“I’ll show you who I’ve longed for all this time.” Tommy lifted Philippa’s chin. “Empirically.”
And she lowered her lips to Philippa’s.
19
Philippa held herself perfectly still as Tommy’s lips touched hers. Her heart raced fast and wild.
Thiswas what she had wanted. To try. Toknow.
This was not Philippa’s first kiss, but it was the first time she hadwanteda kiss. That alone was enough to turn what she thought she knew about herself upside down. Philippa York didn’t feel passion or desire a lover’s touch.
And yet she’d spent the past week with every inch of her flesh prickling with anticipation for a kiss she’d hoped—yes, she’d definitely hoped—would come.
Tommy’s mouth was soft against hers. Confident, but gentle. As though Tommy wouldn’t go where she wasn’t wanted, but if shewaswanted, she had several good ideas of what to do about it.
Philippa felt as though she wasn’t getting a full kiss, but rather the promise of one. The way Gunter’s Tea Shop let her sample a new flavor of ice to decide if she wanted more. And in this case…
The answer was yes. Philippa wanted more.
“Should I stop?” Tommy had lifted her lips, but only barely.
“No.” Was that Philippa’s voice? Wispy and breathless? “Don’t stop.”
Every moment with Tommy felt reckless and daring, whether they were waltzing in front of the entire ton at a ball or stealing kisses alone on a secluded path.
“May I touch you?” Tommy asked softly.
Philippa’s pulse quickened. “Please do. I’ve been waiting for it all day.”
“Ah.” Tommy’s thumb brushed Philippa’s cheek. “I won’t make us wait any longer.”
This kiss was different from the one before. It was a cornucopia of kisses, a dizzying number, made even more overwhelming by the feel of Tommy’s palm cupping the side of Philippa’s face, her other arm wrapping firmly about Philippa’s waist.
Tommy was taller, but not awkwardly so. Tall enough that Philippa had to lift her chin high to kiss her, but not so tall that Philippa need balance on her toes. A comfortable amount of tall. Just enough to ensure Philippa was actively participating in the kiss.
She wasn’t certain what to do with her hands. She had never let a kiss go on this long before. Neverwantedto keep it going for as long as possible.
Tentatively, she placed her hands on Tommy’s upper arms. It felt as possessive as Tommy’s arm around her waist. Indecent. Naughty. Decadent.
The greenery and flowers around them made it feel like the first night they’d been alone in a garden. As though this kiss was a continuation of the one they hadn’t taken.
Then, Philippa hadn’t known what she was missing. Now that she did, she—
Oh.Something new was happening.
Tommy’s lips parted, encouraging Philippa to do the same. When she did, the tip of Tommy’s tongue touched hers. Shock flashed along Philippa’s nerves. A new kind of shock. A shock of awareness. A shock that galvanized a coil of desire inside her and made her want to generate the same bolt of electricity in Tommy.
She tried it: the tip of her tongue licking against Tommy’s, inside Tommy’s mouth this time. Tasting her. Performing the act was just as exhilarating as when it had been done to her. Perhaps more so. Philippa’s entire body was reacting. Her breasts felt heavier, her nipples harder. She was suddenly aware of them pushing at her bodice to brush against Tommy’s coat.
The soft black lapels hid Tommy’s breasts. Philippa could not help but wonder if they were reacting in the same way. If nothing more than the thickness of two soft lapels was preventing her from knowing the sensation of her breasts grazing Tommy’s.
These thoughts only made Philippa’s kisses hungrier. More demanding. Her hands were no longer resting on Tommy’s upper arms, but rather twined about her neck, locking her in place. She was not in control of her thoughts and sensations, which put her at sixes and sevens.
Philippa’s flesh tingled, as though it could feel each of Tommy’s kisses all over her body. A brush of the lips here, an openmouthed kiss there. Or perhaps it was Tommy’s hands that Philippa wanted to feel on her body. Or hands and kisses both, never knowing how or where the next delicious contact might land.
It occurred to her thatshecould be the one to touch and to kiss Tommy’s body. The thought filled her with power and terror and desire. Philippa wasn’t certain which would be better—exploring or being explored. She wanted to do both. Perhaps at the same time. She wanted to know what else Tommy’s hands and mouth could do, and then she wanted to try those tricks herself. To make Tommy feel the quickening that was building inside her, a sort of throbbing between her legs.
Her heart wasn’t cold and dead after all, she realized with joy. No part of her was. Her body had just been waiting for Tommy. She pressed closer.
