Page 39 of Secrets of the Marriage Bed
‘If other ladies think one has not made the proper effort to conform to accepted standards they can be quite unpleasant, I am given to understand.’
‘Given to understand by whom?’ he asked.
‘By Mrs Robins, naturally. She is the arbiter of all things regarding ladies’ fashion.’
‘She’s certainly a bit of a battleaxe when it comes to your wardrobe,’ he muttered, his voice a bit more gravelly than he intended. ‘Had Lewis in a fine old fuss when she thought someone had put the hatboxes beneath your trunk.’ He tossed the stays on top of her skirt and turned her about by the shoulders.
Breathing faster than normal, she gazed up at him with the light of desire in her lovely amber eyes. Little puffs of air caressed his jaw.
Unable to resist, he bent and kissed her lips, brushing his mouth gently back and forth across hers, loving the velvety feel of plush lips against his own. He deepened the kiss. Tasting the sweetness of her mouth, feeling her body arch against his.
Over two weeks they’d been wed and he suddenly realised he wanted her so badly his eyes were crossed.
* * *
Julia met her husband’s heavy-lidded, seductive gaze with breathless anticipation. A drugging glance to a woman who thirsted for that particular look and seen little to nothing of it since the day of her wedding.
Her heart drummed in her chest, not a warning, but the rhythm of a deliciously sensual melody. Julia had never felt so alive as she did at that moment. Her blood was singing in her veins. Her pulse setting the rhythm for a dance she wasn’t sure she knew the steps to.
But if she stopped now, he might turn away. She remembered how bold she’d been during their first encounter and reached for the courage to be so again.
Her fingers untied the knot at his throat, without her consciously thinking about it. She tossed it aside and started on the buttons of his waistcoat, his shirt.
‘You would play the valet,’ he said, his voice husky in her ear as he nuzzled at her throat.
‘If you would allow?’
Buttons undone, he eased out of his coats. He pulled his shirt free of his waistband and pulled it off over his head.
A breath caught in her throat at the sheer male beauty of the man. She’d forgotten how muscular he was beneath his clothing. How defined his arms and shoulders and how the smatter of springy golden hair across his chest gleamed in candlelight. Her husband. Hers. And she was his wife. Finally, they were free to indulge their every desire.
And yet a blush rose in her cheeks. A sudden feeling of shyness. She hesitated, gazing up into his face. The heat of passion in his eyes, the softening of those lips gave her courage.
She lifted up on her toes and pressed her mouth to his. His mouth was warm, tenderly wooing. Seductively soft, yet demanding. She leaned into him, sliding a hand around his neck to curve against his nape, pulling him closer while her other hand explored the magnificent width of his shoulders.
Strong arms encircled her. He exuded strength and restraint, for he did not seem in any sort of hurry. The press of his chest against her breasts caused her nipples to tighten. His tongue licked along the seam of her mouth. A dart of dark pleasure low in her abdomen made her gasp.
She’d forgotten the sharpness of desire.
A heartbeat later he dipped his tongue into her mouth, tasting, exploring the delicious slide of tongue against tongue, sending cascades of thrills down her back. Her insides fluttered wildly.
Until now, she had not realised how hot her desire for him had burned. The glowing embers of passion sparked to wicked flame with the feel of his body flush with hers.
She raked her fingers through his silky hair. It felt so good to hold this man, this husband, whom she had feared did not want her. The evidence of his desire was a hard ridge against the swell of her stomach.
He broke the kiss, holding her close, his forehead to hers, his heart a strong steady beat against her ribs, his every breath a statement of male lust under rigid control. She longed to see him let go and become as undone as she was herself.
His warm palm cupped her jaw. Raised her head. Gazed down at her. ‘Julia.’
Assurance. The man wanted to know if she was all right.
‘I want you,’ she said softly.
His eyelids lowered, his expression so sensual she could hardly breathe.
‘It is your turn to undress,’ she gasped.
Heat flared in his eyes. A slow sensual smile curved his lips. He lifted her up on to the bed and she scooted backwards, up against the pillows. She licked her lips and his gaze fixed on her mouth.
