He sensed the exact moment she surrendered to him, the exact moment she was his. He could hear it in her gasp and feel it in her limbs as his finger slid over that warm, sensitive place between her legs. Any resistance simply melted away and her body succumbed to the force of desire surging between them.
The heat... the dampness... She was so wet for him he couldn’t stand it. He lifted his head from her breast to stare into her half-lidded eyes.
She wanted him, and the warm, honey-sweet proof was slick around his fingers. He plunged into her, holding her gaze to his, watching as the pleasure and surprise transformed her features.
He was going to make her come. She was achingly close already. Her breath started to quicken with sharp little gasps, her eyes grew hazy, and the soft pink flush on her cheeks darkened as he stroked her.
His already throbbing cock throbbed harder as his finger slipped in and out of that tight, warm glove. God, she was so sweet. So beautiful. Her response so innocent and free as she gave herself over to the pleasure he was bringing her.
She was almost there, her body squirming, her gasps muffled with frustration, her eyes closed, as she tried to find what she was looking for. He took pity on her innocence and left her without a choice, pressing his palm against her as he found the sensitive spot that could not resist. She started to shudder and cry out.
It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
And also the most painful. The urge to take his own release gathered at the base of his spine and pounded. He wanted to be inside her so badly, wanted to feel those spasms tightening around his aching cock instead of his finger, wanted to feel all that warm dampness flooding him. He had to bite back the pulse that brought a milky drop to his tip, and the roar of blood surging through his veins and blasting in his ears:take her... finish it...she can be yours.
Sheisyours.
He might have done just that had she not lifted her eyes to his. Eyes that were filled with wonder, tenderness... and trust.
It took Elizabeth a moment to realize something was wrong. She felt as if she’d just catapulted to the stars. As if she’d just ridden across the sky in Apollo’s blazing chariot. As if she’d died for a moment and glimpsed heaven.
The pleasure of Thom’s touch had consumed her, and then it had wound tighter and tighter until it snapped and broke apart into a shattering array of light. It was pleasure and sensation unlike anything she’d ever imagined. And she rode out wave after glorious wave until the last tingling pulse had ebbed from her body.
She opened her eyes and looked into the familiar face of the man who’d brought her to such heights and felt something strange swell in her chest. A warmth of emotion that she’d never felt before. The intimacy—the closeness—of the moment seemed to wrap around her and squeeze.
She would have smiled had the veil of euphoria not lifted enough for her to realize that the sweet tenderness of emotion, the warmth in her chest, and euphoria were not shared by the man leaning over her. Rather he seemed pulled as tight as a bowstring, teetering on the edge of some dark, violent precipice he was fighting not to fall off of.
“Thommy?” she asked uncertainly, forgetting he’d asked her not to call him that. Her hand went to his face, cupping the hard lines of his jaw. The stubble grated against her palm and she could feel the heavy pulse just below his cheek. “What’s wrong?”
His gaze hardened to blue chips of ice, but she yanked her hand back as if scalded. A breath of cool air spread over her skin, and all at once she became aware of her wanton state. She was collapsed on a table, her breasts were half-spilling out of her gown, her skirts were bunched around her waist, and he had his hand between her spread legs with his manhood positioned only a few inches away. Her gaze slid to the thick column of his erection, and she knew that all he had to do was loosen the ties of his breeches and he could be inside her.
She wouldn’t resist. She was pretty sure she would welcome him.
He seemed to know that, too, and for one pulse-stopping moment she thought he was going to do exactly that. Her heart even slammed against her rib cage in anticipation.
But then he pulled back harshly, removing his body and his hand from her in what felt like a cold slap.
A cold slap that was matched by the sting of his words. “Keep your virtue, my lady. It was not part of the bargain.” His eyes skimmed over her. “Although you present a tempting invitation, a kiss was all that was required.”
Elizabeth gasped as a sharp knife of pain slid between her ribs. She sat up and quickly pulled down her gown to hide her nakedness. “I wasn’t...”
But they both knew she was. She’d offered him her virtue and he’d refused it.
His gaze held hers unyieldingly, his mouth pulling into a tight smile. “You needn’t worry. The kiss was good enough. I’ll honor your ardentrequestto help free your brother.” She didn’t understand the snide turn he put on the word. “But in return you will honor mine.”
“What?”
“To leave me the hell alone.”
The harshly uttered words spoken with such vehemence cut off her breath. Her chest squeezed with a pain sharper and deeper than she’d felt before. How could he touch her like that one moment, and then the next act as if he wanted nothing to do with her? She’d just experienced something extraordinary, yet it seemed to be nothing to him at all. And that made her feel oddly vulnerable, confused, and precariously close to tears.
Her eyes scanned his face, looking for any sign of weakness, any crack in the formidable, handsome facade. Finding none, they came to rest on his. “If you are certain that is what you want?”
With her gaze, she argued, pleaded, and begged for him to disagree. But her silent words had no effect.
With one last long look, he gave her a sharp nod and said, “Aye, that’s exactly what I want.”
The words had barely left his mouth before he was gone.
