Page 61 of A Winter Scandal

Thea wanted to feel his fingers on her bare skin, without all the layers of her clothes. She broke away, and Gabriel looked at her in faint surprise and question, his hand falling away from her. But when she pulled her arms out of her dress, letting it fall to the floor, a slow, sensual smile spread over his mouth. He reached out and took the ribbon bow of her chemise and tugged it loose. The thin cotton undergarment sagged, exposing the tops of her breasts, and his fingers teased in under it, opening the neckline wider and sliding it downward in torturously small increments.

His knuckles slid over the soft tips of her breasts and glided down, pushing the material before them until he hooked into the waist of her petticoats and pantalets. Releasing the material, he pulled open the drawstring of each garment, his eyes all the while remaining on her. Once more he began the slow journey downward, his fingers spreading wide over her skin as the material bunched and moved, exposing ever more of her flesh.

Thea’s breath grew ragged, and she was filled with a strange, wild mixture of emotions as he revealed every inch of her body to his eyes and hands—anticipation, pleasure, and a growing hunger roiled and clashed with the anxious fear that he might find her displeasing. His hands moved around to her back and curved over the soft mounds of her buttocks, and she heard a low noise, somewhere between a moan and a growl, escape his throat. She smiled to herself, certain that whatever Gabriel was feeling, it was not displeasure.

He pushed the underclothes the rest of the way down, impatience ending his slow teasing of their passion. The garments caught at the barrier of her half boots, and he went down on one knee to unhook the shoes. He lifted her foot, tugging the boot off, and she put her hand on his shoulder to steady herself. Gabriel gazed up at her, grinning his enjoyment of her from this new vantage point.

The other boot came off as easily, and Thea stepped out of her clothes. Gabriel did not stand, however, but instead put his hands on either side of her leg to roll down a final bit of clothing Thea wore, her stocking. He did the same with the other leg, his fingers lingering over her curves. Then he slid his hand daringly higher, moving over her calf and thigh, toward the center of Thea’s heat.

She let out a choked noise, remembering with vivid clarity the way his fingers had found her and caressed her there the other day. She knew she should feel embarrassed; no doubt it was weak and sinful to ache for him to touch her that way again. But she didn’t care. All she cared about now was the trembling ache inside her, the heat. But his hands halted on their gliding path, and he stood up, leaving the hunger still burning within her.

“Hardly seems fair, does it, that you are the only one undressed?” he said huskily as he tugged his shirt out from his pants and untied the top tie. He reached down and grasped the ends of his shirt and pulled it off over his head in one swift motion.

Thea’s eyes were fastened to his nakedness now as she examined the wide expanse of his chest, taking in every detail from the flat, masculine nipples and the ripple of muscle beneath his skin to the curling black hair tapering in a V down his chest and disappearing into the waistband of his trousers. His body was hard and male, so very different from her own, and the sight of it stirred her. Her fingers itched to reach out and touch the firm pad of muscle and the bony line of his collarbone, the sharp points of his shoulders. She wanted to experience the texture of his skin, to run her hands over the ridges of his ribs.

Gabriel’s hands went to the buttons of his breeches, and Thea sucked in a soft breath. Quickly he undid the top set, and the garment sagged down, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of his hipbones and the thin line of hair growing downward. He stopped and sat on the edge of the bed to pull off his boots, but Thea did not mind the wait, as she found it equally fascinating to watch the curve of his back and the play of muscles as he tugged off his boots and stockings. He stood up and unfastened the remainder of the buttons, skinning out of his breeches so that he stood before her as naked as she.

Thea’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of a male’s fully naked body. She had never before seen the sight; indeed, she had never expected to see it. While she had had a vague idea of what a man must look like—after all, looking at a fully clothed male, she knew his chest was wider, his hips narrower, his legs longer and more muscled than a woman’s—she had not been prepared for the reality of it. The power, the size, the overwhelming maleness of him. Gazing now at Gabriel’s lean body, she felt her own body tightening in response. Gabriel in the flesh was a little shocking … and more than a little exciting.

He came back to her, reaching out to take her arms in his hands. “Having second thoughts?” He slid his hands up and down her arms in a soothing way.

Thea dragged her eyes back up to his face. “It is a trifle, uh, what I mean is, you seem a bit—that is to say, I am not sure exactly what happens, but are you certain we shall, um, fit?”

He chuckled, a low rumbling sound that Thea found curiously comforting. “Indeed, my dear, we shall definitely fit.” He bent to nuzzle his face into her hair. “And I promise I will do my utmost to make sure you discover what happens in a most enjoyable way. But if you are not sure, we can stop here and now.”

“No!” Thea said quickly. “I don’t want to stop.” She looked up at him and smiled, unaware of the flirtatious glint in her usually serious gray eyes. “I want to know. I want …” She trailed off, not sure how to express the tumultuous feelings of desire, need, and frustration bubbling inside her.

Gabriel slid his hands up over her bare shoulders and onto her neck, bracing his thumbs on her chin. “Believe me, I want, too.” Gabriel lowered his head and brushed his lips across hers. “I want very much.”

His lips touched hers lightly again. He lifted his head, smiling down into her eyes, then bent to take her lips again. He drank her in, and Thea rose up on tiptoe to match his desire. It was wildly exciting to kiss him like this, their naked skins pressed together. She could feel the hard, insistent pulse of his need against her, and the heat between her legs throbbed in response, seeming to flower and open eagerly.

As they kissed, his hands went to her back and he trailed his fingertips lightly down her on either side, touching her skin so lightly and delicately that it was as if a feather had brushed over her. She shivered in response and kissed him back even more feverishly. His fingers moved in the same way over the curve of her bottom and down onto the tops of her thighs, sliding tantalizingly close to the cleft between her legs. The pulse within her deepened, her skin tightening and prickling with need. Moisture flooded between her legs, embarrassing her, and she ached to spread her legs apart. She wanted to feel his fingers on her there. She wanted, she realized with some shock, to feel the throbbing length of his manhood there.

Breaking their kiss, Gabriel picked her up again and deposited her on the bed, then lay down beside her. Propping himself up on his elbow, he began to kiss her again, first her mouth, then her ears and face and neck. His other hand went to her breasts, cupping and caressing them, rolling her nipple gently between his thumb and forefinger. He slid lower, his lips trailing over her chest and down onto the pillowy-soft flesh of her breast. The tip of his tongue drew tantalizing designs over the soft orb as he traveled still lower to take her nipple into his mouth. Thea drew in a sharp breath and her fingers clenched in the coverlet beneath her. His mouth pulled and released, each new suction sending a frisson of pleasure straight down through her to gather and twist in her abdomen. His tongue circled the tight, little bud, lashing then soothing.

As his mouth worked on her breast, his fingers slid down her body, gliding over the plain of her stomach and abdomen, creeping ever lower. Her legs moved restlessly on the bed, opening for him, inviting his touch. But he did not immediately touch her there, sliding instead onto her thighs and back, tracing the crease where her thigh met the trunk of her body, then coming back up onto her abdomen and curving down to the other side. Her hips moved as if of their own volition, seeking him, yet still he did not come to the burning core of her, but teased with a featherlight touch, advancing and retreating. All the while, his mouth feasted on her breasts, moving from one to the other, every velvety stroke of his tongue stoking the need inside her.

Thea could not hold back a moan, and she felt his pleased smile in the movement of his lips on her body. Finally, his hand slipped into the V between her legs, and Thea shuddered. But this time he did not bring her to that hard, fast peak as he had before. Now his fingers explored her, parting and stroking, even, startlingly, slipping inside her. But that, too, only added fuel to the flame of her desire.

She would never have dreamed that she could feel so much, want so much, that passion could build in her until it was a white-hot flame and her whole body tingled and yearned for satisfaction. Yet with everything he did, the passion only increased more until she thought that she must burst with the force of the desire inside her.

He moved between her legs, and she felt at last the full length of his maleness between her legs. But she knew that was not all she wanted, either. The gentle, throbbing press of his flesh against her was another teasing promise, not fulfillment. She let out a little sob, clutching at his back. He groaned, too, at her movement.

“We’re almost there, my sweet,” he murmured, kissing her neck. “I want to make you ready.”

“I am ready.” Her words were almost a growl, and it earned a breathy, little chuckle from him.

“All right.”

He reached down to position himself, and she felt the tip of his manhood prodding against her. Thea opened her legs wider, tilting her pelvis, and then he was pushing into her, filling her. Panic seized her for an instant as she feared that he was too big, that something was wrong with her, that it would not work and she would be left with this spiraling need that would never be satisfied. Then with a hard thrust, he plunged deep inside her, and pain flashed through her.

Gabriel paused, panting, his body slick with sweat. She could see the fierce concentration on his face, the powerful stillness in him, and she knew that he held himself back, not wanting to cause her further pain. Thea moved, wrapping her legs around him and giving him deeper access to her body. He dropped his head, kissing her neck as he began to stroke in and out, slowly and gently at first, then with increasing speed and force as passion took control of him. Thea clung to him, her whole body trembling with the need that was building inside her. It coiled and twisted, arching higher with every thrust of his body.

She felt as if she was teetering on the edge of something. Her heart slammed in her chest, and each breath was a ragged sob. She wanted, she ached, to reach the summit she was driving toward. And suddenly, she was there … falling over, sliding off the precipice into an explosion of pleasure. Thea cried out as passion surged through her, filling every inch of her. She shook with the pleasure and release of it, and against her she felt Gabriel shudder, too, as they fell, spinning, locked together, into the abyss.

Thirteen

Thea awoke in a cocoon of warmth. She blinked, trying to draw her scattered thoughts together. It took a moment to remember where she was and why a hard male body was curled around hers, but when she did, a slow smile crept across her face. Gabriel lay snuggled up to her back, one arm draped over her waist. Her body was naked under the rough sheets, but she was not cold. Gabriel’s naked body behind her was warm as a furnace … and much more pleasant to be lying against.