Page 34 of A Very Roguish Boxing Day
She turned to face him, staying him with a hand to his chest.“Wait, Tom.You said there werethingsyou wanted to show me, as in, more than one.Is there any chance we could, um…” She ducked her head as she trailed off.
He placed a finger beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him.Her face at first was tight with trepidation, but he saw a tentative hope flare in her eyes as she took in his expression.
He brushed a kiss across her lips.“We can stay up all damn night if you like.”
Squealing with delight, she looped her arms around his neck and brought her lips to his, and there was no need for further conversation for quite a while.
Chapter15
Gwen couldn’t believe her luck.
She and Tom stayed up late into the night making love.As promised, he showed her so many new things, such as how they could make love with her on top, astride him.Tom had clearly loved the way her breasts had bounced as she rode him, and his obvious enjoyment had fired her in return.
He had even showed her how to use her mouth on him, licking and sucking.Although the act was designed for his pleasure, she found that she enjoyed it as well.It made her feel not only desirable but powerful, that she could drive Tom out of his mind the same way he did to her.He suggested that they stop as he neared his climax, offering to finish another way, but she had begged him to let her continue.She would never forget the heat that flared in his eyes when she said that, nor his hoarse cries and curses as she continued pleasuring him.She had been so excited when his cum spurted in her mouth, knowing how good she had made him feel.It turned out that Tom understood the effect performing such an act had had on her, because as soon as he recovered, he grabbed her by the ribcage, flipping her onto her back, and buried his face between her thighs.It took less than a minute before she was trembling and crying out for him again.
Tom gave her unimaginable pleasure over and over again.But what was just as thrilling was the realization that he truly desired her!It had not all been an act borne out of the fact that she had been paying him two hundred and fifty pounds the first time around.There was no denying the way he had looked at her in the mirror last night, with her body on full display.He found her ample curves arousing, not revolting.
They awoke just before midday, both of their stomachs growling.Someone had left a breakfast tray in the hall.Tom brought it to the little table by the window, and they tucked in eagerly.
“I suppose we missed Christmas services,” Gwen noted ruefully.
“I suppose we did,” Tom agreed, polishing off half a strip of bacon in one bite.
Gwen stirred honey into her tea.“How will you spend today?”
Tom shrugged.“My family’s all back in Hampshire.Some years I make it home, but when I don’t, I have a quiet Christmas in Town.”
Gwen sipped from her cup.“I don’t have much planned, either.I’m grateful that the Widows extended me this invitation.I’m sure someone in Merstham would have asked me to spend Christmas Day with their family, but it would have felt as if I was imposing.”
“That’s just it,” Tom agreed.“All of my friends from the boxing gym are either married with families of their own, or their parents are close to London.Don’t want to go making a bother of myself.”He shrugged, adding another scoop of eggs to his plate.
“Well, seeing as neither of us have any plans, perhaps we could spend the day together.”The words were out of Gwen’s mouth before she had time to properly consider them.Whyhad she said that?What were the chances that Tom Talbot, who wasn’t just popular, but was something of a celebrity, would want to spend Christmas Day with a bumbling bluestocking like her?
But Tom grinned easily.“That’d be grand.Most places will be closed, but I know a few spots where we should find a lively crowd.Would you like to see how folks like me celebrate Christmas?”
Gwendolyn exhaled, relieved.“I would like that very much.”
And so, after they finished devouring every scrap of food on the tray, she dressed in her practical wool gown and Tom put back on his brown velvet frock coat.He chuckled as he waved the lace cuffs about.“I’ll look stupid walking around in this.At least my greatcoat will cover the worst of it.”
“I think you look very festive,” Gwen said, striding through the door he held for her.
“That was the idea,” he replied as she closed the door behind them.He offered her his arm, and they made their way toward the stairs.“I got all this second-hand, obviously.They haven’t made coats like this for at least a few decades.When you’re my size, it’s not easy to find things that fit, so I figured this would do well enough.”
“I imagine that’s right.”Gwen accepted her cloak from the butler.It was of plain grey wool, but her hat was made of cranberry-colored velvet, a rare indulgence.
As she tugged her mittens on, Gwendolyn asked Tom, “Have you considered having a dress coat custom-made?”
A look of horror crossed his face.“Have you seen what tailors charge these days?It’s highway robbery.”He ran his hands up and down his greatcoat, which was of a practical black wool.“I did have this made, as I couldn’t find anything to fit me, but a greatcoat’s different.I’ll be able to wear this for decades.But some silly thing to wear to a party?”He snorted.“I’m not paying real coin for that.”
Gwendolyn was secretly amused.Not that she knew so very much about boxers, but she had pictured the heavyweight champion as a flashy sort of fellow, spending his winnings as quickly as he came into them.Honestly, the person Tom reminded her of was thrifty Aunt Agatha, who made her own bread and darned her own stockings so many times that when Gwen finally sneaked them out to the rubbish pile, they were little more than rags.
She gazed up at Tom as he wound a red and gold-striped scarf around his neck and accepted a tall hat from the butler.The association with Aunt Agatha, her favorite person to ever walk this earth, made her regard him all the more fondly.
He offered her his arm and they set forth at a jaunty pace, heading south.“Where are you taking me?”Gwen asked.
“The place it all began,” Tom answered.“Green Park.”
Green Park was, of course, the location of Pulteney House, where she and Tom had spent the night after the bachelor auction at the Thalia.But Gwen was all but certain that Tom, who wasn’t willing to expend coin on a coat that was within the last decade of fashion, did not plan for them to visit the expensive hotel.“Green Park?Really?”At his nod, she gestured to the snow crunching under their boots.“We might be the only ones who dare to venture out in this weather.”
