Page 78 of Bloodgrove

Without another moment of hesitation, he seized her and lifted her onto his hips. At once, she wrapped her legs around him. His hands closed around her thighs, red velvet spilling over his arms as she molded herself to him and crossed her feet behind his back.

His pulse thundered in his ears. She was so close, and he held her as though she were his. For one month, in secret, with no future, but he would savor every moment.

Here in the snow, where the flakes swallowed the noise of the ball and the pointed gables and stone battlements looked like trees beneath a winter’s spell, it was easy to dream. Here, he held the version of Elodie he loved more than he feared her.

“Show me how to make good mistakes,” she whispered.

Will answered by capturing her lips with his own.

It still surprised him how soft they were, how sweet she tasted. Kissing her was like discovering a new world. He tightened his arms around her back, closing the last space between their chests. Without breaking the kiss, he carried her the final steps to the end of the bridge and pressed her against a stone pillar. The night was too dark, the lanterns too far away, for any stray passerby to see them.

Her tongue brushed his lips, asking to be let in, and together they sank into fresh heat. The cold air and unforgiving stone reminded Will of the frozen depths from which Elodie had rescued him with the fire of her body. Back then, he had believed he would never be able to kiss her again.

Her fingers slipped into his hair and freed strands for the icy wind to carry. A whimper escaped her, and her kisses grew more demanding. He had spent an entire month longing for those sweet sounds. He caught her lower lip between his teeth and bit until she moaned. Her hips moved hungrily against him, searching for something he was forbidden to give her.

Then he heard the wheels of a carriage rolling across the stones.

“That’s ours. Do not let me go,” Elodie whispered. Trusting the driver’s discretion, he carried her the few remaining yards without ceasing to kiss her.

The horses waited, pawing impatiently, and the carriage door swung open before them. Will struck his knee against the step as he tried to carry Elodie inside, and together they tumbled onto the floor between the benches. Tangled in limbs, fabrics, and furs, they struggled for balance until they found enough space. He felt her smile against his mouth.

With a jolt, the carriage began to move, and the door swung shut behind Will.

Their kisses continued, hot and deep, while the carriage swayed beneath them. Elodie opened her legs, and Will settled against her.

“Elodie,” he murmured into her mouth. “You awaken something in me. I never knew I could want a woman this much.”

“Show me how a man loves you,” she whispered. Her hand slipped between them and pressed against the fabric of his trousers, stretched tight by his arousal. He froze, and at the same time, his full awareness narrowed to her touch.

“Are you certain?” He searched her eyes for hesitation, but she gazed boldly up at him, pupils wide, cheeks flushed.

“Tell me what to do. Teach me.”

Will swallowed. Desire had long since overwhelmed reason, and so he straightened and drew himself onto the bench.

“Stay there,” he managed when Elodie began to rise.

Her kiss-bruised lips remained slightly parted, her breath coming quickly beneath the snow-embroidered bodice. She sat in a cloud of red velvet between his knees and looked up at him with naked hunger.

With trembling fingers, he pushed aside his long coat, opened his trousers, and freed his erection. Why was he suddenly nervous? Why did this feel like a first time? What was so different about her lips, her small mouth, compared with all the others? All the young men who had knelt before him, licking their lips with pink tongues?

Perhaps it was the way Elodie’s eyes widened, or the blush that spread to the tips of her ears at the sight of him. He was certain she had not seen many men like this. Certainly never one she wanted to pleasure, one she desired, one whose very sight sent heat gathering between her thighs.

He let her look while he wrapped his fist around himself and stroked once, twice, three times. Her gaze followed every movement, and she drew her lower lip between her teeth. She sucked at the place where he had bitten her, and he nearly lost his patience. He wanted to bend down, cup her face, and kiss those tender lips. Yet how much lovelier would they look shining with his seed, swollen from their labor?

“Come closer,” he said, and she moved until he could rest the head of his cock against her lips. In the cold carriage, her hot breath swept over his sensitive skin.

“Do you know what I want from you?” His voice came from deep in his throat, made velvet by desire. Yet a strange calm settled over him when Elodie nodded.

“I am not entirely ignorant…” She lowered her voice. “… I read romantic books.”

He smiled as he held himself against her lips. A first pearl clung at his tip, and without waiting for instruction, her tongue darted out and licked it away.

Mischief shone in her eyes when he went still and caught his breath. The slightest touch shot through him and clenched low in his stomach. He had to stop himself from seizing her hair and taking her mouth. No. Elodie wanted to learn, and once she understood the power of her lips, he would gladly let her ruin him.

But she was not there yet. He slid his hand toward the head and bared the length of his shaft for her.

“Lick.”