Page 19 of Portrait of a Lady
Evelyn glanced about, finally seeming to notice how far from civilized company he’d taken her. Her hands rested in her lap, and she clasped them together just as he noticed how they’d begun to shake.
“Relax,” he urged, reaching up to unmask her. “It’s just the two of us now, and I want to see your face.”
She remained placid while he untied her mask and pulled it away, revealing the slopes of her cheekbones, the set of her wide, doe eyes, and the arch of sable brows. The full effect of her visage left him speechless for a moment, so he simply studied her in silence. The face he looked upon did not entirely match the timidity of the woman herself. There was an innocence about her, mostly in the set of her mouth and the width of her eyes. But the dark fan of her lashes, the tilt of her cheekbones and jaw—she was virtue and seduction all in one ravishing creature. Perfect for a canvas in fact. He could imagine working to get her eyes just right, the combination of pigments he’d need to capture that porcelain complexion.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, smoothing his thumb along the edge of her bottom lip.
She released her breath, relaxing a bit in his lap. “And you...you’re very handsome. But then, I suppose you must know that.”
He smirked at that, bracing a hand at the small of her back. “This may come as a surprise, but being showered with compliments doesn’t always come with the territory of being a courtesan.Iam supposed to complimentyou...effusively and often.”
She wrinkled her nose, in a move that made her even more endearing. “I don’t think I would like that overmuch. I am not fond of excessive attention.”
He chuckled, caressing her back in slow circles, accustoming her to his touch in a way she hardly seemed to notice. “You will have to grow used to my attention. It’s how this is supposed to work, you know. But it doesn’t have to be all verbal flattery. You tell me what kind of attention youwouldlike, and I’ll oblige.”
She lowered her gaze, obviously sensing the innuendo in his words. Innocent she might be, but ignorant she was not.
“I think...I think I would like...for you to kiss me.”
He shouldn’t have found her bashfulness so charming, but he did. Unlike the other women he’d acted as a courtesan to, this one didn’t possess a coquettish bone in her body, and he found it oddly refreshing.
Cupping her face, he tilted her head so she looked into his eyes again, circling his thumb on her cheek. “Have you ever been kissed, Evelyn?”
She shook her head. “No...yes...sort of.”
He frowned. “Don’t you know for certain?”
Her smile was tight and uncertain. “Well...there were only two kisses, and they did not last very long.”
Hugh clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Shame on those men for not initiating you properly.”
She shrugged, causing that pesky sleeve to slip off her shoulder again. Evelyn seemed not to notice or had stopped caring, because she did nothing to set it right.
“It wasn’t them,” she protested. “It was me...I...I always become so nervous and flustered, and...it always ends before it can begin.”
She seemed embarrassed to admit this, but Hugh only gave her an encouraging smile and stroked her cheek once more. “Then you and I shall take things slowly.”
“Very well,” she agreed, though she still seemed wary.
Releasing her face, he reached down to begin unbuttoning his coat. He told himself it was simply so the press of the gold fixtures against her wouldn’t be a discomfort, when all the while it was truly because he didn’t want so many layers between them. He wanted her breasts pressed against him, and he didn’t want his blasted buttons getting in the way.
He practically ripped one loose in his haste to get the task done, the constricting garment falling open to expose his shirtfront. She gazed down at the gap, trailing a path back up to his throat, then landing on his lips. He adjusted her so that her upper body faced him, using one arm to draw her closer. She went rigid against him, but he went on stroking her back, soothing her, his movements slow to keep from frightening her.
Dipping his head, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling that floral scent. It was even better close up, the smell calling to mind how much he’d like to lay her down and taste her bared flesh. But first…
He trailed his lips along the side of her neck, nuzzling just behind her ear. She gasped, her back arching and her head tilting as if to allow him better access. He followed her lead, skimming his lips over the shell of her ear, then placing a kiss on her cheek.
“How am I doing so far?”
She shivered when he kissed her again, making his way back to her neck. He wrapped both arms around her, keeping her tight against him. One of her hands came up to his chest, and the other rested on his shoulder. She whimpered when he pressed his open mouth to a particularly sensitive spot on her neck, and he stayed there, nibbling and even flicking his tongue.
“Oh...well, that’s...very good.”
He smiled against her skin, then went on kissing up to her jaw. He angled toward her lips, his movements achingly slow, his mouth watering for the first taste. It was unbelievable how badly he wanted this. It had been his aim to make her want the kiss, to drive her so mad with desire that it wouldn’t occur to her to be anxious about it. But, in truth, he was driving himself mad, the slow pace making him tremble and yearn in a way he hadn’t since he’d been a green boy.
Her breath raced against his cheek as he aimed for her mouth, pressing a swift, soft kiss there before drawing back. Her hand fisted the collar of his coat, her head tilting down to fit her mouth against his. He fought the urge to grin with triumph at the evidence of her eagerness. Straining toward him, she released a sigh when their lips brushed, then separated, again and again in a hypnotic dance. She’d closed her eyes and given herself over to the moment, the last of her reticence falling away like the rogue sleeve of her gown.
He surged toward her, finally capturing her lips with his own. They locked together, falling into a heated tangle of flesh and breaths. Tilting his head, he deepened the kiss, finding that the flavor of champagne was a sweet enhancement to her taste. He tightened his arms around her, bringing her flush against him the way he wanted. Hugh groaned into her mouth, the feel of her breasts pressing into his chest too divine to ignore. He slid a hand up her back to grasp the nape of her neck, and he held her while lapping at the seam of her lips to request entrance. She opened to him without hesitation, whimpering at the first caress of his tongue against hers. He coaxed her to follow his lead, massaging her neck while plunging deeper, needing more and no longer succumbing to the need to take things slowly. He had her...she was his now, and he couldn’t seem to stop.
