghosting over her arms and back, and she shuddered against him, needy and wanting. That was very much how he liked her.
After, he pressed a glass of lemonade into her hands. “Drink,” he ordered. “You must be thirsty.”
“I’m ready to return home,” she said, taking an obedient sip. Her eyes were beautifully dark in the light, and she looked likea figure out of a myth. Zeus, no doubt, would swoop down to seduce her in a heartbeat.
Sebastian would have fought him off.
There was no world in which he neglected to protect and defend his wife. He had been joking earlier about ripping another gentleman’s arms off, but he would call him out. He would forsake anonymity in order to preserve his claim over his wife, and he didn’t care if that made him a fool, because tonight she was a jewel, and she washis.
He smiled at her. “Not yet. Would you come so far to leave before the dancing ends?”
Her bottom lip pouted. “Yes.”
“Tough. Come on, dance with me again.” He leaned in close, his lips finding her jaw, and her breath hitched. How verydelicious.
He adored the way she desired him.
This had to end, of course, and then they would both have to go about navigating the world without each other in it, but until then, he would have his fun—and he would make sure she did, too.
Once it was over, he would need to tame his possessive instincts, but that was a battle for another day.
They danced for hours, lust building with every small touch, until he felt as though he could hardly bear it, either. Finally, when the masquerade began to wind down, people napping on sofas and talking in corners and eating dinner yet again to sustain themselves, when the darkness of night lifted for the cold light of dawn, Sebastian consented to have the carriage called. He handed her inside, and they set back off for home.
An hour in the carriage.
What could he do?
Opposite him, Aurelia sighed, discarding her mask. “You know, I don’t think anyone saw us.”
“They didn’t recognize us, certainly.” He took her feet, eliciting a small gasp from her, and placed them on his knees. Her feet were small, her shoes flimsy, and after gently removing them and placing them to one side, he dug his thumbs into her arches. She moaned in appreciation.
“That feels…amazing.”
“I thought your feet might be tired after all that dancing.”
