Page 19 of The Earl's Heiress
“How so?”
“You published Aristotle’s Masterpiece, which easily traveled to the colonies. My parents had two copies in the library, which has been most informative.”
Temple lifted a brow. “Tell me about it.”
“The most recent version is divided into two parts. The first part includes information and diagrams of the male and female organs, sex and marriage. The second part was intended for married women and explained pregnancy and how babies are born.”
“Noble young ladies don’t have ready access to these books here. It would be frowned upon.”
She lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “Why shouldn’t they have access? Isn’t it relevant information they need to know?”
“They eventually find outafterthey are married.”
“Yet, many go to their wedding bed with no notion of what happens, trusting that they will blunder to the truth by instinct.”
“Sexual knowledge in the hands of unmarried people is considered dangerous.”
“What nonsense!”
Temple chuckled.He angled his head and studied her thoughtfully. There is not a soul he knew that would approve of the direction of this conversation. He could only speak of this with Arabella and no one else. Even when they were discussing a subject that was taboo for women, he felt comfortable talking about it with her. It was quite refreshing … and stimulating.
“I am looking forward to motherhood and to … practicing.”
All this talk of sex meant that Temple couldn’t think straight. His groin tightened, and the necessity to think of something else became urgent. Temple’s mind kept reverting to thoughts of Arabella looking at the male and female sex organs. He wondered if it excited her as much as burlesque. Did she get wet between her thighs when she flicked the pages? His cock was already growing hard before she mentioned practice, then it jumped to life. It was straining against his breeches, and he wanted to loosen the buttons and gain some measure of relief.
The conversation was highly improper, to say the least. “Practicing will be a beautiful experience for us as husband and wife.”
“It will. I enjoyed kissing and would very much like it if you could kiss me again.”
Temple groaned. He pledged that he wouldn’t take her until the wedding night. In her innocence, Arabella didn’t know how easy it would be for a kiss to turn into something else. Her pink tongue darted out and moistened her lips. His stomach tightened, his cock twitched.
“Kissing could quickly lead to something more.”
“I’m sure we are both capable of just kissing … kiss me.” Her voice was breathy, low and sensual.
Silence hung between them. He inhaled and slowly breathed in her jasmine fragrance. Arabella had no notion of what she was doing to him. He imagined her breathy whisper in his ear while he was deep inside her, bringing her pleasure. Could he stop at just a kiss?
Temple leaned in and captured her lips in a jolting concoction of emotions and racing heartbeats. He broke down his own barrier, and without prompting, she opened her mouth to him, and he was lost. He was helplessly lost to her glorious taste of almonds, the heat of her, the velvet and silk of her tongue sliding over his. He placed his arms around her and crushed her to him, and she yielded. Everything around them faded and blended into nothingness. He bent her head back across his arm and kissed her softly at first and then with a swift gradation of intensity that made her cling to him as if he was the only solid thing in a dizzy, swaying world.
One of her arms gripped his shoulder while the other ran through his hair. Her mouth was just as insistent as his. A soft sigh escaped her shaking lips, sending wild tremors along his spine, evoking sensations he had never known he was capable of feeling. God help him. With each sweep of his tongue, he was aware of her desire for him.
“Wait,” she said barely above a whisper.
Temple groaned and raised his head. “What is it?”
“I’m breathless.”
“I want to make you breathless. Be breathless for me.”
Temple could feel the fire building in him as his ragged breathing slowed. She raised her hand and brushed her thumb over his lip before she pulled him to her. His mouth closed over hers with all the pent-up fire that had burnt him since they had first kissed. Unable to resist, she responded with equalenthusiasm. He crushed her body against his until there was nowhere else to go, and he felt her breast press against his chest. Flames erupted in his belly as he desperately tried to satiate the craving that tortured him… His tongue plunged into her mouth and retreated over and over again, and he imagined he was inside her doing the same. His cock ached to feel her tighten around him.
He knew that kissing her would not be enough. It was not nearly enough. He wanted to peel away the layers of her clothes and feel every inch of her creamy skin before tasting every inch of her. He fantasized about the feel of her nipples grazing his chest, and it was just too much. He reached up to her neck and loosened the first button of her riding habit, then the second, slowly advancing toward her breast. He finally loosened the garment so he could reach inside her chemise and feel her firm breast. His finger brushed her erect nipple, and he captured her exquisite sigh in his mouth. He grazed and kneaded until he couldn’t wait any longer to take the tight bud into his mouth. He suckled while she writhed against him, arching her back so he could suck more of her firm breast.
At that moment, nothing else mattered but her taste. There was a storm brewing inside him, and tiny nerves tightened across his stomach. His heart thundered when he felt her hands run through his hair. He moved from one nipple to the next, and her soft sigh made his stomach clench, sending an urgent heat straight to his cock. Tension flowed through him. His manhood was hard and strained against his breeches. He raised his head, lifted her chin, and at that moment, she licked her lip. He groaned as his arms closed around her; her body was crushed against his hard muscles and raging impulses. One hand moved back to cradle her head, while the other held her mercilessly close and this time, he was breathless.
He came up for air as he struggled to control his breathing. His eyes were now burning into hers, searching her depths, silently pleading with her to stop him before it was too late. Arabella, in her usual fashion, did not comply. Instead, she leaned back and raised her chin, offering her mouth wantonly to him. She was so damned tempting. Temple held her gaze as he slowly lowered his head.
He felt the soft whisper of her warm breath across his skin, and a cry of relieved surrender escaped her lips as he claimed them with a desperate intensity. A raging thrill coursed through his veins as the wild, searching caress of his mouth devoured her. He had never experienced this wild passion, and it frightened him. Her hands moved downwards, encircling his neck, and she pulled him even closer. The raw passion in her wandering hands ignited flame after flame through every part of his starved body. The way her body responded when Temple tasted her was so wicked and decadent. Did she know what she was doing to him? Her lips clung to his as though his heated kiss would save her life. The errant thought forced him to break the kiss. She moaned in protest.
