Page 15 of The Secret of My Seduction
As if from a distance she heard him swear under his breath, then he rose up over her, shoving her shift aside. He planted his hands beside her shoulders and let his weight fall on her. His eyes glowed in the firelight as he thrust his hips, grinding his rigid erection against her belly. Some primal instinct made her push her hips upward into his, and his head fell back. Two, three, five thrusts later he shuddered, and spilled himself on her skin.
Chapter Seven
For a long minute neither moved. Liam’s arms were slick with perspiration, braced beside her. Her own arms were clasped around his waist, holding him to her, and one of her legs had got hooked around his. Bathsheba felt wrung out and limp, unable to move, but also uninterested in changing her situation. She’d suspected last time that he had found his own release, but this time there was no doubt. Something deep inside her purred in satisfaction; he was as aroused by this as she was.
Of course, that might not be due to her particular person; any female body might do the same. Bathsheba could not stop herself from hoping it was the former, even slightly, as she told herself it was more likely the latter. Liam was a handsome man, worldly and wicked. He hadn’t had one thought of doing this with her until she badgered him into it.
“So,” she said breathlessly, to drive those thoughts away, “that was lesson two, I take it.”
He raised his head. “Yes.” And he grinned, so joyfully she had the mad thought that he might kiss her. His lips were only a few inches from hers, and her chin even tipped upward, unconsciously rising to meet him because the only way this evening could improve was if he did kiss her—everything else was mere physical release, but a kiss would mean honest affection—
“I’ll ring for the carriage.” He ran one fingertip down her cheek, then pushed himself up and off her. He fetched a handkerchief and gently wiped her belly clean. Shrugging into his banyan, he walked out of the room.
Stupid girl, she chided herself, sitting up and touching her hair, now a wild mess. When would she stop hoping?Perhaps never, her foolish heart whimpered. With a sigh she got up and collected her clothes.
By the time he returned she was dressed and had let down her hair, for Mary’s chignon was ruined beyond repair. Without a word he handed her the comb, and she twisted up her hair into its usual simple knot. When she turned from the mirror, he had poured more wine and was watching her from across the room. It did terrible things to her composure when he did that. She wasn’t used to people watching her, for one thing, but especially not Liam watching her with his all-knowing eyes, perhaps picturing how she looked on her knees before him. Or how she looked writhing like a wanton while he drove her mad with his mouth. Or how she looked right now, plain and drab and desperate, like a woman who couldn’t attract a lover in the usual way, but had to argue a man into it.
She fiddled with the comb, then set it aside. “Will lesson three include consummation?” she asked. “Or more of this pretend seduction?”
His eyebrows went up. “Pretend seduction?”
“Yes,” she replied. “You don’t have to seduce me. You know I’ll let you have me—I asked you to do it. All this…” She hesitated. “Thisexplorationis lovely, but quite unnecessary. I merely wanted to experience the euphoric side of lovemaking—”
“And you haven’t found pleasure so far,” he cut her off. “Is that it?”
She blushed. “No, of course I have. I just didn’t expect it to take this long—”
“The quicker the act, the shorter the pleasure.”
Her face was on fire as he shredded her arguments in that dry, cynical tone. “I wouldn’t know,” she snapped, “since we’ve not donethe act. Would you just get on with it?” She was beginning to think she had made a terrible mistake. Yes, these “lessons” had been pleasurable beyond her dreams. The longer they went on, though, the harder it was to keep her head clear and her heart safe. The best thing she could do was speed the lessons along as quickly as possible, so she could hold her head high and maintain her dignity in the months and years to come, when she would still be working with Liam.
But he looked wildly annoyed. His eyes narrowed and his mouth formed a flat line. “Very well. As you wish.”
As you wish.He’d been saying that all evening, and since the one thing shedidwish more than anything—the one thing she most did notwantto wish—had not happened and probably never would, her patience snapped. “Yes, I do wish,” she retorted. “Briskly and efficiently.”
His gaze turned cool. “As you wish,” he said again, making her want to scream. “Come back a week from tonight. Plan to stay the entire night.”
She gaped. “What? No! I cannot!”
“Then you ought to find someone else.” From the hall came a loud rap at the front door. “The carriage is ready.” Without looking at her, Liam walked into the hall, leaving her to storm after him in frustration.
“I only meant you don’t need to spend so much time on it,” she said, trying to placate him. “I know you’re a busy man! Three nights is already more than I expected you to grant me, and I’m grateful enough that I don’t want to try your patience.”
“And yet you are.” He handed over her cloak and bonnet. The sash of his banyan had slipped, and she could see he still wore nothing underneath. The wild temptation to put her hands under the silk andexplore at willnearly made her faint. Perhaps if he found as much pleasure in this as she did, he would want to prolong it—perhaps that accounted for his maddeningly slow pace.
And perhaps he had to work his way up to it, teaching her something about being a good lover so she wouldn’t be inept and disappointing beneath him when the time came.
“Then I am sorry,” she said, huddling into her cloak and tying the bonnet ribbons with unsteady hands. “It was not my intent.”
Liam paused. “No? Then what was your intent? Did you hope I would throw you on the nearest horizontal surface and take you fast and hard? That’s not what you asked. You asked for deeper knowledge. By your own account you’re acquainted with the mechanics of the deed; I understood it was the pleasure of the deed you were missing. My intent was to show you that. If I have been mistaken and you only wanted a few more tumbles to check your memory’s accuracy, then by all means find a willing fellow at the assembly rooms. I daresay most of the blokes there will accept with alacrity and then not remember your face the next day, preserving the secrecy you requested.” He opened the door, revealing the carriage waiting. “If you want what I can teach you, come back a week from tonight—and plan to spend the entire night.”
Mortified and furious, she blinked back tears and dropped a curtsey in mock deference. “Yes, sir. I will notify you of my decision in a few days.”
“Notify me only if you won’t come,” he said as she swept out of the house. “Otherwise I’ll see you in a week.” And he closed the door without waiting to see her off.
Bathsheba flung herself into the coach, alternating between numb shock and steaming fury.Find someone else! Stay the whole night!What kind of woman did he think she was? What sort of man was he?
The man I want, her stupid heart mourned. Cold, calculating, sensual, wicked, and unquestionably the focus of her innermost desires. Bathsheba slumped against the carriage seat, exhausted, and wondered how she would contrive to get away for an entire night.
