Page 94 of His Improper Lady

“Right, here’s Abbotsbury, near Weymouth. Where’s a village named Red something, or something Red...”

“Ha!” Desiree stabbed the map with her forefinger. “Redham.”

Tom grinned. “We can take the train to Weymouth, and from there we can hire a vehicle to drive the rest of the way.” He frowned up at the clock on the wall. “If we hurry, we might be able to still catch a train.” He stopped. “That is, I mean, if that is all right with you. We’d have to spend the night there.”

“I don’t mind spending the night there.” Desiree moved closer, a slow smile curving her lips.

“Your brothers might take exception to it.”

“My brothers have nothing to do with it.” Desiree curled her arms loosely around his neck, her eyes warm on his face. “But I think I’m not in favor of rushing off to Weymouth right now.”

“No?” Tom rested his hands on her waist.

“No. I have very different plans for this afternoon.” Desiree went on tiptoe to brush her lips against his.

“Really.” His hands slid around to her back, tugging her closer, and he returned her soft kiss. “What did you have in mind?”

“Oh...something that involved your bed.” Her hands slid down his chest to the buttons of his waistcoat. “And nakedness.”

“Mm. Sounds like an excellent plan.” He kissed her again, his body instantly aflame. Tom sank back down into his chair, pulling Desiree into his lap, as they continued to kiss. With one arm around her back for support, his other hand was free to roam over her body. “Wait.” He lifted his head and drew a shaky breath. “We can’t—not here. Someone could walk in at any moment.”

“Lock the door,” she murmured, continuing her assault on his buttons.

“Con has a key.”

“Blast.” Desiree dropped her head to Tom’s shoulder with a sigh, then stood up. “I suggest we repair to your flat. As quickly as possible.”

“No argument here.” Tom followed her out the door and up the stairs. They stopped midway up for another kiss. This time it was Desiree who pulled away and started up again. He followed, enjoying the view from behind her.

At the door, there was a bit of fumbling with the key, exacerbated by the fact that Desiree was distracting him by undoing the diagonal line of buttons that slashed across the front of her dress. But the key finally went in and turned, and they hurried into the room. Tom had enough presence of mind to pull the key from the door and close it, though he could not take his eyes off Desiree.

Desiree turned to face him as she finished the task of unbuttoning her dress. Reaching behind her, she pulled open the sash. It was another of those marvelous dresses that wrapped around her, secured in the back by her sash, so that now the front fell apart, its loosened folds revealing a center strip of frothy white underclothes.

Tom shoved the door closed and strode to her, ripping off his jacket and tossing it aside. He slid his hands beneath the sides of her dress, pushing the cloth apart as his hands roamed over her. Desiree’s color was high, her eyes bright, and the signs of her passion stoked his own. His body throbbed with the need to be inside her, but Tom leashed that hunger, determined to take his time and enjoy every bit of pleasure possible.

He grasped the sides of her dress and pulled it down, letting it fall to the floor. The sight of her in the demure white underwear, edged with lace and held fast only by satin ribbons, stirred him beyond reason. Tom traced the circle of her nipples, thinly veiled by the cotton cloth, feeling them pebble beneath his fingers.

Desiree watched him, neither pulling away nor coming closer, her eyes darkening, her mouth turning heavy with desire, and he knew she enjoyed his eyes on her. She reached up and pulled the pins from her hair, letting the rich caramel strands fall one by one until her hair tumbled down over her shoulders and brushed against his fingers, sending a shiver through him. He had to fight back a primitive urge to rip the garment from her.

Instead, he took the end of the slick ribbon at the neck of her chemise and pulled the bow apart, feeling like a man opening a long-awaited present. Her chemise slipped down, revealing the top of her dark rose nipples and clinging to the hardened tips. Tom ran his fingers over the curve of one breast, and finally hooked his finger in the neckline and slowly slid the garment down, the material caressing her as it went.

Almost reverently, he cupped her breasts in his hands, his thumbs stroking lightly over her nipples. “Beautiful,” he murmured, then pulled the garment lower, sliding it all the way down to her waist. He went next to the ties of her petticoat and underpants, undressing her bit by bit, his fingers lingering over the process as he feasted on her with his eyes, until at last there was nothing left but the last garments of her stockings and shoes.

Lust nearly choking him at the picture she presented, Tom went down on one knee to unfasten the ties of her half boots. She lifted her foot, putting her fingertips on his shoulder for balance, and he pulled off the boot, then rolled down the white stocking and removed it. He did the same with the other leg. He rose to his feet, his body aching from pent-up hunger.

But when he reached for her, Desiree put a halting hand on his chest and said, “Now it’s my turn.”

Tom swallowed. He hadn’t thought he could be any harder, but he was learning new capacities for desire, his flesh straining against the cloth of his trousers. He swept his arms out to the sides in a gesture of invitation. Desiree smiled and began to undress him.

She started in reverse order, kneeling at his feet to remove his shoes and socks. Tom clung to the rapidly dissolving tethers of his control as he watched her. She went to work on his remaining clothes, taking what seemed to Tom to be an inordinately long time to do so. He shrugged off his waistcoat as she went to work on his shirt.

“No, no,” she scolded in a teasing voice, pressing her lips to the bare skin that showed between the sides of his shirt. “Mustn’t do that.” She paused to look up at him, her eyes glinting. “This is all mine, remember?” She pushed his shirt back, exposing his whole chest, and kissed one nipple. “All mine.” She kissed the other.

Slowly, delicately, she worked her way across his chest, kissing, licking, nipping. Her hands went to his waistband, but instead of releasing the flesh straining against the cloth, she ran her finger down the line of buttons, making him swell even more.

At last she began to undo the buttons, lingering on the process. Then, grasping the waistband, she pulled down his clothes and took him in her hands. Tom hissed as the spasms of pleasure went through him.

“Did I hurt you?” Desiree asked anxiously.