“Don’t stop. It feels so good, sweetheart.”
She did it again, dragging her fingertip lightly over his nipple, her gaze darting to his face when he let out a groan. A wondering smile curved her lips. “You seem to like that.”
Teasing minx. “I do like it. Shall I show you why?”
She nodded, and he slid his hand into the loose neck of her night rail, easing it off her shoulder and baring one of her breasts to him. “So pretty, Euphemia,” he breathed, stroking his thumb over one of the sweet pink peaks.
“Oh!” Her back arched at the caress. “That’s so…”
“It feels good, doesn’t it?” He touched her again, teasing her nipples with gentle strokes of his thumbs, and God, it was heady, her innocent surprise as he coaxed her body to arousal with slow, gentle caresses, until soft whimpers and pleas were falling from her lips.
He drew back, taking in her pale, delicate skin, her pink cheeks, the dark silk of her hair spread out across his pillow, and her eyes, such a deep, endless blue.
He’d fallen in love with her eyes weeks ago, hadn’t he?
“God, look at you. You’re so beautiful, Euphemia. I want to taste you. Here.” He leaned closer, teasing his lips over the tip of her breast, suckling and nipping at her until she was writhing against him, her nipples flushed a deep, cherry red. “And here.” He caught the hem of her night rail and drew it slowly up her thighs, pausing to caress the silky skin there before brushing his fingers over the tangle of curls between her legs. “And here.” He parted her damp folds and stroked his fingertip gently over her tender bud.
Her gaze jerked to his face, her cheeks going scarlet. “I’m not sure that’s…”
Whatever protest she’d been about to offer trailed off into an incoherent moan as he touched her, circling her sweet bud untilshe was panting, and her hips began to move in time with his caresses.
He teased and stroked her until she was arching beneath him, then he slid down her body, dropping kisses as he went, his breath coming in harsh pants until at last—at last—he nudged his head between her legs, and touched the tip on his tongue to her core.
“James!” She jerked underneath him, her hands sinking into his hair, her fingers gripping hard.
God, he’d waited a lifetime for this, hadn’t he? Forher, mindless with desire beneath him, unable to think of anything but the pleasure he was giving her.
He groaned against her warm folds, holding her open to him with a hand on each of her trembling thighs as he teased her with light caresses of his lips and tongue, but her soft whimpers were driving him mad, and he soon abandoned his teasing and stroked his tongue over her again and again, until she went rigid beneath him.
“James!” Her bud swelled against his tongue as the pleasure swept over her, tearing a breathless moan from her lips. He stayed with her, wringing every last shudder from her until at last she subsided, her limbs going limp. He crawled back up the bed then, and drew her into his arms, ignoring his throbbing cock as he stroked her hair and murmured to her, telling her how sweet she was, how beautiful.
She was quiet for a few moments, flushed and dazed, but when her breathing quieted, she turned in his arms, facing him. “That was… I’m not sure what to say.”
He reached out to toy with a lock of her hair, chuckling. “Miss Euphemia Templeton, struck speechless? I never thought I’d see the day.”
“Me, either.”
She brushed his hair back from his face in a gesture so tender it made his throat ache. She cradled his cheek in her hand for a moment before sliding it down his neck to his chest, then to his lower belly, sifting her fingers through the trail of dark hair that began under his navel, and disappeared under the waistband of his pantaloons.
His cock, already hard and straining for her gave a hopeful twitch as her hand drew closer to it. A groan fell from his lips, and her hand froze, her breath catching. “May I touch you now?”
Touch him? Good Lord, even the thought of her small, dainty hand on his cock made him so wild he was in danger of disgracing himself. Just her gaze on his straining length was enough to tear another tortured moan from his lips. “I’m not sure that’s… ah.”
She touched him then— just the softest caress with one fingertip, more an experiment than anything else, but it was enough to silence every protest in his head.
All he could think about was her touching him, stroking him…
She loosened one of the buttons of his falls, then the other. He let out another desperate moan, his neck arching as she lowered his falls. His swollen cock sprang free, and without any hesitation, she wrapped her small, warm hand around him.
“Oh,” she murmured, tightening her fingers around his aching erection. “Your skin is so soft here.”
“Is it?” Nothing about his cock felt soft to him at the moment, but he let out a strained laugh and did his best not to push into her hand.
“Is this how I’m meant to do it?” She gave him an experimental caress. “Show me, James. I want…”
She trailed off, and he jerked his gaze to her face. She was gazing down at his hard length cradled in her palm, her brows drawn together. “Yes? What do you want, love?”
“I want to give you pleasure, as you did me, but I’m not sure… I don’t want to hurt you.” She flushed, but bravely met his eyes. “Will you show me how to touch you?”
