“You cannot do that in an attempt to distract me,” she argued, but he made his way to her and placed a heavy hand on her waist. “I asked you to dress yourself, not to remain shirtless so that I can look at you.”
“Do you believe that is what I am doing?”
“Of course.”
His hand raised to her nightgown, his fingers playing with the fabric that arched over her breasts. She shuddered at his touch, knowing that it was not from any chill in the room.
“Then why, pray tell,” he teased, “did you decide to come to my room wearing this?”
“Because it was what I was wearing. Do not think that I would do this for your attention.”
“That is a shame, for if you did, it is working very well.”
When they had finished their conversation earlier that day, she was furious with him, and he knew that. It did not make sense that he was flirting with her so brazenly, knowing that shewanted nothing to do with it. Unless, that was, he could tell that it was precisely what she wanted.
There was a closeness that came with his touching her, and it was exactly what she had been desperate for in his absence. She wanted to enjoy that aspect of married life, and she longed to feel the way the characters she read about did. When he touched her, she got a glimpse of the incredible things she could feel—tempting, delicious, vital—but that was all that she could allow herself.
She batted his hand away, heat rising in her cheeks. She had not intended it, but she would have been lying if she said that she did not enjoy the way he was looking at her. It was all she had wanted for so long, and though she resented him for making her wait, she could not pretend she was not reveling in it.
“I know what you want, Anna.”
“You do not. If you did, you would not be doing this right now. You would have listened to me earlier. You would have tried harder from the moment we met.”
“I can do that, if you like. I can do exactly what you want me to, just once, and it will be enough for you.”
“Spencer, I–”
But it was clear that he had no interest in talking any further.
He pressed his lips to hers, the hand that had been on her gown flattening and squeezing her breast slightly. She gasped into him, allowing him entry. He was delicate with his tongue, but wandering and desperate with his hands. He traced lines with his left hand, running it up and down her waist, while his right hand lifted into her hair, running through it.
Suddenly, he pulled away, leaving a few mere centimeters between them. Anna could see that he had been affected by it every bit as much as her, and her desperation was palpable. She wanted more.
She needed more.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back. They connected again, and this time there was no trepidation in her. Once she had made it clear that she did not want him to pull away again, she allowed her own hands to explore.
She began with his broad shoulders, at last being able to enjoy feeling them as much as she did looking at them. She made her way down, and as she reached his elbows, he placed his hands on her hips and lifted her up, her legs wrapping tightly around his waist.
She wondered if he would carry her to his bed, but he instead lay her down on a settee, hovering above her with his hips pressing into her. In the small space between them, he slid his hand in and opened her nightgown, playing with her breasts again. She whimpered into him, her eyes tightly closed as she writhedagainst him. She was desperate, and it was impossible that he did not know that.
“I want you,” she whispered.
“Do you now?” he teased, releasing the pressure that he had placed on her.
“Yes,” she begged. “Please do not stop.”
With a wry smile, he placed his hand on her waist instead, using his fingertip to trace patterns on her skin. As he did so, he kissed her neck, gently biting the delicate skin by her collarbone.
“You ask me so nicely,” he groaned. “It is charming how polite you are.”
“And as I ask you so nicely, you will do as I say, yes?”
“If you are willing to reciprocate.”
He back arched against him at the thought of it. She knew exactly what he meant, and what he was asking her to do, and she would have gladly done so if it meant at last feeling the pleasure that she had been so desperate for.
“How eager,” he chuckled, his fingers lowering until they reached her thighs. “There is so much that I want to do to you.”
