“Citrus,” he mumbled, before sliding his lips across her cheek. Reaching the side of her face, he drew on her earlobe to suckle. Sensation burst in every direction as Gwen’s head dropped back, and she moaned in agonized pleasure as his tongue gently circled and his teeth nipped.
“Faith!” she cried out, bucking against him when he slid his lips down her neck to lick at the throbbing pulse at the base of her throat.
Gwen yanked at his obstinate coat, which immediately got stuck over his arms. Aidan gave a husky laugh, shaking the garment off so it fell to the floor. Reaching up, she spread her trembling hands across the chest that had invaded her dreams since their moonlight interlude.
Aidan’s lips came back up to meet hers, his hand cupping the back of her head as he leaned in to sip deeply. He was a ravenous beast, exploring her mouth thoroughly while his free hand swept down her body to cup a buttock. He pulled her firmly against his body, revealing the rigid length in the region of his falls pressing against her mound. Heat rose in flames from her core to engulf her belly, and she pressed ever closer.
Gwen vaguely registered a keening sound, like a wild animal in distress, before realizing it was her! She was moaning like a wounded beast, but even as the thought entered her head, it was gone. Wiped away by Aidan, reaching down to hoist her into his strong arms without theslightest sign of strain. Their lips never parted as he strode across the room to deposit her on the bed and climb in beside her, leaning over so that their mouths remained consumed in the manner of starving men presented with a feast.
When Aidan finally lifted his head to gaze down at her with chocolate brown eyes glazed with passion, his face revealed his raw ardor and Gwen was brought back to the magic of their first meeting on the terrace. When reality had departed and the dream of two people, perfectly matched, awed by the beauty of the night, had discovered momentous synchronism. As if the very words of Aristotle had echoed down the ages to materialize in the form of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.
She and Aidan, somehow one within the grand infinite universe. The very gods had swung the hands of fate to bring them together as they were meant to be.
Aidan pulled away before taking hold of the hem of his shirt to yank it off and throw it aside. Gwen watched in fascination, lifting a hand to trace over the strong musculature of his chest and brush through the crisp curling of hair dusting his bronzed skin. Her gaze came back to meet his, and she marveled at how beautiful and empowered her new husband made her feel with his admiring glances and the sweet poetry that he recited so well.
“You are so utterly beautiful, Gwen Abbott,” he breathed, groaning as her hand brushed ever lower to follow the trail of hair arrowing down to his buckskins. Closing his eyes in exquisite agony, he reached up to take the errant hand in his own.
When he reopened his lids, his blazing brown irises found her, and Gwen quite lost the will to draw air into her lungs.
“It is my turn, sweetheart.”
His head lowered to trail kisses down her neck to the topof her bodice, his tongue lapping at her exposed skin. His arms came round her, and she felt him fumbling with the buttons. Curling her arms around his neck, she rose up to assist him, and soon he was tugging the gown off. Gwen lifted her hips, brushing against him as he pulled the gown down over her legs and sent it sliding to the floor. Bearing back to lean on his haunches, kneeling beside her, Aidan swept burning eyes over her before extending a hand to run it over her stays.
“It will be easier to undress me if I am on top,” she whispered hoarsely.
Aidan shut his eyes, licking his lips. “Yes,” he said, taking hold of her and making her yelp in surprise when he suddenly rolled, pulling her along with him until their positions were reversed.
It was decadent and delicious. Her body layered over his so she could feel every indent and curve of his muscles, his thighs, and … the evidence of his interest. Biting her lip, Gwen lowered her knees on either side of his powerful thighs to straddle him before slowly rising up. Her intimate muscles clenched as her melting core made contact with his erection through his breeches. He watched her from his new position, his hands running over her flared hips and up to cup her breasts through the stays.
Aidan swallowed, riveted, as Gwen reached behind her to loosen the tapes. She looked down to see what had caught his attention so and realized her breasts were pushed forward and up. Feeling like Venus rising from the waves, she slowly peeled the stays from her bosom, turning her torso to flick them to the floor.
Her groom groaned loudly, his eyes focused on the jutting points of her nipples now visible through the linen of her shift. Gwen briefly toyed with shyness before reaching a decision to revel in her power as a desirable woman. Hisrigid length between her legs, his falls scraping against her pulsing center, brooked no argument regarding his interest. Aidan wanted her.
Her!
Gwen, Gwen the Spotted Giraffe had an intelligent and handsome gentleman splayed out beneath her with lust in his eyes.
Aidan’s hands came back down on her hips, languidly sliding up over her belly to come to a rest again below her unbound breasts. They stared at each other for several heart-pounding seconds.
“Take down your hair, Venus.”
Gwen raised her shaking hands, pulling out her pins and throwing them toward the floor. Aidan watched as she unfurled her locks, draping them over both shoulders while never breaking eye contact.
He sighed deeply, then finally shifted up to caress her rounded breasts with his hot palms. Aidan kneaded gently, his eyes remaining fixed on hers with flags of color across his cheeks and a heaving chest, before brushing his thumbs over the turgid tips.
Gwen threw her head back, and she exhaled in a guttural moan, overcome by the revelations of making love. Beneath her, Aidan rocked his hips, brushing against her slickened pearl at the apex of her slit which cascaded overwhelming waves of pleasure in chaotic abandon.
Being forcedto listen to lessons on carnal relations from Trafford had been torturous. The conversation, on one hand, made him exceptionally ill at ease. On the other hand, the thought of sharing the experiences Trafford had described with Gwen—to be in her bed over her, underneath her, orbehind her—was the most alluring notion he could conceive of.
Feeling her lithe form bucking in his lap, observing her arousal as he gently stroked her hardened nipples, Aidan could not be sure he could complete this task successfully. He was raging heat and fractured breathing, harder than he had ever been, and desperate to join with the incredible woman who seemed to be unaware that she was riding him in her excitement.
If he had any hope of bringing her to completion before him, he had to change their positions quickly. Aidan dropped his hands to grab hold of her thin shift, sitting up so he could peel it off her body. Soon Gwen was naked before his eyes, and he greedily took in the sight of her tawny nipples, turning his head to take one into his mouth. Gwen bucked even harder, rubbing against him in a manner that almost made him spend. Grabbing one of her hips, he stilled her motion as he swirled the areola and flicked the nipple once more. Gwen surged forward, pushing her breast against him while tugging on his head.
Aidan realized he could not restrain himself in this position any longer, despite the precaution he had taken before entering Gwen’s room. An embarrassing preliminary activity to secure his stamina for the coming exertions that had involved intimate thoughts of his bride naked in his bed. Reality far exceeded his imagination.
His arm banded around her waist, and he gently lowered her back, turning to lick the other pleading nipple as he pulled back onto his knees and lowered her down onto the counterpane.
Once he had her on her back, the fire in his loins banked just a little. Enough to trail down her belly until his mouth was hovering over her mound. He caressed a shaved cheek over the silky red curls that shielded her from his gaze,breathing in the scent of her salty sweetness before extending his tongue to sweep over her slit and find the nub that controlled her pleasure.
