She lay back, legs twitching once in discomfort from being exposed.
He dipped a finger in the amber liquid and ran it around her nub then down to her opening, then repeated the action twice more.
After a gasp, she lay still.
He grinned. Her lips were more swollen and a darker rose than when he’d first lifted her skirt. Leaning in, he licked and slurped the whisky from her. Mmm. The liquor and salty flavor of her arousal made a tasty combination. Mayhap his new favorite drink. As her hips lifted to follow his lips, he drew back and flattened her again.
“Patience.” He dipped a finger, then swirled. Dipped, swirled. Needing to taste her again, he sucked the burgeoning nub, then licked again, pushing the ever-harder nub against his front teeth as he searched for every last drop of Scotch.
“Evan, please.” Her hands clutched his hair, holding him close.
“Please what? Did you want to talk more about the partnership with an apothecary here?” He barely held in his chuckle.
“Wha-what?” Althea seemed to have lost the thread.
His cheeks were going to ache from incessant grinning. This was beyond fun. “I seem to recall you saying that was as good as sex.”
“Ugh, no. What was I thinking? I was so wrong, so wrong. You win. Evan,please.” She tugged on his hair.
“The more you pull my hair, the slower this will be. We’re not leaving until I finish my whisky. And you’re not going over until you’re in my bed.”I think.He shifted the iron rod in his trousers to a slightly less uncomfortable angle. It was a good thing he’d arranged for a private dining room.
Her hands landed with a splat on the table, and he stifled a snort of laughter.
Dip. Swirl. Suck. Lick.
Her hands twitched.
His cock responded with a lurch.
“Ah dammit, I can’t wait any longer.” He threw back the Scotch and rose. “Let’s go.”
****
For the half block walk, Althea attempted to weigh the pros and cons. She was a widow, yes, but also a business owner. She knew she could not sully her reputation without her shop being at risk. But they were in Bath, and Evan, while being known as a libertine, was well-connected and well-liked throughout the Ton. He could help put any gossip aside.
But her self-confidence struggled. Why was he doing this? He could have any woman he wanted with a crook of his finger. Certainly his choices had to be better than a sheltered, rather uptight widow. She was going to embarrass herself.
Her body didn’t care. The craving he awakened in her simply sitting across the table or walking the streets of Bath with her was beyond anything she could have imagined. His intimate touches opened a whole other world to her, and she needed to know the rest, even if he walked away after tonight.
She shied away from that thought, not liking it or her reaction to his theoretical departure. Was she coming to care for him? If he ended things, would she be hurt?
She could not settle on any one thought, and by the time they’d entered the guesthouse, she’d stopped trying. She only knew that she needed his naked body against hers and damn the consequences.
Evan had her in such a state, she’d been ready to start unlacing her gown as soon as they turned the stairs out of sight of the lobby, but she resisted, clinging to his hand as they ascended. They tried his room first, but hearing banging from the room across the hall, they continued on up the stairs.
Althea grinned when Evan’s cheeks ruddied and he bit out, “Ah, Ford does leather work, mayhap he’s working.”
She rather thought it sounded like a bedframe against the wall and breathed a sigh of guilt-ridden relief. She should probably worry about Beth’s behavior, but at least no one would be on the ladies’ floor to hear her own bed knocking.
Finally, they gained her room, and she turned as he dismissed the maid and locked the door.
She stepped into him, gasping again, “Evan, please.”
He threaded uncaring fingers through her updo and cradled her head as his lips slanted over hers.
As he obliged her unclear request for a kiss, she pushed at his jacket and progressed to his waistcoat buttons, fumbling in her haste.
He laid his hand over hers, and she sighed into his mouth before dropping her head in embarrassment.
