He turned, running a finger along the underside of her arm until he reached the curve of her breast. Gently he traced the rounded shape pressed against his chest, watching with pleasure as her nipple stiffened at his touch. Her hips moved unconsciously against him and he swept his hand down to cup the cheeks of her bottom.
Rolling her onto her back, he kissed her neck, savoring the taste of her skin. He felt her arms go around him as she roused to his touch, and he heard her whisper, “Again?”
“Are you too sore, sweetheart?” he asked, concerned that she might not be ready for him so soon. He felt her shake her head, no, then felt her tongue flicker at his ear. He chuckled softly in his throat, as her hands slid down his back and fluttered tentatively on his buttocks. She was learning fast, and the knowledge that her passion had only been whetted by their first encounter was a powerful aphrodisiac.
He slid his hands back up her flanks to cup her breasts and took turns suckling at each. With his teeth he tugged gently, enjoying her shudders of pleasure. It struck him, as he trailed kisses along her abdomen, stopping to swirl and dip his tongue into her navel, that he wanted very much to give Alix pleasure, wanted to brand her with his touch the way she had branded him. He ran his tongue along the bones of her hip, then traced their gentle decline to the dark curls between her legs. She gasped and tried to sit up.
He looked up from between her thighs, to see her face flushed and embarrassed.
“It’s not right,” she whispered hoarsely, “you shouldn’t.”
“Trust me Alix,” he said, “it’s very right.”
She lay back down, but he felt her tremble. Sliding her thighs apart, he lowered his head, inhaling the fragrance of her arousal. His mouth meandered along her inner thighs,until he found her heated core. His tongue dipped and probed her moist folds, then his lips fastened around her most sensitive flesh and he suckled gently.
Alix arched and shuddered against him, sharp cries caught tight in her throat. It was too much, it was not enough, her mind screamed as waves of sensations arced through her body. “I need, I need,” she moaned and he obliged, thrusting deep within her, filling her with his heat, riding her hard over the edge of her climax and falling with her into sweet release.
He fell limply against her, and she stroked the damp tendrils of his hair.
“I’m too heavy for you,” he said. But he wasn’t, she thought wonderingly, and she held him close. She’d supposed she ought to feel regret for what she’d done; no doubt that would come later. But strangely, at this moment she felt more at peace than she had in months.
Alix caressed the sinews of Rafe’s back and shoulders. His breathing slowed, and she felt him soften within her. An image of a tapestry that hung in her father’s home came to her mind, a virgin taming a unicorn. She smiled into Rafe’s hair, perhaps it was just a young girl’s fancy, but that was how she felt, as if she had tamed some powerful, magical beast.
Fourteen
There was a knock on the door, a pause, and then the sound of heavy boots clomping across the planked floor. “When I said you might sleep in, I never thought you’d be keeping London society hours. Lord a’mercy, it’s nearly afternoon,” Jervis’s voice scolded.
There was a thump, a slosh, and a rattle, followed by a long silence and a low whistle as Jones apparently absorbed what had taken place within the curtained alcove. “I’ll just be leaving some water for washing and some coffee.... But,” he added, raising his voice, “if anyone here wants to be reaching Calais, they best get moving.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, Rafe rose and threw open the window shutters, flooding the room with sunlight. “Up you go! We’ve got a ship to catch and a snappy little carriage just waiting to go. Shall I pour you some coffee while you dress?”
He was disgustingly cheerful.
Alix had never been a morning person. She winced atthe soreness between her legs and groaned an affirmative. Then, struck by a concern that had been rattling about her head she called out to him, “Can you send someone up to help me with my stays? After our last encounter with the National Guard, I’ve been thinking it might be best if I wore them, rather than leaving them lying about in your trunk.”
“Slip on your chemise sleepyhead, and I’ll lace you up.” He couldn’t resist adding, “Don’t worry, I’ve had some practice with these things.”
“I’ll just bet,” she muttered under her breath.
“What’s that? Oh—you’d bedelightedto have my help. Well then, let’s get a move on.”
He was outrageously blithe. And actually, Alix thought, as she slipped his nightshirt off and scrambled into her chemise, she would not be delighted to have his help. It was one thing to be swept up in the passion of the night, but in the bright light of day, she felt strangely self-conscious.
“I’d really prefer to have a maid sent up,” she said as she handed his nightshirt out through the bed drapes.
“Coward,” he chuckled. “This from a maid who paraded about Paris in Jervis’s britches... Unless,” he added with a devilish grin, “you’ve decided you don’t trust yourself in a state of near undress alone in a room with me?”
“Fine,” she replied through gritted teeth. She climbed out of the alcove, thinking it was clearhefelt no discomfort aroundher. Had she likened him to a unicorn last night? Well, this morning, clad only in buff-colored britches, he seemed more like a preening peacock. Turning her back to him she said, “You may lace me up.”
Rafe handed her the stays. Holding them over her breasts, she inhaled deeply as she felt him begin to pull the satin ribbons tightly together.
“I think you’ve put on a bit of weight my dear,” he saidas he tugged on the laces. She gasped sharply and he added, “Not that I mind. I like a woman with a well-rounded figure.”
She spun around and he eyed the fullness of her breasts pressed up high by the tight corset admiringly. Ignoring him as best she could, she said coolly, “My dress, if you please.”
He handed it to her and she slipped it over her head, turning again so he could lace up the back. He held out her stockings and garters, frowning with mock seriousness. “Do you think you’ll need any help with these?”
Snatching them from his hand, she snapped, “Didn’t you say something about coffee?”
