Unable to resist, he cupped her breasts, feeling their weight in his palms. He squeezed gently, relishing the way she gasped, and felt his arousal grow even more insistent. “How did I not notice these before?” he murmured, awestruck. “They’re impossible to miss.”
She turned her head away, a blush creeping up her neck. Her shyness only inflamed his desire further, his manhood straining uncomfortably against his trousers.
“I usually bind them with linen,” she said softly.
He raised an eyebrow.
“Easier to see and maintain my balance,” she added.
Nodding, he loosened the straps of her wooden leg and set it carefully on the floor. When she hid the stump under the blanket, he gently massaged the sore flesh through the counterpane, wanting her to know he accepted every part of her.
“You are strikingly beautiful,” he murmured, his voice thick with desire.
“Even my… injured leg?” she whispered, her eyes downcast.
“Especially your injured leg. It shows your strength,” he said and pulled her in for a kiss.
He gathered her against him, reveling in the feel of her soft curves pressed against his hard planes. His hands roamed freely over her body, claiming what was rightfully his. He squeezed her taut flesh with one hand while the other tugged at her chemise, slowly revealing more of her creamy skin. His teeth grazed against her throat and earlobe, eliciting a soft moan that sent a jolt of desire straight through him. His mouth devoured hers hungrily, pouring all his pent-up passion and longing into the kiss.
As he explored her body with reverent hands, Hereford marveled at how right this felt, how perfectly she fit against him. He silently vowed to worship every inch of her, to make her forget any doubts or insecurities. Tonight, he would show Amelia just how beautiful and desirable she truly was.
His own clothes became an unbearable barrier, each button and fastening a maddening obstacle between them. Hereford tore at his cravat with clumsy fingers, yanking it free and casting it aside without care. His waistcoat followed, buttons scattering across the floor as he wrenched it open, his hands shaking with the force of his desire.
The fine linen of his shirt clung damply to his skin, and he pulled it over his head in one swift motion, desperate to feel nothing between himself and Amelia’s touch. He managed to release her long enough to stand up and remove his breeches, which proved equally troublesome in his fevered state, and he cursed under his breath as hestruggled with the fastenings, his usual composure completely abandoned in his urgent need to be free of every constraint.
He watched her eyes widen and lips part as his hard length sprung free. The wonder and lust in her eyes had blood pooling in his groin.
She lay still, staring up at his chest, her eyes wide and luminous in the moonlight. He stood, bared to her gaze, his heart pounding in his chest. She swallowed, the delicate movement of her throat drawing his attention.
“I’ve heard rumors you’re…beautiful,” she breathed, her voice a husky whisper.
A wry smile touched his lips. “I hope I don’t disappoint.”
She shook her head, her gaze unwavering, and he finally allowed himself to succumb to the desire that had been building between them for weeks. He enveloped her frame in his arms, his hands instinctively finding the generous curves of her bottom, kneading the soft flesh. His other hand cupped one of her breasts through the thin chemise, feeling the taut nipple harden beneath his palm.
He lowered his head, taking one rosy peak into his mouth. He sucked, teasing and grazing the sensitive flesh with his teeth, delighting in the sharp intake of her breath, the soft moans that escaped her lips.
“Hell, Amelia, I had no idea…” he groaned, the pleasure of her almost unbearable. He shifted his attention to the other breast, pinching and nipping the nub with his lips, then soothing the ache with his tongue. Amelia arched her back, her hips rising to meet his, positioning her sex against his thigh and rubbing against the thick muscle. He could feel the heat radiating from her, the desperate need mirroring his own.
With a groan, he gently laid her back against the soft pillows, then rose to his knees, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Blazes, Amelia,” he rasped. The compulsion to bury himself inside her was powerful but the need to savor this moment, to watch pleasure overwhelm her, was more so.
As she hesitantly parted her thighs, granting him access, he ran a delicate finger along the moist lips of her vulva, caressing the swollen flesh until he felt it swell even further beneath his touch.
“Oh…” she breathed, her voice barely audible, her expression a mixture of awe and apprehension.
“Are you… untested, Amelia?” he asked bluntly.
“Y-yes…”
The beast within him reveled in the knowledge, a primal satisfaction surging through his veins. And the part that longed to bury himself deep inside her regretted the pain he was about to inflict.
“I shall use my fingers first,” he said, his voice low and rough with desire. “To prepare you for… my member.” His gaze burned into hers, conveying the promise of the pleasure that would follow, the connection they were about to forge.
When her eyes closed and a soft gasp left her lips, he slipped a finger inside her. Amelia’s back arched with a small cry. Hereford watched her rosy cheeks flush in the candlelight, a surge of possessiveness tightening his grip. He could scarcely believe his luck. The soft curve of her breast, the generous flare of her hips… Her body was made for him, a vision plucked straight from his most forbidden dreams.
He covered her body with his own, claiming her mouth in a deep, hungry kiss. Her small gasp was like music to his ears. His rod throbbed against her thigh, so hard he feared bruising her delicate skin.
