“I’ve heard some young ladies do this every night, and I frankly could not imagine.”
“You prefer a quieter life?”
“I enjoyed tonight,” she answered, weighing her words. “And I would have enjoyed myself, albeit considerably less, even if you were not with me. But I enjoyed the experience as something novel I had never experienced before, and perhaps next year, if the fancy takes me, I should like to do it again.”
So different from Kate, who had always wanted to be the center of attention. The diamond in the necklace. If everyone couldn’t see her sparkle, she didn’t see the point in her beauty. It had never been enough thathewitnessed it. Their quiet life together, his responsibilities, had never been enough for her.
And here Aurelia was, telling him, in essence, that she would be content with that life.
Withhim.
His fingers stilled on her, and she peered at him in the darkness. “Sebastian? What is it?”
“Nothing.” He resumed his massage, sliding his fingers up her slim ankles to her calves, kneading the muscle there until she groaned. He hoped the coachman didn’t hear; it was one thing to be presumed to be taking his pleasure when he was, but entirely another to be thought he was when he wasn’t.
He was hard and aching long before he reached her knees, or the delicate flesh of her thighs, and by the languid way she sat, legs parted for him, he knew she was, too.
Still, he resisted touching her any further until they finally drew up to the carriageway to their house as the sun rose. Ordinarily, he would feel tired, but not now. Not when he had his wife to take to bed. There would be time for sleep later.
“Good morning,” he greeted Fellows as he led Aurelia into the house. “We will retire. Don’t send up Harlow.” He would not be needing his valet tonight.
“Very good, Your Grace.”
Aurelia giggled as she took him by the hand, leading him upstairs, and he couldn’t remember the last time he had been so eager for the act itself. For a bedchamber, even. He could have taken her in the gardens if he’d been of a mind to, but she was an innocent, and he wanted the bed. Wanted to lie her on the pillows and peel her clothes from her, one by one, until she was fully revealed to him.
He wanted to put his mouth on her and taste her sweet nectar. In the Pantheon, that urge had been so overwhelming, he’d quite nearly lost himself to it. So overwhelming, in fact, that the force of his arousal had compelled him to finish in his breeches like an over-eager boy.
Somehow, he felt no shame over it.
The moment the bedchamber door closed behind them, he pushed her against it and kissed her. Relief at having her soft lips underneath his once again, and her body pressed along the lines of his. She was all softness, all gentle curves and roundedshapes, and he caressed her breasts, needing to feel them against his palms. She stirred, gasping a little as he found her nipple.
So responsive.
He nipped her lower lip.
“Are you ready for this?”
“I’ve been ready for hours.” Her voice was practically a whine. “Don’t make me wait anymore, Sebastian.”
“Good girl.” He found the buttons at the back of her dress and made quick work of them. Her gown dropped from her shoulders and pooled on the floor. Under his gaze, her skin pimpled, but his eyes went straight to her breasts. She wore a chemise, of course, but no stays underneath, and he could see the peak of her nipples against the material. So few layers between him and what he craved most.
Then again, maybe it would be more fun this way.
Her gaze rose to his, both fearful and excited. Just the way he wanted her.
Still watching her, he lowered his head and took a perky nipple in his mouth, suckling on her skin through the material of her chemise, dampening it. She gasped again, her fingers falling into his hair and lacing through before tightening.
“That’s right…” he murmured, moving to the next breast. “Is this what you like? Tell me, my shepherdess. Use your words.”
“I—” He caught her hip with one hand, drawing her viciously against him to show her how very much heneededthis. He throbbed in his breeches, but this time he would not embarrass himself.
Thistime, he would hold out until he was inside her, claiming her, making her his. She’d never had another man, and although it was possible that once they separated, she would find a lover, he would always be her first.
And she would always behis.
“Your words,” he rasped against the bare skin of her throat. He licked her pulse, and she shuddered. “Tell me what you want, Aurelia. And I will do my best to make that happen.” He turned his attention to the other side of her neck. “We’re in this together, my sweet. Your pleasure is my pleasure. Don’t be afraid to ask for anything.”
“I… don’t know.” Her head tossed, and he felt her knees buckle as he slid his hand to her thigh. Soft, thick thighs, and in between the thatch of hair that concealed her pearl. He caressed her through her chemise, and she whined in the back of her throat. “I just… know, I want more.”
