Clarissa didn’t need his flattery to know he appreciated every single inch of her. Adored and desired every single inch. It was all there in his intense, unwavering stare as plain as day, in the deep and rhythmic rise and fall of his impressive ribcage and the steely, velvet hardness of his erection. Genuine evidence that she was the only woman in the world for him.
His Gem.
Not a diamond of the first water, but a real woman with her own thoughts and flaws and attributes. Seb knew she could be shallow and selfish. Vain. Vulnerable. Resourceful. Had watched her scheme to catch a duke, bind her straight hair in rags and act out the part of theIncomparable. Knew only too well she wasn’t perfect and yet somehow his casual acceptance of her flaws made her forgive herself for them. With Seb she was a better person. He appreciated her and understood her in a way no other soul ever had. No artifice. No affectations. Just as nature had intended. ‘Come to bed, Seb.’
Without taking his eyes off her, Seb lay down, mirroring her position. She could feel the warmth of his body although neither of them was touching. He reached out his hand and ran his fingers once again down the length of her hair where it trailed onto the pillow. ‘I love your hair like this.’ The pad of his index finger trailed down her neck and across her collarbone as his gaze dipped to her breasts, lingered, before raking slowly down her body to the triangle of curls between her legs, then back up to her face. Every inch of her tingled with anticipation. Every inch of her screamed for his touch. Seb withdrew his hand and grinned. ‘You should also know I loathe your ringlets.’
‘Has anyone ever told you that you talk too much?’ Because there were a hundred and one things she would prefer he did with his mouth at this precise moment and none of them involved discussing hair styles. The arrogant smile suited him. In that moment she realised he enjoyed teasing her and was well aware she was desperate for his touch and was denying it on purpose, the wretch. But Seb’s restraint was paper thin. A rapid pulse beat in his neck and there was a tenseness around his jaw which he struggled to hide. Wasn’t it wonderful that she knew him so intimately already? Confirmation that they were meant to be.
To torment him, Clarissa smoothed her palm down his abdomen and felt the taut line of muscles bunch beneath her fingers, then gave in to the temptation of touching him lower. His eyes closed and he sucked in a breath as she openly explored the length and shape with her fingertips with such deliberate slowness that his control soon snapped. On a growl, he rolled her to lie beneath him and plundered her mouth, his own hands doing some exploring of their own, smoothing over her body possessively.
When his lips closed around her nipple it was she who growled in appreciation, her body writhing on the mattress as he took his time to worship both breasts while her nails raked his back and scalp to anchor him in place. Her legs fell open and her hips bucked when he touched her sex, welcoming the strange intrusion and the new sensations it elicited, yet needed more. So much more.
Instinct made her position her body beneath his, made her hook her legs around his. Her body cradled his naturally, her hips rising to signal she was ready. Wordlessly, Seb gazed down into her eyes and began to gently edge inside, his arms braced and big body taut with the effort it took to give her the time she needed to become accustomed to his intrusion. Then he stilled, his expression pained. ‘This bit might hurt at first. I’m sorry.’
‘I’m not.’ Clarissa grabbed his hips and lunged hers towards him, biting her lip against the slight discomfort and then marvelling at the intimacy of being wholly possessed by him. Only when he was certain the pain had passed did he begin to move and a whole new world of pleasure opened up. One that her body was apparently beyond ready for because it was wildly out of her control. Instinctually, her pelvis tilted to meet each thrust, her body tightening around his as all rational thoughts evaporated.
Open-mouthed kisses.
Needy sighs.
Nerve endings dancing with the strength of their passion. Nothing in the universe existed except him. She chanted his name over and over again like a mantra. Tears pricked at her eyes at the intensity of the emotion which seemed to fill her heart and clog her throat, merging with the physical and the carnal until Clarissa thought she would die from the joy of it all. The wonder.
Then he spoke. Just three simple words.
‘I love you.’
Words she had never dared hope for, but which gave her battered soul absolution. And the brittle universe in which only they existed shattered into a million brilliant and blinding stars.
