Romancing the Earl (31 page)

His eyes were pale in the moonlight, the lids hooded, giving him a brooding, almost predatory look. She was his prey. And she was eager to be. She shivered.

He came to the bed and she realized the first button of his fall was undone. That simple incongruity gave him an air of carelessness that she’d never seen before. He was a soldier, dutiful, honor-bound, absolutely scrupulous.

She scooted to the edge of the bed. Her head was on level with his hips. The evidence of his desire stood thick and rigid in his breeches. She’d touched Iscove’s, stroked it. Reveled in its softness and marveled at her power as she’d brought him to completion, his seed spilling over her hands. That he hadn’t been able to do the same for her had been frustrating, but she had no doubt that Elijah would.

Wetting her suddenly dry lips with her tongue, she reached out and caressed the bulge. He sucked in a breath. His hand stroked her jaw and he tipped her head up. The second her gaze connected with his and registered the stark lust in their depths, liquid heat gathered between her thighs. Her breasts felt heavy, full, eager for his touch.

She unbuttoned the remainder of his fall, her eyes never leaving his. The connection between them grew hotter, as if it lived and breathed. She slipped her hand inside his breeches and ran her fingers along his length, wishing his small clothes weren’t in her way.

“Cate, how in the hell do you know how to do that? No, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know who else you’ve touched like this.”

“It wasn’t like this.” It had been completely dark. Here, there was the moonlight and she could see him well enough to appreciate the muscles delineating his chest, the pale swath of hair that marched toward his groin. “This is much, much better.”

He groaned as she pushed his breeches down over his hips. He helped her strip them down his legs then kicked them off before clasping her hand. With a swift tug, he pulled her to stand before him. The top of her head came to just beneath his chin. She pressed a kiss to his collarbone, licked her tongue along his flesh.

He tangled his hand in the back of her hair and pulled her head back, tipping it to give him access to her mouth. Which he took ravenously. His kiss was hard and deep, his tongue sweeping into her with brutal, delicious strokes. He held her fast, plundering her while his other hand pushed her hips to his. His erection pressed into her belly and she longed to feel him flesh to flesh.

As if he read her mind, he let her go long enough to rip the chemise over her head. Cool night air soothed her heated flesh, but not in the way she wanted. She burned for something only Elijah could give her.

He turned them, switching their positions so that he was next to the bed. He sank down on the mattress and pulled her forward to stand between his thighs. Wordlessly, he ran his palms atop her collarbones and stroked them down over her breasts, just barely grazing her nipples. Already stiff, they pulled with want and she gasped with disappointment when he didn’t increase his touch. His hands traveled lower, skimming over her ribs and belly and then outward to her hips. He clasped her outer thighs and ran his fingers over her buttocks. Every touch, every caress ignited a new fire of need. Her legs went soft, but she didn’t buckle.

His hands came forward and brushed between her thighs, widening them slightly. His knuckles rubbed against her folds and her hips jerked. But he didn’t continue. She nearly groaned in frustration. Instead, his hands came back up and cupped her breasts, lifting both.

She’d closed her eyes as he’d conducted his scrutiny, but she opened them now and watched him. His gaze was locked on her breasts, his dark gold lashes fanning out over his eyes.

His thumbs flicked over her nipples, sending shocks of desire straight to her core. She swayed toward him, wondering how long she could continue to stand unaided. His fingers worked over her, tugging at her nipples, then caressing them with soft strokes. His palms massaged her. Again and again, he taunted each breast. The need built inside of her, gaining strength.

He curled one hand around her back and splayed his palm against her spine. His mouth came down on her breast, at once devouring and worshipping her with his lips and tongue. She moaned as she reached new heights of longing. He held her captive to his mouth—one hand on her back and one holding her breast as he feasted.

She closed her eyes and cast her head back. Everything she had was focused on what he was doing to her, the incredible sensations she’d never imagined. She thrust her fingers into his thick hair and clutched him to her, desperate that he never leave her.

He moved to her other breast, taking her into his mouth. He gentled, suckling her so softly, but then he drew his teeth over the nipple and heat flooded her core. She wanted him there, between her thighs. She parted her legs, almost without thinking, and pushed her hips forward, seeking.

The hand on her back moved lower, glided over her buttocks. His touch was light, taunting, then harder, his fingers digging into her backside as he clasped one side.

Keeping his mouth on her breast, he removed his grip and slipped his fingers between her legs. He went slowly, his fingertips grazing over her folds, just skimming against her flesh. It wasn’t nearly enough. She pushed forward again.

“My eager Cate,” he murmured against her. “Kiss me now.” He pulled his head from her and she bent to put her mouth on his.

He thrust his tongue up into her as his finger made a similar intrusion. She moaned into his mouth as his thumb worked her clitoris. She’d read that this should be a particularly sensitive spot and it was. He seemed to know precisely what he was doing as he used his thumb and finger to push her to the edge.

He kissed her deeply, commanding her with every stroke of his tongue, every nip of his teeth. He broke away from her and looked into her eyes. “Do as I say now. You trust me, don’t you?”

She nodded, unable to speak.

He pushed her back and brought his legs together. Then he pulled her forward once more so that she straddled him. He scooted back. “Kneel on the bed.”

That would open her thighs and reveal him to her in the most intimate way. For the first time, she faltered. Perhaps sensing her hesitation, he put one hand behind her right knee and gently pulled it forward.

She did trust him. And she couldn’t stop this. She didn’t want to.

She put her knees on either side of him and he leaned back. Cupping her backside, he moved her with him until she was directly over his face. Then he urged her down until his tongue licked at her folds. Sensation, new and devastating, slammed into her. With an aching moan, she clamped her eyes shut. Watching him do that was even more overwhelming. She didn’t know how much more she could stand.

He massaged her backside as he deepened his kiss. He lifted each side of her, creating sensations she never imagined. His lips and tongue did to her sex what they’d done to her mouth, exploring and tasting her with fierce precision. His hands came over her hips and settled against her thighs, widening her even farther. Then his thumbs were against her, assisting his mouth, opening her for greater access. His tongue speared deep into her and the tension building inside of her reached a dizzying height. She clutched at his head, as much to ground herself as to encourage him. Something was coming if he would just . . .

He slipped his finger into her again at the same moment his mouth closed over her clitoris and sucked hard. She pushed down against him, her muscles clenching as everything exploded. She completely lost control, her body convulsing in great, riotous waves. He didn’t let up. His finger stroked into her more quickly now and his lips and tongue continued their onslaught. She cried out over and over again, whimpering as shock after shock crested over her.

When the storm began to fade, he lifted her left leg over him and pressed her back against the mattress. She opened her eyes to see him rising over her.

“Oh my God.” That was all she could think to say. She was utterly robbed of speech, of coherent thought, of everything but bone-deep satisfaction.

He reached down and stripped his small clothes away and she suddenly realized they weren’t finished.
He
wasn’t finished. At least she didn’t think he was. She glanced down, saw his cock rising against his belly, and had her answer.

His mouth fell over her breast again, suckling her deep and reigniting her lust. How could she want him again so quickly? And how she wanted him. As if he hadn’t just pleasured her.

“Cate, are you still with me?”

She’d closed her eyes again, but opened them now to see him staring at her intently. His hands were braced on either side of her head and he knelt between her legs.

“Yes.” The sound of her own voice, dark and seductive, was foreign to her.

He kissed her again, not quite as deeply as the last time. He tasted different and when she realized why, she felt a moment’s shyness. No, this was an adventure she’d craved, and she wouldn’t balk. She reached up and curled her hand around the back of his neck, holding him as captive as he’d done her before. She speared her tongue into his mouth, kissing him with the stark urgency he’d shown her.

He responded in kind, pushing her into the bed with the pressure of his kiss. When she was dizzy again with desire, he lifted his head. “Widen your legs and bring your knees up.”

She did as he commanded, utterly enslaved by his attentions. He’d said this would be one night only and she had the sense he was giving her everything he had, that he was committed to making this a night she would remember for the rest of her life. That made her both sad and excited.

He reached between her legs then and touched her, his fingers soft at first like before and then opening her and gliding over her with expert strokes. He pressed on her clitoris and massaged. Her muscles coiled again as the tension rebuilt.

Then his cock was there, nudging against her opening. He went very slowly. Due to her athletic activities, there was no membrane to block his entry, but she still felt the intrusion as something new, something she was unused to. He spread her folds and slid inside, pushing himself until he couldn’t go any farther.

He didn’t move at first, as if he were giving her the chance to grow accustomed to his presence. She appreciated it because she loved this new feeling. He made her feel full and hungry at the same time. He withdrew slightly, then rocked forward again. She clutched his shoulder for an anchor, already sensing that what she’d felt before was about to be intensified a hundredfold.

She brought her legs up even more, which seemed to give him even greater access. He groaned just before taking her mouth in another searing kiss, and then he began to move. His strokes were long and slow at first, methodical in their penetration. It was exactly what she expected from a man like him—measured, controlled. But, oh so devastating.

He moved faster, piercing her with delicious thrusts. She started moving too, lifting her hips to meet him.

He broke the kiss and his breath came hard and fast as he quickened the pace even more. “Look at me, Cate.”

His gaze was intense, brutal even, as he drove into her. She stared up at him, entranced. Her body coiled tight as another orgasm thundered toward her. He slammed into her again and again, each time sending her inexorably closer to the limit. She closed her eyes as it broke over her. She cried out as she spasmed, unable to control her body and what he’d done to her.

And then he was gone.

“Elijah!” She reached for him, but he’d moved to the side of the bed and had his back to her.

He grunted. Then a long moan. She lightly touched his back, realizing what he must be doing. He’d said he knew how to prevent a pregnancy and she was grateful. Still, she couldn’t help but wish he could’ve finished as she had.

His back rose and fell with his breathing. She gave him a moment to collect himself.

“Does that feel the same?” she asked.

He turned and tossed his smallclothes onto the floor, having used them to clean up.

“Leaving me, I mean.”

He turned and settled his back against the wall, then drew the coverlet up to his waist. “No.”

Now she felt doubly sorry. “I appreciate you doing that. You mentioned multiple ways to prevent a child. Do you also use a condom?”

“You know what that is?” He shook his head. “I shouldn’t be surprised. You are the most educated female I know.”

She sat back against the small iron headboard of the bed and pulled the coverlet to her waist as well. Their legs were intertwined beneath and she was aware of his heat and the light hairs grazing her flesh. “I’ll hope you think that’s a good thing.”

His gaze was tinged with humor. “It’s certainly different. But yes, on you, it’s . . . attractive.” He sounded surprised by that realization, but she didn’t care. She was just glad he felt that way.

“So you do use condoms?”

“I have, yes. But I don’t have any with me, or I would have employed one.”

She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, heedless of her nakedness. “How does it feel?”

He arched a brow at her, probably disbelieving he was having this conversation. “Not as good as bare flesh. However, it’s better than having to remove myself.”

She winced. “Does it ruin it for you?”

“No, it just . . . dulls the intensity a bit.”