Page 27 of The Earl's Heiress
“I would have thought that was obvious, Temple.”
“Is that so?”
“Isn’t it? I’m enjoying nature.”
“As am I. Yet, I managed to keep hold of all my garments.”
“Haven’t you even swam in the nude?”
“I haven’t.”
“I can attest to the fact that it is relaxing yet refreshing in the same vein. You should try it.”
“Aren’t you concerned this being a bit risqué? What if someone else had come along?”
“I can’t be concerned about the implications of every single action that I take. I would spend all my timethinkingabout the consequences, and I wouldn’t everdoanything. Now, wouldn’t that be boring?” Arabella cocked her head to the side and appraised him.
“Boring … but safe.”
“I feel perfectly safe, and it feels wonderful. Are you going to debate the merits of safety, or are you going to jump in?”
Arabella flipped onto her back and started floating again. It was quiet for a moment; then she heard Temple begin to wrestle with his clothes. She was far too curious not to look, so she turned to face him, and what a sight it was. He radiated power, his chest broad and muscular. His well-defined muscles rippled as he removed his shirt with an easy grace and virility. Her eyes were frozen on his form as she took in his tempting, attractive male physique. Temple laid his clothing to the side and took a determined step toward the sand.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Her eyes fell to his breeches. Arabella was beyond reckless, but Temple seemed to stir something inside her whenever they were alone. It was as if she couldn’t show restraint no matter how much she wanted to. She swam forward until her feet touched the bottom. She stood, and the water was gently lapping just above her breasts. She knew that he could see her through the clear water, and he was watching her intently.
Temple halted and took a deep breath that caused his muscular chest to rise and her belly to tighten into a deep knot.His compelling eyes were kindled with a passionate beauty she hadn’t noticed before. His firm mouth curved as if he were on the edge of a smile, his lips firm and sensual. Without a word, he removed the remaining garment, never taking his eyes from her.
His gaze was as soft as a caress, and something intense flowed warmly through the center of her core. Finally, he was magnificently naked, and her eyes traveled all over his sculpted beauty and stopped at his hardness. It was much larger than the drawings depicted in Aristotle’s Masterpiece, mercifully free from his breeches, where it jutted and sought her attention. He walked purposefully across the sand and dived in as Arabella waited for him to resurface. He didn’t. Where was he? She wondered what he was doing and shivered in anticipation.
A few more seconds passed before Arabella felt his hands on the back of her calf. It was like a jolt of electricity that caused the cool water around her to grow warm. He slowly moved his hands up to her knee and then her outer thigh. She wanted him to touch her between her thighs, where there was a gentle simmering fire. She knew that he needed to stroke it. How was it possible for him to remain below the surface … Oh, she felt him stand behind her, his manhood pressed against her buttocks, as his hands slowly sought her breasts. She lost her train of thought. Her breast instinctively heaved and strained against his touch.
He was close, so close that she was sure she felt his body’s heat. Temple gently spun her around and his fingers burned where they touched. Droplets ran down his gleaming skin, shimmering lower on his rippling muscles until they disappeared with the gentle swell. Was he as hard as he looked? She touched his chest, and he was just as firm as she imagined. Her hands gently caressed the planes and contours of his chest, arms and shoulders. The sharp intake of his breath caused her to look up, and their gazes locked. His eyes bored into her asshe explored him, and his look was so galvanizing that it sent a tremor through her.
In an instant, Temple’s hands were on her, caressing her shoulders and slowly moving down to her breast. Her flesh prickled at his touch, and she heard the soft, uneven rhythm of his breathing. To know that his big hands were touching her yearning flesh was beyond arousing. He skimmed around her breasts but starved her nipples of his attention. She wanted him to massage the hard buds like he did when they were in the garden, but he denied her the pleasure.
The neglect caused them to harden even more. He leaned forward and brushed his lips to hers, telling her without words how much he desired her. At first, his mouth was tender and his embrace sure, then his kisses were hard and insistent. His mouth worked hers, stirring a wild need deep inside her as his ruthless kiss stroked her desire. She cupped his jaw and leaned into him, hoping to stop the trembling in her knees. Their tongues clashed and dueled until his breathy whisper found her ears.
“You taste so damned good.”
The rapid thud of her pulse and a soft sigh was her answer.
They had kissed before, but it was nothing like this and Arabella sensed he had been holding back. Like her, he resisted the sensual force that threatened to consume them. Yet, now, it was unleashed in all its frenzy. He plundered her mouth, nibbled, sucked and bit her lips. The sensations that washed over her were exquisite yet torturous because she craved more. She could feel the wild beating of his heart, which mirrored the thumping of her own. His hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her against his hardness. His body was a solid wall against her, impassive and unyielding.
She relished the feel of him as the length of his body burned hers with a shared and searing passion. A soft moan escapedher, which excited his carnal hunger as he raked her bruised lips. He molded her body against his, and she could feel his erect manhood pressed against her thighs. His hand was a trail of rough heat as it found her derriere and pressed her against his male hardness as she quivered. An involuntary gasp was muffled only by his soft groan. He moved his hip, his hardness rubbing against her thighs, and the exquisite tension between her legs caused her to press more firmly against him. They kissed and tore at each other. Heat met heat, a shared inferno that heightened her senses.
The tension building inside her caused her to pull at his shoulder and run her hand through his hair. He lifted her in his arms, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked to the shore. He put her down and spread his clothes on the grass before he gently lowered her. Temple lay on his side, towering over her. Immediately, his lips found her nipple, and blood rushed to her head, drowning out the thudding of her heart. His fingers lightly fluttered on a path down her belly, stroking a wild need with her. She was eager for him to explore her and sighed when his fingers reached for the womanly and secret part of her. His hand gently stroked the damp curls that gathered at her cleft, and she felt the sweet tension when his finger slid inside of her.
He captured her moan in his mouth and nibbled and sucked her lips. She never wanted him to stop kissing her so she could savor this endless delight. He found her slippery throbbing clitoris and worked his fingers over it before he slipped inside her wet heat. He was exploring her, and she wanted to explore him. She felt the full length of his arousal pressed against her belly, and it wreaked havoc on her senses. She reached for his hard flesh; her slim fingers encircled his erection, feeling its urgent heat. She gently stroked him, and he grew thicker, harder and longer than she could ever imagine. His guttural groancaused her hand to still, and when she felt for him again, he was out of her reach. His hot, wet lips trailed kisses down her belly while his fingers demanded more and more of her. She was slick with need for him.
“I need to taste you. I must. I’ve never wanted to taste you as badly as I do now.” His hot breath caused her skin to prickle.
“Where?” Did he mean that he would kiss her …
“Temple …” she moaned as the yearning filled her.
Tension built inside her as his lips approached her sensitive flesh. Her senses reeled as his wicked tongue rested lightly above her clitoris. He inhaled her womanly scent, and his light breath against her clitoris was as stimulating as a light stroke. The throbbing ache between her thighs was unbearable, and a small cry of pleasure was wrenched from her when his tongue touched flesh that no other man had touched before. His tongue teased and stroked her clitoris. She writhed against his mouth, lost in pleasure as his tongue tantalized and teased her. She slid her fingers through his hair as his tongue lashed inside and drove her wild. The wild tempo of his tongue stroked and nibbled her folds and clitoris over and over again.
Oh God!She never imagined such pleasure existed. She wanted more. Somehow, she knew this was not nearly enough.
