Page 32 of An Earl's Christmas Seduction
If her mother could have secrets, so could she, and now Nicholas leaned down and kissed her, slipping his arm around her waist and pulling her up into his embrace. He was strong, and with a sudden movement, he lifted her to her feet, slipping his other arm around her, their lips pressed passionately together. Amelia arched her back, enjoying the sensation of his touch, his hand sliding down the small of her back, engulfed in her skirts.
She had closed her eyes, but now she opened them, finding Nicholas gazing at her, their foreheads almost touching, their lips just parted. This was not the snatched kiss of the previous night, but passionate and desired. She wanted more. She wanted to kiss him again, to be enfolded in his arms, to feel his desire as she felt the same desire welling up inside her.
“I thought you were beautiful the first moment I laid eyes on you. As soon as the door of the carriage opened and you were before me, I wanted you,” he whispered, pulling back the collar of her dress and kissing her neck.
“I didn’t know…I didn’t realize, but I wanted…I wanted you, too,” Amelia gasped, for she had fought her feelings for too long, held back by the memory of Rupert, and by the locket.
“And you can have me. I didn’t expect to feel this way,” he whispered, his hand still clasped at her waist, his arousal pressed against her.
She was breathless, caught up in the desire they both shared, a desire to be together, even in secret. Amelia knew what held him back, what had made him a recluse, even as she cared nothing for it. None of it mattered. It was him she desired, whether he was the son of the aristocracy or son of a maid.
“I didn’t, either. I resisted it, but I don’t have to now,” she gasped, as now she leaned back against the bookshelves, his lips on her neck, her back arched, enjoying the sensation of his touch, her hands around his waist.
He pulled at the shoulder of her dress, exposing her breasts to his touch. The material slipped down her body, trailing onto the floor, a mass of skirts and petticoats, and now he cupped her breast in his hand, tracing a trail of kisses down her neckline.
She let out a low moan, caught up in the pleasure of what they were doing, and caring nothing for anything else. This was beyond anything she had known with Rupert. It was in the chaste kiss, holding of hands, and a suggestive brush to the leg. It was different. It was passionate and overwhelming, the sensation growing stronger, her heart beating fast.
“Neither of us do. All that…oh, it doesn’t matter now,” Nicholas exclaimed, fumbling at the belt of his breeches.
Amelia pulled at the buttons of his shirt, exposing his chest, smooth, taut, and toned. She pulled at the arms, his muscular form revealed, his arousal now exposed to her touch. She clasped at him, causing him to shudder, wanting only to pleasure him, even as she did so in all innocence.
A strange sensation was rising in her, his hand now searching out her pleasure, causing her to gasp as he fell to his knees, lifting the last remaining folds of her undergarments. Amelia did not know what he was about to do, but a sudden ecstasy gripped her, and she let out a cry, stifling it with the back of her hand. His tongue was pleasuring her, and she had to bite her lip to prevent herself from crying out again.
“Nicholas!” She exclaimed, gripping his head in her hands, a feeling of warmth now flooding through her loins, and taking her into such ecstasy as she had never thought possible.
It was overwhelming, and she leaned back against the books, her whole body shuddering with the jolt of ecstasy flooding through her. It was overwhelming, and she could do nothing but be taken up in the pleasure he was giving her. Rising to his feet, he pulled her into his embrace, their lips meeting, biting one another in their passion. His own arousal was still clear, and Amelia clasped at him, not knowing what to do, even as he let out a groan.
“Like that…just like that,” he gasped, his eyes closed, and with a sudden exclamation, he burst forth, splattering her skirts on the floor below, and pulling her breathlessly into his embrace.
For a few moments, they held one another, their passions subsiding, even as Amelia desired the same again. She wanted him to possess her, for them to be as one. She knew there was so much more they could do, so much more to share together, even as she could hardly believe what they had just done. He kissed her again, smiling at her, his hand around the back of her neck, their foreheads pressed together.
“Did you…did I…” Amelia said, for she was uncertain if she had fulfilled his desires.
He smiled at her and nodded.
“I hope you don’t think I’ve taken advantage,” he said, and Amelia laughed.
“It takes two to share a kiss,” she replied.
He had taken no liberty with her. She had wanted what they had shared. She had desired it, and still she desired more. There were some men who were quick to take advantage of a woman’s innocence, to despoil her, and make it a victory to share with others.
But Nicholas was not like that Amelia believed. He had allowed her to lead the moment. There had been no pressure on his part, no forcing of the matter to his own advantage. It was a passion they had shared, one they had both desired.
“You are a good kisser,” he replied, smiling at her, as she traced a trail with her finger across his chest.
His naked form fascinated her. His taut muscles, the line of hair running up his stomach, and the smoothness of his chest sent shivers up her spine. His arousal was gone, but Amelia cupped him in her hand, causing him to draw breath as she gently pleasured him.
“What now?” she whispered, as he brought his lips to her neck, kissing her, as his hand went to her breast.
“We could stay here all day,” he replied, raising his eyebrows.
Amelia wondered if she had been missed. Clara and Isobel might even now be looking for her, or her mother enquiring if anyone had seen her. But here, in the library, in Nicholas’ arms, nothing else seemed to matter. The past was left behind, and the present was proving very pleasurable indeed. But as for what happened now and in the future, Amelia felt uncertain.
Were they to be lovers?
Was this the beginning of a courtship to be announced with a flourish on Christmas Day? Amelia could only imagine what Constance would say when she discovered it, and perhaps the fantasy of what they now shared could never become real.
“I’d like that, but I mean…the two of us?” Amelia asked.
