“And the two of you decided what was best for me.”Fire roared in her heart.She expected it to flame out of her eyes.
“Am I to understand that you wish to take full credit?”He was trying to change the subject.“That’s easy enough to arrange.A word or two in the right ear, and all of London will know.”
“No!I, that is, no.”
“Well, you may want to wait until there has been some reaction, a review or two perhaps, before you decide to take credit.”
She didn’t answer.
“You do plan to publish?”
Georgiana stared at the lace on her slipper, unable to raise her eyes from her feet, unable to formulate an answer.
Several silent moments passed before he said, “It is quite good, you know.”
She did not look up.
“It is fine work,” he went on, his voice a caress.“You can be proud.”
She looked up to find him inches from her, uncertain when he had moved so close.
“You did brilliantly.”He closed the final distance and took her mouth in a gossamer kiss that barely touched her body, yet seared her to the core.
Names flew to her mind: “Toad,” “Wretch,” “Traitor,” “Thief,” but the erratic heartbeat, engendered when his embrace turned her insides to molten iron drowned out the voices in her head.All that reached her mouth was “Andrew.Oh, Andrew.”
He pulled away and attempted to speak.She found the puzzled expression on his crooked face endearingly sweet, but she needed him, needed to draw him back, needed his closeness.When her hands began to tug at his shirt, he helped her free it, opening himself to her exploring hands.
She disposed of her pelisse; his jacket landed near it.His waistcoat, and then his shirt were gone.When they reached the bedroom door, strong hands yanked her gown from her shoulders.It slithered to the floor and lay in the doorway.His trousers fell inside the room, quickly followed by his small clothes nearer to the bed.He was gloriously naked, but she still wore her stockings and underclothing when he rolled her under him on the bed.His mouth took her breast through the delicate lace chemise, while his hands found the opening in her pantaloons.By the time she realized he wouldn’t wait to remove the rest of her clothing, she didn’t want him to.
The fierceness of their joining was as much Georgiana’s doing as his.She knew he would pull back if he thought she wanted it, but she wouldn’t let him.Weeks of separation and confusion were pulverized by the pounding need of this moment.One shattering moment later Georgiana lost all sense of her surroundings in the exquisite moment of release.
She felt him continue to move in her, hard and fast, while she slowly regained awareness.She experienced the moment of his pleasure and his own release in full awareness; the joy of it overwhelmed her.Her own satisfaction in watching him transformed by desire rocked her.Tears stung in her throat and rolled down her cheeks.This moment, this private, special moment belonged to them.She wished he could leave it at that.
