She wanted to give Ashton what he needed too.
He eased himself inside her, breath hitching. Della still felt warm and loose-limbed from her climax, and she took him with ease. A low groan escaped her lips at the sensation it produced. Ashton captured the sound with a kiss, his tongue exploring hers.
He rocked his hips in a slow, deep rhythm. Too slow, she might have said an hour earlier. But now that she was thoroughly relaxed, Della found that she could better appreciate Ashton’s insistence on thoroughness. She kissed him back, burying one hand in his hair while the other one gripped his back, pulling him close. She loved the feeling of his firm chest pressing down on her softness. He seemed to savor her body as well, running his hands eagerly over every curve. But best of all was the tension that hummed in his every movement.Ashton was like a rope pulled so taut it seemed destined to snap, yet still he held firm.
“Please,” she murmured. “Let go. I want you to lose control.”
Ashton gave a strangled groan as he thrust a bit deeper. “I’m supposed to pull out, remember?”
I don’t care,she nearly said.This feels too good to stop.But she caught herself in time. That was her reckless side again. She would regret it if she found herself in a family way.
“I needyouto let go,” he commanded, with none of the cool assurance he’d shown before. This sounded more like a plea. “And quickly.”
Ashton slid his free hand down from her breast to find the place where they joined, and wedged his fingers between them, pressing down. Della whimpered. He increased his pace, driving her mercilessly toward climax again.
“That’s it,” he ground out. “I told you I wasn’t finished with you yet.”
“Ashton,” she gasped. “Please.”
“Please what?” He seemed to be fighting to keep his voice steady.
“Don’t stop. Don’t—Oh!”
Della gasped as pleasure overtook her yet again. A wave of heat seemed to wash over her entire body, radiating outward to her limbs. Ashton rode it with her for only an instant before he pulled out and spent himself against her belly, his face contorting. She drank in the sight. When his own climax had passed, he bent his forehead down to rest against her shoulder, struggling to catch his breath.
They were both silent for a long time. Della didn’t think she would be capable of speech for some time yet. Whether it was Ashton’s skill as a lover or the effect of too little sleep, the room was still spinning.
He was the one who finally spoke, murmuring the words into herskin in the form of a kiss. “Thank you. I haven’t enjoyed myself this much in…” He paused. “Well, I don’t know how long.”
He rose to the basin to clean himself up. Once he’d put his trousers back on, he turned back to Della with an appreciative glance.
“There are still sandwiches if you want one.”
Food!Della felt far too lazy to put all her clothes on quite yet, but she managed to tug her shift over her shoulders and drag her feet to the writing desk where Ashton had set their meal. She sighed with contentment as she finally tucked in. The first bite was heaven.
“May I ask you something personal?” Della said, once she’d had the chance to get a few mouthfuls into her stomach.
“I could hardly object at this point.”
Della liked the easy way in which Ashton acknowledged what they’d shared. She’d half feared he would suffer regrets once they left the bedroom.
“Why do you always postpone your own pleasure? You were the same way after the casino. You scarcely let me touch you.” She’d never met a man quitethispatient.
Ashton’s face fell. He seemed a bit uncomfortable as he answered. “When I still lived with my wife, we weren’t…” He broke off here, searching for his words. “Let’s just say there wasn’t much passion between us. She thought it unseemly to discuss what happened in the bedroom, and I never knew what she wanted. I always felt that I’d failed her, even before I lost the house.” He drew a long breath. “It’s important for me not to feel that way again. I want to know that the woman I’m with is satisfied.”
“Well, I most definitely am,” Della said with a gentle laugh. She took another bite of her sandwich and swallowed before she spoke again. “But I hope you don’t puttoomuch pressure on yourself. It’s normal for things not to be perfect every time, you know. I would have been content just to be close to you.”
Ashton appeared surprised by this, but took a bite of his sandwich and said nothing.
“May I ask…” Della hesitated, not wanting to intrude, but letting her curiosity guide her anyway. “If you and Lady Ashton weren’t in love, why did you marry in the first place?”
“The same reason most people with a title marry,” he said ruefully. “Our families pressured us into it. My father was on his deathbed and wanted to see his legacy carried on before he passed. Hers was eager to consolidate the family fortunes and see her children styled as lord and lady one day. Everyone seemed to want the match except me, and I didn’t have the heart to fight it.
“I was very angry with my father after he died. I blamed him for my situation. He’d left me without any other family, and things with Ellen were already starting to fall apart. I began to spend all my time carousing with friends instead of at home. A self-indulgent sort of rebellion that didn’t help anyone.” Ashton offered Della a bleak smile. “You already know the rest.”
“How awful.” Della took his hand in hers and gave it a small squeeze.
“I don’t want you feeling sorry for me. My present circumstances are entirely of my own making.”
