She blinked stupidly.
His hand reached up and touched her cheek, gently tilting her head. “It’s like connecting puzzle pieces when you kiss. Or when you do anything else of a sexual nature.” The parts of her brain not already blank blessedly went dark. “You don’t want to purse your lips or keep them too slack.”
He lifted her wrist and turned it underside up so it hung just below his lips.
“A firm gentle pressure…” His lips touched her wrist, the pulse point beating wildly beneath. Her breath caught in her throat. His eyes kept a steady hold on hers, watching. “A light teasing…”
Was that atonguethat just swiped a swath across her skin? Heat followed the path and bounced in all directions.
“An all-encompassing domination.” His warm breath tickled her skin every time he spoke, and then he encased the fire with his mouth. Her head tilted back as he drew her closer and she fell under his will. “A sweet submission.” His lips sucked gently and then released her wrist. “Those all work well depending on the mood and heat.”
The kitchen was rather warm.
“Open your lips, Marietta.”
Her mouth parted without her express permission.
“I don’t think we need to explore the perfunctory types of kisses first, do we?”
“N-No.”
He shook his head slowly, agreeing, and she followed the movement with her eyes. She felt as if he had cast a spell over her once again, just as he had in the street on the way to the barrister’s office.
His head lowered, his eyes remained fixed on hers. She didn’t know what to do, so she stood motionless. His lips brushed hers and the tingling sensation traversed her spine. Her first kiss felt rather nice. He repeated the motion, and she tentatively brushed her lips across his, but instead of continuing the feathery caresses, his mouth closed over hers. An entirely different kind of sensation followed. He had said not to stay still or limp, but not to exert too much pressure either, and she had zero idea what to do. Standing there felt odd, though, as if something was missing. His hand curled around the back of her neck and she was urged closer, his lips opening hers. She started to feel the rhythm, the motion.
She tried opening and closing her lips around his, and it was awkward. Embarrassment ran through her. She started to feel light-headed.
He pulled back and she saw the amusement in his eyes. “Remember to breathe, Marietta.”
“How can I breathe when your lips are covering mine?”
He tapped her nose, an entirely inappropriate gesture, as was all of this. “Through your nose. Or take in a little air with your mouth when we separate.”
Separate? They had been joined at the lip.
“Let’s try it again.”
“I dislike you.”
“I know.” His eyes said he didn’t believe her one bit. “Put that to use in kissing me. Try to get your revenge.”
His eyes twinkled in challenge, the darkness lurking just behind. He lowered his head again and when his lips met hers she wasn’t shocked this time and it felt even better. More natural. She tested breathing through her nose and wanted to kick him in the shin when she felt his laughter against her mouth.
“Mmmm…” he said against her lips. “I can’t remember the last time teaching someone to kiss was this fun.”
The tremors from his words, his mouth, vibrated against hers. “Do you do this often?” she asked against his lips, the movement of her mouth against his suddenly making her grasp what he was trying to teach.
“No, not often,” he murmured. His mouth closed around hers, and this time she followed his lead, responding in kind, warmth flowing through her like a fresh hot brick under her blankets. She had no delusions that she was doing this kissing thing well, but it felt more natural, and he seemed to be responding. The kiss deepened further and she found her body inching closer to his, brushing against him, seeking further contact.
All sorts of strange feelings flowed through her. A coiling in her belly, as if all the butterflies which had been fluttering there before had been captured in a net and secured—their wings beating furiously in one tight package.
Her body was feeling more languid and relaxed, where at first she had been taut and strung tight. Her embarrassment was a haze above her, not as apparent as it had been previously. Her fingers moved to touch him, and only with strong will did she keep them at her sides, clutched in her tavern dress.
“You can touch me, Marietta,” he whispered. “But then, of course, the opposite is true as well.”
She jerked back, not breaking their contact above but removing all the places that they were touching below the neck. She felt him chuckle again, then his hand at her nape tugged her closer and his other hand wrapped around her waist, bringing her flush against him so they touchedeverywhere. His mouthsearedhers, the kisses turning from languid and exploratory to dominating and overpowering.
Her hands reached up to clutch his sleeves as he more forcefully opened her lips. Her body leaned in for more. His tongue slipped between her teeth and the shock was absorbed by the bigger shock of feeling something hard pressed against her lower body. His tongue pressed against hers and his fingers stroked her nape, urging her to respond in kind. She tentatively pressed her tongue back against his. It was a strange sensation and she started to feel hot and out of sorts—the rubbing of their bodies doing strange things to all parts of hers.
