And still Michael didn’t move.His eyes stared into hers, as though he didn’t know what to think of her actions.Kneeling down before him, Hannah reached out to remove his coat.Her fingers shook as she untied his cravat and unbuttoned his waistcoat.Abruptly, Michael’s hands suddenly closed over hers.
“You don’t want this, Hannah.I can see your fear.”
She’d never been so bold in all her life, but more than anything else was the fear that he would turn her away.“I am afraid, yes.And I know that I should ask you for help with my corset and sleep far away from you.”
He waited, and she touched her hand to his heart.Despite the calm mien he presented, his pulse was racing.“I know what I should do,” she repeated again.“But I want this night.Give me a memory I’ll always have.”
Chapter Sixteen
HerbodytensedwhenMichael reached the laces that tightened her corset.He loosened the stays, and his fingertips caressed the thin fabric of her chemise.Almost instantly, her nipples puckered.As he helped her remove the corset, the stiff panel brushed against her breasts.A pang of arousal echoed within her core, and the awakening of desire began to silence the voices of her mother’s warnings and her conscience.
Layers of clothing fell away until she wore only the thin chemise and drawers.Michael had removed his shirt, and in the firelight, his bare skin was golden.She reached out to his wounded upper arm and saw that the angry skin was healing.The abrasions on his neck were also fading.
“Does it hurt?”
“Sweet, there’s only one thing I’m feeling right now.And it’s not the kind of pain you’re thinking of.”He glanced up at the mantel.“The candlestick is there, if you need it to bash my head.”
She almost smiled, but the overwhelming nerves were gathering strength.“How do you want to...do this?”Perhaps if she had an idea of what was expected, she could calm the anxiety boiling inside her.“I don’t know what I’m supposed to do.”
“I’ll start by kissing you.”His voice rumbled against her ear as he slid her chemise and drawers away.Before she could comprehend that she was no longer wearing anything at all, his mouth came down on hers.
Hot, feverish feelings permeated her, sending flames of desire over every part of her body.Michael picked her up in his arms, laying her down upon the bed.Her hair fell across the pillow, and he caressed the strands.A moment later, he turned around and removed his trousers and undergarments.She caught a glimpse of his taut backside, the rigid curve of his hip.When he turned around, he was holding the plate of cake and there was a wicked gleam in his eye.
He wanted to eat, now?Confusion caught her sensibilities, making her wonder what he intended.
Michael walked toward her naked, his erect manhood jutting forward.A flash of panic flew through her mind, for she couldn’t imagine him joining with her.He sat down beside her on the bed, setting the plate down.
“Open your mouth,” he ordered, breaking off a morsel of cake.
A distraction.That’s what this was, she realized.Something to calm her down.
She tasted the sweet creamy icing, but it did nothing to alleviate her apprehensions.Michael kissed her again, devouring the traces of buttercream from her lips.She clung to him, startled by the feeling of his bare skin upon hers.Her breathing quickened as he ran his palms down her spine and over the curve of her bottom.
“I know I shouldn’t do this,” he murmured, lowering his mouth to her shoulder, drifting downwards to her breast.“But I’ve given up trying to resist you.”He dipped his finger into the cake icing and touched it to her nipple.“It’s too late now, sweet.I intend to spend the rest of the night taking you apart.”
With that, he covered her nipple with his mouth, swirling against her skin with his tongue.He licked the icing off, sucking hard while she shuddered at the sensation.She was bending to him, growing moist between her legs.
Michael turned his attention to the other breast, kissing it with the same attention while he flicked the erect bud of the first nipple with his fingers.Tormented by his touch, she fought to catch her breath.
“You’re more delicious to me than any cake,” he murmured.“I could taste you all day.”His mouth drifted lower, down her stomach toward the soft hair covering her mound.
His cheeks were smooth against her thighs, and she clamped her legs tight, afraid of what he might do next.
He lifted his head up, staring at her.In the dim light, his hazel eyes held the warmth of chocolate, with green flecks.“I’m going to give you a night to remember, Hannah.Trust me.”
He pressed a kiss upon her stomach, his hands reaching beneath her spine to her hips.He drew his palms over her bottom, pressing her close to his face.
Oh, sweet God.He wouldn’t taste her there, would he?
He dipped his finger into the icing, brushing a small amount upon her cleft.A moment later, her hands dug into the sheets, a keening cry erupting from her throat as he covered her intimate flesh with his mouth.
He nibbled at her delicate skin, arousing her until she arched deeply, shaking with the ferocity of his wicked tongue.
The rising crescendo of need burst forth in a release that made her cry out.She tried to sit up, but he held her down, her legs splayed as he worked her again with his mouth.
“I can’t.Michael, I can’t do this.It’s too much.”
In answer, he slid two fingers inside her wetness, stretching her.It sent her over the edge once more as he entered and withdrew.
