Page 40 of A Raven Repents

He turned her by her shoulders and nudged her toward the bed. As he stepped into the hall, he heard an exasperated huff behind him and he chuckled. He waited for a minute before opening the door again. She was back on the bed, but her arms were folded and her feathers clearly ruffled. He wanted her to understand that she didn’t need his permission. She might be his wife, but she was her own person and allowed her own desires.

She didn’t move from the bed, so he shrugged and walked over by the armoire to undress. He removed his coat and waistcoat, before her finger tapped firmly against the back of his shoulder.

As he turned, her hand wrapped around his tie and yanked him down. Her lips smashed against his. For a breath, she didn’t move, probably waiting for him to take command. But when he didn’t, she slid her tongue over his bottom lip before sucking it between her own.

He groaned. That’s what he wanted. It was obvious she was strong-willed enough to take control, she’d just needed a little encouragement.

She ripped her lips away and stared into his eyes. “Kiss me,” she demanded.

He thrust his fingers into her hair, pulling her in and plunging his tongue into her mouth, possessed by a sudden need to claim her as his. Something he’d never felt before. With no jacket or waistcoat, he could feel her breasts pressed against him. God how he wanted to hold them. To squeeze them and tease her nipples. But he didn’t want to seek her permission to go further. He wanted her to command him to do what she desired.

Slowly, he wound the kiss down until their lips parted. All he could do was look at her through his heavy breathing. She tried to pull him down again, but he stopped her with a shake of his head. His control was slipping.

“Unless you’re ready to take that off”—he gestured to her nightgown with his chin—“it’s time for bed.”

He watched as her thoughts spun, but eventually, she nodded. She let him go and climbed under the blankets. She made a show of covering her eyes, teasing him into laughter.

Once again, he could feel her watching him after undressing. He didn’t interrupt her perusal this time, and simply stood, naked, allowing her time to look. Last night, it had even earned his backside a lovely caress.

After donning his pajamas, he laid down on his side, hoping she might do it again. Shortly after turning out the light, the mattress moved. Her hand brushed slowly over his back and around to his hip before eventually settling on his backside. She squeezed it, and he purred. With her, something that should have been mundane, was anything but.

“Do you like it?” she asked, softly, giving another squeeze.

“Very much.”

“Do you… Do you want to touch mine?”

“Do I need to leave and come back in again?”

She swatted his backside, startling a laugh out of him. “Did you just spank me?”

“No more than you deserved.”

He laughed again, turning onto his back. The moon and streetlamps provided just enough light to discern the outline of her features. “I assure you, I will always want to kiss you and touch your body. So when you wish for something, you need only inform me of your desire, and I will readily oblige.”

“And how was I supposed to know that?” Her voice was quickly escalating. “You’ve never told me. You’ve never asked to touch me. And yet you just expect⁠—”

Giles gripped her hair and plunged his tongue into her mouth, hoping she wouldn’t bite him out of spite. She didn’t. Instead, she whimpered and wrapped her arms around him, one hand sliding down to his backside. She was passionate in everything she did. Quick to anger and to lust.

“Now, are you going to continue to shout at me? Or are you going to tell me where to touch you?”

This close, he could see her lips as they turned up in a smile.

“I like it when you do that.” Her breasts moved against his chest with her rapid breathing.

“You like it when I kiss you?” He pressed his lips against hers. “Or when I hold you in place by your hair?” He squeezed a little tighter.

“Both.”

He chuckled. “Definitely not a shrinking violet.”

“I told you I’m not. Now touch my bottom.”

With a growl, he turned her onto her stomach. He squeezed her bottom, and she moaned. Dear God. That sound would surely fuel his lust-filled dreams tonight. Pushing her plait out of the way, he claimed the back of her neck with a rough, open-mouthed kiss.

She rewarded him with a desperate, breathy whine, so he did it again.

“Is this seduction?” she asked over her shoulder.