Page 51 of A Most Unlikely Lady
‘More than chocolate?’ His breath skated over her lips like the echo of a kiss.
‘More than chocolate.’ She slid her hand up his rather rippling bicep and held firm to his granite shoulder.
He leaned down, but instead of pressing his mouth against hers, he brushed his lips lightly over her cheekbone. It felt like the graze of a moth’s wing. Moving slowly, he feathered kisses over the corner of her eye, the curve of her jaw where it met her ear, the sensitive skin of her neck where her pulse beat madly, the tip of her nose, until she was simultaneously burning like a flame and melting into a puddle.
‘Kiss me. Please!’ It wasn’t a request. It was a demand. She tightened her grip on his linen shirt. If he didn’t take her mouth with his own immediately, she was quite certain her entire body would combust into flames.
‘I am kissing you.’
Bastard!
Before she could pull away and unleash her venom on him for being a heartless tease, he wrapped his long fingers around her neck, holding her still. His gaze consumed her. Ivy was certain the man could see beyond her shields, right into the hidden depths of her soul. Bending his head closer, he brushed his lips against hers.
Cripes. He’s kissing me. I am being kissed.
She tingled from the soft sensation, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted more.
Pushing up on her toes, Ivy’s hands found their way over his strong shoulders, gripping his neck and pulling him closer.
12
Edward was drowning in a sea of glorious sweetness, and he wanted to dive deeper. When she asked –told– him to kiss her, he felt like a champion of old, claiming a hard-won victory. But he also knew he must use the utmost care. Ivy Cavendale was a dagger made of glass. Delicate, stunning, and infinitely dangerous. If she shattered, her jagged pieces would cut them both to ribbons.
But when she pressed her mouth more firmly against his and gripped his neck in her strong fingers, pulling him even closer, he was lost.
Ivy was vibrating with tension. ‘More.’
He could give her more. He could give her everything.
Testing her desires and his own need, he flicked his tongue out, tracing the seam of her lips. Chocolate. She tasted of decadent, rich, bittersweet chocolate.
She inhaled sharply, and he pulled back. ‘Too much?’ He quirked his brow, forcing his desire to heel.
Her crystal-blue eyes were dazed with confused need. When he expected her to pull away, she shook her head instead. ‘No, I just didn’t think you would… that is, I had no idea tongues were involved.’
Edward swallowed the laughter bubbling from his chest. ‘You’ll find tongues can be quite magical things. There’s any number of ways one might use their tongue.’
Her eyes widened with unspoken questions. ‘Truly?’
Edward brushed his finger along her hairline, marvelling at the beauty of her skin. ‘Shall I tell you of all the things I wish to do with my tongue?’
She opened her wide mouth on a whispery inhalation. ‘Umm…’
‘I want to taste you. Right here.’ He ran his thumb over a sensitive spot just behind her ear.
‘You do?’ Her bewilderment was dismantling the wall he’d built around his heart. A wall constructed to ensure he did not break his vow of living a single life. But while he might not merit the joy of connection, Ivy certainly did. And he so fervently wished to show her all the glories two people might share. If only for a little while.
‘Will you allow it?’
He noted the moment her fear gave way to curiosity. ‘I-I suppose. But…’
‘We can stop whenever you choose.’ No matter how far they travelled down this path, one word from her, one hitch in breath, one frozen muscle, and he would stop.
Be brave, Ivy. You are so much stronger than you think.
Her eyes held a world of racing thoughts he wished he could decipher. She blew out a breath. ‘Fine.’ She spoke as if agreeing to have her teeth removed or hair cut off.
‘Fine?’ He indulged temptation and inhaled her unique scent. ‘I hope to make this far better than fine.’
