Page 80 of The Courtship Trap
She was light as air in his arms, delicate yet strong, her warmth seeping into him where their bodies touched. His grip tightened, as if he feared she might dissolve into mist if he did not hold her securely enough. Harriet gazed up at him, her lips parted, her auburn hair cascading down her back in loose waves where she had mussed it. In the twilight, she was breathtaking.
He crossed the room with measured steps, savoring the way she curled into him, the feel of her uncovered legs against his forearm, the way her fingertips traced over his collarbone as though memorizing him. And then they reached the bed.
Sebastian lowered her tenderly onto the mattress, following her down as he braced himself above her. The sheets were cool against their heated skin, but she did not seem to notice. Their world was filled with the scent of each other, the feel of each other, the weight of his body as he hovered over her slight form, caging her in without trapping her, taking in the perfection of her rounded breasts.
His gaze swept over her, trying to etch the sight of her into his soul.
“Harry,” he murmured, his voice hoarse with unspoken words.
Her hands reached for him, and with a groan of surrender, he let himself fall into her embrace.
Sebastian’s mouth descended, claiming hers in a deep, consuming kiss. She met him with equal fervor, her fingers threading through his hair, nails scraping against his scalp as she arched beneath him. Their bodies tangled, pressed so tightly together that he could scarcely tell where he ended and she began.
Her scent—lavender and vanilla—wrapped around him, heady and intoxicating. He groaned, inhaling deeply as he traced the delicate curve of her throat with his lips, the soft skin yielding beneath his mouth. He tasted her there, slow and blissful, feeling the way her pulse thrummed wildly against his tongue.
Harriet writhed beneath him, her body a symphony of movement, her breath catching with each languorous stroke of his lips over her collarbone, her shoulder, lower across the bountiful breasts that had fired his dreams as a youth desperate to see them. To touch them as a lover would. His hands moved, roaming the silken expanse of her, claiming her in a way he had only ever dreamed of.
His name spilled from her lips in a hushed whisper, her voice trembling with need.
Sebastian shuddered, his mastery of self fraying even further as she clung to him. He wanted to taste every inch of her, suckle on those rosy nipples, taste the sweetness of the essence between her legs, to learn the way her body responded to him, to ensure she understood with every touch, every kiss, that she was his.
And tonight, for the first time, she would truly be his.
His hands slid upward to plump her luscious globes, strumming her nipples with the pads of his thumbs before he lowered his head to swirl his tongue over the pleading peaks,first one, then the other, while Harriet moaned and pressed up into his mouth.
Sebastian rose from the bed, the cool air kissing his heated skin as he stepped back. Harriet watched him, her lips parted, her breath shallow as he reached down and pulled off his boots, the heavy leather thudding softly onto the carpet. His fingers made quick work of the fastenings of his buckskins, and with a practiced ease, he pushed them down, along with his small clothes and stockings, until he was bare once more.
Straightening, he allowed himself a moment to enjoy the way Harriet’s gaze was drawn—utterly helpless—to the rigid length of him. A slow, smug satisfaction curled through his chest as he noted the way her tongue darted out to wet her lips, her fingers twitching against the sheets as if resisting the urge to reach for him.
A playful smile curved his lips as he prowled back toward her, his muscles flexing with each movement, the firelight casting golden shadows over his body.
“See something you like, Harry?” His voice was a deep, knowing rasp.
She swallowed, her lashes fluttering as she dragged her gaze back up to meet his. “I think I may have forgotten how magnificent you are.”
“Since last night?” Sebastian chuckled, lowering himself back onto the bed. “Then allow me to remind you.”
Sebastian scarcely had a moment to revel in the sight of her beneath him before Harriet surprised him, shoving at his shoulders with unexpected force and rolling them until she straddled his hips, her pelvis coming down on his as she settled down, soft and wet meeting hard and dry. He let out a sharp breath, his hands flying to her waist, stunned and aroused by her sudden assertiveness.
Shewas the magnificent one. A conqueror. Her auburn hair tumbled loose from its pins, spilling over her shoulders in a riot of curls, her lips red and kiss-swollen, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths.
“You think you can have all the fun, my lord?” she murmured, trailing her fingers over his collarbone, down the defined ridges of his chest.
Sebastian smirked, his hands sliding over the curve of her hips. “By all means, have your way with me.”
Harriet’s gaze darkened with intent. Slowly, she traced his muscles, her fingertips featherlight, mapping the expanse of him as if she had lost her sense of sight and he was a landscape to memorize. He shuddered as she skimmed his ribs, the faintest whisper of touch enough to set his skin alight.
Her touch turned bolder, nails scraping lightly as she followed the indents of his abdomen, then lower still, to where the muscles tensed beneath her slow, teasing exploration. She took her time, smiling coyly, and Sebastian found himself entirely at her mercy.
He had thought he was the one in command.
But it seemed Harriet had other ideas.
Sebastian’s breath came in shallow pulls as Harriet’s fingers trailed lower, teasing the taut muscles of his stomach. Her touch was light—infuriatingly so—each delicate brush of her fingertips sending hot shivers racing beneath his skin.
He was used to control. To leading. To coaxing desire from the women he had lain with, using knowing hands and lingering kisses. But this—this slow, torturous exploration—had him undone.
Harriet seemed to sense it, her lips curving with a naughty smile.
