The Heir

He smiled an I thought you would never ask smile and pulled his shirt over his head, letting her watch. He arched an eyebrow, his hand going to the fall of his trousers, and Anna nodded, holding his gaze the whole time. With deliberate movements, he got out of his boots, stockings, and breeches, standing before her naked, aroused, and unselfconscious.

“Oh, dear…” Anna’s eyes went wide as she surveyed him. “You are very interested.”

He stalked toward her, his erection curving up against his taut belly. “While you are very overdressed. Clothes off, Anna. All of them.”

She nodded, knowing it would represent new territory for them. She had never been naked before him, not in the broad light of day.

“Lock the door,” she said, swallowing. His smile became feral as he complied with her command. He’d told her to strip for him; she deliberately used the imperative on him, as well.

“Quit dithering, love.” His tone was gentler, amused but only so patient. Slowly, Anna let the bodice of her dress fall forward then shoved it below her hips. She stepped out of the dress and stood in the middle of its billows, like Venus rising. While Westhaven watched from just a few feet away, she bent to undo her boots and stockings then let her chemise join the dress on the floor.

“Better,” he said, holding out a hand to her. “Much, much better.”

She took a step toward him then hesitated. He closed the remaining distance and caught her against him, letting her press her face to his throat.

“Shy?” he asked, amusement back in his voice.

“We are… very undressed,” Anna said as a blush rose up her chest and suffused her face. “This is new.”

The earl bent his head to kiss her, then slid his hand down to cup her derriere. Before she could react with even another blush, he lifted her and tossed her onto the middle of the bed.

“Stay right there, shyness be damned,” he said to her as she rose up to brace her elbows behind her. “You look adorably dazed, thoroughly kissed, and much in need of my company, as you, my dear, need to be relieved of a certain ignorance. Not your innocence, as no man can divest you of that, but your ignorance. I fault Mr. Seaton for not seeing to this.”

“My ignorance?” she said, watching him climb onto the bed. “Westhaven…”

“That’s talking, Anna,” he chided. “You are only to talk if it’s to tell me what pleases you.”

“It pleases me not at all,” she said sternly, “to be handled like a… oof!” He straddled her and gently pushed her onto her back. “What are you about?”

“Hush, sweetheart.” He nuzzled her neck, crouching over her. “It’s too hot for lecturing. We must conserve our strength.”

The bed, Anna realized, took some of the urgency from him. When he could loom over her this way, passively rest his erection against her stomach and know she wasn’t going to squirm away, he was easier to deal with. The pace of his kisses slowed, and the quiet of the house settled around them.

“Someday,” he said, grazing his nose down her sternum, “you will want it fast and almost rough. You’ll want me to shut up, and you won’t care if we tear our clothes or leave the door unlocked or make a racket.”

“Can you promise me such a day?” Anna arched her back, trying to get closer to him.

“I can promise you as many of those days as you want.” He flicked his tongue over her nipple and rested his cheek on the swell of her breast. “I can promise you nights when we get no sleep but rise with more energy than had we slept soundly. I can promise you long afternoons spent in sensual abandon, when we both have places we must be, things we must do, but we let them all go hang.” He turned his face and took her nipple into his mouth, and the pleasure he brought her was almost unbearable.

“Yes,” Anna breathed, not sure if she’d spoken aloud or simply felt the word in every part of her body. The earl drew more strongly on her and used his fingers to tease the other nipple. He paused and raised himself enough to meet her gaze.

“Take your time, Anna. We have hours if you want them, and my appetite for you is without limit.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” she said, letting her hands stroke through his hair. “Take my time?”

“Our time,” he said, closing his eyes. He bent his head to her breasts again and spent long minutes using his mouth to arouse and please her. Her breasts were wonderfully sensitive, and she unabashedly reveled in the nudity that allowed him unfettered access to them.

“Westhaven…” Anna arched restlessly some minutes later. “It’s too much.”

“It’s not enough,” he said, easing a hand down over her stomach. He kept his movements deliberate, as if reminding her tacitly they had all the time in the world. Slowly, he caressed her midriff, occasionally letting his fingers tease at her nipples or drift down to tease at the curls above her sex.

“You are losing flesh,” he said, leaning over to kiss her breast. “You will please stop this, as I require you to be sturdy.”

“I always drop some weight in the summer,” Anna said, realizing he was in a different mood entirely from when he tossed her onto the bed. “You are over your chicken pox.” She ran a hand over his abdomen, marveling at how perfectly his skin had healed.

“I had good care”—the earl smiled up at her—“and I’ve been conserving my strength.” His hand dipped lower, into her curls, and Anna felt her frustration spike. Well, turnabout was fair play, so she sent her own hand drifting down to explore his erection.

“How long can you stay like this?” She circled him with her fingers and sleeved his length.

“Many men are in a state of near perpetual arousal for much of their adolescence,” he said, closing his eyes. “Myself included. It got better at university, when I could actually do something besides pleasure myself several times a day. Hold me tighter, love. Like that.” He sighed, gave up, and rolled to his back.

Anna smiled, pleased with herself for getting the better of him. She pushed up and sat cross-legged at his hip then resumed her exploration.

“Are all men as well endowed as you?” she asked, her free hand slipping up to brush over his nipples.

“I am the most well-endowed man on earth,” he said, eyes still closed. “You are to be envied among all women; you’ll be bowlegged when we become lovers in fact.”

“Be serious,” she chided, tugging at him gently.

“Serious…” he breathed. “God, that feels good… It’s hard to say really who is well endowed and who isn’t, as one seldom sees another fellow aroused. We peek, certainly, but I’ve seen very few cocks other than my own ready to do the deed.”

“You’ve seen other men in this state?”

“Most men wake up in this state,” he informed her. “Slow down, sweetheart, or I won’t be able to maintain it much longer.” She slowed her hand, fractionally, but leaned over and swirled her tongue over his nipple.

“Anna.” His hand came up to cradle the back of her head and to contradict the warning in his tone.

“Hmm?” She began to suckle him, and he groaned, his hips moving to complement the stroke of her hand.

“I will get even.”

“Shall I stop?” She stilled her hand and brushed his hair back from his forehead. His eyes opened, and she was relieved to see humor in his expression.

“I’m going to use my mouth on you, Anna, and you will scream for me and forget your own name, so much will you like it.”

She frowned at that. He’d been very explicit about this threat before. Thinking about it had kept her awake more than one night.

She met his gaze soberly. “What if I want to use my mouth on you?”

“Come here.” He wrestled her down to his side, wrapped his arms around her, and tucked her close. “When you are with me like this, there is nothing you can ask of me, nothing you can want or do or think that will earn my censure. I would love to feel your mouth on my cock; I would love to take you in any position you can think of. If you wanted to tie me up, blindfold me, paint my cock blue, I would not deny you.”

“Why?”

“I trust you,” he said, and his words left her stunned.

“You shouldn’t,” she replied, her voice small. She felt the impact of her honesty go through him and wondered if she’d destroyed his regard for her in those two little words.