“My lord, you are too close.”
“Blazes, I’m not close enough.”He halted, the music flowing around them.Stroking her gorgeous hair, he tilted her head and took advantage of her open-mouthed gaze.His lips met hers, his tongue plundering as he tugged her close enough that her breasts brushed his shirt.
The music screeched to an abrupt halt.
She remained silent.
He took it as assent, at least for more kisses.
Raising his head, he turned to the musicians.“Can you return tomorrow evening?”
“Certainly, Your Grace.”
“Thank you.Rogers will see you out.”Not releasing her hand, he tugged her out of the room and down the hall to the library.
Closing and locking the door, he assessed her expression.“Now, where were we?”
“Dancing?”
“No, no, I distinctly recall a different activity.Perhaps I must spark your memory.”He leaned against the door, drawing her between his legs with a gentle hand, giving her every opportunity to withdraw or protest.At her acquiescence, his heart soared.He wanted this girl.It had nothing to do with his recent abstinence, her warmth against him, or the dancing, although that last might have precipitated this moment.
Her intellect, her willingness to help him, and her beautiful silky hair were what drew him.
He inclined his head, and she met him halfway.Exploring the wet heat of her mouth, the rough edges of her teeth, and the answering thrust of her tongue made him growl.One hand fisted in her hair, holding her to him.The other stroked her back, retracing the bumps of her spine and the muscles running alongside, then her side, edging closer to her bust.
She arched against him, her hands clinging to his upper arms, fingers flexing and straightening against him.
His hips thrust an inch involuntarily as he imagined that motion against his cock.He slowly traced a blunt fingernail along the modest neckline of her dress, signaling where he planned to go next.Her reactions to date had told him she was more innocent than any maid—hell, any woman—he’d met in his previous life.
Loosening his hold on her chignon without releasing it, he softened his kiss and trailed his hand down from her décolletage to cup her breast.
Gasping into his mouth, she tore her lips away to gape at him, chest heaving against his hand.
Chapter Twelve
Evie could not think.She could only react, her heart racing, every inch of her pressinginto Xander.His hand in her hair felt like the sweetest form of possession.His touch on her breast was foreign and new and the best thing she’d ever felt.Her skin tingled and her feminine parts throbbed, begging for something more.
His roving hand cupped her breast, and her knees liquified.Worried she’d faint, she pulled free from his kiss, gasping for breath but careful not to pull the rest of her back.
Because that touch was everything.Fire raced through her, but she did not know what to ask for.The searing heat of his hand had her needing to strip her dress down, to feel his skin against hers, perhaps even his lips there.
She wanted to do the same to him and gauge his reaction.
Unable to form words, she stared at him.
He watched her, still leaning against the door, his hands still and his touch light.
He was asking for permission, she realized.Swallowing, she gazed down at his hand against her dress, then up at his face.Managing only one word, she said in a husky voice, “More.”
One side of his mouth curled into a half smile.Entranced, she wasn’t prepared for another hot lick of fire when his thumb swiped across her pebbled tip.She gasped again and arched into his hand.
“You say how much more.I’ll stop when you tell me.”His voice held gravel.
With that, he swept her up and carried her across the room.Putting her on her feet next to the settee, he spun her to untie the apron worn over her simple dress, yanking it away to drop to the floor.His hands pressed her onto the seat then again to urge her to lie down.
He came down over her, a knee between her legs with the other on the edge of the seat cushion, an elbow squeezing between her shoulder and the back of the sofa.
She reached for him, taking her cue from his earlier actions.Threading her fingers through his hair, she reveled in the sheer amount of it.Her fingers disappeared beneath the thick pelt.He groaned, she hoped in pleasure.Her other hand slid up his chest to grasp his shoulder again.When he canted his hips to rest on hers, the heat of him spread through her from everywhere they touched.
