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Henry’s chest tightened in recognition, but he buried the feeling and merely raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t?”
She placed a hand on his shoulder and smoothed her palm over the fabric of his evening jacket. Her eyes followed the movement of her hand, before meeting his gaze. “There are a few select things I take seriously, Captain.” She leaned down until her lips brushed his ear. “But no, sex is not one of them.”
Though a part of him wanted to challenge the accuracy of that statement, her bold words burned through him. Henry turned and captured her mouth with his own. He could take no more of this teasing. Every limb itched with the need to touch her. Let her use him then. He would beg her to, if it came to that. But that seemed unlikely as she pulled a hand through his hair and jerked him toward her.
***
Brazenwas not a word Georgiana would ever have used to describe herself, but she could think of no other way to explain her behavior. First she practically mauled Captain Harris in the lift before admitting that she had planned on taking a lover that evening. But both paled in comparison to her insistence thatsex—a word she had never evensaidbefore—did not warrant much significance in her life. And yet, Georgiana was positively delighted with herself. Everyone kept insisting that she was acting recklessly, so why not actuallydosomething reckless? And sleeping with a man who had a dangerous hold over her seemed to absolutely fit the bill. She may regret it tomorrow, but that was a problem for her future self to contend with. In the meantime, she intended to unbutton this gentleman’s shirt.
Captain Harris grunted as she stepped between his legs, and Georgiana quickly pulled back. “Did I hurt you?”
“Not at all,” he said mildly, before pulling her down until they both fell onto the bed. Captain Harris kissed her again as he moved over her, demonstrating more control this time. Rather than an explosion of need, this was more exploratory. His lips parted her own as he sucked and tasted, while his hands encircled her waist, just as they had before in the lift. Georgiana moaned her encouragement, and he smoothed his palms over her bodice. He touched her softly, reverentially, like she was precious. Like it was a privilege granted to him, rather than something he was entitled to. The feeling was intoxicating. And terrifying. This was supposed to be meaningless. Hedonistic. In response, Georgiana pressed her mouth harder against his, searching for the velvet of his tongue. And with every stroke, she felt an answering pulse between her thighs.
It was embarrassing how wet she already was. She wanted him far more than she had even realized until they came together in the lift. And he would know the moment he touched her. As if he could read her very thoughts, his hand slid farther down her side, no doubt searching for the hem of her gown. Not for the first time Georgiana cursed the current fashion for more narrow skirts. At least massive bustles were out for the moment. How she longed for the simple lines and diaphanous gowns of, say, the Regency, an era practicallymadefor clandestine assignations. But Captain Harris seemed undaunted as his hand moved competently beneath the topaz silk of her gown to the fine lawn of her petticoats. Her breath hitched as his long fingers stroked gently upward toward the slit in her drawers.
She tugged her hand through his thick hair once again in a vain effort to distract herself from the inevitable. He groaned against her mouth, breaking their kiss to drag his lips along the line of her jaw and press urgent kisses down her throat. She gasped as he slowly bit the soft flesh where her neck met her shoulder. It really was quite rewarding to her vanity to see Captain Harris driven out of his stoic shell with desire. For her.
“Georgie,” he rumbled, his voice even deeper than usual. She met his eyes and was nearly undone by the intense gravity on his face. “May I?”
It took her a moment to realize he was asking to touch her. Intimately. She smiled, unwillingly charmed by his politeness and nodded her answer. He slowly parted the soft linen, his gaze never leaving hers.
“Will you show me what brings you the most pleasure?”
Georgiana’s cheeks flushed even more than they already were by the question. He looked at her with a mixture of heat and anticipation that gave her the courage to be that brazen woman. She slid her hand slowly down her front until she reached the place between her legs. He watched, riveted, as she pressed her fingers against the sensitive bud of her sex.
“Here,” she said breathlessly, showing him exactly how she touched herself.
After a few moments, his hand skimmed up her inner thigh. “Allow me.”
Her eyelids fluttered at the feel of his larger, stronger fingers, so different from her own. But he stroked her gently, slowly. She let out a sigh and opened her thighs a little more. The moment was disturbed when he brushed against her entrance and bit out a curse. Georgiana’s eyes flew open.
“Sorry,” he said a little breathlessly. “I—you’re so—” Rather than finish the statement, he slowly pushed a finger into her channel while his thumb continued to stroke the bundle of nerves. Georgiana let out a bewildered cry at the sensation blooming within her. Dear Lord, Captain Harris wasgoodat this. Georgiana threw back her head as he made a swirling motion with his thumb.
“Oh God,” she moaned. “Do it again.” Then she immediately stiffened, not sure how he would respond to being ordered about. But Captain Harris simply flashed her a smile and obeyed.
“Yes, my lady.”
And that was all it took for Georgiana’s slowly gathering release to suddenly thunder through her. A part of her was incredibly annoyed by how quickly she had been undone by this man, but at the moment she felt too good to care. She hadn’t known it could be like this. Hadn’t known she could feel this way. Her encounters with the viscount were always brief and perfunctory. They were designed to get her with child, not give her pleasure.
When the sensation finally faded and she opened her eyes, Captain Harris was staring down at her, an unmistakable look of triumph on his face. The reality of what she just did, and with whom wrenched through her. Georgiana sat up so quickly she nearly knocked right into Captain Harris.
He jerked back, his brow now furrowed in concern. “Are you all right?”
“This was a mistake,” she blurted out.
Something dark flickered across his face, but it vanished so quickly Georgiana was sure it was just a shadow. She couldn’t possibly havehurtthis man. And certainly not the way he could hurt her.
He glanced away as she began to straighten her skirts and rise from the bed. “I see.”
She stared at the rigid set of his shoulders in his dark tailcoat. Somehow the room had become stifling, filled with the scent of his shaving soap mixed with his heated skin. She bit her lip, trying in vain to distract herself from the ferocious desire beckoning her to stay, beguiling her with the maddening certainty that she would come again if he touched her. But she would be a fool to let him anywhere near her again.
Georgiana backed away toward the door, nearly stumbling on wobbly legs, and reached one hand out behind her until she grasped the cool brass knob. “Good night then, Captain.” But he only grunted in response, not turning to look at her again before she stepped out into the darkened parlor and fled to her bedroom.
***
After Georgiana had her fill of him, Henry lay awake staring at the elaborately decorated plaster ceiling, listening to the wind rustle the palms below his window and, beyond that, the waves crashing at a distance. There were men who would have barred her exit and felt entitled to take their pleasure from her, while others would have been reduced to sobbing in the corner after being so coldly dismissed. But not Henry. Instead, he passed the long hours by going over the entire evening again and again in painstaking detail. First to uncover what had driven her from the room, and then, when that proved futile, to simply relive it. Every shudder, every labored breath, every soft moan that broke through her rose-colored lips. She had tried hard at first to hide her reaction to him, but she had been warm and slick from his touch. It had been so very gratifying to have the unmistakable evidence of her attraction right there on his fingertips. To know that when she cried out her pleasure, he had brought her to this release. Then it had been over all too quickly. For reasons Henry was still trying to uncover.
But then you havealwaysmisread her. You have never once understood her motives.
