Theodora’s mind was still reeling from their intense argument and the kiss. Alexander stood in front of her with a skeptical expression and a dark look that made her shiver. Before she knew what was happening, his strong arms slid under her knees and back; her silk skirts billowed, and she let out an undignified squeak as her feet left the floor.
“Alexander—put me down!” she hissed, even as her body betrayed her, and her arms looped instinctively around his neck.
The heat of him seeped through his shirt and enveloped her entire body. He did not answer. He simply carried her out of the study, and down the dimly lit corridor. Every step jostled her closer against him.
“This will not be like the last time, Theo.” He finally spoke but his voice was rough with what she hoped was desire.
Theodora gulped. She did not know what to expect in the last stage of her experiment. She had only read about it in the scandalous books her friends had given her.
“What should I do?” she whispered as he turned a sharp corner and kicked open a door.
Alexander looked down at her intently. “I will do everything. You can just enjoy it…or try to.”
Try?
The word sent a wave of fear through her, but she would not run away from this. When Alexander’s fingers pleasured her the last time, that had been the penultimate stage of her experiment. But stage seven was the final one. The one that would prove, once and for all, that love was nothing but a pretty lie draped over base lust.
She looked at the massive four-poster bed. Alexander kicked the door shut behind them and crossed the room in three quick strides, laying her down on the coverlet with surprising gentleness. But the moment her back met the mattress, the gentleness vanished. He loomed over her, eyes black with hunger, and his fingers already working the buttons on the bodice of her dress.
“Last chance to run, sorceress,” he growled.
Theodora swallowed hard. Her nipples tightened as cool air kissed them when he peeled the bodice open.
“I do not run from experiments,” she whispered, even though her voice shook. “Finish what you started.”
He made a dark sound of approval and stripped her completely. Her gown, corset, and chemise were thrown aside until she lay naked beneath him, skin flushed and trembling.
Her breath caught when he shed his own clothes with ruthless efficiency. His fresh bruises colored his skin unnaturally and his member sprang free, thick, heavy, and glistening at the tip. She had felt him through fabric, had even watched him stroke himself, but seeing it now, veined, rigid, and far larger than two of his fingers, sent a spike of real fear through the scientific detachment she clung to so fervently.
I am not afraid.
She repeated the words in her mind as Alexander lay next to her and kissed her deeply. One big hand slid down her body and in between her thighs, parting them wide.
“Are you ready for this, Theo?” he asked her roughly.
“Yes,” she replied on a breath.
Two thick fingers stroked through her folds, finding her slick already. Alexander circled her core once, then twice. The action drew a helpless whimper from her throat.
“You are soaked for me already, sorceress,” he murmured against her ear, and slowly pushed those fingers inside of her.
Theodora let out a soft cry as he thrust gently to stretch her. Her breath quickened with his pace and Alexander groaned in response. She opened her legs wider for him.
“Alex…I am ready.” She looked up at him to find that he was already staring at her with an expression she couldn’t quite understand.
“But this will hurt more than my hand, Theo. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” she gasped, hips rocking despite herself. “It… it must be done.”
He laughed softly, darkly, and withdrew his fingers.
“For the experiment?” he asked as he adjusted himself on top of her.
She nodded vigorously. “For the experiment.”
The head of his manhood replaced his fingers. It felt hot nudging at her entrance. He braced himself on one forearm as his other hand cupped her jaw, so she had to meet his eyes.
“Look at me,” he ordered. “I want to watch every second of this.”
