Page 33 of Tutoring a Lady into Sin
Phineas pushed away from her a little. It was enough that she could see an impish smile on his face. “I have not touched you yet, my lady. But if you feel like I have, then I have succeeded.”
Christianna was finding it difficult to continue with this lesson…to arrange all her thoughts into coherent sentences. She gulped. “Should I perhaps take a turn now?”
“If you like,” Phineas said as he let go of his hold on the tree and stepped away. She moved aside and watched as he settled himself against the tree trunk, then she took a cautious step forward.
“Should I…do I need to put my knee where you did?”
A burble of laughter escaped his lips. “That is something that usually only appeals to the ladies. Gentlemen do not tend to want a knee between their thighs.”
“Ummm…all right,” Christianna said as she moved forward awkwardly. She wanted to achieve the same closeness he had managed, but she was not sure how to do that without pressing her body flush against his. “I…” she began, but Phineas shook his head.
“You are deliberating too much. Just do whatever you like. This is only fun if you make it so.”
Christianna gave a determined snort. “Very well then.” She gripped the tree trunk at a place very near to Phineas’ waist, then leaned forward precariously and whispered, “Like this? Am I doing it right?”
“Christianna,” Phineas said so softly she barely heard him, “close your eyes and do what comes naturally.”
At that, she let her eyelids flutter closed. She did not worry about trying to position her body properly or whether the silk of her dress was grazing his legs or not. She leaned forward and placed her lips right next to his earlobe. “Is this good enough?”
Phineas moved his head ever so slightly, and in doing so, he was able to whisper in her ear too. “It is better than good. You are magnificent.” His cheek brushed against hers, and his lips moved so that he placed them right on top of her own.
They were not kissing as there was a minuscule amount of space still lingering between them, but when Phineas spoke next, his breath mingled with hers, and she could taste the wine he had sipped at dinner. “You thrill me, Lady Christianna. I have never wanted anyone more than…”
She did not wait to hear what he meant to say next. Christianna was utterly and complicated intoxicated by everything about this moment.
From the memory of what it felt like to have his gloved fingertips hovering above her bosom, to the way the tiny hairs on her arms stood on end when he leaned forward and whispered in her ear, she did not know what he wanted, but her own desires were ignited and spitting white-hot flames. She pressed her lips to his, and a blessed sense of relief seized her entire body.
Now that they were finally touching one another, there were no more barriers between them. He pushed away from the tree trunk and ran his hands up and down her waist, making every inch of her body tingle. She flung her arms around his shoulders, pulling him to her, wanting to feel his hard muscles, knead them with her fingertips, relax them and make him feel as comfortable and pliable as she did.
His kisses were full of urgency. This was not the quick peck she had laid on him down by the lake. His mouth moved over hers as he sucked on her lower lip lightly, then let it free again.
He used the tip of his tongue to part her lips, and then as she gasped for air, his tongue swooped inside her mouth. Phineas swirled his tongue round and round, making her whole body thrum with pleasure. His hands moved up from her waistline until they reached the spot just underneath her breasts where the waist was cinched.
He pulled away from her for only a moment, but as their eyes locked, he lifted his hand and cupped her breast. Even though she was still wearing all her garments, she felt as if his touch was so heated it scalded her. As he massaged her breast, she tipped her head back and moaned and then his lips were on hers again. She knew not what to do with her hands or even her mouth but surrendered herself to his will.
“Phineas,” she panted as his fingers skipped away from her heaving bosom and darted down into the neckline of her gown so that they disappeared completely.
“Yes, Christianna,” he whispered, “my beautiful, lovely Christianna….”
And it was then that she realised just how far she had let this go. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she knew that if she did not pull away from him now, right now, she would give herself to him fully.
I want to. I want him…
The thought was the most rational one she’d had all evening. Her desire for Phineas had grown exponentially with each passing day and yet…
“Phineas,” she said as she finally found the willpower to lift her hands and place them lightly on his chest. “We cannot do this.”
“But we can,” he murmured as he kissed her earlobe. “We already are. We…”
“We cannot give in to this temptation,” she said as she shook her head and pushed against him slightly.
“Tempt…temptation?” His lips drifted away from her ear, and his hands stopped fumbling and floated down to his sides. “Is that what is happening here?”
Christianna nodded. “I think we must stop what we are doing before we let ourselves take this any further.” His eyes widened in dismay as he stared at her. “I do not mean to say this lesson was not enjoyable but—”
“Lesson?” he whispered harshly as he reeled a step backwards, putting some distance between them. “You think I am still your teacher, and you…you still wish to be my pupil?”
“Well, yes,” she murmured as she lifted her hands to reach out for him. But she did not touch him at all. Phineas stepped back several more paces so that there was a wide divide between them.
