Page 54 of Awakening a Lord's Desires
“Thank God,” he breathed against her lips after a kiss that she’d felt clear down to her toes. His fingers entwined with hers, and, in a low, husky voice, he asked, “Will you stay with me, then? While the preparations are made for us? We can leave in the morning.”
“Stay with you?” she asked, her voice just as achy with need for him.
“Yes, stay here.” He kissed her again. “You do not have to, if you do not want, but—”
Caroline’s reply was a kiss, her arms tight around his shoulders, her body pressed against his. There was no doubt about what she wanted to do, and she allowed him to take her upstairs to his bedroom.
Chapter 55
Everything around her seemed to slow. When Charles set her down again in his room, she removed her cloak and laid it over a chair. She would have taken the time to look around, but Charles was kissing her again, and all reason and logic flew out of her mind.
“I have been thinking of this ever since the day I met you, my love,” he whispered, kissing down her neck as she smiled, her fingers sliding up his chest to push off his coat.
“You mean the day you nearly killed me? You were desperate to lay with a young maiden who nearly died at your hands? Or your horse’s hooves?”
“Yes.” He chuckled. “When I saw a young maiden rise to her feet from the grasses and roots of the forest, I thought her a magical creature. And I wanted her from that very moment.”
He put both hands to her face and kissed her long and deep, his tongue moving more urgently in exploration. She did the same, her eyes closed tightly, wanting to feel every slip and slide of his tongue, every firm movement of his mouth.
“Charles,” she breathed out, her head sinking back as he kissed her neck again.
Knowing her need, his fingers began to fumble at her bodice, and he pulled away to turn her around. “These buttons will take time,” he said. “I would tear it, but I know you have to return home to gather your things. I would not wish anyone to realise what had happened.”
She grinned to herself as he finally finished with the buttons and yanked her bodice down before he began to pull at the laces of her stays. He was done with those within seconds, and then she was turned around again in his arms, and he sank down to pull her gown from her waist.
She stepped out of it, and she stood before him in only a shift. His eyes lingered on her breasts before they moved lower and lower, and her eyes moved to the cravat at his throat. Deftly, she untied it and began on his waistcoat, but he stopped her.
“You go and sit on the edge of the bed while I do this, love,” he said in a lovely husky tone that sent shivers all through her muscles.
She did as he asked and watched with astonishment as he bared his chest, and she couldn’t believe how beautiful he was. Lines of corded muscles moved through his arms and shoulders as he tossed his clothing aside. His chest was broad, and it tapered into a thin, muscular waist. Her eyes went there, for he was untying his breeches.
“Are you ready, Caroline?” he asked. “I do not wish to frighten you.”
“You could never frighten me,” she said with a smile. “But you will have to help me. I do not know…”
His responding grin eased her nerves, and he paused and looked at her. “You first.” He nodded to her shift, and she stood again, lifting it up and over her shoulders until she was completely bare before him.
His soft intake of breath as he took her in was enough to let her know just how he felt about her. But the kiss he gave her when he stepped forward hastily showed her even more.
“You are perfect,” he said, laying her back on the bed and then hurrying to remove his breeches.
His firm body, lightly covered in golden hair, rose over her, and even though her nerves were fluttering and her heart was pounding, her hands moved to his shoulders and back, exploring every line of him.
“You are perfect, too,” she said as he kissed her again.
But quickly, his kiss moved from her lips to her neck to her breasts. “I have missed these,” he said, taking one pink nipple into his mouth and kneading the other.
Wetness once more gushed from between her thighs, and she leaned up against his mouth to feel the sweet pressure even more. He moved to the other breast, his fingers sliding down to press between her folds. She cried out, for she knew this already. They had done it many times, but it still surprised her just how well his fingers could draw pleasure from her with their firm yet gentle movement.
He circled his fingers and then slid one inside, his mouth still on her breast. Her hand went this head, and as he plunged his finger in and out, she came quickly, moistening his fingers with her release. He rose over her again, a dark, fiery look in his eye.
“Will you take me inside you, Caroline? It will hurt, but only for a little, and then it will be the most wonderful pleasure.”
Caroline looked up at him, still trying to find her way back again after pleasure had seized her body and mind. But she moved her hands to his shoulders again, and she nodded.
“Yes, please.”
Grinning, he lifted her thighs until her legs parted for him. When he leaned closer, she could feel the hard length of him against her, and she peered between them with a gasp to see just how large he was.
