“Clearly not,” she replied with a nervous giggle. “I keep fumbling over that section.”
“Perhaps that is your mind telling you it’s time for a break.” With those words, Perry took her hand, pulling her up from the bench and toward him.
Her hand fit perfectly in his. The simple touch made her wonder. Perhaps he was of a mind to see where their marriage could go as well. Nothing would give her greater pleasure than seeing her husband surrender. She didn’t mind giving him a little push.
Right to the edge. To see Perry come undone for her would be a dream.
“What did you have in mind to do instead? Read the newspaper?” she asked, with an eyebrow curving upward. Her hips swayed as she smirked playfully.
“I’m sure we will think of something,” Perry cajoled, his top teeth digging into his bottom lip, holding back a grin. “Perhaps I would like to kiss my wife. Is that so forbidden?”
Easy for him to act so playful, her heart was racing furiously in her chest. She could barely handle his closeness.
His teasing? It reminded her of their time together as friends. How they laughed and spoke of nothing and everything at the same time. She had yet to experience that kind of comfort withanyone since. Her eyes roamed his hard chest, seeking solace from the heat in his intense blue gaze.
“We used to have fun. Do you remember?” he turned her hand over, brushing his thumb against the inside of her wrist. “My, how your pulse races. Does my proximity have this effect on your heart?”
If only he knew. He tugged her closer, the intensity of his scrutiny taking her breath. “Your presence… I find it unsettling.”
“Ah. It is impossible for me to ignore you when you enter a room as well. Are we perhaps afflicted with the same ailment?” His mouth curved into a delicious grin, warming her entire body from within.
Their eyes met.
Stepping closer, he reached to brush his thumb against her bottom lip.
“You are so beautiful, Lottie. How can I be expected to resist you?” His eyes darkened as he watched her mouth. A surge of heat gathered in her core, her body pushing her to be bold. To take what she wanted.
To break the stillness and seek the closeness she for which she ached.
Being in Perry’s arms was truly the best place in the world.
“Perhaps you shouldn’t,” she whispered, taking his hand from her mouth and wrapping it around her waist. She swiped her tongue over her lips in invitation.
Perry sucked in a breath as his hand caressed the curve of her waist.
“Do not toy with me, madam. I am at your mercy completely,” he murmured, his breath hitching as he squeezed her hip gently. He reached a hand to cup her face, and Charlotte leaned into it, each touch lighting a flame beneath her skin.
“Who is playing?” she asked, her words a mere whisper brushing against his lips. “I know only how to long for you, and now that I have you, I am lost.”
His palm brushed against her cheek achingly slowly, his gaze following each movement. He seemed to want to kiss her so badly, and yet, he hesitated. “Are you sure?” The words floated above her lips, a tantalizing caress, their meaning a warm blanket wrapping itself around them and keeping the world outside.
“Make me yours, Perry,” she said, lifting herself up on the tips of her toes to bring her lips to his. Perry’s hand gripped her hip, pressing her against the hardness of his body. Charlotte wrapped her hands around his neck and licked the seam of his mouth. He kissed her hungrily, pushing her back to lean into the pianoforte. His lips trailed a path down her neck and she moaned. Longing throbbed painfully inside her, waiting to be satisfied. His hand gripped her skirts, seemingly torn between maintaining his grip and pulling feverishly at the fabric.
Perry made quick work of pulling up her skirts on one side, while the other hand travelled from her face to squeeze her aching breasts, which were threatening to spill out of her dress and offer themselves up to him. She had spent enough time being satisfied with little. It was time to offer herself up fully to the fire, and let the flames consume her.
She whimpered as his hand finally found the sensitive skin of her thighs, reaching under to cup and squeeze her soft curves while her center ached for attention. The agony of being touched again slashed through her, and she welcomed it. For the first time in a long time, she was alive.
The hard ridge in Perry’s breeches rubbed against her stomach and she lifted her leg to bring them closer together. Moisture pooled where she longed to feel him most.
“My Lottie, how I have craved you,” he mumbled the hot words against her neck.
His fingers traced along the distance from her backside to the aching spot between her legs. Perry groaned as he encountered the slippery curls and tentatively touched her sensitive bundle of nerves. Charlotte gasped.
Perry froze.
“May I continue?” he asked, his breath hot against her skin.
“Yes. Oh, yes,” she admitted, heated and breathless. His mouth took hers once more, hands exploring under her skirts as his tongue traced a path along her lips and nipped at her mouth. The combination was almost unbearable as his finger slid along her aching core. Charlotte’s head leaned back in ecstasy, the hunger for him ferocious. She spread her thighs wider, welcoming the invasion. Shocked by her wantonness, she was certain she would perish if he didn’t take everything she offered.
