Page 54 of Gambling with the Earl
“I assume I should divest you of these?” She raised her head to meet his eyes, her hand hovering over the fastening of his breeches.
He suppressed a moan of pleasure. “You assume correctly.”
She untied them with deft fingers, showing no hint of surprise when the male part of him burst free. He closed his eyes, focusing his energies on keeping control when his loins surged towards release. Warm fingers danced along his sensitive skin. Warm breath invited him to arch towards the source. When he felt her take him in her mouth, just the tip, just ever so tentatively, he knew he would be lost.
Quivering with effort, he sat up.
“Am I doing it wrong?” she asked him directly, worrying at the lip that had been caressing him to distraction.
He struggled to speak, such were the emotions swirling within him. “No, Kitty,” he said, when he finally found his voice.“Not at all. But it isn’t right for me to lay back and allow you to do all the work.”
Her lips formed an O of protest, but he silenced her with a long, deep kiss. She was warm and heavy in his arms. So close, so very close. But he would show her again what pleasures her body was capable of.
He unbuttoned the shirt and let it fall from her slender shoulders. Kitty herself gripped her chemise and pulled it over her head, her tumbling autumn-coloured hair glinting with gold in the candlelight. She was more than he had dreamed. Creamy skin, soft, generous curves and a waist so narrow he could span it with his hands.
“Your turn to lay down,” he breathed, raining kisses down her neck. She complied, giving in to the urges of her body as his mouth traced a line over her high, firm breasts. He moved lower and kissed her curls, exulting in her sharp moan of surprise. Then he gently parted her thighs and tasted her fully as she writhed with pleasure. He was gentle and exploratory, following her signals as to what pleased her, wanting only to take her to the edge, not teeter on the brink.
He rose over her, linking his fingers with hers, moving with deliberate slowness. As much as he longed to bury himself inside her, he must ensure she was ready. Their union should bring her only pleasure, no pain.
He nudged himself in, just slightly, and her eyes flew open.
“Oh, Guy.”
He felt the effort of restraint in his whole body, but he stilled for her. Her palms ran over his back and down over his buttocks.
It was all the invitation he needed. He sank into her and was immediately lost. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, bringing his weight down on top of her and kissing him deeply as he moved inside her. Their hearts beat as one and their bodiesmoved together, slowly at first but soon rising to a rhythmic crescendo of mutual pleasure.
Waves of tension built inside him with dizzying speed. It was too much to bear. Just in time, he mentally pulled himself back, taking a moment to gaze down at her rapt face and to drop a featherlight kiss onto her parted lips. His breath caught in his throat as she tightened around him, her hips rising to meet his thrusts. He felt the moment she tipped over the edge, and he instantly felt himself come undone in turn, rational control giving way to sensual pleasure as he roared towards release.
He fell down beside her and pulled her into his arms. Cradling her spent body as he caught his breath and waited for his heartrate to slow. A glow of pleasure was still upon her. He traced delicate circles on her soft skin, marvelling at what had passed between them.
He looked into his heart for regret and found none. Yes, he had been overcome with desire, but it felt right to hold Kitty in his arms. She accessed a part of him he’d locked away from all others. She’d brought in the light and shown him how to trust again.
He would take care of her. They would be together. He would find a way.
A shudder ran through her and he lifted her chin to find her face wet with tears.
“Don’t be sad.” He kissed them away fervently, thinking how best to reassure her. “Our coming together means a great deal to me.”
“To me, too.” Her voice shook with emotion.
“When I met you, I was a broken man. Not just my body, but inside.”
“No,” she interrupted, but he ploughed on.
“No one but Thomas knows of this, but shortly after I was injured, my bag of coin was stolen. It contained my earningsfor the year. Enough silver to bring warmth even to my uncle’s castle.”
She stilled, listening hard. He could feel her heart beating against his chest even though the dim light cast by the one candle made her expression impossible to read.
Guy swallowed, unsure where this urge to unburden himself had sprung from, but not wishing to stop. With every word he spoke, a dam inside him shifted apart.
“As it turned out, I didn’t need the coin anyway. You saw yourself how full the castle coin chests are?” He glanced down at her, and Kitty gave a small nod in response. “But it was never about the amount of money that had been stolen. It was the fact of the theft. Someone took advantage of my weakness. They saw me, laying injured in my hospital bed, and they ascertained that I was a man who could be crossed.” He clenched his fist in momentary anger, but then calmed himself when he breathed in the citrus scent of her hair. “I promised myself, long ago, that I would never be that sort of man.”
Images of his younger brother assaulted him once more. Angus had died because he was too small to defend himself. Memories of that terrible day had been buried so deeply inside him that even Kitty’s presence couldn’t shine a light upon them. All he would allow himself to recall was the cold, undeniable fact that Guy, as the older brother, had failed young Angus. He had known, from that day, that for the rest of his life he would have to be bigger, stronger and fiercer than any other opponent.
She wrapped her hand around his clenched fist and dropped her head onto his shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
