She breathed harder. He pulled her closer until she sat on his lap. He wanted to kiss her again, but instead, he stared at her, at her golden eyelashes brimming with sunlight and her lips flaming with passion.
“I really like you, Esther,” he whispered, stroking her hair. No matter how many times she fixed her chignon, a few wayward curls always escaped and rebelled against the constriction. Just like her. “I like your spirit, determination, and kindness.”
“I like you, too, Alex. You’re kind and patient.”
He slid a hand under her skirt and caressed her leg. “I like your legs.” He paused over her thigh. “Perfect shape.”
She laughed. “How do you know what shape they… Oh, right. You saw me half naked.”
“The more I think about last night, the less I think it was a disaster. You wouldn’t be here otherwise.” He touched her inner thigh, smiling as she trembled again. “Would you like me to go on?”
“Yes.” She didn’t hesitate, and her breathy voice was another thing he liked about her.
He kissed her again, and she pressed herself against him, parting her legs. When he slipped past the slit in her drawers, she sagged against him with a loud sigh.
“Is it too much?” he asked.
“Yes, but in a good way.” Her breath fanned on his neck.
He kissed the tip of her nose as he rubbed her until she muffled a scream by pressing her mouth against his shoulder.
“That was wonderful, too.” She snuggled closer to him.
He kept caressing her back and legs, feeling her warm skin under his palm. She shifted her position until she straddled him. The change sent a shock through him.
“What are you doing?”
She moved her skirts out of the way until her thin drawers and his trousers were the only things separating them.
“I’m following your advice about me doing what I want and not always worrying about the rules.” She put her hands on his shoulders. “What do you think?”
“Well, I—” A groan left him as she rolled her hips, tormenting him.
“Yes?” The minx smiled.
“Shouldn’t we wait to be married?” He sounded weak to his own ears.
“Isn’t that a rule we can decide to ignore?” She rolled her hips again, and a bolt of lightning made of pleasure went through him.
A craving crawled through his chest and wanted to get out. He wanted her. His thoughts were scattered around without logic. Maybe he should listen to her. Maybe she was right. Another groan escaped him when she dragged a hand down his chest to the falls of his trousers.
“Esther…” Hell, her touch was too good for him to speak.
“I’m tired of doing everything my parents ask me to do. I want to feel more. I want to live more, and I can’t think of a better man than you to have new experiences with.” Heat swirled in the depths of her eyes, and it was contagious.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, but if you change your mind about your proposal?—”
“I won’t. I only changed my mind about a long engagement. I want a short one.”
She kissed him. “If you change your mind, I won’t begrudge you. This is something I want for us, a moment for us to forget the rules and be ourselves. Will you share this moment with me?”
“I will.”
She drew in a breath and fiddled with the falls of his trousers, and that was when his control snapped. While she was busy, he unfastened her gown. The sweet moment became a chaos of frantic hands and sloppy kisses as they unbuttoned each other’s clothes just to shove the fabric away.
He paused when she remained in her chemise with her gown gathered at her waist. He ran a hand over her lovely breasts and teased her nipples to hard peaks. She arched her back, biting her lower lip. When he closed his mouth around her nipple, she gripped his shoulders hard.
