Chapter Eleven
Lady Eleanor, Duchess of Smythington
“I will make sure we are not disturbed.” Rex went to the door to address the servant on duty. He closed the door a moment later and turned to meet my regard. He carried a fevered look in his eyes, and my own core ached deliciously.
“I think we should move to the settee.” Flynn held his hand out ,and I laid mine in his larger one. Calluses roughened his hands from rowing. Knees weak, my entire body was alive with unfulfilled desire, rather like when I first married.
The settee was in a recess in the reading nook by the window. I often took refuge there to devour the latest gothic novel. It seemed apropos to use it for seeking other pleasures.
“Lead the way. You are the conductor, and we are simply the musicians taking your direction.” Rex followed us, his irises a velvety green. He tugged off his necktie, a familiar sharpness to his features. I recognized his desire for it mimicked my own. My corset felt binding, and I wanted to remove my clothing.
“Unfasten Eleanor’s shirtwaist,” Flynn said as if reading my mind. He was a very sensual man and exuded strength and vitality. Throughout our years as friends, I saw how other women responded to him. I couldn’t help thinking of what my life would be like had I accepted Flynn’s proposal over Rex’s. “I wish to see her lovely breasts.”
My mother’s warnings from long ago screamed no. I nodded in agreement, ignoring the advice, not wishing to hold anything back. Pretending to be affronted for the sake of propriety wasn’t conducive to the success of our endeavor. I stepped in front of Rex while he performed the task, his fingers shaking the slightest bit, giving away his need.
The buttons loosened, exposing my chest to the cool air. He’d never seen me fully naked, and we wore our nightshirts during our coupling. While he touched my breasts through the fabric, the extent of our interactions had been under the cloak of darkness. It felt safe and comfortable, rather like our marriage had lately. While I was grateful for that, I wanted more, and I could see in Rex’s eyes that he wanted more as well.
“They are very beautiful,” Rex said, slipping my chemise down until my nipples popped out of the garment. The hunger in his gaze warmed me like nothing else could. After three children, I was still proud of my figure, and glad my husband still found me appealing. He played his fingers over the budded flesh, and I arched into his touch. With a sultry grin, he leaned in and swept his mouth over mine, the familiarity of his kiss taking away some of my nerves.
My other lover was not forgotten. Flynn’s strong fingers unfastened my corset, and the material fell away, allowing me to take a much-needed deep breath. Next, my skirt was loosened, and it fell to the floor, leaving me in my chemise and bloomers.
My heart raced with anticipation and a touch of apprehension. Under the fabric of my undergarment, I carried residual scars from my past abuse at the hands of my father. Over the years, most had faded into thin strips, barely visible. The material of my bloomers would shield them from view so I shook my head when Flynn tried to remove them.
“I believe Eleanor would rather keep her undergarments on.” Rex ran a knuckle along my cheek before dipping his tongueinto my mouth, earning a moan from me. He knew me well and played on my desires. My love for him swelled.
“Beg pardon. In my defense, you are a present I am eager to unwrap.” Flynn drifted his hands up my sides until he was cupping my left breast, rolling my nipple between his fingers. Warm lips blazed a trail down my neck, and I was bombarded on both fronts. “I think you and Rex should sit down.”
Rex withdrew from our kiss, his breath coming fast. He sat on the settee and guided me down beside him. Head angled, he began to kiss the underside of my jaw, gliding his lips to the spot where my shoulder met my neck. Delicious goosebumps broke out. If anyone had asked me to describe my husband, being attracted to another man would never be in the description. Not that I ever would be so bold as to say something so intimate about him. Rex was a private man, and I valued his privacy.
Society would look down its nose at what we were doing, no matter how natural it felt for us. Close-minded people were threatened by men who preferred the company of their sex and ostracized them. Their titles would prevent Rex and Flynn from too much backlash, but our families would suffer. Flynn had three daughters who had yet to come out, and none of us wished to jeopardize the lives of our children for our own passions.
Flynn leaned and captured my mouth with his, his hand cupping my jaw, his kiss no different than it was twenty years ago. He still tasted the same, the familiarity sending heated waves along my every nerve. I drew my mind away from the worst-case scenario and focused on the current state of our passions. There was no use thinking in the hypothetical when other things took precedence, like Flynn’s kisses.
I moaned at the double assault on my senses. Flynn moved his mouth from mine, his lips trailing a path down my collarbone, tongue licking and swirling until he brought my nipple into the warm enclave of his mouth.
Rex continued to lick and suck at my other nipple, bombarding me on two fronts. Flynn’s thighs pushed my legs wide as he knelt between them. I instinctively stiffened, panicked by what was happening, yet yearning for it to continue.
“Open for him, my sweet.” Rex offered me an encouraging smile.
After a brief hesitation, I nodded and let my legs fall wider apart, exposing my cunny to Flynn’s eager gaze. Nobody had ever seen me thus, not even myself. It was at once mortifying while also freeing.
“Tell me if you are uncomfortable. This is supposed to be about pleasure.” Flynn ran his palms up my thighs to the slit in my bloomers. He pushed the material aside to expose the triangle of hair covering my womanhood. My gaze locked on Flynn, I looped my arm around Rex’s neck while he continued to pay homage to my breasts with his mouth.
The moment Flynn slid one fingertip over my inflamed nub, liquid heat flooded my folds. My hand on Rex’s neck flexed, and I closed my eyes only to snap them open a second later. I wasn’t sure why, but I felt the urge to watch Flynn and observe the nuances of his countenance. His handsome features were sharp with need, his mouth wide and kissable.
Broad palms cupped my bottom. He dropped his head between my legs. The first sweep of his tongue on my sensitive flesh was a shock to the senses. We had discussed the act beforehand, and I shouldn’t have been dazed, but I was.
I drifted a hand into his hair, my back arched. Rex placed a finger on my chin and turned my face to his. With a knowing smile, he began to place sensual kisses on my lips. The play of his mouth made me hungry for more.
“How are you faring?” Flynn sucked on my nub before I could answer. He flicked it with his tongue, driving me mad with unfulfilled passion.
