Page 59 of A Problem Princess

“Yes,” she half moaned. When his hand slipped down to her inner thigh, anticipation shivered through her.

With her hands on his hard shoulders, she felt him tremble as he moved his hand higher. But then, so did she. Tingling waves of electricity passed through her, and the higher he reached, the stronger the tingle grew. The realization of what she needed from him landed with an insistent ache between her legs.

His hand stilled at the junction of her thighs, his fingers resting lightly against her feminine folds. This almost-touch was agonizing.

“Yes?” he murmured.

In that single word, she knew he wasn’t asking if she enjoyed it. He was seeking permission.

“Yes.” She shamelessly spread her legs, the throbbing ache at her core demanding it.Oh, yes!

He lowered his forehead to rest against hers and closed his eyes. Then he murmured something she couldn’t discern—and touched her.

She caught her breath. His fingers caressed tenderly between her legs in long, slow strokes across her folds. His touch felt so good…so exciting, yet so oddly comforting. It was the same with his body lying over hers. At that moment, she didn’t want to think—all she wanted to do wasfeel, and the feel of his hands on her was simply wonderful.

But then his caresses changed. No longer light touches, each stroke grew harder and deeper until heat balled right there between her legs, just beyond his fingertips. Exactly where she needed him to touch. She couldn’t remain still and wiggled her hips against his hand.

He groaned. “Cordelia.”

Her heart soared at the sound of her name on his lips, spoken of his own free will. She wiggled again, this time longer and more forcefully, to beg with her body for him to stoke the flames he created in her until they consumed her.

But when he slipped a finger inside her, she gasped against his mouth at the strange sensation…until he began to stroke slowly inside her, which was absolutely divine.

She buried her face against his bare neck. “That feels…”

“Good?” he asked, his voice thick and husky.

“Soverygood,” she sighed and earned herself a nuzzle of his stubble-roughened cheek against hers.

His fingers never slowed in their persistent and quickening strokes. Instead, a second finger joined the first, filling her even more completely, and when he began to tease his thumb against the hard bead in her folds, she nearly shot out of her skin!

She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep him close as the pressure mounted inside her. He murmured soft words into her ear that she couldn’t understand, lost beneath the delicious feel of his intimate touches and her own whimpers of need. When he touched her again—right there, at that wonderful spot—her hips bucked off the mattress.

“Clayton!”

With an openmouthed kiss, he drank up her soft cries as pleasure spread through her. Electric tingles sparked out to her fingers and toes, and she felt as if she were being swept away on a hot wind. She could do nothing more than cling to him and tremble as her breathing eased and her racing heartbeat slowed.

Even as she sank bonelessly into the mattress, he remained as tense as ever, poised over her on one forearm with his other hand resting on her lower belly. His broad shoulders were taut beneath her hands, and his muscular arms and legs shook. A pained expression darkened his face, with his eyes squeezed shut and his jaw clenched.

“Clayton?” She caressed his cheek, her fingertips trembling. “Did I do something wrong?”

“God no.” His head sank between his shoulders. He pulled in a hard breath and muttered, “I did.”

“No, you didn’t.”

A disbelieving sound tore from him, somewhere between a guttural laugh and a groan.

She kissed him with as much reassurance as she could, yet she tasted the regret in him. How could she make him understand how special this moment was for her? What he’d done to her was simply wonderful. Even now, the warmth of his hand resting on her belly seeped into her and once again stirred the aching need inside her. So did the longing desire she glimpsed in his eyes. He’d given her such delicious pleasures that she would never forget them.

But she also suspected he could give her even more.

“I wanted your touch.” She boldly reached down to lace her fingers through his. “And I want it again.”

“Cordelia.” Her name was a soft warning, yet he didn’t stop her as she slowly led his hand back down between her legs. “We can’t—Ican’t.”

A smile curled at her lips. “Oh, I’m pretty sure you can.” Deliciously, in fact.

“Ishouldn’t,” he corrected, his hand stilling hers at the top of her thigh.