He turned and locked the door behind him, drawing his own blade. “You heard me.”
Alex looked at him perplexed, but in an instant, she was on her feet, sword in hand.
The room was lit only by the fire and cluttered with furniture and decorations. There was a wide sofa between them, but Philippe couldn’t be bothered. He took the quickest route towards her and thrust his blade over the piece of furniture. Alex ducked and returned the blow. He dodged herswing as she stepped up onto the couch. She swung again before jumping over the back, putting them face to face.
He backed up two steps and bumped into a heavy bookcase. Books rumbled and clattered to the floor. Alex came at him again, and he dodged, spinning around to give himself more room. She looked a lot more agile than he felt, but he lunged forward causing her to leap away and bump into a vase herself.
Philippe jumped forward and caught the thing before it fell, giving Alex the chance to whip him across the leg. He went after her and struck in kind. She winced and fell back against the wall, knocking a decorative sword to the ground with a heavy clang.
They paused for a moment, staring madly at each other and already out of breath, the fighting from earlier still heavy in their bones.
But the silence was broken soon as the doorknob to the study rattled. “I-I-is everything okay?” came the butler’s nervous voice from behind the door.
“Yes, good sir. It is Lord Philippe. I shall be more careful. Please go back to bed.” He glared at Alex, and she shrugged. Then he leapt towards her, with angst and exhaustion behind his blade. His moves were without any grace at all. Alex, on the other hand, was a vision of Helen come to life. Her body was tight under her bodice and pants and every move was a dance. She smelled like she had been bathed in fancy oils and he wanted to bury his face in her wild hair.
They moved back and forth, sending books and papers flying. Alex knocked a heavy stack of maps to the floor and Philippe tipped a chair. Meanwhile, the fire blazed between them. He tried to grab her a few times, but she was too fast for his sluggish hands. His muscles protested and his moves lacked precision, but he wouldn’t let her get away. In fact, if he could just get his hands on her, he would never let her go again.
Finally, with his own feet heavy against the ground, Alex lost her footing as she slipped on a map. It was his chance, and he snapped forward and grabbed her by her shirt. He dragged her forcefully to him.
Alex, not balanced, struggled to break free, but his grip was cast in iron.
“You told me you wanted me for the experience of sex,” he said through gritted teeth as he worked to hang on to her. “Is that correct?”
“That is what I said, yes,” she replied. Her struggling continued, but her bad position kept her from making any headway.
“So, if you think to use me for sex,” he said. He dropped his sword and wrapped his other arm around her waist. “Thenuseme.”
He leaned over her and into her, hanging onto her tightly. They stood frozen in a stalemate for a moment glaring at each other—Alex, off balance in his arms; he, refusing to let her go. Then, to his surprise, she dropped her sword, threw her arms around his neck, and kissed him. Hard.
In that second, Philippe came alive. Whereas just before he hardly had the strength to keep moving, he was now filled with the energy of ten men. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around him. He kissed her desperately while trying to make sense of the room they had worked to destroy.The couch, he thought.Get her to the couch. He made quick work of the floor, stomping through books and parchment, before she could change her mind or the roof could fall in, or anything else could happen. He dropped her onto the cushions before him. He pulled off his coat and tunic, bearing his chest, and then he went back towards her, unlacing her bodice with expert fingers as he kissed her lips.
He worked his mouth down her neck as her bodice fell away. He ripped her shirt and chemise over her head and pushed her back onto the cushions, her exposed skin glowing warm under his hands. He shuddered with desire and latched on to her nipple with his lips, teasing it with his tongue, while he ran his hand roughly over her other breast. Then he kicked off his boots, yanked off her shoes, and leaned back in to enjoy the feel of her bare flesh against his own.
Alex’s breath was heavy in his ear as were the sighs she couldn’t hide. In a moment, he planned to have her moaning like a beast.Mon Dieu,she made him crazy, he thought, as he took small nips at her skin and made his way down her belly. One second, he was pounding at her with his sword, and the next she was prone and willing beneath him. He leaned back for a moment to work on her pants. Still such an odd thing to be taking off a woman, but he would happily get used to it. He pried her belting loose and gripped the fabric, pulling her pants and undergarments off in one slick motion.
Her legs splayed before him and he put his heavy palms on the inside of her knees. He pressed them open and into the soft fabric of the couch.
Alex, alarmed by his movements, leaned up on her elbows, “What are you doing?” she asked, a note of panic in her voice.
Philippe raised one eyebrow, looking up at her. “Last night, I made love to you, but you didn’t believe me. So now I’m going to fuck you, so you know the difference.”
With that, he moved the palms of his hands up the inside of her thighs and leaned into her sex.
“Oh my god,” he heard her say.
She was glistening with want and he couldn’t wait to taste her. He leaned in and ran his tongue right through her weeping layers.
Alex tensed up, her body a tight coil, and let out a strangled moan.
He continued pressing her legs apart and dove more fully into her. Her syrup was sweet and he couldn’t believe how good she felt against his mouth. He started by licking and nibbling her edges, working towards the sensitive swell at her center. Alex gradually relaxed against his hands. He liked the control he had over her, just for a moment, to feel her body dissolving under him as he teased her with his tongue. She thought she could handle everything, but she had no idea what door she had opened with him. He could work her slowly or strongly and for all her stubbornness and cool control, she had no ability to turn him away. She thought to use him for sex, then damn her, he would enjoy showing her just what she asked for.
Her body reacted to his touch, his lips, his caress. He reached up to grip her breast with one hand as he continued to devour her. She seemed helpless to control her movements, and he held her in place with commanding hands. He began moving quicker, zeroing in on the tender bud at her core, using the tip of his tongue to drive her mad. Alex squirmed wildly beneath him, alternating between tension and release of her muscles. She twisted and strained. Her back arched as he held her legs open, giving himself unlimited access. When he felt the last of her resistance to him finally melt away, he took one hand off her thigh and moved it to her waist, angling her more closely to his lips.
Alex’s hands covered her face as she panted and gasped for air. He loved every second, his own desire causing him to get rougher and rougher with her. He would have been happy to do this for hours, but he knew it would end too soon. He felt her body begin to tense up and he continued moving in motion, punishing her with more pleasure than she could stand. Finally, she stiffened and held her breath. She reached down to hishead and twisted her fingers into his hair. In seconds, he felt his reward, her ravaged orgasm against his lips.
Her moaning subsided into soft whimpers as he licked her more gently and moved his hands up and down her body. He kissed the inside of her thigh. He would give her ten seconds to relax. That was it. Then it would be time for round two. What a game he had discovered. He liked teasing her so. He smiled devilishly as he planted sloppy kisses across her belly. One… Two…
Chapter Thirty-Nine
