When her knees buckled, he let her slide into his embrace until she was kneeling before him. She raised a hand to his cheek, still catching her breath, then met his gaze, her own eyes sparkling.
“Ramsay,” she murmured again and he smiled at the contentment in her tone. “I never guessed.”
“I wager you were not supposed to.”
She laughed then and cast herself at him, kissing his throat and running her hands through his hair with abandon. “You need a wash,” she whispered, nipping at his earlobe with her teeth, then spun to her feet. Her happiness could not be disguised, and the fact that he had granted her such pleasure made Ramsay grin as he watched her. She rinsed out the cloth and cleaned herself, granting him the opportunity to admire her. Her skin was smooth and the candlelight caressed it, gilding her like the treasure she was.
She came to him with purpose and a new cloth, her step light, and washed his face, mimicking his own gestures as she washed him from top to bottom. She bit her lip, her expression wicked, as she unfastened his chemise, then she slipped her hands beneath it and tugged it over his head. She surveyed him then, taking a long slow look as she rinsed the cloth again, then she began at his shoulders. The cloth was a little rough, the water had gone cold, but Ramsay neither moved away nor hastened her. She moved the cloth down his chest, her gaze following its movement, washing his chest with greater diligence than the task deserved.
“I like how you feel,” she whispered, running her other hand over him appreciatively. She slid her fingers through the hair on his chest, then flicked a glance upward as her finger and thumb landed upon his nipple. He smiled as she teased it, savoring her delight when it beaded beneath her touch. He had one moment to guess her intention before she bent forward and kissed the peak, running her tongue and then her teeth across it so adroitly that he shivered with delight.
She laughed that she could conjure a reaction from him and let her hand with the cloth settle on the back of his waist, her other hand flat against his chest while she worried that nipple with her thumb and her tongue. Soon, she turned her attention to the other one, doubtless unaware of the inferno she conjured within him. Ramsay grit his teeth and held his ground, determined to let her set their pace no matter how he burned to possess her.
Another sparkling glance and she moved lower, sparing his erection a glance before she washed his legs and his feet. He thought perhaps she was shy as yet, then Evangeline lifted her hand and closed it around him, giving him such an agonizing and glorious squeeze that Ramsay tipped his head back and moaned from the depths of his soul.
“You like that,” she said and he could only nod, so taut was he with need. He dared not look upon her, for he feared he would seize her and pull her into his arms, burying himself inside her. Instead he strove for control.
He was not anticipating Evangeline’s intimate kiss.
The feel of her lips upon him, so gentle and yet firm, sent a surge of fire through Ramsay that could not be denied. In a heartbeat, he had swept her into his arms and carried her to the straw pallet, laying her upon his fur-lined cloak, then stretching out beside her. He bent to kiss her again, but she halted him, her gaze searching.
“Was I wrong?” she whispered. “Your mouth gave such pleasure that I wanted to reciprocate…”
Ramsay silenced her with a kiss. “And I would not be able to endure such torment for long,” he confessed, his voice husky, and saw her uncertainty. “You are irresistible, my lady, and I would have you pleased this night.”
Her smile was impish. “I cannot argue with that inclination, though I would choose to be pleasedeverynight.”
He laughed and kissed her soundly, loving how she met him touch for touch. He was drowning in sensation, his hands full of her hair, her kisses making him dizzy, the scent of her making him harder with every heartbeat. She touched him again, just a brush of her fingertips, and Ramsay could not bear it any longer.
He rolled to his back, carrying her with him, and she laughed when she was astride him. He locked his hands around her waist and guided her closer, their gazes holding.
“’Twill not fit,” she said, a little breathless.
“’Twill fit,” Ramsay growled, hoping she would not be injured. He closed his eyes at the first sweet caress of her welcoming heat, arching his back as their bodies moved together in a rhythm as ancient as time. She gasped when he eased within her, then leaned forward, her hair tumbling over them both and her kiss obliterating any doubt that might have lingered. Her mouth upon his, her tongue dancing with his, she moved slowly to take more of him and Ramsay nigh died of pleasure. She moved so deliberately that he was certain he could not survive this union, that sensation could not be more consuming, that he would lose himself in this woman forever and not care.
When he was completely buried within her, he opened his eyes to find her smiling at him. “You were right,” she said, laughter underlying his words. “It seems a most perfect fit.” She moved her hips a little, making him gasp, then smiled again. “I like that I conquer you,” she whispered, then bent to kiss him thoroughly.
Ramsay gripped her hips and moved within her, ensuring that he rubbed against her most sensitive spot. Evangeline gasped. She paled and fell silent for a heartbeat, grasping his shoulders in surprise. Then his beloved lady smiled in her newfound knowledge and moved against him, learning with every stroke how to increase their mutual satisfaction.
They stoked each other’s fires with growing confidence, and he watched her flush deepen, then spread to her breasts. Ramsay could see her pulse leaping at her throat and hear her arousal in her breathing. He stared transfixed as she climbed the summit again, as the tumult rose within her in perfect echo of the tempest within his own body. Their gazes clung as they rocked together with increasing speed until he was certain he could bear no more.
Then Evangeline flung her hands skyward and cried out with her release, her body clenching around Ramsay as tightly as her thighs around his waist. Utterly seduced by the sight of her, he relinquished the last vestige of his control and welcomed the storm. He roared with his own satisfaction, gripping Evangeline tightly as he buried himself within her and shook with the power of his release.
She collapsed atop him, still trembling, warm and soft and utterly enchanting. She kissed his cheek even as he drew her closer, wanting to feel her skin pressed against his own from shoulder to toe. He wrapped a fur around them, holding her tightly while their hearts slowed again. She sighed and laid her head upon his shoulder, one fingertip lazily circling his nipple again.
“They were wise to give me no indication that such pleasure existed,” she said, her words a soft fan across his skin. “I should never have reached this age a maiden otherwise.”
Ramsay laughed and pulled her closer. “You were pleased?”
“I was pleased,” she said, smiling into his eyes. “Could it be that you were, as well?”
“It could be,” he admitted and stole a kiss, once again silencing her merry laughter with his caress.
When he lifted his head, she swept a hand down his chest, her expression wicked. “I do not suppose we could repeat the deed?”
“Of course, we can,” he said, wrinkling his nose just to tease her. “But we may need to wash again first.”
* * *
