As he pivoted back, he couldn’t help but smile at Aurora’s sympathetic gaze toward the place where Fortescue had been lying. “I feel bad for him having to get up,” she said.
He shook his head. “He has a very nice bed of his own in the dressing room,” he explained. “And a giant bone the cook was kind enough to share after that roast yesterday.”
That seemed to appease her, for she nodded. “Then he’ll be happy. I feel a little better.”
He eased back across the room to her, slowly, both to adjust to not having his cane and also because he needed to take his time before this exploded out of control. “Aurora, do you really want to talk about my dog right now?”
She shook her head. “No,” she whispered, and reached for him, drawing him back to her arms, to her lips, where he drowned all over again, only this time slower. With less desperation.
He supposed he’d have to find the dog another, even better bone as thanks for that. He angled his head, deepening the kiss, slowing it, at least for a short time. He wanted to savor every moment of this.
He never wanted it to end.
But desire was an insistent mistress, and eventually the pulse of it drove him harder. Faster. And he wasn’t alone in that, apparently. She pulled away after what seemed like forever, her breath short, her dark eyes almost black with desire. Her shaking fingers found his cravat and she struggled to loosen it. He dug his fingers into her hair, sending pins to dance across the floor. Blonde, perfumed silk fell around them, wrapping around his fingers, covering her shoulders. He breathed it in, breathedherin, and marveled at how much more beautiful she was with her hair down. He’d never seen her like this before, at least not since she was a very little girl. They’d never come this far.
She finally got the cravat loose and unwound it, then tossed it over her shoulder. She lifted into him, demanding another kiss as she shoved at his jacket, pulled at his buttons. She was desperate, she was hungry, and he loved it. But he still pulled away.
“Please don’t rush this,” he said.
That brought her up short and she lowered her hands. “I…it’s just that we’ve waited so long. I’ve wanted nothing but this for so bloody long.”
He drew a shaky breath. “You do test a man.”
That elicited a smile from her lips. “I’mtryingto test you.”
“So I see.” He caught her hands and gently tugged her glove away before he lifted her palm to his lips and kissed it. She shivered as he sucked gently, harder, licked as he turned her hand over and pressed another kiss to her knuckles. “But because I’ve waited so long, too, I don’t want this to be some fast, hard fucking.”
She didn’t flinch at the crude word. “What do you want it to be?”
Foreverwas the word that flickered through his mind. Forever was the most dangerous word of all when it came to her. He pushed it away.
“I want it to be worth the wait. I want it to be everything.”
She nodded slowly as she threaded the fingers of her bare hand into his. “It already will be.”
He tended to believe her. He dug his fingers into her hair, tilting her head back, and kissed her again. This time he went slowly, tracing her lips, sucking her tongue, devouring her like he would his last meal. She gave a full-body shudder and he smiled against her. At least he knew how to make this night good.
He wanted it to be, just in case he never had another with her.
“Turn around,” he said as he broke the kiss.
Her full lower lip pouted out, but she did as he directed, putting her back to him. He pushed her hair aside, forward over one shoulder, then leaned in to kiss the long expanse of neck he had exposed. As he sucked and licked, he unfastened the first button of her gown. She arched her backside against him, rubbing wickedly and making his vision blur for a moment from the pleasure that arced from his cock through his entire bloodstream.
He unfastened the second button, determined not to let her rush even though the driving pulse inside of him screamedclaim, fuck, mine!over and over until it was like a drumbeat in his skull. But he was a man of discipline, and he called on every bit of that to keep himself from rending the delicate silk of her gown in two.
He unfastened the last two buttons and parted the dress. Her chemise was a creamy color, edged in lace, and he smoothed his fingers across the fine silk before he leaned in and kissed the place where her skin and the lace met.
“Please,” she whimpered again, and her backside ground back again. “Please, please, please.”
“You can’t rush me,” he declared with a laugh.
“I could,” she said with a wicked chuckle of her own. “But I won’t. No matter how much I want to.”
He pushed the gown forward and she slid it away from her arms and pushed it to the floor before she turned around and faced him. He stopped moving, stopping breathing and juststaredat her. She was glorious, just as he’d always imagined she would be. Her chemise was short, just skimming the top of her voluptuous thighs, and she wore no drawers. She was all curves and softness and so many places to touch and worship, he almost couldn’t decide where to begin.
She swallowed hard as she reached up and slid one chemise strap down her arm, then the other. She tugged it away, wiggling it past the full swell of her hips and letting it crumple to the floor at her feet.
She was naked. Aurora was naked before him, trembling. Or was it he who was trembling to be standing before this goddess he’d never thought to see again? But here he was, standing before her with the opportunity to worship. He stepped forward and extended a hand, letting his fingers glide across her collarbone, down over one heavy breast. She tensed as he touched her there, her breath shortening. He let his hand move lower, over the soft swell of her stomach, the rounded curve of her hip, the soft flesh of her thigh.
