“Some would disagree, my mother in particular.”
“Devil take her then. I’ve never known a more womanly woman than you.”
She gnawed on her lip. “But you and I, we didn’t fit as we should, or you wouldn’t have had to go to the extra trouble.” She’d never fit properly with anyone.
“Sweetheart, we’re not two perfect puzzle pieces to snap into place. Occasionally adjustments are needed. The next time you come apart for me, Esme, it will be with my cock buried deeply inside you.”
She nearly came apart then with the intensity of his promise burning in his eyes.
With the hand on her hip pushing gently, he nudged her onto her back and rose up on an elbow. Slowly he glided his finger along her center from the dip at her collarbone to the scar bisecting her abdomen. She placed her hand over his, halting his journey. “Don’t touch it. It’s so hideous.”
“It’s beautiful, Esme. A mark of survival.” Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to it, then peppered others along the raised welt. “My brave girl. Life has treated you unfairly.”
“To be totally honest, I don’t know that I wanted children. Certainly, I felt a measure of regret when the decision was taken from me, but I don’t miss not having babies. I have quite the fulfilling life, and so you shouldn’t feel sorry for me.”
He lifted his gaze to her. “I don’t pity you, not in the least. Still, I admire your tenacity in the face of adversity.”
“You’ve had your own share of misadventures.”
He chuckled low. “I suppose that’s one way to refer to them. I’m having a time of it retaining my anger at having endured them when they led me here.” Straightening, he kissed her thoroughly before pulling away. “To you.”
Then she was no longer thinking of her scars as he once again captured her mouth and drew her nearer, so his torso half covered hers. She stroked her foot up and down his calf, dug her fingers into the taut muscles of his back. Had he been so well defined when he was a lord? Or had the dangers he’d encountered forced him to develop a body that could quickly react to attack, that had the ability to survive when others wanted to destroy him?
Holding her tightly, he rolled them both until she was straddling him. Only then did his mouth leave hers to journey over her throat. “Lift your hips,” he ordered urgently.
When she did, he positioned himself at her opening, and she slowly eased down, taking him fully, bracing her hands on his chest so she was upright and holding his gaze.
“Adjust yourself in the manner needed so you feel the fire between your thighs,” he said. “Then ride me, fast and hard, slow and gentle. However you prefer.”
She’d never known a lover could be so unselfish. “You’ll tell me if I hurt you.”
He grinned. She so loved the cockiness of it. “Sweetheart, you’re not going to hurt me.”
She slid forward and back, rose up, came down. Then the kindling sparked, and she dropped her head back, relishing the sensations that promised ecstasy with him seated within her. His hands covered her breasts, and she sighed. “Yes.”
Her breasts loved his hands, the way they kneaded and squeezed, taunted and teased. The gentleness mixed with his persistence. Never before had she been in control, been the one setting the tempo, the vigor, the potency. Strange that in this aspect of her life, she’d been passive, not the aggressor. It suited her to be in charge, to dominate, to set the pace. And he knew it, wasn’t threatened by it.
Flinging her head forward so the curtain of her hair draped around them, she held his gaze, rocking against him, lifting her hips, slamming them down, watching as his eyes grew more heated, listening as his breaths became harsher, more labored. “Are you enjoying this?”
“Immensely.”
“I want you to yell out my name.”
Clenching his jaw, he nodded. Next time, she was going to tie his hands to the bedposts and torture him with her movements. But for now, as the pleasure built, all she wanted was to hurl herself into the abyss of unparalleled pleasure. When it rocked throughout her, the joy was increased by his grabbing her hips, thrusting deeply, and growling out her name.
This time she was the one who collapsed, sprawling over him, her face tucked into the curve where his neck met his shoulder, inhaling the musky fragrance that surrounded them, her breaths coming in satisfied gasps. “I could become addicted to this.”
“Good, as I’ve not had my fill of you yet.”
She’d always sensed that men desired her—she’d learned the many ways to ensure that they did—but with him it was different somehow, richer, more profound, more necessary. He made her feel desired not only for her physical beauty but for every inner aspect as well. With him, she could almost claim to be cherished. “A few more times and you’ll grow bored with me.”
“I very much doubt that.”
“You’re quite imaginative when it comes to bedding.”
“Feel free to return the favor. Never hesitate to tell me what you want or need, Esme.”
I need you.Oh, that was a dangerous way to go, fraught with heartache. From the moment the rumors had begun circulating that she was with child, she’d felt as though she was facing the world on her own. While Brewster assisted her in various ways, he’d never actually battled beside her as Marcus had. She liked having a partner who viewed her as an equal in all things. “You once asked me how many lovers I’d had.”
