Page 14 of Tempting the Bluestocking
“Don’t stop,” he ground out. “Take your pleasure, Clare.”
His words freed her and she let go, closing her eyes and giving herself over to every wanton urge coming to mind. She threaded her fingers in his hair and kissed him, testing different motions until she found the one that pushed her back toward that elusive precipice. Rocking against him in a slow rhythm, she moaned with each deep plunge of his cock. He kissed every available inch of skin his mouth landed on, his grip on her buttocks tightening as he helped guide her motions, moving with her in a pace so perfect it almost felt as if they’d done this before. Or, as if they were too perfectly matched not to do it right.
Thiswas what she’d been missing. This was what she might never have known if she hadn’t opened herself to the possibility. Now that she knew it could be this way, she never wanted it to end.
“You’re…wearing…too many clothes,” she panted, tangling her fingers in the folds of his cravat.
Edward let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-moan as she began loosening the knot. “You’re welcome to remedy that if you wish.”
She did wish it. She wanted those supple stretches of skin and muscle bared to her view, hot and solid at her fingertips. Tearing at his buttons with clumsy motions, she allowed him to take control, his hips bucking as he stroked her toward her finish. Pulling his waistcoat and shirt open, she planted her hands on his chest, the wiry, golden hairs tickling her palms. His muscles flexed and heaved with every motion, the hypnotic sight captivating her to the point of distraction. She explored him with her touch, then lowered her head to kiss him as he’d done her, lingering in the places that produced sounds of pleasure from deep in his throat. She wanted more of him—wanted them both undressed with every naked inch pressed together—but there was no time. Climax loomed near and she forgot everything other than chasing it to its conclusion. Gripping his shoulders, she met his swift strokes with her own desperate movements, grinding against him with wild abandon.
He cupped her breast, and a light pinch of her nipple sent her over the edge. Her sheath clenched around him, powerful spasms shaking her to her core as the world around her faded until nothing existed except for him inside of her. She fell atop him with a rough exhale, becoming formless and weightless in his arms. His rough breaths against her neck and the shudders wracking him told Clare he would soon follow. But, she could only cling to him as he pounded into her a few more times before pulling free with a ragged moan, spending into the obscurity of her skirts.
The tension melted from his body, and he kept one arm around her while sinking into the sofa cushions, his harsh breaths mingling with her own swift pants. She nuzzled into the warm haven of his chest, noticing for the first time that he smelled of oakmoss and cedar. Inhaling the woodsy scent, she closed her eyes and rested in the moment. Unlike the end of her short and unsatisfying tryst with Baldwin Barnaby, Clare found she was content to linger with Edward, enjoying the pleasant twinge between her legs that reminded her so poignantly of what they’d just done.
Already, she wanted more, every bit of what the next thirty days would bring. A smile stretched her lips as she realized a month might never be enough. Edward would never find himself without a keeper if he treated her to such ecstasy every time he took her to bed.
Shifting beneath her, he lifted her chin until she met his gaze. That darling smile of his was back, making her want to kiss him before tumbling them both to the floor and begging him for more.
“Conclusion?” he asked, his grin turning wicked.
Returning his smile, she propped her chin in her hand. “The hypothesis has been proven correct…for now. I do believe we ought to conduct further tests to ensure we were truly correct.”
He reached up to adjust her spectacles, which had been knocked askew during their frenzied coupling. “I am happy to continue acting as a most willing test subject.”
Chapter 6
Edward gazed at the woman sprawled atop him, her nude upper body bared to his gaze, the sheets tangling with her long legs. After gathering the strength to leave the couch, they had finished undressing, leaving their clothing in a heap on the floor of her study before adjourning to Clare’s bedroom. There, surrounded by the opulent decor of her chamber, they’d fallen into bed together. He found himself startled to realize that he wanted her again only minutes after having been inside her, the acute sensation of arousal overwhelming him the moment he’d gotten her naked body in his arms. But, while he realized this hadn’t been her first time, she’d been as tight as a virgin when he’d first penetrated her. He supposed it had been some time since her first abysmal lover, and that meant he ought not attempt to take her again so soon. Which meant going no further than the occasional kiss, though his hands did wander now and then. How could they not with such a tempting creature in his arms?
She was even more alluring in the aftermath of their fucking, her hair a wavy mess around her face, her eyes bright and shining, her spectacles set aside on the washstand. It surprised him to notice that she hadn’t retreated from him afterward, something he’d expected at the onset. But it seemed that once a person managed to get Clare to open up, she remained that way, her smiles wide and her eyes hiding nothing. He hadn’t needed her to say it aloud for him to know she had enjoyed herself, but it had certainly been nice to have confirmation. Now, not only was he secure in the knowledge that he wouldn’t have to worry about money for the next month, he had finally assuaged his curiosity over what it would be like to bed her.
“I don’t understand it,” he murmured, reaching out to tuck a lock of her hair behind one ear.
“Don’t understand what?” she asked, propping her chin on his chest and gazing up at him.
“How no one has discovered the little spitfire I was just introduced to. I came here intending to seduce you, then fuck you into a mindless stupor. What I didn’t expect was foryouto fuckmewithin an inch of my life.”
She threw her head back and laughed, that unrestrained, boisterous sound he couldn’t hear enough of. It brightened the room, filling it with light and sound.
“I suppose it’s because I never allowed anyone to uncover that part of me. Really, I had no idea it existed. After that first time I saw no need to repeat the experience. I had a number of other interests to devote my time and passion to.”
“So I noticed,” he remarked, inclining his head in the direction of her study. “Your interests have quite overtaken that room. It’s a wonder you don’t get lost in there.”
She laughed again, this time a soft, girlish giggle. It made him want to make her laugh again so he could go on listening to that musical sound for what remained of the day.
“If I do not make an appearance by lunchtime, Aunt Helene often braves the study to ensure I haven’t been swallowed by the clutter. No one else seems to understand it, but while it all looks very disordered I know where everything is. If I allow the servants to clean, I’ll never be able to find a thing.”
Thinking back to the collections filling the next room, he asked the one question that had been on his mind from the moment he’d stepped inside.
“What sorts of things do you collect? I gathered that is the purpose of the chests and shelves?”
She nodded, her chin digging into his chest. He adjusted her so her head rested on the pillow beside his.
“Quite a number of things,” she replied. “It began with watches when I was a girl. I’ve always been fascinated with them, and the number of designs that exist. In that room there is a chest containing forty-seven watches.”
He smirked at her. “Only forty-seven?”
“I happen to beveryparticular about watches,” she said with a haughty sniff. “I seek out only the most unique designs, and have an affinity for gaudy, overblown styles. Aside from the timepieces, there’s my collection of geological specimens.”
