Page 78 of The Scholar's Key
There was no time for him to remove her dress, no time for them to play with one another. Noah could barely contain his need for Percy, and he placed one more quick kiss upon her lips to ensure she understood his need for her, and her alone, before he sheathed himself inside her.
She moaned, and he stopped, worried that he had hurt her, but then she spread her legs wider and he buried his head in her neck as he wrapped his hands around her hips and pulled out of her before thrusting in once more. He filled her, seated fully within, before rocking back, in and out in a rhythm that was as natural as breathing itself.
Noah had never imagined the depth of passionate emotion that was possible. Percy had sparked a light within him that, he now realized, hadn’t changed him, but rather had awakened another side of him that he hadn’t known existed.
Her legs gripped him tighter around his waist, urging him on, closer, faster, as her arms wrapped around his neck, and he knew that she would always challenge him, always help him to be the very best of himself.
He lost all sense of time as he was overwhelmed by her surrounding him, the wind rustling in the trees above them, the water lapping against the shore, their breath hard and intermingling.
Percy surprised him when she rocked upward against him, then pushed him backward until he was the one lying on the ground.
“What—”
She didn’t let him speak, however, as she grinned wickedly before she lifted her skirts and straddled him, sinking over top of him as her head dropped backward. She rode him slowly at first, becoming used to the rhythm, before she increased her speed, and he lifted his hands, freeing her breasts from her bodice. She squeezed him when he tweaked her nipples, and then as she began to rock harder, faster, she tightened around him, her hands dropping to rake her nails over his shoulders as her breath quickened.
Her response was all that was required to send Noah over the edge, and he bit down on his lip to keep from crying out as he found his release inside her.
She collapsed against him, and he ran his hand over her hair as he held her with the other. He closed his eyes, listening to the wind through the trees, the water on the shore, the birds above, and Percy’s breath against him.
She shifted so that she was lying beside him, her head on his stomach, her palm splayed over his chest. His heart constricted, as he could hardly believe that she was real, and she had chosen him to bestow her love upon.
“Eric is leaving,” he said softly, kissing her hair.
“I know,” she said softly. “He shall have a grand adventure.”
He had worried from the start that she would prefer a man like Eric, who could offer her such moments in life, but her tone didn’t seem to hold any wistfulness.
“You don’t mind being with a man who would prefer to stay at his estate, or in the libraries of universities?”
She shook her head. “Not if that man is you.”
“I think I finally believe you,” he said in wonderment, and she laughed softly as she snuggled in closer toward him, wiggling her hips against his as her fingers drew circles over his chest. “I apologize for not listening for so long.”
“Some lessons must be learned the hard way, I suppose,” she said, chuckling and he kissed the top of her head.
“We should probably return,” he said. “They are going to wonder where we are.”
“Oh, I think they have a pretty good idea,” Percy said, propping her chin on top of her hands on his chest. “At least, Cassandra does, I’m sure.”
“What kind of books do you ladies read, anyway?” he asked incredulously, to which she laughed. Covington had casually mentioned the women’s reading club before, but Noah hadn’t believed that their choice of books had truly been so scandalous. Now, he had a much better idea. And Covington was right. They had served them well.
“I have something for you,” he said, reaching for his clothes and picking through them until he found the right pocket. A wide smile broke out on Percy’s face.
“My ring.”
“Your ring,” he said, holding her hand in his, sliding it onto her finger with the other. “This time, I hope you wear it as my promise. My promise to make you mine.”
“Always,” she whispered.
“I will give you the best life I can,” he said, planting a kiss on the top of her head.
“I know you will,” she said with a smile. “Just by being you.”
CHAPTER28
“We have a letter from Aunt Eve,” Lord Ashford said a few nights later, as their party had assembled in the drawing room after dinner.
Their numbers had grown, as Faith had made the short journey from the nearby Newfield Hall. When she had announced her intentions to attend, her sister, Hope, and her new husband, Lord Whitehall, had also been encouraged to meet them here. The only one they were missing now from their group was Madeline, but it would have taken her too long to travel to meet with the rest of them.
