“I have made no secret that I find you very appealing, and while Moran is too stubborn to admit it out loud, he desires youas well.” Ash stroked my finger with his thumb, the caress gentle and full of promise.
“That’s not what he told me. He said he wasn’t attracted to me at all.” I glanced at Moran, my heart racing. “Is that true?”
“What?” Ash gripped my fingers and stared hard at Moran. “You are such a prat.”
Moran had the grace to look embarrassed. He lowered his head, hiding his expression from view. “You are taking it out of context. She had just seen me in my office without, well, at the boxing bag, and I didn’t wish to give the impression that I was a degenerate like so many other men who’d take advantage of a pretty woman.”
“You think I am pretty?” I gripped the glass in my palm, waiting for his response, the tears back for a different reason entirely. I hadn’t wanted to develop deeper feelings for either man, but I realized that it was too late for that. Every morning I looked forward to work, not because of the work, but because of him.
“Very.” It came out so quiet, I wasn’t certain whether I heard him at all.
“Now that we have established that, we are all consenting adults,” Ash said. “What say you, Birdie? Would you care to recreate a scene?”
I could barely think over my pounding heart. Dare I say yes? If I did, it would be an awakening. There was also the matter of my virginity. From all accounts, pain was involved the first time. Nor could I let on that I was a virgin. I had a sense Moran would refuse to go any further.
A part of me rebelled at the idea. I could decide my own fate. With a nod, I exhaled. “I think I would. I, well, it has been a while since Frank died, and I, well, I am afraid I might be a bit out of practice.” I hoped I sounded mature and knowledgeable. Reading one book didn’t an expert make.
Ash responded by cupping my jaw. Tilting my chin, he brought his mouth to my parted one. “You need only say the word if you are uncomfortable.”
With a nod, I leaned in and met his lips halfway. The tingling sensations flamed into an outright need. Tonight, I would explore my passions and allow myself to follow my yearnings. I had a feeling I would never forget this night.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Lord Tobias Moran
I sat back watching Ash and Birdie kiss, the sight sparking my blood even more than before. I was still in shock over what transpired, and I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea or not. Actually, I knew it wasn’t a good idea. Birdie had been her practical self and unappalled by our behavior. On the contrary, she seemed enthusiastic after confessing to reading the manuscript which I forbade her to look at.
Ash began unbuttoning the front of her dress, and I stared eagerly, waiting for her breasts to be bared as their kiss turned from exploratory to passionate, his mouth plying hers.
We had never had a third person in bed, and I was looking forward to the experience, especially with Birdie. I told myself not to become emotionally involved with her, but the sight of his tongue slipping into her mouth negated my will to call a halt to the entire endeavor. It proved hard to look away, my body humming with more need. Nature had thrust us all together, and circumstances would require that I do the humane thing and not turn her out.
The bodice fell to her waist, Ash tucking his fingers into the shoulders of her gown and tugging it down. I had fantasized about doing so myself, my eagerness rising. A white chemise was revealed, along with a corset that nipped in her tiny waist. We’d never shared a lover before, nor had either of us suggested it.Somehow, tonight seemed right. My engagement and his affair had separated us. Birdie brought us back together in a way I could never have imagined. He removed his own shirt, leaving him in his trousers. I never grew tired of the sight of his taut belly and expansive shoulders. Head lifted, he looked at me, the heat of lust in his eyes. “Aren’t you going to join us?”
“I would rather enjoy observing for a moment.” I felt like a voyeur and itched to participate in the seduction, but I held back. The show before me rivaled any titillating scene I’d read in the Ambrosia line. Birdie’s comment about the golden knight continued to play inside my head. Ash fit the description of Lord Golden quite well, and Birdie could very well be Lady X in my vivid imagination.
With an understanding grin, Ash tilted her chin up with his thumb and began devouring her mouth again. Birdie flattened her palms on his bare chest and ran them over the sleek muscles. He was nothing if not efficient, and with a few impressive moves, he removed her skirt. The fabric pooled about her feet to expose white bloomers tied at the ankle with pale blue ribbons. In many ways, Birdie embodied the same spirit as the fictional character, intelligent and with a sense of adventure. Unlike Lady X, she was a flesh and blood woman.
My cock, which had been at half-mast from Ash’s ministrations, began to throb with unfulfilled need. My willpower was quickly fading. It might be snowing outside, but the heat inside the room was growing. I had dreamed about being with Birdie but told myself it would never be possible. If it wasn’t for the farcical situation this evening, it probably would never come to pass. Ash buried his fingers in her hair, his other hand running down the white linen to her breasts until he cupped the weight in his palm through her chemise. She arched into his touch, proving herself to be the passionate woman I assumed she would be.
As a widow, she was experienced in the ways of the flesh. Her willingness to agree to the seduction was unexpected in the best way possible, yet her simple statement about it being a while since she was with a man showed her uncertainty. Through the haze of my building lust, I became even more cognizant of her vulnerability. Tonight, our relationship had drifted into a gray area. One thing was clear, she would no longer be my secretary. Once I reviewed her notes on the manuscript, I would offer her a position as a copy editor.
It would be hard to fill her shoes, and after seeing her creamy shoulders bared, it was even harder not to lust after her. I removed my waistcoat and shirt, my body heated by their lustful display. Ash rid her of the bloomers, revealing sleek legs beneath the chemise that ended just above her knees.
Ash raised his head, breaking their kiss. With a wicked smile, he lifted her into his arms. I laughed at their antics, shaking my head while she screeched and clung to him. Cheeks flushed rosy, her lips were plump from his kisses. I wanted to press my lips to hers and taste her sweet breath. The bodice gaped at the neck, showing the swell of her breasts, her puckered nipples visible beneath the cotton. She was a comely woman, indeed.
