Shewas the adventure. Her presence was the priceless discovery.
Something of his unexpected revelation must have shown in his face as her lovely features shifted into an expression of inquiry.
“What on earth were you thinking just now?” She smoothed a hand to the side of his face. “For a second there, it looked as though you’d been kicked in the stomach.”
Phin laughed and settled himself more intimately between her thighs. “Metaphorically, perhaps,” he replied. When she eyed him in confusion, he chuckled again then lowered his head to flick at her pursed lips with the tip of his tongue. When she parted, he darted a lick inside her mouth. Her swift-drawn breath was perfect as she tightened her arms around his neck and arched her back.
Pressing a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth, he murmured, “How about…” He pressed another kiss to the other corner. “For the next few hours…” A kiss to the tip of her nose. “We forget all about this Lord Ackerly and necklaces and ballrooms and the rest of the world.” He stared into her dark and dreamy gaze to whisper roughly, “Let me worship you.”
Something delightfully dangerous sparked in her eyes and a subtle smile tilted her mouth as she replied with the quiet regal elegance he adored, “If that means you’re going to make love to me again, I shall allow it.”
Phin gave a growling chuckle and dropped his head to nuzzle the softness at the curve of her neck and shoulder, breathing her in. His lips eagerly found her silken skin and his tongue traced the steady thrum of her pulse.
Worship her? He would devour her if he could.
Powerful desire and a deep, profound sense of sensual possession rushed through him, making him harder than he’d ever been in his life.
With a low grunt, he pushed himself up to sit back on his heels, smoothing his hands and his ravenous gaze along the curves of her body as he did so. Her hands had fallen to the mattress on either side of her head, the fingers curling gently toward her palm as she gazed at him with deep, silent eyes. Her rosy lips were parted and her breath passed short and swift with anticipation, lifting her breasts with each inhale.
Gorgeous.
He wasn’t worthy.
The thought arose far too often when he was with her like this. But it was true. He didn’t know how he’d managed to earn her trust and her desire, but he wasn’t going to take either for granted.
Sliding his hands down to her ankles, he urged her to bend her knees so he could bring her feet to rest atop his thighs. He removed her dancing slippers then ran his thumbs over the contours of her feet, smoothing away any aches or discomfort.
“Phin,” she breathed softly. “You don’t have to…”
“You said you’d allow it,” he reminded gruffly. “No regrets.”
Her lashes fluttered and drifted half closed. He pressed along herarches and a soft moan slid from her throat while her hands curled into small fists.
He smiled. “Relax, my beauty,” he murmured thickly. “Enjoy this.”
He continued to massage her feet until her breath slowed and her hands fell lax again.
Then he worked his caress up her legs, gently kneading the muscles of her calves, then her lovely thighs. The skirts of her gown rose with his touch until it slipped over her bent knees to pool in her lap. The sight of her silken stockings gartered high around her thighs with no other undergarments beneath the gown caused Phin’s breath to catch as a spear of lust shot through him. With her knees bent and her thighs pressed together, he caught only a glimpse of the shadowed treasure beneath the draped material of her skirt.
He ground his back teeth, resisting the desire to part her legs, throw them over his shoulders, and lift her straight to his mouth. He would taste her soon enough. Right now, he wanted her to feel safe and cherished and wonderful.
Then he would devour her.
Chapter Thirty-Two
From the momentPhin had appeared from the shadows, the distress and tension and fear triggered by her encounter with Ackerly had swiftly started to dissolve. They’d figure this out. The two of them.
And right now, there were far more pressing issues to attend to. Like the tingling fire coursing through her body and the swirling ache of desire in her belly. The glimmer of hunger and need in Phin’s eyes and the long, thick bulge at his groin.
She wanted to reach for him, feel the hardened length beneath her palm. Curl her fingers around him. Twirl her tongue over the crest. The thought of tasting him filled her with a rush of liquid heat. And the ache inside her grew infinitely sweeter and deeper as she imagined exploring him in that way.
But she couldn’t do anything while his hands were working magic on her body, softening her muscles and warming every fiber of her being.
He’d reached her thighs, his thumbs circling into the softness of her flesh. She wanted to part her legs, urge him toward her core, but he kept his touch along her outer thighs, kneading toward her hips, lifting her skirts as he went.
She watched his face as her body became exposed.
The glint of bright possession that sparked when the shadow of her mons and then her belly were revealed sent tremors through her.
