Page 57 of One Waltz with the Viscount

It seemed to take a long time for her body to float back to earth, but when it did she realised Henry had kicked off his trousers and was naked on top of her. Tentatively she reached out and took him in her hand, revelling at the hardness of him.

‘Are you sure you want to do this?’

She nodded, not able to get the words out, and gently he pushed into her. She felt an exquisite fullness and a wonderful warmth as he began moving inside her. Her hips came to meet his, their bodies coming together again and again until she felt something tense and then release inside her, and she was overcome with pleasure once again. She was vaguely aware of Henry thrusting inside her a few more times and then he groaned, holding her tight.

For a long time they lay side by side, not talking. It took Sarah a good few minutes to regain control of herself, to stop her head from spinning.

Once she was certain she could trust her body, she sat up and looked across at Henry.

‘I do not have any prior experience to go on, but something tells me you are good at that.’

‘That’s just what a man wants to hear,’ he said with a grin.

‘Is it always so...’ she searched for a word to do it justice ‘...spectacular?’

‘I hope it will be with you.’

With a feeling of supreme satisfaction and happiness, Sarah collapsed back onto the bed, laying her head on Henry’s chest and watching his smooth muscles rise and fall.

Chapter Seventeen

‘Do you have any regrets?’ Sarah asked as they lay naked together on the bed. It was early evening and the last of the sun’s rays were filtering through the window. Soon he would have to get up to light a candle, but not yet. They had spent a wonderful afternoon in the bedroom, making love and talking, and he felt satisfied with life.

There were still so many details to work out, not least what he was going to do about his sister, but he felt as if he had regained a little of his old self back. It was liberating, making the decision to refuse to bend to his father’s will. For so long he had felt like there was nothing worth fighting for, that he might as well give in to his father’s wishes, because he could not see that he would ever want to risk his heart again. It was only with Sarah’s appearance in his life he’d realised he could not let the old man dictate his future.

‘Not one,’ he said, leaning over and kissing her on the top of her head. ‘How about you?’

‘I do,’ she said, biting her lip. ‘Just one, a tiny one.’

‘Oh?’

‘I regret not bringing some food into the bedroom.’

‘You are hungry, my lady?’

‘I am ravenous.’

‘Then I have been doing my job right. You should be hungry after you have spent the afternoon making love.’

He sat up, reaching for his shirt and trousers, pulling them on. He was aware of Sarah’s eyes on him the whole time and grinned as he saw a flicker of desire in them.

‘Let me see what I can find.’

He padded barefoot into the sitting room, looking for his shoes, before heading to the stairs. There was a kitchen in the basement, and the maid he shared with his downstairs neighbour prepared a few light meals each week, as well as ensuring the essentials were kept well stocked.

He was halfway down the stairs when there was a frenzied knocking at the front door. It was a strange time for visitors, and at first he wondered if his downstairs neighbour might have forgotten his key. He hadn’t heard him moving around all afternoon and it would not be the first time he had locked himself out.

Henry crossed to the door and opened it, cursing silently when he saw who stood outside.

‘Good evening, Father,’ he said, surprised when the older man pushed past him into the house.

‘What do you think you’re playing at, boy?’ his father barked.

Henry felt a familiar mix of irritation and despair, as he always did when dealing with his father.

‘What do you mean?’

His father did not answer, but to Henry’s horror headed for the stairs and began climbing.