Page 46 of Indecently Employed
Ajax kissed her belly, then pushed himself up and walked to the washstand, where he took off his drawers and cleaned himself with a bit of toweling.
Susanna sat up and gazed at his nude back. She watched him, long and lean, corded with wiry muscles. Then he turned, and she saw he was flaccid. She must have frowned, for immediately he was at her side, his hands grasping hers.
“What is it, darling?” he murmured, his brow creased with a look of great concern.
“Only…” She took a steadying breath before deciding to simply say it. “I thought we would lie together.”
With his hand on her chin, he turned her to face him. “Are you not pleased? Because I will keep at it until your legs are jelly and I must carry you to your rooms, if only I may have the pleasure of your satisfaction.”
Her cheeks heated. “No, I am, it’s only…” She raised her eyebrows in surprise at the aptness of his metaphor. “Actually, they do feel a bit like jelly.”
He chuckled, pulling her against him. He felt so warm, so safe.
“I know. I desire it as well. However, I currently have no preventative at hand.”
“Oh,” she said, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder. She wondered if she should protest, but she did not wish to speakof her courses with Mr. Sedley—with Ajax. And the moment had passed. So instead she held him, drinking in his smell, his presence.
He fell back against the bed, taking her with him, and soon they had adjusted themselves into some semblance of a sleeping position underneath the bedlinens when he reached over to pluck at the front of her chemise. Her heart accelerated into a faster beat.
“Please,” he said, his voice so deep, his hands brushing against her as he undid the laces. “I want to see them.”
She wet her lips and nodded, sliding the undergarment from her shoulders, an awkward movement while reclining on her side. She hadn’t even realized her eyes were shut until she heard him release a breath and groan.
“Christ, Susanna.”
And then his hands were on them, gentle at first, stroking as he luxuriated in the feel of them. A shiver ran through her, her delicate skin prickling with gooseflesh. Then he released a low, throaty rumble, and his touch became rougher. He groped them, taking possession of them at the same time his mouth took hers once more. She was so languid and sleepy that all she could do was moan into his kisses, her hips rubbing against the sheets.
He broke the kiss, dipping his head to pleasure her breasts with his mouth, and she felt that tightening in her core again. He somehow knew, for his hand returned to her. She came almost the moment his fingers began circling, so soon was it after their prior lovemaking.
Susanna threw herself against him, whimpering his name. It was all too much and somehow not enough. For if pleasure like this existed in the world, what other experiences had escaped her? What else might she miss? He pulled her closer, stroking her head, and she settled herself into him.
Chapter Sixteen
Everything was well.
Ajax dared not name it; he hardly dared even think it, but as he rested with Susanna’s head on his chest, the awareness of this peace kept tugging at his mind. He felt an urge to give voice to it, but he let it pass. Instead, he stroked her hair and placed another kiss at the top of her head. This felt like nothing that had come before for him; usually his lovers had their own homes, their own busy lives. They would meet here and there, perhaps attend the theater or an exhibition together. But nothing more than that. It was how he’d always preferred it.
Susanna lived under his roof. He’d seen her nearly every day for the better part of three months, and still he had yet to tire of her opinions, her smiles. And now that he had finally rid her of her horrid governess gown and her modest underpinnings, he was certain he’d never tire of her soft, sumptuous body warming his bed.
A rogue worry forced its way to the front of his thoughts: What if she tired of him? He was old, after all. Ajax frowned and tightened his hold on her. He was old,andhe was useless. Goodfor a laugh, perhaps even a drawn-out affair, but nothing more than that.
And her? She was a goddess. Brilliant. Confident in her own mind. Yes, she’d deigned to skirt propriety and indulge her desires with him, but for how long?
The fear that suddenly coursed through his veins was unlike any he’d experienced before. He wanted to turn her about and beg her to stay. Stay where? In his house? For how long, and in what capacity? Before the thundering train of thought could reach its conclusion, Susanna spoke, an audible smile in her voice.
“Miss Sedley was in a strange mood this afternoon.”
The hammering of his heart slowed. “Oh?”
She ran her hand across his chest, then back again. “Mmm. She spoke of the house as if it were alive, and as if she had a message to impart from the Lamplughs, of all things. So odd.”
Ajax suddenly recalled their excursion to the little occult shop. He decided against informing Susanna that he’d purchased her pupil a bevy of unearthly books and apparatuses. He cleared his throat. “I did mention her unusual interests at our first meeting, you’ll recall.”
She giggled. Miss Abbotts, parson’s daughter and wearer of sad clothing,giggled. “I do recall. I also recall you were quite cross with my twenty-seven years. I was certain you’d never hire me.”
“What?” Ajax sat up, jostling her so much that she needed to adjust her position as well.
She looked up at him, confused. “Oh, but your face! I remember it so clearly!”
