He tore his mouth from hers, snatched the wine bottle from her hand and took a large swig. And then he threw it to the ground and kissed her again. The rich wine mingled in their mouths, dripped down her chin. He licked every drop. He rained kisses along her jaw and throat until the fire inside became a raging inferno.
“Ride me, love,” he panted. “I need to be inside you.”
Breathless, and with eyes glazed with desire, she glanced at the blanket. “Tell me what to do. Show me how to please you.”
Damn. Did she not know that simply being with her brought him untold pleasure? Did she not know that everything about her—her smile, her witty comments, her caring nature—drew him like a magnet?
Love filled his heart.
The feeling burst through his body with such force it left him desperate for their union.
“I shall lean against the apple tree, and you can sit astride me.”
“Then hurry, Noah. What about our clothes?”
“We cannot undress here during the daylight.” They could visit the secret garden on a night when the moon was a waning crescent, strip naked and indulge their fantasies.
Noah moved to sit on the grass, the trunk of the small tree providing support. Eva watched, open-mouthed, as he unbuttoned his breeches and drew his cock free.
A pleasurable sigh breezed from her lips as she bunched her skirts to her thighs and came to sit astride him.
“Take me into your body, love.” Anticipation burned. “Claim me, Eva, as no one else can.”
Her nerves only heightened the experience. While he took himself in hand and acted as guide, she lowered herself down slowly, so damn slowly they must have heard his groan in the house.
“Oh,” she gasped as she sheathed him to the root.
God, she was divine.
While she sat looking enraptured by the feel of him, he reached up and pulled the pins from her hair. “Now you just need to find a rhythm.”
She shook the silk tendrils loose so they cascaded over her shoulders. “Hmm. There’s something thrilling about being in the garden.” She seemed happy, carefree.
He cupped her nape and drew her mouth to his. The need to convey the emotion brimming in his heart resulted in a passionate kiss, the tantalising strokes of their tongues like sustenance for the soul. But then the minx began moving, rising like a siren of the sea, sliding down on his cock to claim him as her captive.
He reached under her skirts, gripped her bare buttocks with both hands, helped her to ride him hard.
“Touch me, Noah,” she panted. “Ease this infernal ache.”
With a firm hold of her buttocks, he found the right angle, the pressure needed to stimulate her sex. Merciful Lord! She was so damn wet, so damn hot and greedy. The sudden thought that he couldn’t live without her bombarded his mind.
“When I visit The Compass Inn tonight, tell me you’ll wait here,” he said before he lost the last logical thread of thought. “Tell me you’ll wait. I need to know you’re safe.”
“I’ll wait,” she breathed, the canter becoming a frantic gallop.
“Can you feel every hard muscle between your sweat-soaked thighs, Eva?” His heart raced with thundering beats as she rode him closer to an idyllic paradise.
“Yes.”
He released her buttocks, wrapped his arms around her waist and closed his mouth over her erect nipple, sucking it through the muslin. She came almost instantly, convulsing around him, milking him so hard he feared he wouldn’t withdraw in time. It was utter madness, but he’d never felt more alive, never happier, never so free.
Indeed, he withdrew with seconds to spare, pumping his seed over her inner thigh. And while they caught their breath, and he fumbled in his coat pocket for a handkerchief, he knew, beyond a shadow of doubt, he was going to marry Eva Dunn. He was going to love this woman until the end of his days.
Chapter 17
The Compass Inn on Rosemary Lane was home to those who made a living from dishonest pursuits. Light-fingered boys who received their education on the prison hulk in Woolwich were adopted into nurseries of crime. They grew up to be equally immoral creatures who preyed on the weak, and so the perpetual cycle continued.
Few gentlemen ventured to this part of town at night. One could not walk a few feet without being accosted by vagrants begging for alms, or impoverished children scavenging for scraps. The filthy streets teemed with drunks and fraudsters and half-naked whores canny enough to steal a man’s purse while pumping his cock.
It was one of the reasons Noah worked for Lucius Daventry. Giving a boy a penny today would not help fill his belly tomorrow. But the master of the Order had opened numerous schools to educate orphaned children, to at least give them hope of a brighter future.
Noah had instructed McGuffey to park the carriage near Tower Hill, a five-minute walk from the tavern, less if a man had to take to his heels and run.
“So, you plan to bribe the Turners?” Cole said, gripping the black walking cane that sheathed a swordstick.
“I plan to offer an inducement that might lead to information, yes,” Noah said as they navigated the crowded street that resembled a vestibule of hell.
“You’re going to pay Howard Dunn’s debt,” Cole stated with some disapproval.
What else was Noah supposed to do?
If by some miracle Howard Dunn was alive, his debts were so great he’d spend time in the Marshalsea. And despite Eva’s protestations, he feared the fool would take advantage of her compassionate nature.
“I’ve information that might negate some of the debt,” Noah said before pausing to tell a scantily clad bawd he had no interest in her wares. “But the need to bring an end to Eva’s troubles is my only motivation.”
Cole shook his head at the large-breasted woman, too. “Did I not warn you she would
