Page 21 of Read To Me, Lyon

“You are an innocent, Kitty—”

“I am, but also a woman who wants to know what passion feels like.”

He pressed against where her hand still rested on his chest. Kitty’s openness and frankness enthralled him. Everything this woman did only added more to her allure.

Oliver ran his thumb across her lower lip. “You want passion, my wife?”

She nodded ever so slightly, and he allowed his eyes to openly peruse her. He started at Kitty’s mouth, imagining her plump lips kissing him and wrapping around his shaft. Then his eyes moved further down her throat, back to the swell of her full breasts. Oliver reached and ran the back of his knuckles across them, feeling their softness and heat.

Kitty gasped, and briefly, his eyes connected with hers. They were filled with desire. His hand slid down the front of her gown before halting at the curve of her hip.

“You’ve never looked at me as you are now,” she murmured.

He grasped her hip more firmly and leaned forward, sliding his lips along her jaw and ear. “Kitty, I look at you this way far more than you realize.”

Her hand clenched the fabric of his shirt. Oliver groaned, and he dipped his head down, claiming her mouth. It wasn’t a sweet kiss but one filled with pent-up need. His tongue sparred with hers as he deepened the touching of their mouths. Her hand went around his neck, and Oliver gripped her bottom, pulling the apex of her thighs against his hard cock.

She broke the kiss and let out a throaty moan. He trailed his lips down her throat, and he palmed one of her breasts, hungry to free it and the other from their constraints. God, he wanted this woman. His fingers grasped her skirts, needing to touch her more.

The moment was interrupted by a female calling his bloody name. His mother! He took a step back, running both hands through his hair. Kitty, still breathing heavily, giggled. Oliver shook his head. “That woman has the worst timing.”

“She will go back to the other townhouse later this evening.”

He studied his wife. They were becoming closer, but some could argue they were still almost strangers to each other. Still, he said, “I need you in my arms tonight, Kitty.”

“I want that as well.”

Oliver kissed her one more time. “Come, before my mother sends out all the footmen to hunt us down.”

Chapter Nine

The ball had ended an hour ago, and Kitty should be tired, but she was humming with curiosity and need. Earlier in the garden, it had taken everything in her to return to the ball with Oliver. She wanted to kiss him some more. Describing their heated moment as only a kiss seemed insufficient.

Oliver would be joining her soon, but it seemed like he was taking forever to arrive in her bedroom. Her body still ached from where her most feminine area had pressed against his shaft. She didn’t want to appear naïve, but in truth, she knew little of what to expect. The only thing she could be sure of was this unexplored heat between her thighs, and the fluttering in her abdomen. Where was he?

Feeling antsy, she picked up the book Beth had recommended. Kitty flipped through the pages and stopped when a drawing showed a man kissing a woman’s inner thigh. She blushed and clenched her legs together. She’d read a similar scene in one of Beth’s stories. Now the click of the door opening between her and Oliver’s bedchamber made her look up.

Oliver was dressed in his pants and dress shirt with his sleeves rolled to his elbows. She’d never seen him in such informal attire, but she liked it. His gaze perused down her form. Earlier, her lady’s maid had helped her into a thin, silk nightgown. It clung to her hips and bosom. It had been made for her wedding night and was meant to be alluring.

Oliver hadn’t said a word, but from the way he gazed at her, the silk fabric was doing its job. His eyes narrowed in on the book she was still holding, and she gasped. She didn’t want Oliver to see it. She spun around and frantically shoved the book into her vanity drawer. When Kitty turned back, Oliver was watching her with an amused look. “You didn’t have to put away your reading. Anything I might be interested in?”

Kitty couldn’t prevent the heat from rushing to her face. He stepped further into her room and took a seat on the corner of her bed. “I would never judge your interests.”

She didn’t want to lie to her husband. You already are, her mind mocked her. Was her omission about the underground book business a lie? It was to protect her husband’s family reputation, but what would she gain by keeping her secret? Deciding she wouldn’t hide anything else, Kitty pulled the book from the drawer and handed it to him.

His eyes widened as he read the title and flipped through some of the pages. Finally, Oliver looked up. “I imagine you see several types of books at your business, even those that might not be publicly acceptable.”

She remained silent, not wanting to make up lies. He grinned at her wickedly, causing her lower half to ache. “I’m willing to try any of these things this book recommends.”

“A friend recently provided me with it,” Kitty said. Her voice sounded husky. Her mouth and throat were dry from nerves. She swallowed but didn’t drop her gaze from his.

He lifted a brow. “And you’ve read it.”

She nodded.

Oliver held out the book to her and asked in an equally husky voice, “Will you show me something you are interested in exploring?”

Kitty bit her lip, and Oliver added, “Let me help you sate your curiosity, Lady Everly.”