It was all he could do not to carry her off to bed. His heart was roaring in his chest, and as her tongue met his, he grew rock hard. The more she kissed him, the more he started losing control. He needed a moment to gain command of himself, and he pulled back.
‘May I undress you?’ he asked softly.
She nodded, her eyes wide in the firelight. He helped her to stand and then slid her wrapper from her shoulders. Her nightdress was of the finest linen, and he could see the curve of her breasts beneath it. He led her to the bed and bade her to sit down. Then he knelt before her, as if to worship.
‘Do you want me to remove your gown, or would you like to take it off?’ He wanted her to have the choice, to feel as if she held power over him.
‘I want you to do it,’ she breathed.
Dalton reached for the buttons, unfastening them one by one. He savoured the moment, revealing her bare flesh slowly. Then he reached for the hem of her gown and eased it higher. She stood from the bed, and as he lifted it, his palms caressed her thighs and hips. She closed her eyes at the contact, but it did not seem that she was afraid. His hands lingered upon her waist, and then when he removed the nightdress, he revealed her naked body. Her skin was golden in the firelight, and he caught his breath. Her breasts were slightly larger than his hands, and her waist dipped in before it curved back to her hips.
‘You are beautiful, Regina. I could stand and look at you for the rest of my life.’ He took her hands, drinking in the sight of her. Then he brought her hands to his shirt buttons and waited.
She seemed shy, but slowly, she unfastened the three buttons before lifting his shirt over his head. Her gaze fixed upon his chest, and he brought her hands to his heart. ‘You can touch me if you want to.’
Tentatively, her fingers moved over his chest, and she traced the outline of his pectoral muscle. ‘Your skin is so warm.’
He inhaled at her touch and guided her hands to his trousers. ‘Undress me, Regina.’
She appeared hesitant again, but he waited for her to unfasten the buttons. Her fingers brushed against his hard length, and he bit back a groan.
Regina stopped instantly. ‘Did I hurt you?’
‘No. It’s just that I want you so badly. I need your touch.’
She waited a moment and then removed his trousers, followed by his small clothes. Now that he was naked, he sensed her fears rising. ‘It’s all right, Regina. If you need me to stop at any time, I will.’
She nodded but brought her hands back to his chest. It seemed that she was uncertain about what to do, so he reassured her. ‘Touch me any way you want to.’
‘I don’t know what you like,’ she admitted.
‘I like your hands upon me in any way that pleases you.’
While she touched his chest, he ran his fingertip along the curve of her breast, circling slowly until he reached the puckered nipple. ‘You seem a little cold.’ He teased the tip, and she jolted.
‘They do call me the Lady of Ice,’ she murmured.
‘Then I’ll have to set you on fire.’ He took her nipple into his mouth, swirling his tongue until she gripped his shoulders and arched back. His hands moved down to cup her bottom, and he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down. Then he moved on his side, drawing her leg over his hip.
‘Do you still want this?’
Regina could scarcely breathe. But she wanted this night with Dalton, to drive away her demons and to give him something of herself.
‘Yes,’ she whispered. Her voice was trembling, and her fears seemed to double.
But instead, he drew her hand to his manhood. In turn, he rested his fingertips against her intimate curls. ‘Then touch me. And I will do the same to you.’
‘I thought—’ Her words broke off when his thumb began to caress her. He seemed to know her secret places, and he knew just how to invoke pleasure.
‘You thought what?’ Again, he circled slowly, and a spiral of white-hot need gathered between her legs. She was rising to him, pressing back as he stroked.
‘I thought you would be inside me now.’
He laughed softly, and his voice was dark, filled with promise. ‘Later, darling. For now, I want to warm you until your body craves mine.’
He slid two fingers inside her, and she was shocked at how easily her body accepted him. He kissed her breast, suckling gently as he moved his hand in rhythm. She hardly recognised the noise that came from her mouth when he found the sweet spot inside her. Her body welcomed his touch, and she touched his velvet shaft as he stroked her. They moved together, and as he invaded and withdrew, she moved her hand upon his hard length. She was startled when a bead of fluid emerged from the tip of him, and she caressed it with her thumb.
Dalton growled and caught her hand. ‘If you keep doing that, our night together will be entirely too short.’ Then he pulled her hips to the edge of the bed and knelt down.
‘I want to taste you, Regina,’ he said, kissing her inner thigh. She nearly bolted upright when he parted her curls and licked her intimately. Dear God, his tongue. He explored her sensitive flesh, dipping softly against her wetness. Her hands dug into the coverlet, and she keened a sobbing cry when he began to stroke her nodule with his tongue. It was gentle, and yet, the pressure made her clench
