Ethan rode out the climax with his mouth on her, gentling his pressure as she came down from the peak. He made one last pass with his tongue before crawling up her body, looking far too proud of himself. With twinkling eyes, he said, “My future wife swears when she comes.”
“Did I? Should I apologize?” Her body clenched with aftershocks as she lounged under him, happily limp and wrung out.
He kissed her, hard and swift, in answer. “Like a sailor. Never stop. Don’ doubt your instincts or responses in bed with me. No’ ever.”
She smiled, then purred when his teeth explored the slopes of her left breast. “My instincts demand you get naked. It’s been too long since I’ve tasted you.”
“That night in the library was forever ago. I’ve dreamed of you since. Wanted you every day.” Kneeling over her, he paused to let Lottie unbutton his breeches.
It was like unwrapping the best present in the world, with layers of clothing coming off his large frame. The edge of the bed dipped as he removed his boots and breeches.
The shifting lines of heavy muscles on his back and arms enthralled her. His body differed from hers in so many ways, and she ached to explore every glorious inch. With one hand, she pushed him to his back across the bed, then crawled atop him. Skin to skin, she spread her fingers over the ridges and planes, finding the spots that made his breath catch.
With sure hands, he settled her legs on either side of his hips. Pushing his hardness against her, he paused against her center. “You’re sure you wouldn’ rather wait till after the wedding?”
She reached for the bowl by the bed and handed him the French letter. “You’re Scottish. Who needs official ceremonies, anyway? Didn’t your country use to handfast? Now show me how this works.”
“We have been known tae play fast and loose with the formalities, but I had tae ask.” He made a noise deep in his throat when she stroked him. The silky-smooth hardness of his body was fascinating.
Her giggles began when he tied the ribbon around the base of his erection. Darling’s earlier teasing came to mind, and Lottie finally understood. Another short laugh escaped as a snort, and Lottie clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound.
Raising a brow, Ethan said sardonically, “It’s heartening that you aren’ intimidated by what we’re about tae do, lass.”
“How—” she gasped. “How could I be scared when your member is tied up like a little girl’s pigtails?” She leaned forward, burying her face in his chest, trying desperately to contain her giggles. An answering chuckle rumbled under her cheek.
“If you’re going tae laugh, at least humor me by calling it a cock and not my ‘member.’ We aren’ meeting for teatime, lass. ’Tis a cock.”
The body part under discussion remained hard and ready between them. Recovering from the absurdity of seeing a satin ribbon around it, she stroked him again and felt the arousal within her flare when she repeated the word. “I love your cock. It’s a beautiful cock.” Especially with its pretty blue ribbon, but she would not say that, for fear of collapsing with mirth again.
He’d liked it when she spoke during their previous encounters, and each time she said cock, his erection twitched against her. How novel. He wanted her to speak—apparently the less ladylike, the better.
With her hair over one shoulder, creating a dark curtain to separate them from the world, she slid her folds up his shaft. Her voice came out in rapid, breathy pants. “God, that feels good.” The silky slickness wasn’t a total mystery, but her body’s response to this man made her marvel. “I loved seeing you come apart when I had my mouth on you in the library.” Beneath her, Ethan drew one stiff peaked nipple into his mouth, moaning his encouragement. “Your thighs tense and shake right before you climax. Next time you come I want you inside me.”
He groaned like a man on the cusp of something epic. Yes, he liked it when she said whatever was on the tip of her tongue. Ethan’s fingers clenched her hips. There might be ten small marks on the curve of her hips tomorrow, and she’d be glad for the reminders of his strong hands. Those points of contact seared, guiding her against him in a rhythm her body desperately wanted to learn. Lottie whimpered, tugging his head closer, urging him to keep going. Forever, preferably.
“Lottie. Love, I need tae be in you,” he said. The plump head of him notched her opening. They both held their breath for a heartbeat.
Willing her body to relax around him, she sighed, “Yes. Please. Fill me.”
As she sank onto him, he choked out, “Fuck, you feel amazing.”
This was a new dance—a push and pulling slide of coming together over and over until the ropes of the bed creaked in time with their groans. Heat came off his body in waves, and Ethan’s hands moved over her once she caught the cadence of lovemaking. Finally, he anchored one fist in her hair, repeating her name like a prayer.
Drawing the mass of her hair aside, Ethan placed open, wet kisses along her neck and rolled them over. Lost to sensation, Lottie stopped thinking and simply felt. With their fingers intertwined, he pinned her hands overhead and trapped her in his gaze just as effectively. Sparks built, tingling up her inner thighs to the point where their bodies joined, then spiraling up her abdomen like embers caught in the wind.
There was no other way to explain it. Fireworks comparable to the show at Vauxhall exploded within her, stealing her breath.
“Stay with me, lass. Watch me while you come.”
Staring into his eyes was a new vulnerability, but she surrendered to the feeling. He’d brought her to the brink, and
