Page 22 of A Scoundrel Under the Mistletoe
Quickly bunching her skirts in his hand, he lifted them, urging her to lie back. The sight of her bare thighs struck a hunger he doubted he could sate. He lowered his head, and his lips found the tender expanse of flesh at the top of her thigh. She gave an involuntary squeal, a sound of pure delight. Something unfurled within his core, his body tightening, a visceral acknowledgment of the feast before him.
Joy’s breath hitched as his tongue began to trace patterns on her sensitive skin, his beard brushing against her soft flesh with every movement. A moan escaped her lips, a deep and throaty sound that filled the kitchen with an unspoken yearning. She arched her back instinctively, granting him better access to her most intimate places, her hands clutching at the edges of the table for support.
Her scent was intoxicating, a heady mix of lavender and vanilla that he inhaled deeply, feeling it lodge in his nostrils like the sweetest of perfumes. He moved upwards, kissing and licking his way higher along her thigh, stopping just short of her curls. The anticipation was palpable, they both knew what was coming next.
He opened her to his tongue. The tangy sweetness of her juices made him moan. She was so wet, clearly needing him as badly as he did her.
He slid two fingers inside her wet heat. Her gasp echoed around the room as he began to move them in and out, finding her sensitive spot with practiced ease. Her hips buckled beneath him, urging him on as she ground herself against his hand. The sound of their combined rhythm filled the air, wet slapping noises accompanying every thrust of his fingers into her soaking heat.
His other hand pushed her gown higher and found its way to her rosy pink nipples. He rolled and tugged them gently between his thumb and index finger, eliciting a moan from her that vibrated against his lips. The sensation was surreal, like nothing he had ever experienced.
As he continued to tease her with his fingers, her body began to shudder and convulse in waves of pleasure. Her hips bucked violently against his hand, her mouth open in a silent scream. The taste of her passion was intoxicating. Her wetness coated his fingers, making them slippery against her sensitive folds.
He leaned in closer, breathing against her curls as he whispered words of encouragement. The sound of her labored breathing filled his ears. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she arched back, writhing under his touch. He could feel her muscles tightening around his fingers, signaling her impending climax. With one final thrust of his hand, he pressed his lips to her hard nub, eliciting a sharp cry from her mouth. Her walls gripped him tightly as she rode out her orgasm, pulsing around his fingers in rhythmic waves.
Moses helped her up into a sitting position as they both caught their breaths again. His heart raced wildly in his chest, the blood pounding hard enough to drown out any other noise in the room. Joy’s face was flushed with arousal, her hair falling around her shoulders in a soft curtain that danced with each breath she took. Their gazes met, locked in a moment of magnetic intensity.
“Joy, you are so beautiful.” His words were a whisper against her forehead as he leaned closer, his lips brushing over her earlobe before moving down to trace gentle kisses along her jawline and neck.
She leaned into him, and he became aware of the clothes he still wore that separated them. Joy must have noticed the same thing, as her trembling hands reached down to unfasten his breeches and drawers and draw out his thick shaft, throbbing for her touch.
Taking him in hand, she guided him towards her slick folds, the heat between her legs burning against his length. Her eyes fluttered shut as she thrust her pussy onto him, drawing him inside. His desire to go slow and savor her heat was quickly muffled by another wave of pleasure as he began to thrust into her with steady rhythm.
Each little noise she made stirred him to a fervor he thought would break him. As the pressure mounted within him, building toward a pinnacle of pleasure he could no longer hold at bay, her body tensed. She cried out, a sound that resonated within the confines of his chest, urging him to abandon all restraint.
He pumped into her, rhythm relentless in its pursuit of release. Once, twice, thrice more he drove into her heated flesh, and then, with a final thrust, he let go, surrendering to the exquisite torment of ecstasy. It coursed through him, leaving nothing in its wake but the tremulous aftershocks of passion fulfilled.
His muscles gave way to the inevitable collapse, his body melding with Joy’s in a tangle of sated limbs as he lay her back upon the sturdy kitchen table. Their breaths came in ragged gasps, and he was unable to move.
Beneath him, Joy’s chest heaved, and he forced himself up onto his elbows. A sheen of perspiration glistened on her skin, and she seemed to glow. He saw not just the woman who had captured his soul, but a divine muse who had sparked life into his once monochrome existence.
He brushed a damp lock of hair from her forehead, his fingertips tracing the delicate contour of her brow. She smiled up at him, that enigmatic curve of her lips that both teased and comforted. The air between them was heavy with the musk of their spent desire, which smelled like heaven to him.
“Joy,” he whispered, as if speaking too loudly might shatter the fragile magic of the moment. “I am...” His words trailed off. Emotions were not his forte, yet in this instance, they clamored for release.
She placed a finger upon his lips, silencing him with a tenderness that spoke volumes. “Hush, Moses. No words are needed.” Her eyes, those pools of liquid warmth, held his gaze, conveying understanding beyond the realm of speech.
In the silence, Moses acknowledged the miracle of her presence. She had breached the walls of his solitary world, not with the fanfare of a conquering hero, but with the gentle persistence of spring’s first bloom.
If he spent every minute of every day trying to please her, it would never be enough for what she made him feel.
Chapter 15
The last bite of mincemeat pie, rich and sweet, lingered on Joy’s tongue as she watched Moses push back from the dining table. The Christmas meal had been a modest affair, but Joy had taken great care to prepare each dish with precision, wanting to create a special memory for their first holiday together.
He seemed content, almost serene—a rare state for a man who seemed to often drift off into visions of scenes that he needed to paint at any given time. She scooted her chair back softly and went to the cupboard where she’d hidden his gift, retrieving the carefully wrapped parcel, the paper crinkling under her hesitant touch. She knew it was a simple gift, one not befitting a man of such quiet complexity, but she’d wanted to use only her own money to purchase something for him, and she didn’t have much left.
“I…I have something for you,” she said. Extending her arm, she offered him the package.
Moses looked at her with a start, as if surprised by the gesture, then turned his gaze to the gift in her outstretched hand. His large fingers gently took hold of the package, his touch careful not to crush the delicate paper.
“Joy,” he said, and there was a familiar softening in his voice, a tenderness that smoothed the rough edges of his rugged exterior. He unwrapped the scarf with deliberate movements, revealing the woven wool, and lifted it up to brush it against his cheek. His eyes lit up as if she had given him not just a piece of cloth, but a slice of the sun itself.
“Thank you,” he said. “I’ve not had much cause for gifts, and less so for such thoughtfulness.” He draped the scarf around his neck, the grey making his eyes appear darker and stormy. “You’ve brought...something into my life I didn’t know was missing. Changed me, and for the better.”
Her heart danced a crazed rhythm—part waltz, part wild reel—as she watched the man who had become her unexpected companion acknowledge her simple offering. “Your happiness is all I care about,” Joy replied. And as she spoke, she felt the truth of her words resonate within the chambers of her heart.
“Joy, I’ve come to realize that what I feel for you is love.”
