“N-n-n-no.”
“Oh, darling, I’m longing to touch you. Let Phin hold you.”
She put her arms down and let him get close to her. As he put his hands on her waist and pulled her to him, he wondered at the mystery of it. Why was she sometimes so compliant and sometimes so resistant?
Oh, her body felt so good against his. Warm and firm. And look, how perfect, he could nestle his face right into her neck.
“Now, darling, this is nice, isn’t it?”
He began to stroke her back. He could feel her body relax incrementally into his.
“Tell me, darling, why you won’t marry me?”
“I t-t-t-told you.”
“That’s all? My other women? Which don’t exist anymore.”
“F-f-f-for n-n-n-now, Phineath. What h-h-h-happens wh-wh-wh—”
She was tensing once more, and he could tell she was about to pull away.
“Now, now, now, now, darling, we don’t have to talk about that right now. Just let Phin hold you.”
And again, her body softened and molded into his.
“That’s right, darling. Don’t worry about a thing. Just let Phin be close to you. It makes him feel so good to touch you. Even this way. With all our clothes on. Standing up. In your brother’s drawing room.”
She sighed.
“And, yes, I will admit it would be infinitely better if we were naked and horizontal and in a cozy bed, but I’ll take what I can get when it comes to you, sweet Caro.”
She put her head down and rested it on his shoulder.
“That’s right,” he raised his hand to stroke her hair, “such lovely hair you have, darling.” He turned his head and dared to bring his lips to hers.
She did not kiss him back, but she allowed it. So he kissed her again. And this time, her lips twitched. She had responded. Taking encouragement from that, he continued to kiss her while moving one of his hands off her back and to her side. His kisses were gaining in urgency even as his hand went up and down her flank, his thumb brushing over her breast. She was kissing him back now, opening her mouth, and his tongue found hers.
Oh, the miracle of this woman opening up to him, giving herself to him.
With a few steps, he edged the back of her legs up against a sofa and with his weight pushing on her, they were down on the cushions and he was on top of her.
“I thought you might like to be more comfortable, Caro.” His hand was firmly kneading her breast and her breathing had gone from even and relaxed to erratic and pressured. He was grinding his cock into her cleft and she was pushing her pelvis into him, grinding back.
“I hope you won’t mind if I do something to make you feel good. It’s something I’ve been dreaming of doing ever since I touched you in that bed in Sudbury. You don’t mind, do you, lovely girl?”
Her green eyes were hazed.
“The thing is, darling, Phin can’t talk while he does it. And I do get nervous when I can’t talk. So you have to promise me you’ll keep me from getting anxious. You’ll just have to stay very still and very quiet. Will you do that for me?”
He remembered how full-throated her groans had been in Sudbury until he had put his hand over her mouth, and he wanted no brother bursting into the drawing room until he had gotten a promise from her.
She nodded.
He shifted himself off of her, and as his body separated from hers, she whimpered and reached toward him to pull him back onto her, but then she sighed and let her arms fall to her sides, as if she were already exhausted.
He got on his knees and began drawing up her dress and her petticoat.
“I promise you’ll like this, you sweet girl, but I’m not sure you’ll like it as much as Phin will.”
