He chuckled. When she looked him in the eye, he said, “I believe you wished to be in charge of such matters, my lady. I am merely awaiting instructions.”
She set her hands on his shoulders, went on tiptoe, and kissed him firmly on the mouth. She waited for a moment to see if the universe objected and then did it again, this time running the tip of her tongue along the seam of his lips.
His arm came around her waist like a vise, and he jerked her hard against him. “I do apologize,” he said. “It appears that I am not very good at doing as I’m told …”
She wasn’t listening anymore, her body demanding she pay attention to the needs she’d suppressed for so long. She slid one hand behind his neck and urged his head down until his mouth met hers in a fiery clash. He kissed her properly then, and she responded, all the frustrated heat inside her bursting forth into one long, lascivious kiss that made her moan his name.
He backed her against the wall, their mouths still attached, his hand curving around her bottom and making her aware that he was fully aroused. She rolled her hips, and he groaned and slammed his other hand on the wall above her head, his breath harsh as he looked down at her.
“I thought you said you were out of practice.”
Carenza froze. “I … have offended you.”
“What?”
“With my enthusiasm. Hector said it was unladylike.”
“Hector was a fool,” Julian said. “Do I look like I am offended?”
Carenza studied him carefully. “No.”
“Then pray continue.”
Suddenly aware that they were in someone else’s house and that there were other people around who would like nothing more than to discover her with a paramour, Carenza took a deep breath. “Perhaps we should stop.”
He looked down at her, his expression hard to read, and took a step back. “As you wish.”
“I don’t wish, but I am reluctant to be discovered with my legs wrapped around your waist as you pleasure me against this wall.”
“I wish you hadn’t said that.” His breath caught. “I can’t tell you how much I want to lock the doors and take you at your word.”
She licked her lips, and he cupped her chin and leaned in close.
“Are you wet enough to take me?”
“I believe so.”
His eyes briefly closed. “I wouldn’t be gentle.”
“I wouldn’t want you to be.”
He groaned and leaned in to kiss her. “You are not making it easy to walk away when it would be much more satisfying to push up your skirts, unbutton my breeches, and fill you with my cock.”
Her body throbbed with temptation to agree that was exactly what he should do, but sanity prevailed. She’d lost her head when Hector had overwhelmed her with his physical desires, and she wasn’t willing to lose herself again. The whole point of this current experiment was that she should be the one in charge.
“Luckily, we agreed only to a kiss,” Carenza reminded him.
“I could kiss you wherever you need me—use my fingers and tongue to bring you to a climax.”
Carenza’s knees went weak. Good Lord, no wonder Julian was so successful with women. Even his voice was a seduction. She stiffened her spine and very carefully didn’t look at his breeches.
“I need to find Allegra. She will be wondering where I am.”
“Of course.” He nodded and moved away, his expression composed. “May I ask if you have concluded that we suit?”
“I think so.” She strived to copy his conversational tone. “Do you?”
“I think I’ve proved my worth.” He went over to the fire and extinguished the candles on the mantelpiece. “Perhaps you should leave first. We are all about discretion.”
