‘I don’t know how,’ she apologised.
With that, he held her hand again, guiding it in slow circles. Her fingertips brushed against a nodule of flesh that brought a spear of pleasure deep inside. ‘Like this,’ he said. ‘I’m going to touch your breasts, but I want you to touch yourself wherever you want. If it feels good to you, do it more.’
He eased her thighs apart and guided her hand to the wetness between her legs. Then he lay on his side so she could no longer feel the ridge of his erection. Instead, he kissed one breast while he fingered the second. He laved at her nipple in a slow, deep rhythm, and she decided to mimic it.
Never before had she touched herself. Mallencourt’s groping had made her feel dirty, and she hadn’t wanted to. But with Dalton, she understood that this was about reclaiming her own power. She experimented with one fingertip, circling the hooded nodule. It felt even better when she moved it back and forth, and an almost savage wave of arousal flooded over her. She inhaled sharply, biting back a moan.
‘That’s it,’ Dalton encouraged her. He switched to kiss the opposite breast, and his thumb rubbed her first nipple. She felt the wetness coating her fingers, and she felt the core of her body reaching and straining for more.
‘I don’t know—I can’t—’ Words failed her, for she didn’t understand what was happening.
‘Don’t speak,’ he said. ‘Just keep touching yourself. Know that I want you to experience only pleasure. Keep going, Regina. I need to see you come apart for me.’
She had no idea what he meant by that, but he put his hand atop hers. ‘It’s all right.’
He guided her fingertips to her opening, and she gasped at the sensation as she continued to explore herself. She wasn’t certain what to do, but Dalton encouraged her. ‘Put your finger inside yourself. Then move it in and out.’
She slid her middle finger into her opening, and the unexpected pleasure brought tears to her eyes. He rested the heel of his palm against her hooded flesh, and the gentle pressure felt so good, she could hardly bear it. With every stroke, she felt herself rising. Reclaiming herself.
Her breathing came in gasps, and she quickened her pace. Dalton answered it by teasing her sensitive nodule with his thumb while he stroked her nipple with his tongue.
‘Put another finger inside,’ he ordered.
She did, and her body ached at the sweet torment of the thick pressure. The sensations came together, and when Dalton caressed her, she sobbed as a tremor took her. She was afraid of what was happening, and she stopped moving her fingers, keeping them buried inside.
It didn’t matter. The feeling of his tongue and the sweet sensation of his fingers forced her over the edge. An almost violent wave of pleasure claimed her, a shimmering release that spread from between her legs down to her toes and up through her breasts. She arched her back, and Dalton rewarded her by suckling harder. She couldn’t stop herself from shaking, and he captured her mouth then, kissing her hard as she came apart in his arms.
It was shattering to feel such pleasure, and she rode the crest of the wave until her body convulsed. She could not help but cling to him, not even caring that she could feel his hard body against hers.
He would never hurt her. And tears spilled from her eyes when she realised that it might truly be possible to enjoy a real marriage with this man.
Travis Sidney stared at the note unfolded before him. He had been working on behalf of Lord Camford for weeks now, tracking down the identity of Lady Regina’s blackmailer. But now, new evidence had surfaced. He let out a sigh and pushed the paper aside.
‘This complicates matters,’ he told the magistrate. ‘It seems that a great deal was covered up in the death of Mallencourt.’
‘The law must prevail above all,’ the magistrate replied. ‘It is not for us to decide when to follow it.’
Travis knew that, and yet, he had to consider the anonymous blackmailer who had written to him. She claimed she had been there on the night Mallencourt had died. Her testimony upended everything he had been hired to do.
This was no longer a case of blackmail, but instead, a case of manslaughter. Namely, that of Baron Mallencourt, five years ago. Lord Mallencourt’s family had mistakenly believed that he had drowned in the Thames after a night of drinking.
But now, this blackmailer claimed that Mallencourt’s body had been deposited in the Thomas after he was already dead.
Travis didn’t know what he should do now. Yet, the magistrate was right. Above all else, justice should be served. ‘I’ll leave now,’ he told the magistrate. ‘Camford needs to know about this.’
But he knew the viscount wouldn’t like it at all. Not with the new threat it posed.
‘My lord, Gabriel MacKinnon is here to see you. And he has...someone with him.’ The butler appeared uneasy by the announcement, but Dalton rose from his desk and followed MacLachor. As they entered the hallway, he saw his wife returning from the garden with a basket filled with roses. Regina smiled warmly at him, and the sight of her brought an aching joy within him. Last night had given him hope that there could be so much more between them.
‘Just a moment,’ he told the butler. He crossed the hallway and stole a kiss from his wife. Her cheeks blushed, but she did not look displeased.
‘I thought the house could use some flowers.’
‘I agree.’ He imagined laying her atop a bed of rose petals, the scent mingling with her skin.
MacLachor cleared his throat. ‘My lord, this is a matter of some urgency. If you’ll just follow me.’
‘What is it?’ Regina asked.
‘Gabriel is here,’ Dalton answered. ‘With a guest, I’m told. You may come with
