“Is it? Then you had better get to it.” Her devilish little grin made him want to put her over his knee and give her bottom a good smack before he did quite a few other things to her.
“Oh, I’ll get to it,” Derrick said, and claimed her mouth. He wasn’t gentle, but he wasn’t rough either. He let Arianna feel his hunger, his need for more of her. She wriggled on his lap, making the tight bulge of his arousal acutely painful. He mentally reined himself in and focused on her as he slid one hand down to touch her ankle. She let out a gasp, and he moved his hand up her leg beneath her nightgown.
Her skin was soft and silky, and he wanted desperately to lay her back on the bed and kiss every inch of her. She whimpered in startled wonder as he moved his hand to her inner thigh and then between her legs. He brushed curious fingers against her mound, and her nails dug into his shoulders as she kissed him back with increased fervor.
Derrick was lost in the newness of this moment, of experiencing Arianna’s first introduction to lovemaking as though he too were a virgin. It was not only wildly exciting, but there were other emotions too, ones that were quieter and deeper than any he had felt in a long time. This was special. This was important. He thought feelings like these had blown away with the winter winds years ago, yet now they were coming back to him, and it was new and wondrous.
He gentled his kiss and slowly pushed a finger inside the wet, heated entrance to her body. She quivered in his hold.
“That’s it, love, relax and kiss me back,” he encouraged in a husky whisper.
“Derrick, what is this? I feel strange,” she confessed, and his heart shattered as though caught in a trap. He didn’t want her afraid, didn’t want her to fear anything from him.
“Do you trust me?” he asked between kisses.
“Always.”
“Relax and allow me to give you pleasure. The strangeness will ease if you embrace the moment.”
She nibbled at his bottom lip, and he groaned as he pushed his finger deeper, then drew it out again as he began a gentle but steady rhythm. Within moments, she was breathing hard and clutching at him as though they had been forged together in some ancient fire.
“That’s it. Let it happen, love. Let these feelings explode inside of you.”
She stiffened and her inner muscles spasmed around his finger. He didn’t stop, however. He drew out her orgasm as long as he could with quick but gentle penetrations of his finger. Only when he felt her final shudder did he pull his hand out from between her legs.
Her pupils dilated and her gaze softened. “That...”
“That was making love—at least, an abbreviated introduction to it.”
Arianna leaned into him and nuzzled his throat, placing soft kisses on his chin. “It was a little frightening at first, but it ended quite nicely.”
“Quite nicely.” He knew she had been very affected, no matter how casual her words were now. “Next time, I shall endeavor to do better.”
“Next time?” She lifted her head, her once slumberous eyes wide.
“Yes, unless you wish for me to stop...,” he began.
“No. I want another lesson.”
He grinned. “Good, so do I. But now I really must put you to bed. You will sleep well, I promise.” He rose from the chair, cradled her in his arms, and carried her to the bed. He set her down on it, and she pulled back the covers before he tucked her in. Then she stared up at him.
“And you, will you sleep well?”
“I’ll manage,” he promised.
As he stepped away, she reached out and caught his hand. For a long moment, they stared at each other in the shadows of firelight as the echoes of the past, the days before hearts had been broken and friendships torn apart, filled the room with them. He could hear the whispers of old feelings as though they were just behind an invisible gossamer veil. Words he had wanted to say, things he’d felt but hadn’t understood. It was all so close to the surface again, and he had no idea what he would do about it.
“Good night, Arianna,” he said and pressed a kiss to her forehead before he slipped into the shadows outside her bedchamber.
Seven
How was it possible that she felt different, yet nothing had outwardly changed? The next morning, Arianna peered at herself in her vanity mirror as Natalie finished her hair.
“Is something the matter, miss?”
“Oh, no. I was just woolgathering.” She plucked at the sleeves of her gown. It was a bright green, thickly made for the cold weather. It had a lovely amount of gold and silver thread embroidered on the bodice and sleeves in swirling patterns for added flair. It was a gown that definitely favored her looks.
She glanced at her bed in the reflection of her mirror, and a flash of last night’s rendezvous came back to her. Derrick had swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed as though she were a small child rather than a tall, Amazonian creature. She liked that, feeling small and feminine with him. She had felt special, safe, cared for. It had been such a vastly different experience from what she had gone through on Scandal Lane. Everything about Derrick was different, different and wonderful. After last night, she was beginning to understand what made people wildly mad for passion, mad enough to do foolish things.
