He made fast work of the top two buttons of her serviceable dress and pressed his lips to the opening.
Her nails dug into his scalp and muscle.The velvet of his lips sent a flaming arc through her that settled between her thighs where a rigid bar pressed.
He explored every inch of exposed flesh, his hand pressing the mound of her breast up to reach further under her dress with his lips and tongue.As he retraced the column of her neck to her mouth with his, his hand on her breast continued to build the fire he’d sparked.
Without conscious thought, she mimicked his movements.Her hands explored his arms, shoulders, and back.Lingering at his waist, she wished to feel that delicious, muscled arse that was shown off so well in his tighter aristocratic trousers.But she wasn’t quite that daring yet.
His hips pressed into hers, grinding that iron shaft against her.
She shifted, and a lightning bolt of pleasure shot through her when his thrusts hit a sensitive spot.
“Rutland—Xander!”
“There, eh?”He gentled his movements, making them smaller and faster.
“Oh!”
Rising over her on one arm, he tugged her skirts upward.They were caught between his knee and the settee, so he pushed up on his toes to yank at it.
Her mouth went dry as she caught sight of his arm muscles bulging against his shirt.She’d never been so glad for his informal dress.
He shifted to put both knees between hers and tunneled his hand under the skirt he’d freed.
Roughly calloused hands scraped along her inner thigh, shocking more nerves into awareness.She gasped.“What are you doing?”
“This will be even better without clothes, I promise.”
“But—but—”
He stilled.“I won’t hurt you.I promise.Or if you want me to stop, I will.”
Did she want him to stop?
“What about if you let me try, then I’ll stop and check in with you?”
Yes, that seemed like an excellent idea.She’d needed a minute to think or at least catch her breath, and he was offering that.
She nodded.
“ThankChrist.”He was straddling her leg now, his hand at the crease of her thigh, tugging on the coarse curls covering her most secret place.
A place that was quite wet.Before she could find embarrassment, his fingers threaded along her swollen folds, pressing them as though plumping and opening them.
“Damnation, you are so wet, sweetling.Is that all for me?”he said with a huge grin.
Well, then.Apparently, that was a good thing.
He parted her lips and pressed a finger against a spot that twisted pleasure and so much sensation it bordered on pain.She grabbed his forearm and breathed, “Xander.”
“I have you.Do you want me to stop?”
“It feels…scary?Overwhelming?”
“Not scary.I’ve got you.’Twill be all right.It can be overwhelming in the nicest possible way.Have you never touched yourself here?”
She shook her head and shrugged.“In the bath.”
“Well, you can try it sometime as well, but it is usually more pleasurable with someone else involved.Now—” He crooked his finger the tiniest bit over that nub and she gasped again and clenched her hands on his arm.“—shall I check in with you every ten strokes?”
