Page 58 of Discovering Her Earl

He’d dallied with experienced women. Widows, generally, who’d wanted only sexual release from him. Kissing was just a step in the dance. Not the entire dance as this moment was.

They feasted on each other’s mouths as if this was all there was.

And it was enough. For the moment at least.

Chapter Eighteen

Lainey had never felt so pleasantly out of sorts. Despite the fog of desire clouding her thoughts, she was also clearly present.

Every press of his soft lips and slide of his warm tongue was captured with crystal clarity in her mind. She would forever recall the way he tasted of port and rum cake. Divine.

She was kissing Lord Melville. No, she was kissing Julian. And more importantly, he was kissing her. She’d told him kissing her would make no difference in the outcome of her decision regarding Egypt. And yet he’d wanted to kiss her anyway.

Some small part of her mind also noted she had been correct about the ease of access their heights granted, but that was not important now.

She realized with a shock that as good as his mouth felt against hers, she also enjoyed his touch. The firm grip of his hand on her hip, holding her close to him. So close, she could feel the hardness of him growing between them.

She tilted her hips to press closer to him, the action as natural as breathing. As if his touch alone bestowed some carnal knowledge.

Surely, she should be touching him as well. Not just standing there allowing the kiss but participating in it too.

She rested one of her hands on his upper arm, but feeling only the fabric of his coat, she decided to move up so she could touch his skin. At his neck she tunneled her fingers through his hair so she could hold him to her.

With her other hand she chose to mimic his pose and placed her arm around him, but when she did, her hand inadvertently slipped into the inside of his coat instead of the outside.

The inviting warmth kept her from retreating and the groan of pleasure against her lips told her he enjoyed her error.

Her touch seemed to ignite him. Soon his hands moved over her body. Up her back at first and then down, and farther down until they rested over her bottom. His hands squeezed her there and pressed her closer to the ridge in his trousers.

This was no longer just a kiss. It was a prelude to something more. And she wasn’t sure if she wanted to back away or reach for it.

Since she’d been a young girl trailing behind her aunt and uncle on an expedition site, she had never turned away from a new experience.

As she was debating her decisions, the earl must have been equally alert to the precipice where they stood.

With a groan unlike the others so far, he slowed his kisses and lifted his hands to a more respectable place on her back. She could sense his reluctance and knew the strength it must have taken to end the kiss and rest his forehead against hers while they panted to catch their breath.

More strength than she possessed for sure.

“You were quite right,” he said quietly, his warm breath touching the moisture on her lips. “It is quite pleasant kissing someone of your height.”

When he shook his head, it moved her likewise.

“No,” he corrected. “Not someone. You. It is quite pleasant to kiss you, Elaina.”

She smiled, unable to help herself.

“But you’ve stopped.” She tried to hide the disappointment in her voice and failed.

“I didn’t want to. But we were getting too close to a place we could not recover from. And I had only asked for a kiss.”

“Do you wish to amend your request?” What was she saying? She couldn’t allow him to ruin her. Him. Lord Mel-villain.

Except she realized that was not him. It seemed it never had been. He obviously cared about her enough to stop before it was too late.

Still, she was three and twenty. A spinster with no other opportunities to have this experience.

“No. That is, yes. Most assuredly yes. But I won’t because I respect you too much.”