During her marriage, kissing had become a perfunctory gesture. A peck of greeting or a routine prelude to bedding. But Cull…he kissed her as if he wanted to do it forever. As if there was no other end, nothing he wanted more than just to have his mouth on hers.
Her fervor matched his. When he licked at the seam of her mouth, she invited him in. The hot, bold thrust of his entry mimicked another act that would soon follow, and she shivered from head to toe. If kissing felt this good…
He took his time exploring her mouth. His male taste had an unexpected burst of peppermint. Dentifrice, she realized. She found it oddly endearing that he’d taken the effort to make himself agreeable to her. Not that he’d needed to: kissing him was addictive, his masculine flavor tinder to her fire. She wanted more of him, everything…
“Turn around,” he murmured against her lips.
She did, bracing her hands against the wall. The black flock of the paper teased her palms as he unfastened her dress. There was reverence in the way he freed her from the constriction of buttons and laces, as he revealed her layer by layer. When she was down to her chemise and stockings, he kissed her nape, and her silk-covered toes curled with desperate wanting.
He moved closer, sandwiching her between the wall and his brawny frame. The sensation of being surrounded by hardness was delicious. The weight of his manhood pressed into the small of her back, the heft of his virility causing her to dampen with anticipation.
When he suckled her earlobe, her head fell back against his shoulder.
“Arms up, love,” he murmured. “Time to show me what I’ve been waiting on all these years.”
She raised her shaking limbs, and he pulled the chemise over her head. Now she was naked, save for her stockings, and bashfulness crept over her. She was no virgin, but she’d only been with her husband, and he’d never made her feel this…exposed.
“Turn for me, sunshine.”
Inhaling, she did. Cull’s hot, appreciative glance burned away her inhibitions.
“I didn’t think it possible, but you’re even lovelier than I imagined.” His voice was both rough and soft, like the flock of the wallpaper against her spine.
He dropped a kiss on her shoulder, and an odd noise left her.
He gave a husky laugh. “That sound is almost as pretty as you are. Shall we see what else makes you purr?”
He took her hands, pressing them to the wall above her head. His kiss was slow and intoxicating. His brawny, fully clothed chest rubbed against her nipples, setting off sparks of bliss. Wanting more of that exquisite abrasion, she pressed herself against him.
“Impatient minx,” he breathed against her ear. “I’ll get to those pretty tits of yours. Be warned, however: I plan to suckle them thoroughly.”
Heavens.
He took his sweet time getting there…not that she was complaining. He lavished attention on her ears and neck, dragging his tongue along her throat. She let out a surprised gasp when he spun her around again. Her palms flattened against the wall as he winnowed out sensation from parts of her she didn’t know were designed for pleasure: the slopes of her shoulder blades, the length of her spine. He explored each vertebra with his tongue until she was trembling like an autumn leaf clinging to a branch.
He didn’t stop there. Going down on one knee, he turned his attention to her garters. He undid them one by one, kissing the marks they left before unrolling the silk down her calves.
Rising, he murmured, “Now spread these long, beautiful legs for me.”
Pressed against the wall, her cheek burned, but she did as he asked. When his fingers delved into her intimate folds, she whimpered.
“Jesus wept, you’re drenched.” A growl entered his voice. “I wager you could come for me right now, couldn’t you?”
He probed deeper, finding her secret bud of sensation, rubbing it with demanding strokes that arched her back. Goodness, the way he caressed her…it was far better than her own furtive fumbling. Far better than anything she’d experienced. Pleasure gathered inside her, building and building.
“That’s right. Ride my hand, love,” he urged. “Work that sweet pussy until you spend for me.”
His wicked words and skillful touch unraveled her control. She soared to a pinnacle then went over the edge, floating on gusts of ecstasy. Then she suddenly...plummeted. Shivering, disoriented, undone, she felt too good…too much. The release broke a dam inside her.
Cull nipped her earlobe. “Now that we have that out of the way, time for me to sample your delectable nipples…”
He turned her around just as emotions began pouring from her. A powerful flood she couldn’t stop. Before she knew what was happening, a sob escaped.
“Pippa?” Cull’s eyes blazed with concern. “What’s amiss, love? Was I…was I too rough?”
She shook her head but couldn’t stop the sounds crowding up her throat. Couldn’t stop what she was feeling or explain it. Couldn’t do anything but weep. He removed her mask, and too overwhelmed to stop him, she looked away. She didn’t want him to see her exposed and pathetic and hurting. Her tears would probably send him running.
Better to be the one to leave.
