His lips found the sensitive curve of her neck, his breath warm and uneven as he kissed his way downward, the gentle scrape of his teeth making her shiver. She moaned as he reached the swell of her breast, his lips and tongue coaxing, teasing. Every nerve in her body felt like it was alive, humming with anticipation, waiting for the next move, thenext touch.
He paused, lifting his head to look down at her. His eyes were wild, burning with desire, but there was something else in them, something softer—tender, even.
“I need you.” His voice came out in a rasp, thick with emotion. “More than I’ve ever needed anything.”
The words sent a shudder through her, a deep, aching pull in her chest. She reached up, her hands finding the roughness of his jaw, the warmth of his face. With a tug, she tried to bring his face back to hers but he resisted. With a low groan, he shifted downward, his mouth grazing the curve of her belly. Farther down. Until he kissed the valley of her hip, brushed his fingers feather soft across her curls.
His breath puffed against the sensitive skin there, creating a trail of heat that flushed her skin. The aching pressure between her legs intensified, an unbearable pull that only he could ease. She tilted her hips, instinctively pressing herself closer to him, the need within her becoming almost desperate.
A low, reverent sound rumbled from his throat as if the offering of her body undid something inside him. And then his mouth was on her, hot and sure, and the world shattered. Her head fell back with a strangled cry, hands flying to the sheet, clutching it like a lifeline. The first sweep of his tongue was a revelation—tender, then demanding. She trembled beneath him, torn open by the shock of pleasure, the overwhelming sensation of too much. Too little.
He gripped her thighs, anchoring her. A tremor traveled through his hands, betraying the strain of his restraint. Every flick of his tongue, every kiss, sent her higher, a storm building behind her ribs. Her breath came in broken gasps, the heat spiraling, pressure mounting. She was unraveling, thread by thread, pulled apart by his mouth.
The pressure crested, then broke loose, flooding her in a rush of heat and helplessness. Pleasure burst through her like a bolt of blinding lightning. She arched her back, fingers twisting in his hair as she criedout his name, each pulse leaving her reeling in a dizzying storm of wild abandon.
As every muscle in her body slackened, he rose over her, his breath ragged, movements urgent and uneven. He fumbled with his nightshirt, then reached between her thighs, fingers slipping through the heat he’d drawn from her. A strained groan tore from his throat as he guided himself forward, the thick press of him finding her, testing her, needing her.
He stilled, his chest heaving against hers. “Tell me.” His voice rasped with barely held control. “Tell me you want this.”
She raised her hand and cupped his cheek, thumb tracing the rough outline of his jaw. “I want this—I want you.”
With a growl, he surged forward. Her fingers curled into his skin as he took her in one desperate, consuming thrust. The force of it made her gasp, the sudden fullness sending a sharp shock of sensation through her body. She clung to him, her breath hitching at the aching stretch.
Every inch of him pressed deep, filling her with a hot, dizzying fullness. He withdrew slowly, sensation rippling through her before sinking back into her with a powerful, urgent motion. Her muscles tightened around him, instinctively meeting each slick plunge. He didn’t stop, didn’t slow, his hands dragging her hips to him as though he couldn’t get close enough.
He grunted, his forehead pressing against hers as his rhythm grew frantic, desperate. The room seemed to close in around them, the sound of their bodies moving together filling the space. She gasped, pulling him closer, her legs wrapping around his waist, urging him deeper. A cry tore from her throat, but it was swallowed by his mouth as he kissed her fiercely, his thrusts erratic and wild. Her body tensed, a spark of heat shooting through her as she tumbled toward the edge once more.
“God, I want this to last forever.” His groan echoed through theroom. “But I can’t. I’m already there.”
He reached between them and began to pull free.
“Please.” Her fingers dug into his back. “Don’t.”
His breath came out in a ragged gasp. “I can’t hold off. If I finish in you…” His mouth went slack.
“I’ll make sure to take precautions. Please. Isaac. I need this. I need you.”
“Oh God. Josephine.” His eyes pressed shut, head tipping back as a hoarse shout tore free.
He gripped her hips, driving deeper than ever. She cried out as he shuddered within her, heat exploding at her core. A blinding rush consumed her, the world exploding into white-hot waves of sensation. Her body arched beneath him, muscles taut with the force of her release, the air sucked from her lungs.
For a long moment, neither of them moved, both clinging to each other as the last tremors of their shared pleasure reverberated between them. After a shaky breath, he gently pulled free and settled at her side. Her gaze wandered over his face, flushed and glowing in the candlelight. He reached for her hand and brought it to his chest, holding it there like an anchor, like he never wanted to let go.
Josephine’s fingers curled against his skin, the thud of his heartbeat fluttering beneath her palm. The air between them pulsed with something fragile and immense. Her heart swelled with emotion—full to bursting with everything she felt for him, with the sheer wonder ofhim. The words rose before she could stop them, as natural as breathing.
“I love you.”
There. She’d said it. Laid her heart bare before him.
He locked his gaze on her, blue eyes churning. “Josephine, I—”
A frantic knock interrupted him. “Josephine, if you’re in there, your father has just arrived and is demanding to see you.” Samantha’s hushed voice pressed through the crack.
Isaac leaped from the bed and snatched his trousers from where they hung over the chair. He shoved one leg in as Josephine’s chest seized. Her father?Oh God. Her mouth dropped open and she swung her feet to the floor.
Blast it, where was her shift?
There, under the bed. She grabbed it and yanked it over her head. Her hair tangled around her face in a messy halo. She’d hardly had time to pull it over her shoulder when heavy footfalls echoed from the hallway.
