His nostrils flared, and she gasped again, her hands flying back to shield her little cunny.
“No more hiding,” he rasped. “All my warnings have fallen on deaf ears. You’ve pushed your luck one too many times, Emma.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Stop acting like a heathen. Let me go at once—”
His response was to tumble her back onto the carpeted dais. He kept his weight on his elbows so as not to crush her, yet his aroused body pressed against her every curve. Her softness molded instantly to his rigid form and the result was… sublime.
A bluidy perfect fit.
“Tell me, pet,” he said silkily, “why have you disobeyed me at every turn?”
“I’ve used my best judgment. You have no right to tell me what to do...”
She broke off with a whimper when he ground his hips, circling them deliberately against her bared sex. Molten lust poured through him as her dew soaked through the barrier of his trousers. His burgeoned cockhead butted against the confining fabric, straining for home.
“I think you want to be told what to do,” he said.
The hitched cadence of her breath told him that, whether or not she realized it, he’d hit the nail straight on the head. Anticipation bloomed in his gut. By God, she was the perfect mate to his desires.
“That’s ridiculous. I’m not some weak-minded miss,” she whispered.
“You, Emma, are the most stubborn female I’ve ever met.” He rolled his hips again, and her gaze grew unfocused, heavy-lidded. “It takes strength to choose surrender. You’ve tested me time and again because you know I’m the man who can give you what you need. Because you want me,” he said, “as much as I want you.”
By all rights, he couldn’t expect a virgin to understand the intricacies of power and sex. Or to admit her own carnal impulses. But he would begin as he meant to go on: he would never allow her to hide her passion—hide anything—from him.
She washis. The question was whether or not she was ready to admit it.
A myriad of emotions flitted through Emma’s wide, clear eyes.
In a muffled voice, she said, “But Ishouldn’twant you. We’re wrong for each other.”
Triumph surged through him.
“Nay, lass,” he said huskily, “let me show you how right we are...”
He took her mouth, and she gave it to him with an eagerness that underscored his claim. Cupping her jaw, he drank of her sweetness, headier than the finest spirits. He licked into her mouth, leaving nothing unexplored. When she sucked shyly at his tongue, he knew he’d lit the tinder, her inhibitions going up in flame.
Even as he burned for her, he knew that he had to remain in control. He wouldn’t take her maidenhead in a rush of unthinking lust the way he had with Laura. At her engagement party to his brother, Laura had seduced him, used his desire against him, and he’d fallen into her trap, betraying Will in the process. He’d not make the same mistake twice.
Then and there, he made up his mind: he wouldn’t bed Emma until they were wed. In this relationship,hewould be in charge. He would gain her submission, make her come again and again until shebeggedto be his duchess...
He pressed open-mouthed kisses down her neck and shoulders, reveling in the downiness of her skin. Her fingers slid against his scalp, urging him closer. His nostrils flared at the sight of her breasts, the cherry peaks peeping above the line of black lace. He drew his thumb across a stiff bud, and she moaned.
“Like that, Emma? Do you want me to do it again?” he inquired.
“Mmm,” she sighed.
“Answer me properly, pet.” He gave her nipple a light tweak.
Her breath caught in surprise, yet her eyes melted like chocolate. “Yes... please?”
“Aye, my good lass.” He rolled the plump bud between his thumb and forefinger, and she gave thesweetestmoan. Damnation, he should have taken this approach with her from the outset and spared them both the trouble. “What pretty breasts you have. I can’t wait to taste them.”
“T-taste?” Her voice quavered.
Loosening the corset, he yanked it down to free her firm, rounded tits and bent his head. Her startled cry sent satisfaction humming through his veins. Emma was so responsive—she could never hide her response from him, lie to him. She clutched his shoulders, her breaths coming in rapid pants as he tongued her ripe berries. He adored how proudly they stood, how sensitive they were. When he suckled one deep into his mouth, her back bowed off the dais.
He ran his palm possessively up one silken thigh and cupped her cunny. His cock pulsed to find her soaking for him. With reverence, he delved into her little nest, petting her slick folds. She moaned low in her throat when he circled her pearl. He played with her, his touch light, dancing over her delicate flesh, teasing her toward orgasm and retreating when it loomed too close.
