Page 34 of Courting the Earl
He urged his hardness against her hip and she gasped. Good. He wanted her to know exactly what she was doing to him.
Moving with a patience he hadn’t thought he possessed, he took her hand and led her to the bed. When she sat on its edge, he stepped back to remove the rest of his clothing. Her stare was a physical caress over his body. He was harder than he’d ever been, his need a desperate ache, but he allowed her to look her fill as he stood before her.
He groaned when she wet her lips, thoughts flooding him about just where he wanted to feel that tongue. She leaned away from him when he lowered himself to sit next to her.
One corner of his mouth tilted up. “I hope that doesn’t mean you’re reconsidering?”
She gave a small laugh. “I find myself feeling shy around you now that you’re…”
“Naked?”
“Without clothing.”
This time he laughed as he shifted and lay down on top of the bedsheets. “Will you be joining me?”
She covered her face with her hands, and for one terrifying moment, he feared she was going to bolt. “Eleanor?”
She dropped her hands, her expression serious. “Can I keep my chemise on? I don’t think I have the courage to disrobe completely.”
He offered her his hand. “Of course.”
With a deep breath, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to tug her onto the bed next to him. They lay on their sides, facing one another. Him without a stitch of clothing on, Eleanor wearing her chemise. He waited for her to speak first.
“I’m so happy that Lydia found someone else. I dreaded the fact that you would one day be my cousin’s husband.”
He stroked the back of his hand along her jaw, up the side of her face, and then buried his fingers in her hair. “I don’t know how I would have survived being near you and not being able to have my way with you.”
He lifted himself over her, hovering with his weight braced on his forearms. Then he lowered himself so he could feel the soft curves of her body under his. Desire spiked within him.
Chapter 20
Geoffrey’s bare body against hers caused a tumult of sensation that threatened to overwhelm her. The heat of his body, his skin touching her all along her length, burned even through the fine lawn of her chemise. But above everything, she was acutely aware of the hard length of him pressing into her thigh. She was incapable of speech.
“I hate that making love to you will hurt you, but I’ll make sure you find your pleasure first.”
She was already finding a great deal of pleasure—she didn’t know how it could be better. “I trust you.”
He kissed her, his mouth eager and hungry on hers. She returned the kiss with a passion she didn’t know she was capable of feeling. The more he asked of her, the more she wanted to give him.
His mouth moved along her jaw to her neck, and she tilted her head to give him better access. She arched into his hand when he cupped her breast and held her breath as his mouth trailed lower. He’d touched her breasts before, that evening in the garden, but now she needed to feel his mouth on her. He kissed all around first one breast, then the other. She buried her fingers in his hair, hoping to direct his mouth to her nipples, which were aching. Instead, he chuckled and lifted his head to meet her gaze.
“Is there something in particular you want me to do?”
She wanted to growl in frustration, but a part of her was amazed at his teasing tone. She’d never imagined that physical intimacy could be fun. “You know what I want.”
“Maybe I need to hear you say it.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Out loud?”
His eyes danced with amusement. “Yes, Eleanor. With actual words.”
She bit her lip as she considered her current dilemma. She’d never imagined he’d actually want her to tell him what to do. Not when she didn’t know anything beyond the basics about what it meant to be with a man. But she did know this one thing. He’d shocked her when he’d touched her bare breast before. She wasn’t capable of shocking him, but she could prove herself an eager partner in their lovemaking.
“I want your mouth on me here.” She circled a nipple with a finger, enjoying the way his eyes fixated on her hand. Heady power coursed through her as she moved her hand to her other breast. “And then here.”
There was no more teasing. He lowered her chemise until her breasts were bared and then drew her nipple into his mouth, pulling hard on the stiffened peak. Heat shot down her belly, straight to her core.
She clung to his head, keeping him there, enjoying the wicked pleasure that coursed through her.
