Page 70 of How to Tempt an Earl

“I can touch you more this way.”

With only her thin nightgown and his clothing, she could feel him beneath her. He was hot. She never realized how hot he could be.

His lips touched her nape. Overcome by sensations, any protest died on her lips. His lips caressed her cheek to the lobe of her ear, soft and sensitive. He licked and nipped and she shivered. All the while, his hands explored the soft lines of her waist, her hips. She turned to meet his kiss, and their mouths ravaged each other’s. Why couldn’t she stop kissing him?

Then his hand touched her breast through the thin cotton, and she nearly swooned. The rosy peaks grew to pebble hardness as his thumb circled her nipple. She gasped as pleasure hummed through her veins.

He tugged the garment low and one breast was revealed to his dark gaze. Cool evening air caressed her skin. “Lovely,” he murmured.

Then he lowered his head and suckled her bare nipple. Threads of fire ran from the tip of her captured breast and plunged downward into her belly, then moved even lower. Instinctively, her body arched toward him. She wanted his attention on her other breast, and he obliged by sliding the gown off her shoulders, down her arms, until she was bare to the waist. He lavished his attention on both breasts, and her fingers slid into his thick hair. For the first time, she understood the devastating pull of attraction of a skilled lover.

This is not something she could fight, not something she wanted to. She knew then that she would be with him tonight. Tomorrow would be another day. But here…now…she did not want to resist him. She wanted to experience all of him.

Her need grew and she shifted on his lap.

He groaned and held her hips still. “Stop, love. I won’t be able to control myself.”

She experienced a thrill that she could make him lose control. A sense of power.

His fingers trailed up her leg until they reached the triangle of hair that shielded her womanhood. He touched her, his fingers skillfully exploring her intimate folds as he kissed her. All the while his other hand cupped her breast, teased her nipple. He was everywhere at once. Overwhelming…magnificent…and she had no doubt he could fulfill the mounting need spiraling inside her.

Then he touched her there.

She moaned in surprise.

“Ah, love. You’re wet for me.”

She looked down at him as her body awakened to what she so desperately wanted him to give her. She lay limp in his lap, her legs dangling over the side of the chair as he played and toyed with her body until she was quivering in need.

He dipped a finger inside her, then ran his thumb across her slick folds. Her head fell back, and she gave in to the intense pleasure. Her body felt as if it was half ice and half flame. He kissed her taut nipples as she panted and reached higher and higher, then she peaked and the pleasure was pure and explosive.

She cracked open her eyes to find him staring at her, a look of intense male satisfaction on his face.

“I’ve wanted to touch you like this from the first moment I saw you.”

Truly?

“Tell me you want me, Grace.”

“What?”

“Tell me,” he said. “I need to hear you say it. That you want me to touch you. To make love to you. I would never force you, but you have to say it. Here. Now.”

Deep in the recesses of her mind, she knew what he was asking. He wanted her complete capitulation, her consent. Even satiated, she wanted more. She wanted him. This was much more than just a physical pull, but an emotional one, creating a yearning so strong and deep she was powerless to resist him. She was honest enough to acknowledge her desire. She wanted to become one, to be with him. To finally experience the man who had captivated her the first time she’d seen him. As soon as she gave herself permission, her body and heart melted into him in sweet surrender.

“Yes, Ian. I want you.”

He groaned. “I will be gentle.”

She trusted him not to physically hurt her. In that, her faith had never wavered.

He stood, lifted her garment over her head, and tossed it to the carpet. His sharp intake of breath made her conscious. Candlelight flickered over her naked body. She’d never been so exposed to another. He’d run a den of iniquity for a decade. Surely, he’d been with other women. How would she compare?

“You’re perfect.”

Her heart turned over in her chest. She felt perfect. At this moment. For him.

She would not think of tomorrow.