He bared my breasts with a low groan. “You are so much more than what I expected.” He met my gaze then and, with a frown of concern, began to stumble over his words. “I don’t mean… not just your body…”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Never had I expected to cause a man to act in such a manner. “Surely you’re not nervous, husband?”
He stopped, and I could see the heat high on his cheeks, but I didn’t think it was from embarrassment. Could it be desire that was causing his eyes to seem too bright? It was unbelievable that he would ever desire me.
“I do not wish to cause offense, and none was meant.”
“I’m not offended.” With a deep breath, I reached out to touch his bare thigh just above his knee. Ever so slowly, I began to trail my fingers up the inside of his thigh, stopping when I reached the hem of his shirt. I wasn’t yet brave enough to continue my exploration.
He grinned, then he shifted so he was leaning over me. “There’s no going back.”
I nodded and wrapped my arms around his neck. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”
He stretched out next to me and kissed me again, but this time it was soft. When he lifted his head, his gaze dipped down to my breasts.
“I wish we had more than a few changes of clothing with us, because I very much want to rip this off you.”
Heat pulled low in my belly. It seemed unthinkable that a man like Clifton would want me that much, but his words lit a recklessness inside me. “I would then have to rip this shirt from you.”
I expected him to laugh, but what he did instead had my breath whooshing out of my lungs. He flipped us over so that I was on top of him. My legs fell on either side of his hips. Somehow, he’d managed to ensure my chemise was pushed up to my hips so my legs were completely bared. The fabric puddled at the apex of my thighs, guarding what little remained of my modesty.
His hands settled on my legs, strong and warm, and I leaned forward, bracing my hands over his shoulders.
“I will take your lead in this, husband.”
He grinned, his eyes taking on a decidedly wicked glint. “Raise yourself up a little.”
And then his hands moved to my hips, guiding me up so that there was now space between us. With one hand, he began to lift the hem of his shirt.
I should have been embarrassed. Modesty dictated that I should be lying on my back with my eyes closed and thinking of anything except what was about to take place. I’m not sure where I’d arrived at that notion. My aunt certainly hadn’t spoken to me about what would happen in the marriage bed. But I’d heard snippets of conversations from other young women who painted a decidedly different picture of what I was to expect. Thank goodness for Caroline’s advice, or I would be very shocked right now.
I raised up higher to allow him to push aside the fabric, then his manhood came into sight, long and hard. Unable to stop myself, I reached down to touch him, and he groaned, wrapping his fingers around mine and guiding me to explore him. A small bead of liquid formed at the tip and I ran my thumb over it, spreading the fluid over the crown. His eyes were riveted on me. And I remembered something that Caroline had said.
Before I could let my fear stop me, I brought my thumb to my mouth and tasted him. He swore softly then began pushing me down onto him. He didn’t enter me. He merely allowed his length to rest along the outside of me, there between my legs where I was embarrassingly wet. I whimpered, but I didn’t care that the sound was decidedly unladylike, because it felt good having him there. His hands on my hips directed me to slide along his length.
I could certainly understand now why a few of the maids in my aunt’s household liked to spend time with the footmen. I’d heard my aunt lecturing the housekeeper once, ordering her to ensure such shenanigans stopped. But if being with a man felt this incredible, it made sense why those maids would risk their positions.
I stared down at Clifton, whose eyes were roving over my body. His hands were still on my hips, but then he reached to cup one of my bared breasts. When his other hand moved to the neckline of my chemise, which was now pooled at my waist, I feared that he was very close to actually ripping it. I only had one other, so I was merely being practical when I gathered up the fabric and pulled it over my head.
Clifton let out a low grunt. “I am not going to last.”
And then he lifted my hips away from him. I made a small sound of protest, bereft at the loss of him there, but he replaced his manhood with his hand. One finger slipped inside me, and his thumb began rubbing small circles outside my opening. Greedy for everything he could give me, I leaned forward and allowed my breasts to fall closer to his face. His hot mouth clamped onto one immediately and he began suckling me with long pulls that had me mindless with pleasure. Nothing had ever felt so good. And then, before I realized what was happening, my entire body began to shake, and I cried out.
Clifton took advantage of my momentary distraction to take hold of his hard length, then he slowly pushed inside me. I knew this was going to hurt. Clasping my lower lip between my teeth, I allowed myself to take him fully. The pain was much less than I’d been led to believe. But from the way Clifton had stilled, his jaw tense, I feared that I’d done something wrong. I would have scrabbled off his lap if his hands hadn’t been clamped onto my hips, holding me in place.
“Did I hurt you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Give me a moment.”
I frowned. I was the innocent here. Why would he need a moment? I cupped his face with one hand. “Is something the matter?”
He’d screwed his eyes shut, but now he opened them again and stared up at me. “I am in danger of being unmanned.”
I tilted my head. “Does that mean I hurt you?”
He barked out a laugh. “It means that I’m about to spill inside you like an untried youth. Just give me a moment.”
I waited, realization dawning on me. “It’s okay,” I said. “You did bring me pleasure. I would like to do the same for you.”
