Page 31 of A Countess of Convenience

Her hips swelled where she sat in the chair, her gown lying bunched between her legs, outlining the shape of her thighs…bringing to mind what lay beneath that thin fabric at their apex. John had to suppress a groan. Thank goodness the garment flowed over her legs so he could see no further—until he came to her bare ankles and small feet. All the brandy in the world would not erase the sight of her thus. “Judith.” His voice seemed to come from a long way away. “Why have you come here?”

“To apologize to you, John.”

Perhaps his faculties had gone missing. “Apologize for what, my dear?”

“For…for…” Judith seldom had trouble expressing herself. The transgression of which she spoke, therefore, must be grave indeed to bring out a stammer. “For teasing you earlier.”

Of all the things that might’ve come from her lips, those words were the last ones he’d have imagined. “Teasing me?”

“When I asked if there was something I could do for you.” Her voice had dropped so he could scarcely hear her.

“Ah.” As if the fire suddenly blazed anew, sweat popped out on John’s brow and his cock surged forward as if eager to answer the question. “I believe I take your meaning. Think nothing of it, my dear.”

By God, he wished he could think of anything else. Her low, sultry voice, coupled with the image of her seated in that chair, now seared on the inside of his eyelids, wreaked havoc in his breeches.

“But I shouldn’t have flirted like that, John.” She stared directly into his eyes. “We have already discussed the…possible necessity of our marrying. In asking that, I may have given you an erroneous idea about my…feelings for you.” Abruptly, she dropped her gaze.

Of course, he’d assumed she’d meant an amorous tryst but had known the offer had come from her nervousness or a need for some kind of physical contact. But since she’d brought the subject up… “Then why did you ask, Judith?”

Her tiny gasp filled him with his usual protective instincts, and it was on the tip of his tongue to tell her not to worry, it was all forgotten. Yet something held him back, some part of him that wanted desperately to hear her answer.

“Because I wanted to know what it would be like to kiss you.”

Flummoxed for a second time, John stared at her, his jaw all but dropped. “What would make you want to know that?”

Her cheeks pinkened, and she gripped her hands tightly in her lap. “When you woke me earlier, before dinner, I was dreaming.” After a furtive glance at him, her gaze darted away again. “I was dreaming you awakened me, and I kissed you.”

“I see.” At least he hoped he did. When he’d come upon her asleep before dinner, she’d been moaning deep in her throat. If he hadn’t awakened her, would she have dreamt of other intimacies with him? Encouraged by her admission and what it might foreshadow for the future, John sat in the chair opposite her, weighing his words. “It wasn’t an unpleasant experience, then, kissing me in the dream?”

“Oh, no, John.” She grasped his hand, the light contact inciting a riot in his senses. “It was lovely, truly.”

“And you wanted it to happen in real life, so you thought to tease me into it?” The ever-devious Judith.

She continued to stare at her lap, her cheeks still pink. “It wasn’t fair to say something like that to you. I didn’t think about it until I’d already said it. It was only later that I realized I might have…given you the wrong idea.”

“And what idea would that have been, my dear?”

Judith finally met his eyes. “That…that I wanted you…intimately.”

“And you do not.” John held his breath.

“I…” Her mouth trembled. “I…don’t know. After dreaming of the kiss, I wondered what it would really be like.”

There was the opening if he dared take it. “Would you like to find out?”

Eyes so wide they became huge rings of white with deep blue centers, she whispered, “Yes.”

Gently, as though she were a delicate bird, John pulled her over to sit on his lap. She rested naturally against his chest, head on his shoulder, as though she belonged there. But her heart beat so fast she trembled all over. He eased her upright then turned her head until her mouth was perfectly aligned with his.

His better judgment engaged in a sharp debate with his excitement and desire. He wanted to sink his mouth onto her perfect lips and ravage her as he’d dreamed of doing for years. However, if he wanted a chance of more than a kiss—if he wanted a chance at a lifetime with her—he should woo her with this one, not overwhelm her.

Slowly, he touched his lips to hers, incredibly soft and warm.

She tensed in his arms then relaxed, a measure of trust given.

Sliding his hand to the nape of her neck, he pulled her closer, pressed her lips with increasing urgency despite his intention to go slow. To his surprise, she grasped his head and the world exploded as she thrust her tongue into his mouth, deepening the kiss beyond his wildest dreams. While reveling in her passionate exploration, John could not contain himself and slid his tongue into her mouth, groaning at the soft sweetness he encountered there. Perhaps he was dreaming all of this.

Judith twisted on his lap to get closer, encouraging his stiffening member. It sprang up so erect she must feel it as it sought her heat. Would have gained it had there not been layers of clothing to bar the way. The ache in his groin intensified as she began to plunge her tongue in and out of his mouth, as though urging him onward. And onward he would go.