The sound of the festival continued outdoors. The crowd grew louder as the room warmed with their breath and the heat between their bodies, blazing through him, as smoldering as her mouth on his throat. Cassandra reached between them, trailing her hand over his clothed erection, theglorioussensation buckled his knees.
“Teach me,” she whispered, her lips ghosting the fine hairs on the shell of his ear.
Sparks of light burst behind his closed eyelids, and it was agony to not strip her bare and bury himself in her.Not yet, he reminded himself, but in the next breath as her hand begangliding, he promised himselftonight.Tonight, he would have her naked in his arms, with moonlight and breath as his guide and thedesirecoursing through him nearly made him come undone.
Cassandra was his.
She wouldbehis, and he had waited for so long.
Her fingers slipped as she fumbled with his buttons. Seth grinned at her enthusiasm and loosened his trousers, allowing them to fall low on his hips. Her hand stroked over the firm length of him, and dreams didn’tcompareto the raw sensuality of her slow exploration.
“Like this?” she asked.
“Likethis.” He took her hand in his and showed her how he liked to be touched, and her silk-soft skin slid over him sosweetly.He rustled under her skirts, trailing up her stockings to the curve of her knee, and she widened her hips, trusting him with her pleasure. Never one to deny her, his finger slid into her core, wet andreadyfor him, and she surrendered herself to his touch with a moan. Perspiration anchored wisps of her hair to her brow. Wine-stained, kiss-swollen lips parted, cheeks flushed, chest heaving.
Beautiful.
His.
“I want more of you.” Seth could have begged her, “Let me come to your bed tonight.”
He took the tip of her breast in his mouth, caressing her with his tongue as his finger pressed in deeper.
“Yes.” She gasped. “Oh, Seth…please—”
He kissed her, loving the taste of his name on her tongue. Hetouched her in the ways he knew would get her close. When the feeling became too much, she lifted her hands to grip tightly into his shirt as pleasure racked through her and he swallowed each and every sound she made as he if were a man starved. Responsive. Sensitive.His.A rush ofpowercame with having her beneath him, wanting him,needinghim. No other hands would touch her this way. No other name gasped in pleasure. Possessive pride filled him with a singular thought.
“You’re mine.”
At the sound of his voice, she tightened and cried out as she climaxed. He gave her mere seconds of respite before his fingertip circled her once more. “Again.”
“There’s no time,” she said, even as she arched into him. “We should go.”
“How selfish, Cassandra,” he said, dragging her name out. “Leaving me wantingtwice.” Her breath hitched, and yes, shelikedit when he talked. He deepened his voice and growled against her throat, “Wouldn’t you like to finish our lesson? Don’t you want to please me?”
“Yes,yes,” she moaned, and it became his new favorite word. “Only, I don’t see how—ah—this will help.”
“When I touch you like this, I wonder how it will feel to be inside of you… wonder how desperate I can make you.” Deliberately, he pressed two fingers into her body, drowning in the exquisite torture of restraint. He teased her to the precipice of another orgasm and bent to kiss her. Over her lips, he whispered, “… isn’t that helpful?”
He waited for her breath to hitch… her hips to lift.
And he removed his hand.
“Seth!” she whined and reached for him, but he sat back on his haunches and smirked.
“Weren’t you saying we should be on our way?” He laughed. In proper lighting, he might have seen the pinch at the bridge of her noseand the purse to her lips as a warning before she grabbed his shirt and tugged him down, her mouth hot on his.
“Stop teasing me and tell me what to do,” she ordered, and wrapped her hand around him. It was the most erotic thing Seth had ever experienced.
So far.
“Move with me.” He groaned as she gripped him. He resumed his attentions on her, setting a pace for them. In and out. She mimicked him. Up and down. “Like that, love,yes, justlike that.” Eyes closed tight, he rolled his hips and pressed deeper inside of her, his thumb grazing her clitoris, once, twice, and her pleasure heightened once more, and all too soon, her second orgasm crashed through her. Overcome, her hand left him, and he took over. Once, twice, and he twisted away from her, releasing on the bedclothes with a choked groan.
Sated, knees weak, he sat up. As the afterglow set in, Cassandra leaned her head on his shoulder and laced their fingers together, as reluctant to part as he was. With every fiber of his being, he fought the impulse to pull her into his arms, to lie back down and hold her until morning. Instead, he waited for her to compose herself while he fixed their clothing.
“I wish I had a mirror,” she said, resetting her pins as he searched for her bonnet.
Seth sighed as time escaped them, not wishing to depart from this haven to a world where he couldn’t touch her. He reminded himself that this was a warm-up, a prelude to what would come. He would have plenty of opportunity to touch her when she washis wife. The moment they won the contest, he would ask Cooper for Cassandra’s hand.
