Page 48 of An Earl's Scandalous Return
Her courage was there, but with each second that ticked by, uncertainty slowly chipped away at it. And so, when he turned back around, she didn’t wait another moment to lean on her tiptoes and kiss him.
Chapter 52
Arabella prayed that he wouldn’t run away this time and to keep him close, her hands held to the back of his neck as she kissed him. It didn’t take long for him to respond, his hands gripping her waist as his mouth opened to hers. Finally, after four years, she could feel them both sinking into that secret desire. The other kiss in the inn was nothing like this one.
This one was hungry, passionate, fiery, and borne of long-suppressed need. She let out a little moan as his tongue explored her mouth, sliding hotly against her own. Her grip on him tightened as she sank into him. No, this time he would not leave her, and she would not ask him to.
“Arabella,” he breathed reverently as his mouth trailed from her mouth to her neck.
She closed her eyes, revelling in the feel of him at long last. This was the man she loved, and they could finally be together. They had waited long enough. Thankfully, as his mouth returned to hers, he made no move to disappear again, and she had no plans to push him away. In fact, they did quite the opposite, him backing her up towards the bed as his mouth continued to worship her own.
Her breath came in small pants as she let herself give in entirely to the kiss. They had not spoken of anything yet, but still, she knew his love was true. She knew it was true even if he could not say the words, even if she was too ashamed for allowing her father’s ridiculous feud to get in the way of their love.
This was not the kissing of two lovers only. It was the passion of two people who loved one another deeply. When her backside hit the bed, Edward stepped back slightly and looked down at her. His hands had risen to rest against her cheeks, and his thumbs brushed along the smooth skin.
“Do you want this, my dear?” he asked so softly and kindly that she fell in love with him all over again.
“Yes. I want this.” In a flash, his kiss was there again, and his fingers brushed against the ties of her dressing gown; he opened it deftly, sliding it from her shoulders so that it fell to the ground.
Her hands pressed against his chest, and their lips parted. With her eyes on him, she began to untie his cravat. Silently, they worked, each undressing the other. Once she was entirely bare before him, he helped her remove the rest of his clothing.
And then, she couldn’t help gazing upon the masculine beauty before her. He grinned at her ogling, and he gripped her by the buttocks, lifting her onto the bed.
When he moved over her, he leaned down to lay a light kiss on her lips. “There is first a matter that I need to deal with,” he said, slowly sliding down.
Confused, Arabella moved upon her elbows, staring down at him. “What do you mean?”
He chuckled, his strong, tanned hands spreading her thighs until she was completely exposed to his gaze. She might have been embarrassed but for the reverent awe on his face.
“I have wanted to see you like this for so long, Arabella. I have touched you here, but I have never seen you completely bare, and I have never tasted you.”
“Tasted?” she asked, her body filling with heat, the place he was looking at growing wetter by the second.
He nodded and smirked, and then, he was there, between her thighs, his mouth upon her. With a gasp, she fell back, and he spread her thighs further, licking into her with abandon. Arabella’s body reacted instantly.
Her fingers gripped the bedclothes tightly as all the pleasure she’d felt building was in this place, and he was there to assuage it. Glancing down at him with his mouth on her, his eyes looking up to see her reaction was enough to set her off, and she came with a near scream, covering her mouth to hide it.
He rose over her once again, laying his hips between her legs, and he was smirking at her. “Delicious, just as I thought, Arabella.”
She blushed as her thighs fell apart, lifting slightly, her body knowing what was to come next. “I want you to feel as much pleasure as possible, but it may hurt the first time.”
She nodded, and he lifted her one thigh higher up his hip as her hands moved to his shoulders. He kissed her, his length pressing against her entrance. She closed her eyes tight as she felt him enter her, inch by inch. Such fullness and width. He moved slowly at first, but then, with a sharp move, he entered her fully, and she bit her lip to keep from shrieking at the sudden prick of pain.
“Are you all right?” he asked, kissing her eyelids so that she would open them again.
At first, the sensation had been such tightness, but with each second that passed, it slowly released. She nodded then, her eyes opening to stare into his, and then he began to move.
Without warning, Arabella arched up into him. His mouth met hers again in a hot kiss as his hips increased their pace. With each thrust, he went deeper, and when he lifted her thigh again, he slid ever deeper, hitting something she didn’t even know existed.
Arabella broke from the kiss as she cried out, her fingers grasping him, scratching him as the pleasure built and grew until it broke once more, sending waves of pleasure to every corner of her body.
It was then that Edward grasped hold of her buttocks and thrust hard a few times more before he slid out of her with a groan, spilling atop her. She was curious about that, but the look in his eyes arrested her as he stared down at her, still above her.
I love you.
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but something in his eyes stopped her. She could see the love, the heat, the desire, as well as the satisfaction. But there was also something else, a wariness in his eyes like he was a frightened animal, afraid that a predator was there in front of him, ready to attack. It quelled her tongue, and then he slid to her side, and for a little while, they lay in silence, catching their breath.
Arabella didn’t know what would come next, but she had a dark feeling that it would not be good.
