Page 35 of A Most Unsuitable Lover
“Mo leannan àlainn,” he gasped roughly. “You must stop.”
She did so instantly, removing her mouth and gazing up at him with wide, concerned eyes. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” he said with a shake of his head. His thumb stroked the curve of her cheek. “It feels far too good.”
“Oh.” Her eyes returned to his aching cock, so hard it was painful as it strained for release. And then, Juliette did the unthinkable, she leaned in and took him into her mouth once more, redoubling her efforts.
He cursed in English, Gaelic, Italian, and likely several other languages as he careened helplessly toward his orgasm. His vision blurred and his fingers knotted in her hair, holding her still as his thighs trembled and his cock throbbed in release, pouring into her his hot seed as waves of pleasure rolled through him like an unstoppable tide.
As the last tremors left his body, he dropped to his weakened knees and cupped her face in his large hands, pressing his forehead to hers. Their panting breaths mingled between them.
“Did I do well?” Juliette asked softly.
In response, Ian kissed her deeply, tasting the salty musk of his release on her tongue and savoring it.
Chapter Fifteen
Juliette’s hands were less than steady at supper that night. She couldn’t prevent her mind from replaying her encounter with Ian again and again. Seeing him so uninhibited, so wild was thrilling. Realizing she was able to have him at her mercy and bring him to his knees was overwhelming.
Her untried mind had never before pondered what it would be like to take a man in her mouth, but she hadn’t been able to resist when confronted with the impressive beauty of Ian’s arousal. Something deep and primal within her knew she had to have him inside her; she was driven to return the pleasure he’d given to her.
And she had loved it.
It was a foreign act, but one she would not mind repeating—not when Ian praised her and so obviously cherished her efforts.
She wondered if this was the bloom of love…this desire to step out of one’s usual life and comfortability for the sake of another’s joy…to derive one’s joy and pleasure from that of another. The feeling was at once humbling and thrilling. It made her want more. And it was what drove her to decide that she would give herself fully to Ian that night.
She had not come to this decision lightly, but she’d be lying if she claimed she hadn’t considered the possibility since they had first made their arrangement. How could a woman not wonder what it would be like to be forever ruined by a man such as him?
The very thought made Juliette’s throat tight and her palms sweat.
He’d given her so many tastes of pleasure, but they had only whetted her appetite. She wanted Ian to claim her utterly and completely. Irrevocably. She could live a century, her brother could decide to throw open the doors and allow her into a world of endless suitors, and Juliette knew she would never meet another man like him.
And she loved him.
Despite his words that melted her body and soul; despite his care and worship of her body; despite his undeniable ability to listen to her and go out of his way to show her he thought of her, Juliette was keenly aware that he likely did not feel the same. Ian was an honorable man who had compromised those morals for her. She might have felt guilty about it had she not known they’d both derived so much pleasure from their time together.
She was still determined to hold up her part of the bargain. She’d promised Ian that their arrangement would be only temporary. It might break her, but she was determined to keep her word…after she experienced what it was to be skin-to-skin with this amazing, beautiful Scotsman.
Juliette smoothed the pleated skirt of her ice-blue gown and adjusted the strings of pearls and dangling aquamarines at her throat. The neckline was one of the more daring ones she’d commissioned just that Season. Normally, she opted for more comfortable, serviceable styles since she was so rarely in situations where she would require the extra flare and attention. She was glad she’d listened to that little voice in the back of her head a few months prior, however, when her modiste had presented her with the fashion plate and Juliette had instantly listened to her gut and daring gown was now hers.
The color had been chosen to highlight the brightness of her eyes and stand in even more striking contrast to the rest of her coloring. She felt ethereal. She felt unexpectedly confident. Perfect for a seduction and one scandalous night of passion.
∞∞∞
“I adore the theater,” Miss Finchley said shyly after a sip of her wine. Ian had been seated between the young lady and her mother, much to the delight of the matchmaking Mrs. Finchley.
The poor girl had leaned over as soon as her mother was occupied by an inquiry presented by Lord Leighton to her left and apologized to Ian for her mother’s rather tactless behavior. He’d instantly assured her that no apologies were necessary; he was quite used to these efforts and was unfazed by them. The young lady was quite pretty when she smiled. She had a pleasantly plump face and dark eyes that lit from within when she smiled. She was also a very interesting conversationalist when one or both of her parents weren’t talking over her. He sincerely hoped she would find herself a good match so she could be free of her parents; Ian, however, could not be that man. He’d cast a glance up the table where Juliette sat beside her brother, looking resplendent in a gown as blue as a crisp spring sky.
For now, he would enjoy Miss Finchley’s company and give the girl an evening of pleasant conversation without subtext or hidden agenda.
“Have you seen any recent productions?” Ian asked her. “I fear my schedule does not permit me to attend the theater as much as I would like, but I do enjoy hearing about it.”
This proved to be quite the right topic of conversation for the normally reserved Miss Finchley. She instantly launched into a description of Drury Lane Theatre’s most recent dramatic interpretation ofRichard III.
“Edmund Keane is remarkable,” she breathed. “He has such a way of playing the despicable villain. He surely must be one of the most emotionally expressive actors of our time—aside from Garrett Frost, of course.”
“Frost?” Ian frowned as he sifted through his memory. “He is with The Mask & Lyre, is he not?”
