“Nine.” The divot at the base of her throat called to him, and he explored it thoroughly, delighted by the little whimpers she made.
“You’re driving me mad,” she murmured, making him grin.
“Oh, I know,” he said, nibbling on her neck. “And I’m thoroughly enjoying it.”
He couldn’t resist kissing her lips once more, exploring her reactions as their tongues entwined. As they kissed, she ran her fingers through his hair with one hand and pulled him flush against her with the other. How he longed to lose himself in her embrace! But it was too soon. He could bide his time a little while more, knowing he could take her properly as soon as they escaped this mess.
Pulling back, he tugged on her lower lip with his teeth, then soothed it with his tongue. “Ten. Have I told you how much I love the way you taste? Like mint and fresh herbs… I want to savor you for hours on end.”
He kissed her again just because he could, and they rocked together in a slow rhythm sending shivers of desire down his spine despite the aching throb of his foot. If he didn’t pull back, he was going to give in to his need. Holding her close like this was too much. Just a little bit of cloth separated him from total bliss. So he turned on his side and kissed his way down her neck.
“Eleven.” He traced her neckline with the tip of his tongue, raising goosebumps on her decolletage. But it wasn’t enough. He needed more, and so did she from the way she arched beneath him. He wanted to treasure every inch of new flesh exposed to him. Every gasp and sigh was worth more than gold and jewels as he drew them forth.
With fumbling fingers, he loosened her laces as he continued his slow, relentless stroking between her legs, reveling in her reactions. He loved the way she trembled with each touch, squirming beneath him. Soon he freed her breasts, nudgingthem above the neckline of her dress. God in heaven, what a sight! Somehow, she was even lovelier than he’d imagined, and Lord knew he’d imagined it in great detail.
“I am speechless, my lady. Your beauty robs me of words.”
She grinned and preened. “Is this all it takes? I should have tried it sooner.”
“Siren.” For truly, she was a temptress sent to destroy his resolve.
“Beware, lest I drag you down to the depths with me.” She dragged her nails lightly down his back, and he gasped. Tendrils of sensation spread far beyond the light scratching on his back. He found himself panting, unable to draw a full breath as he struggled to keep his head.
“If this is my reward,” he murmured, “I’ll follow you to my doom and be glad of it.”
Needing to distract her, and himself, he drew a taut nipple into his mouth, licking and sucking, as she pressed into his hand beneath her skirts. As she started to moan, he was forced to put a hand over her mouth. Grazing her nipple lightly with his teeth, he pulled back and looked at her glorious dishevelment. “Twelve.”
“More,” she whimpered against his hand.
Yes, Isabella. That’s what I want to hear. Beg for my tongue against your silken flesh.
“Are you so eager for punishment? I shall have to lash you harder.” He drew her other nipple into his mouth and sucked hard, flicking it with his tongue in fast, repeated strokes. At the same moment, he pressed a finger inside her as he continued to stimulate her bud. She convulsed, the telltale pulsation within her building and building.
His own need was almost intolerable. Watching her bliss only made him hunger for her all the more. Her pleasure became his sole purpose in life. There was nothing he desired more thanto see her tremble and shake beneath his hand. Or his tongue. She had no idea what he had in store for her.
Just as she was about to reach her peak, he pulled away, leaving her wild-eyed and desperate. “I believe we’re up to twenty-three. Do you surrender, my lady? Are you ready to confess your secrets?”
“Wha—?”
Good. Speechless. That was right where he wanted her. Granted, he wasn’t in much better of a state. All he could think about was what it would be like to unlace himself and slide inside of her. The spicy scent of her arousal was playing havoc with his willpower. But he wouldn’t. Not tonight. Not until she was ready for a true wedding night. He would have to wait until they were safely away from Yarmouth to make love to her as she deserved. He refused to make her his while still on Lord James’s land.
Ignoring the painful throbbing of his cock as it strained against his braies, he sat up on his knees, gingerly to avoid further pain in his injured foot, and took a deep breath. The picture before him was almost more than he could endure. Her legs bracketed him, and her skirt was rucked up to her waist, revealing her lovely sex. Her breasts heaved with her panting as she tried to press herself against his leg, seeking friction to finish what he had started. The sight made him ache with mixed need and wonder. This woman was his wife. How had he ever gotten so fortunate?
“Put the pillow over your mouth,” he whispered. “What I’m about to do will make you cry out, and I don’t want to wake the guard. I promised to lash you where you were the most sensitive, and now it’s time to take your punishment.”
She smiled and obeyed, and he positioned himself between her legs, nibbling and licking his way up her thigh until she was sobbing into the pillow.
He blew on her sex, and her whole body shook in response. “I believe we’re up to thirty-three now. Just seven more lashes to go, my love. Are you ready?”
He brushed her bud with his thumb as he eased a finger back inside her.
Clutching the pillow to her face, she let out a long, low moan as she arched and squirmed. That was all the answer he needed.
“Good. Very good.”
With no further ado, he sucked her bud into his mouth, and the glorious salty tang of her burst upon him. Unable to help himself, he squeezed himself beneath his braies. It was too much to take.
She yelped into the pillow as her legs clamped around him, and he sucked harder. He could feel the pulsation building within her once again as he gently thrust his finger in and out, curving it just a bit when it was fully seated to intensify the sensation for her. Her reaction was the most perfect thing he’d ever experienced. She was the wild and untamed creature that he had suspected lived beneath her skin from their very first meeting. All that fire, all that passion was at his command, and he was humbled to bear witness to it.
