Whatever he’d said or done to bring out the vixen in her had certainly worked. She was incredible, and as she tugged him ever so gently, a surge of heat rushed to his groin while sparks of desire flittered across his skin. He’d never been this aroused before in his life!
Capturing her mouth in a hot and fervent kiss, he ran a hand over her hip, across her bottom and down to the soft flesh of her womanhood. “Yes,” she gasped as she parted her legs to grant him further access.
Trailing a finger along her center, he abandoned her mouth in favor of her ear, nibbling gently on the lobe as she trembled against him. “You’re so wet, Bella, so ready and ...” He dipped a finger inside her. “So tight.”
“I suppose I want you quite badly,” she murmured.
“There can be no doubt about that, and while I want you just as badly, I’d also like to taste you.”
“What?” she squeaked, eyes wide as she tried to pull away.
He refused to let her go, leading her to the bed instead. “Trust me, love, you’ll enjoy this more than you can possibly imagine.” Once he’d settled her against the plush pillows, Anthony proceeded to kiss his way along her outstretched body, chasing away the tension that had filled her when he’d told her what he had in mind. It took a while for her to relax, but he enjoyed every moment, relishing the opportunity he’d been given to simply adore each and every part of her. When he eventually flicked his tongue against her place of desire, she gasped and groaned with such pleasure that he almost found himself undone.
He wanted her pleasure as much as, if not more than, he wanted his own, and the more he laved her, the closer he sensed her coming to her climax. Pulling back, he couldn’t help but smile at the dazed look upon her face as he climbed up between her legs. “This is bound to hurt a little,” he warned.
“That’s all right,” she said with sincerity gleaming in her eyes as she raised her hand to caress his cheek. “I want this—I want you.”
Anthony didn’t need a second telling, but he was determined to make this good for her and therefore took his time, no matter how difficult it was for him to stop himself from forging ahead. When he reached the proof of her maidenhood, he stopped, catching his breath as he braced himself above her. His body screamed for fulfillment, but he ignored it, focusing all of his efforts on her instead. “How do you feel?” he quietly asked.
“Strange ... full, I suppose, and oddly complete.”
Reaching between them, he started to stroke her. “How about now?”
“Yes,” she breathed, her fingers splaying across his back as she tried to pull him closer. “Oh, God, yes. Please, Anthony ... I need ...”
And then she arched her back, pushing herself against him, and he complied, thrusting himself forward, burying himself to the hilt. A small groan of discomfort escaped her lips and he stopped to ask if she was all right. “Yes,” she said as she pulled him back for another breathless kiss.
With a sigh of relief, he withdrew from her a little, then plunged back inside. She groaned her pleasure, and he repeated the process until he felt her moving with him, their rhythm carrying them both on a wave of ever-increasing passion as they climbed the steep slope that would take them to the eventual place of ecstasy.
It didn’t take long before Anthony felt Isabella shudder as she tightened around him, crying out his name. He followed close behind, the rush of sensation that whipped through him at the moment of climax more powerful than any he’d ever experienced before. Breathing hard, he collapsed on top of her, spent and satisfied as he breathed in her scent.
“That was really quite ... remarkable,” she said as he turned his head to place a tender kiss upon her temple.
Anthony smiled, his lips still pressed against her head. “Indeed it was, Bella, and do you know, I believe it’s only the first remarkable moment of many between us.” He could feel her skin grow warmer and knew she had to be blushing. Rolling off her, he scooped her up against his chest and hugged her close.
They remained like that for a while, and Anthony was just beginning to close his eyes, thinking her asleep, when she suddenly twisted herself around to face him with a rather pensive frown. “I would like to meet my grandparents,” she said, looking him squarely in the eye. “I know that you know where they live, and I ... well, I’d like to make their acquaintance at the first opportunity.”
“I believe you ought to discuss that with your mother, don’t you? After all, she’s the one who had a falling out with them and ran off. It would probably be best if she makes the first conciliatory step.”
Isabella sighed as she relaxed back down against his arm. “She’ll never do it. It’s a matter of pride for her now, I believe, and while I can understand her reasoning, they’re my grandparents.” Her eyes met his again in an imploring way. “Don’t you think I should have the right to make my own decision—form my own impression of them? Not to mention what they must be going through. They probably think their daughter dead!”
“I can’t say that I disagree with you, love, but it’s a delicate situation. If you go behind your mother’s back she may feel betrayed.”
“And what about me?” Isabella asked, her voice filling with annoyance. “Ought I not feel betrayed for being lied to my whole life?”
“You have a point there,” he conceded.
“Besides, if I mention it to her she’ll only try to stop me—I’d rather she doesn’t know until I’ve met them myself and decided whether or not I’d like for them to be a part of my life.”
Anthony nodded. “Very well, then,” he said. “I shall send word to them. They are no doubt in London by now, but I can invite them up for the weekend ... together with my mother and sister, perhaps, since I doubt your parents will allow you to come here alone and unchaperoned.”
“But if your mother or Lady Louise ask me to join them for tea, she’ll have no cause for protest,” she said, warming to the idea.
“That’s the plan, I suppose.”
Raising herself on her forearm, she gazed down at him and smiled the most dazzling smile he’d ever seen. His heart lurched. “Have I told you how much I love you?” she asked.
He pretended to consider that for a moment before saying, “I believe you may have, though I wouldn’t mind hearing it again.”
