Bound by Bliss (27 page)

She turned to him now, her face quiet. “No, Stephan. I think now it is unimportant. I think we should think only of the present.” She reached out and placed a hand upon his shoulder, her fingers warm silk. “I have only this one night and there is so much that I still wish to learn, so much I still need to learn.”

They had so much more than one night, but he would not argue. He imagined that they had a lifetime of learning about each other. A lifetime meant he could learn her secrets later. He did not need to push when she was on the edge of vulnerability, at least not this time. Next time, he might not feel so generous. And he was sure there would be a next time. “And what do you still need to learn?” He had his own ideas, but was happy to indulge her as well.

“I want to watch you get hard.” Her eyes dropped to his sex.

It shifted and began to grow beneath her gaze. “That should not be difficult.”

“I see that. May I touch?”

“You do not need to ask. However, it would help things along if you’d remove a few items—or more—of clothing.”

Still staring at his cock, she nibbled on her lip in the manner that meant she was considering. He was learning that she bit her lips for many reasons and they were each distinct. Worry. Desire. Consideration. All caused her to chew and worry in a slightly different fashion.

“Can I touch you again first? I want to know what it is like at each different stage.”

She would. “I did say you did not need to ask, but I would suggest you keep it short—or you will feel all the stages at once. Normally I take some time to recover between bouts, but with you I feel near ready to go again.”

Again, she nibbled her lips and he could see the careful thought behind her eyes. With care she held out a single finger and—poked him. She actually poked him.

Chapter Eighteen

That was different. Bliss pressed the tip of her finger against the semi-hard cock and considered. How could flesh change so much? A few minutes ago he’d been hard as a steel bar and now…well, she couldn’t think of a description that Stephan wouldn’t find insulting, but he was definitely not steel. Maybe if she went with one of the softer metals. Would he object if she described his cock as pure gold?

The giggle bubbled up within her and she couldn’t hold it back.

Stephan’s lips firmed, but she could see the laughter hiding in his eyes. “I must tell you that it’s bad enough to poke a man in the jewels, but one should certainly never laugh about it afterward. It will quite shrivel him down a size or two.”

That was not helping. Another laugh bubbled from her lips. Gold and jewels, she could picture it now. “You do not look to be shrinking in size. If anything the opposite.”

“Well, it is true that I am not just any man.”

“Yes, I do believe you said something about being a saint, but I’ve never heard of a saint with such an attribute.”

He leaned his head back against the pillows and laughed. “No, I was not thinking of my sainthood at this moment. I was trying to understand how you are still wearing all of your clothing.”

She ran her finger over him again, so soft and yet she could feel the power and strength returning. “How does it work?”

“What?” There was no mistaking the confusion in his voice.

“What makes it get hard? I’ve never seen anything like it. Do you know of anything that changes in the same way? It is most strange.” She leaned forward and considered it with care. “It gets darker in color too. For a few moments there it was of normal skin tone, but it is becoming a deeper shade. And it is beginning to throb here on the underside. Is that normal?”

He laughed again, deep in his chest, the sprinkling of blond hairs dancing. “There truly is no woman like you, Bliss. I know there is a vein on the underside and yes, it does throb under the proper circumstance. I cannot quite say if it is normal as I have never had this discussion with another man or examined another prick. I only know what mine does, and it is normal for me. As for how it works, I’ve never thought about it. I just know that it does and that I am quite glad of that. I would suppose blood flow is involved—the vein, the throbbing and such, but I’ve never heard it explained. Perhaps a physician or surgeon would know, but I do not.”

“Blood makes sense I suppose. I was thinking it might be air. The only thing I can think of that is similar is blowing up a pig’s bladder or perhaps one of those great balloons that sometimes rise in the park. Or a frog’s throat. I think that happens sometimes when they croak in a way that is almost song.”

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” he said, pushing himself up to sitting. “I could not have imagined this conversation in a thousand years. And I am quite sure that it is not air. Next you will be asking if it becomes flatulent.”

“I will not.” Although, if she thought about it, it was a good question. Urine and male seed came out of it. Did anything else?

“Then stop looking at it like that. A moment ago I could not have imagined growing soft while sitting beside you in bed, but I must confess I am beginning to fear. Turn around and let me have at your laces so we can get that gown off you and move on to something besides discussing if my cock is filled with hot air. It is not and we will leave the conversation there. I have more pleasurable plans for this evening.”

She couldn’t really blame him. From what she knew of men they did not like to think of any part of them being filled with hot air and she knew they felt more strongly about their privates than any other parts, including their brains. At least, that was true of her brothers. She’d heard enough whispered conversations between her brothers and their friends to know that they did regard the things as most valuable and to be bragged of. Perhaps her earlier thoughts of gold had not been too far off.

“Stop it.”

“What?” She blinked over at him.

“I am beginning to think you are still nervous of undressing. I have seen your breasts. I have seen your sex. Are you really still embarrassed by the in-between bits?”

Was she? She supposed she was. “It somehow feels different when you put it all together. I can see that you like the pieces, but what if you don’t like the whole?”

“I will explain this once and then you will turn around and let me unlace you or I will turn you over my knee and make your ass even redder. No, don’t look at me like that’s a pleasant thought or you will force me to think of a different threat. I am a man. And being a man, I like all the parts separate and together. I cannot say that there are no exceptions, but as a whole men like women’s bodies and are not a quarter as picky as women themselves. I am not sure that I have ever seen a breast I did not like. Even when I don’t like the woman, I tend to react well to the breast. Now, that said, I believe that you may have the prettiest breasts and other bits that I have ever seen. You really are exquisite. The last thing that you need to worry about is whether I will find you attractive. I already do and unless you are suddenly to reveal that you have a cock of your own or fifteen breasts there is no possibility that I will not regard you as one of the best things I have ever seen or will ever see. And if I think about it, fifteen breasts might not be a deterrent.”

Oh. She considered his words. He found all women, or at least almost all women, attractive, and therefore he would find her so. She actually liked that, liked that he just liked women. And he found her exquisite. That certainly had the fires in her belly rising again. It would be quite lovely to have him look at all of her the way he looked at the pieces. Just the thought of the way he stared at her breasts in the pantry was enough to make her light-headed.

And she had seen just enough of his stare at her other parts to know that he’d found them equally desirable. And he’d seemed to find them only more so after he’d warmed them with his hand. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that last. In fact…

“Bliss.” Stephan said her name with great deliberation. “You are doing it again. Turn about and let me reach your back.”

Oh dear, she supposed she was. Taking off her dress didn’t seem as strange as it had when she’d first entered the room, but she had to admit that she was delaying. Working to relax her shoulders, she rolled on her side and presented him with her back.

The sweetest, softest kiss landed upon her back just below her neck. That was unexpected; she’d never expected that Stephan had the slightest edge of romance in him and now it was beginning to seep out in the most wonderful of places. She leaned back into his kiss, even as she felt his fingers at her laces, moving with far more efficiency than she wanted to think about.

“Who chooses your undergarments?” he asked, his lips nibbling at the loose curls on her neck.

“What?” She hated questioning his every word, but he kept jumping ahead of her thoughts. It was quite unfair considering how often he seemed to just read her mind.

“Your clothing is often awful, but from what I’ve seen of your chemises and corsets they are really quite lovely.”

They were going to discuss this now? “You think my clothing is awful?”

“You do seem to be somewhat lacking an understanding of what suits you.”

“I try to choose garments that are cheerful and happy. I want to help put people in a good mood.” And what was wrong with her clothing? The colors were bright and the styles current.

“I think the only person last night’s dress put in a good mood was Miss Swilp. I rather imagine she enjoyed seeing you looking like a bumblebee in that shade of yellow.”

“I did not look like a bumblebee. I didn’t have any black.” He clearly didn’t know what he was talking about.

“That lavender lace looked quite like black stripes from a distance.” Another kiss on the nape of her neck. “Lift your hips just a second. Did you know that you are easy to distract?” One last kiss and she found herself being pushed back into the cushions as Duldon turned her to face him.

“Why would you say that?” she repeated her previous question, although with very different emphasis.

“You didn’t even notice me pulling off your dress and undergarments.”

She glanced down. How had that happened? Instantly she became self-conscious, raising her hands to cover her suddenly bare breasts.

He caught her hand. “Don’t do that. Don’t I deserve to look after all of this? I did give you a chance to examine me.”

Speaking of which…“Oh, darnation. I wanted to watch your cock swell and now it’s hard again.”

“Bliss, I do not wish to spend the rest of this night laughing. I will request that you not poke my privates, make comments about them that imply that they are less than manly, and certainly do not wish me to shrivel.”

It was her turn to giggle. “I will do my best, but I try never to make promises I may not be able to keep.”

“Well, then lie back and let me gaze upon your beauty.”

“You are trying to make me laugh by saying such ridiculous things.”

“I would admit I am rapidly becoming rather fond of how your breasts shake when you giggle. Although I would never have believed that the first time I got you naked so much laughter would be involved.”

Her eyes darted down. Oh dear, they did shake. She’d never really watched what happened to them when she was naked. She wiggled her shoulders back and forth and watched the effect. About to ask if it was a good thing that her breasts tended to jiggle, she looked up and saw Stephan’s eyes. Yes, it was a good thing.

Pushing up on her elbows, she lifted her chest toward him, remembering the delicious sensations he’d wrought in the pantry. Even the thought of that night caused her nipples to tighten and peak. And Duldon liked that too.

Swallowing with some difficulty, she reached across and placed a hand upon his chest, feeling the small dark nub of a nipple. His flesh shivered at her touch. She lightly pinched the nipple between her fingers, wondering at how similar and different it was from her own.

As if mirroring her gesture Stephan reached out and placed his fingers about her rosy tip, rolling it gently back and forth. The ache shot down between her legs and filled her. Was it possible to orgasm twice in an evening? Her body was telling her it was very, very possible. Her back arched, lifting her breasts to his touch. Her head fell back and she closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation of being touched. A sudden pinch shot an arrow of need through her and her eyes opened and met his.

“I wouldn’t want you to fall asleep now that I finally have your attention, not to mention you naked in my bed. I’ve had a thousand fantasies about this and not one of them involved you falling asleep.”

“Then what were they about?” She could not deny how she felt knowing he’d been fantasizing about her.

—

Duldon paused and wondered what he could tell her. Despite her acquiescence to the spanking—and her apparent enjoyment of it—he wasn’t quite ready to offer to tie her to the bed. Now that he finally had her here he didn’t want to do anything that might send her running, but he also felt the need for honesty, the need to reveal a little bit more of himself to her. It was something he had never felt before. “How would you feel about being blindfolded?”

She closed her eyes briefly and he could see thoughts running through her mind. Did she consider how sensation and feeling surrounded her, how everything become magnified when she could not see?

She spoke after a moment. “I am not sure that I would mind, but why would you want to?”

Why would he want to? Why would he not? The picture of her lying there about the white sheets, dark silk over her eyes, was almost enough to undo him. “Is it enough if I say I like it? That I like the image of your eyes bound with silk, obeying my command, as I push you further into a world of pleasure than you can imagine?”

Based on the look she gave him, her imagination was becoming more and more vivid with every experience they shared. And then her face froze for a moment and he wondered what unpleasant thought had taken her. He could only hope it was not of them, of what they had done. She had already moved so far for one so innocent. He was still waiting for her to protest.