“Good Lord,” Maxwell placed his hand on her left breast, the nipple pebble-hard against his palm, “you truly are beautiful.”
Louisa glanced down at the scattered underclothes and wrinkled her nose. “I assume there’s little point in unpacking my nightgown.”
Maxwell bit back an urge to laugh. “No point at all, my dear.”
“Mmm.” Her gaze returned to Maxwell’s face before descending slowly down his throat, over his chest and abdomen, and stopping at last where his cock protruded in stiff readiness from its nest of dark curls. Her blatant scrutiny was enough to make it twitch, and her eyes widened a little. Then she touched the tip of it.
Maxwell sucked in a quick breath and Louisa snatched her hand away, her gaze, now distraught, settling squarely back on his face. “Should I not—?”
“Aye, you most definitelyshould.” He guided her hand back to his cock. “It took me by surprise, that’s all.”
“Oh,” she said, and renewed her previous examination, tracing her fingertips from the tip to the base. Then she closed her hand around it.
Maxwell’s throat went dry.
“It feels like silk,” she said, moving her hand up and down its length. “Does it hurt, being hard like that?”
“No, lass, it does not,” Maxwell said, through gritted teeth. “But, by God, what you’re doing is torturous, nonetheless. Come here.”
She let out a squeal of laughter as he hoisted her into his arms, carried her to the bed, and dropped her, rather unceremoniously, onto the mattress. Then he settled himself beside her, propped himself up on an elbow, and stroked a hand over her breast and down to the slight contour of her stomach.
Where it stayed.
His fingers itched to go further, to seek out the treasure hidden between her legs, to explore their untouched depths. He was eager to take her to a place she’d never been, to make her his. But he also wanted to take his time, to seduce and tease.
He half-covered her and claimed her mouth again, his hand returning to the swell of her breast to tug gently on the nipple. A sound of pleasure came from her throat, the vibration caressing his tongue as he continued to kiss her. As before, her arms wound themselves around his neck, her spine arching slightly, sealing flesh to flesh, her skin like cool satin against his. He inhaled, breathing in her essence; something floral, subtle and manufactured. It blended with another, this one less sweet, more sensuous, utterly natural and exquisitely feminine. Parting with another delicious little whimper, Louisa fidgeted in his arms, rubbing her outer thigh against his erection.
Bloody hell.
Had he ever been this hard? They’d barely begun, and he was close to spending already. So much for a slow seduction. His hand shifted back to the hollow of her waist as he eased a leg between hers, nudging them open. Then, leaving a trail of kisses on the pale flesh of her throat, his mouth moved to her breast and drew on the hard peak.
Louisa’s soft intake of breath coincided with another arch of her spine, her fingers ploughing through his hair as he suckled.“Oh, Maxwell,” she whispered on an exhale, the utterance one of sheer bliss.
He acknowledged it with a low groan and slid his hand between her legs, delighted to be met by the sultry heat of her arousal. At first, he merely stroked her, smiling against her breast as she parted with another sigh of obvious pleasure. Then his thumb sought out her most sensitive spot, manipulating and teasing as his fingers—first one, then two—penetrated her, probing gently, thrusting and withdrawing in a slow, sensuous rhythm. Louisa’s hips lifted, pushing against his hand as she released an exquisite moan.
“Does it feel pleasurable, Louisa?” He licked and nibbled at her nipple as his busy hand moved a little faster, a little harder. “Being touched down there?”
“Oh, yes, yes, it does,” she muttered, writhing beneath him. “Please don’t stop, Maxwell. Oh, God, it feels so… I want…oh, my…oh, my…lord.”
He felt her inner muscles clench around his fingers and lifted his head to watch as she experienced her first climax. Eyes half-closed, lips parted, she issued a soft cry, her body shuddering against his. His cock strained and he bit down, using every ounce of his self-control not to follow her over that euphoric precipice.
“That was beautiful to watch,” he murmured.
“Gracious, I didn’t expect…” Chest still heaving, she shifted beneath him. “I mean, is that… does that happen every time?”
He gave a soft laugh. “I shall endeavor to make sure it does.”
“Mmm.” Her fingers trailed down his throat as she regarded him through half-closed eyelids. “I suppose this means I’m aware now.”
“Not quite,” he replied, and moved to cover her, easing her legs farther apart. His mouth found hers once more, his kiss more demanding as he rocked, gently, atop her, his cock gliding back and forth over her slick centre. He had not been wrongin his presumption that the lass would be a willing participant between the sheets. She was utterly without guile, not fettered by puritanical restraints, but eager to embrace the pleasures he could offer. Her trust in him was quite obviously absolute, which for reasons he couldn’t quite fathom, was also incredibly arousing.
He reached down to position himself, watching Louisa’s face as he finally claimed her, replacing innocence with awareness, her resistance slight and, thankfully, easily surpassed. She watched him too, eyes soft, cheeks flushed with the aftermath of ecstasy. As he seated himself fully inside her, she flinched and released a little gasp.
He stilled.
“Are you all right, lass?” he murmured, stroking her hair back from her face. “Did I hurt you?’
“Only for a moment, but no longer, and it is not… unpleasant.” She shifted beneath him, an innocent yet highly sensual movement that caused him to suck in a soft breath.
