Page 59 of Making of a Scandal
He pressed harder against her pulsing nub, dragging his thumb in slow circles. The feel of her struck him dumb for a moment, and he could do nothing but let himself experience her, soft as satin and slick, her silken curls tickling his knuckles. His fingers brushed against her folds, coming away wet with her juices.
“Look at you. So wet for me already and I’ve barely even touched you.”
She hissed from between clenched teeth, tiny squeaks and whimpers escaping despite her best efforts at holding them in. He found a rhythm she seemed to like, her hips undulating in time with his circling strokes, her entire body drawing taut, primed for release. He slipped a finger inside her, the silken grip enough to drive him mad. He needed relief, to take the edge off his all-consuming desire. Driving balls-deep into her wasn’t his aim—not while she was still half-dressed, and he would be forced to rush their coupling. When he finally took her, it wouldn’t be done under duress; he would take his time and worship her properly before finding his way inside her.
But, he couldn’t stop himself from tearing at his fall as he went on stroking her, his first finger slowly plunging and retreating as his thumb pressed and circled. She raised her head to watch as his cock fell free, mouth dropping open as the thick organ fell into his palm, aching and iron hard.
“Look what you’ve done to me,” he rasped, stroking along his shaft and smearing the drops of his own wetness over the head. “I’ve been walking around like this for weeks, burning for you, needing you, wanting only you.”
He stroked faster, matching the pump of his fist around his cock to the surges of his finger inside her. He curled his finger, finding the spongy area hidden within her inner walls and stimulating it in tandem with her clit. She clapped her own hand over her mouth to stifle her scream, hips bowing up off the settee as she splintered. Her sheath clenched around him, her body shaking and arching beneath him as she gave herself over to her crisis.
Nick’s forehead broke out in a sweat as he stroked her through her climax, still steadily frigging himself in his haste to join her. She went limp beneath him, her breaths sharp and unsteady, legs quivering. Her gaze slid down to his cock, clutched in his tight grip, the head furiously red and slick with moisture. Slipping his finger free, he brought it into his mouth, groaning at the taste of her.
Her shy stare met his, and she reached tentatively toward him. He slowed, anticipating of the moment she would touch him, certain he would spend then and there. She wavered, biting her lip as if uncertain, so he took hold of her hand and urged her on, wrapping her slender fingers around his shaft.
“Yes, Callie. Touch me … fuck, that feels good. Stroke me ...yes,just like that.”
She followed his lead as he wrapped his fingers around hers, showing her what to do, guiding her up to his tip and then down to his base. His vision blurred, the world around him fading away and his entire existence narrowing to the feel of her soft hand.
He situated his fingers beneath hers once confident she’d found the way of it, hips thrusting into the sheath made by their joined grip. His other hand cupped the back of her neck, holding her close as his forehead pressed against hers, their gazes locking. It was easy to imagine being inside her this way, the wet clench of her sheath compressing around his cock.
Her touch on his face was his undoing, sweet and soft as it ran along his jaw, her gaze filled with such tenderness and affection—two things no woman before her had ever shown him. It freed him to fall atop her, hips jerking as climax overtook him. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, muffling his low groans as his seed left his cock in body-jerking spurts. Her arm came around him, her hand firm at his back as if she understood the need for her solid presence as he came completely undone.
His limbs became heavy and ungainly as he did his best to keep from crushing her with his weight. He was suddenly exhausted as well as sated, as if he’d run a long distance, chasing after something unattainable, and now that he’d finally caught it, he could rest. But, only for now. There was still so much to be done, so many things he wanted to say. It would have to wait, because just now all he could do was lie there and rejoice in the knowledge that Calliope wasn’t out of his reach. He had succeeded in tearing through her defenses, at least temporarily. He knew it could be done, and he didn’t intend to let up until he had won.
When he felt adequate strength had returned to his limbs, he lifted himself off her.
Her face portrayed an array of emotions—confusion, awe, shock, satisfaction. Her hair was a riot of coils fighting to be free of its pins, her dark eyes glistening, lips parted. She looked so delectable and disheveled that he nearly lost hold of his determination not to finish what they’d started. They needed more time—not just so it could be done properly, so that they could talk over all the things that had gone unsaid.
Finding the glistening streams of his seed staining her lower belly, he grimaced and fumbled about for his discarded coat, rummaging in the breast pocket for his handkerchief.
“It isn’t always so messy,” he said with a chuckle, offering her the linen square.
She used it to clean herself, then folded it and handed it back to him with a shy smile. “Oh, well that doesn’t sound very promising. I don’t quite mind the mess if the making of it is to be so … so wonderful.”
He paused in the middle of buttoning his fall, both surprised and relieved to hear that. He had expected her to withdraw, erecting her walls and shutting him out. For the first time since he’d met her, she looked completely at ease, her eyes open and clear, her lips curving into the sweetest, softest of smiles.
“Have I shocked you?”
Shaking his head, he tucked his shirt in and adjusted his waistcoat, then made sure his cravat was more or less presentable.
“I worried that you might be ashamed or confused. There is still much for us to discuss, goddess … though we haven’t time just now. You are certainly missed, and while it is my aim to win you, I would never want to force your hand with a scandal. Not on purpose.”
She allowed him to help her sit up, pushing her skirts down as he turned her to begin tightening the laces of her stays.
“Dominick …”
“Hmm?” he murmured, lowering his head to kiss her neck.
“Thank you.”
He chuckled, planting another kiss on her shoulder before resuming his role as lady’s maid. “I don’t think I’ve ever been thanked for curling a woman’s toes, but I think I like it. Say it again.”
She turned abruptly to face him, her gaze intent and her voice thick with emotion when she spoke. “I mean it. Thank you. I don’t think you understand what you’ve done. It wasn’t just about the pleasure. It was … the most wondrous thing I’ve ever felt. Is it always like this?”
“No. At least, it hadn’t been for me.”
She raised an incredulous eyebrow. “Knowing what I do about your … habits, I have a hard time believing that.”
