Page 77 of The Confessions of a Lady
‘No. My only condition is that we are like members of the same team. Or is your love not strong enough to grant me such equality?’
His mouth moved to her neck. He scraped his teeth over her flesh. ‘You don’t play fair, Miss Smith.’
Something shimmery and bright flared in her chest as a new sense of power infused her. ‘What is it they say? The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war. As a decorated war hero, surely you know this, Lord Renquist.’
He pushed away from her. ‘Equals. In love and war. This is your condition?’
Holding her breath, her hopes, her dreams, she nodded.
‘You drive a hard bargain, madame.’
‘Only when it matters.’
His firm mouth softened as his body hardened. ‘I agree to your terms, but I have a condition of my own.’
Before elation could fill her, she bit her lip and nodded for him to continue. His eyes strayed to her mouth. ‘If it comes down to a choice, between you and me, between your life and mine, you choose yourself, Penny. You must promise me. You won’t sacrifice yourself for me.’
‘I…’ How could she answer him?
‘I will not be swayed in this. You must swear it.’
I won’t let it come to that. Somehow, I will make sure we both survive this.
She nodded, knowing this was the only promise to Liam she would break.
He shifted his hand from the wall, gripping her hip. ‘So, it is decided. You have your autonomy and my heart. I have your promise.’
‘And my heart.’
‘A fair trade.’ His beautiful mouth curled into a smile.
Now that the decision was made, fear gave way to more powerful emotions. Hope. Love. Need. She wanted him. And she would take everything he was willing to give. Without shame or modesty or hesitation. With so much unknown, she knew this with absolute certainty.
Liam’s hand moved up her hip, brushing the side of her breast but staying annoyingly away from the tightened tip. She tingled and ached for his touch. His long fingers flicked open the top button of her dress, then the second, then the third. He pulled the high-necked cotton aside, grazing along the sensitive skin of her clavicle. Gripping her neck, his thumb traced gently along her jaw.
‘I could take you right here. Right now,’ he growled, before his lips latched onto the delicate skin where her pulse beat and sucked hard. She moaned as he thrust forward, pinning her hips against the hard wood with his own. The steel ridge of his erection pressed against her skirt.
But this was her claiming. She wanted to control the rhythm and pace. ‘Not if I take you first.’ Pushing him back, she reached down and yanked his sash free. His cock sprang forward as his robe gaped open. Long and hard and weeping with need. She gripped him in her hand and squeezed as his pupils dilated.
‘Careful,’ he warned.
She pumped hard from tip to root, using his own moisture to aid in her task. ‘I don’t want to be careful.’ She wanted him hard and fast and feral.
‘I don’t want to hurt you. Damn it, Penny. You’ve only just lost your virginity.’
She stretched her mouth in a wicked smile. ‘I didn’t lose it. I know exactly where it went.’
He shook his head. ‘You know what I mean.’
She sank her free hand into his hair, tugging hard enough to make him hiss then softening her grip and massaging the tight cords of tendon at the base of his skull as she mimicked the movement with her hand around his cock. ‘You can’t hurt me, Liam. I promise. I’m not some delicate lady. I want you wild and free.’
His fingers tightened around her neck as he pulled her close, crushing his mouth against hers. She licked the seam of his lips, sinking her teeth into the firm flesh. Pumping him hard, she revelled in his throaty groan.
He pulled at her skirts, bunching them around her waist. Cool air caressed her thighs. He gripped her legs, knocking her hand from his cock and lifting her as easily as he might lift a sheaf of papers. Wrapping her legs around his hips, he ground his pelvis in a deliciously tight circle. His blunt head pressed against her wet entrance.
‘Now. I need you now.’ She tightened her thighs around him, pulling him closer.
In one hard drive, he entered her, hot friction stroking her swollen clitoris as she screamed his name.
