Tentatively, her mouth opened to him and the kiss deepened. Whatever timidity he’d felt melted away and he sought deeper into her mouth, his tongue teasing hers.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, she couldn’t believe she was kissing Julius Hennington, the man who’d been so disapproving of her when she’d first met him. And here they were, striving to get closer, partially for the reason that he wasn’t any longer the cocky and arrogant younger man he’d been.
Her eyes swam shut as the kiss broke and he kissed along her jaw and down her neck. Whatever he had or hadn’t done in his life, he was a very good kisser. He seemed to know where to linger and how to deepen the sensation, as if it just came naturally to him.
His heart beat under her hand on his chest and his eyes were glassy. Oh, if she could paint him like this too. But he didn’t give her a chance to just admire him because he claimed her lips again. The urgency to feel was deeper, as if the icy shell had cracked and his need flowed out into her. Holding her closer, he kissed her deeply.
With her fingers, she started undoing the buttons of her dress, but he put his hand over hers. “If you continue, I won’t be able to stop,” he said.
“I don’t intend for you to.”
Slowly, he loosened his hand and she continued undoing the buttons down the front of her dress. He kissed the crook where her neck became her shoulder and she could feel the stroking touch of the material of her dress over her hard nipples as she shifted it off her shoulders. His warm hand sought the softness of her breast and she exhaled deeply with the touch as his lips continued to stroke along her neck. This all felt so wonderful. Heat melted her from the inside. She wanted him inside her.
Drawing his jacket over his shoulders, she helped him get it off, then the waistcoat, leaving the stiff cotton shirt underneath. Did everything have to be stiff with him? His skin was soft, however. Smooth and soft, and warm. Her fingers splayed as she stroked along the planes of his chest.
His lips sought hers again and all thoughts fled out of her mind, replaced entirely with sensation. They fit so perfectly together. His arms around her, they shifted until she was beneath him on the bench. Luckily, it was padded and covered with red velvet.
As the kiss broke, his lips explored down her body, claiming one of her nipples. The sharp sensation made her gasp. For a moment, she watched him, noting how alive he seemed like this, utterly absorbed in what he was doing. He was well and truly caught up in this now, teasing her mercilessly as he shifted from one nipple to the other, exploring her skin and her curves.
But the heat inside her was so fierce now, she didn’t want teasing—she wanted to feel him inside her, to explore this urgent tension. She wanted to move ahead, to discover everything they could be like this. With shaking hands, she undid her dress as much as she could and pulled the string on her drawers.
“The fact that you don’t wear a corset has driven me to distraction,” he mumbled, still caught up with teasing her.
Had it? She hadn’t been aware he’d noticed, much less been distracted by it. Alright, maybe that wasn’t entirely true, as she’d noticed his attention when he didn’t think she saw him.
Her drawers were a little tricky to remove, but she managed, and then she was utterly naked. It took him a moment to notice, but when he did, his eyes lingered on her body before looking up into her eyes.
“Oops,” she said and bit her lip. He certainly noticed that, because his eyes were firmly on her lips. Something seemed to release from him as he exhaled. It was as if a tension melted away. Shifting closer, he leaned on his elbows and kissed her again.
“I think you might be the most terrible and awe-inspiring person I’ve ever met,” he said. His breath was hot on her lips as he spoke. “I...” he started, but she felt his hardness press to her entrance. Sensation seemed to distract both of them. It at least stole their breaths.
It was his turn to undress, and he balanced precariously as he did, for her to then be rewarded with the feel of him at her entrance, and the wonder of him pressing into her. It was indescribable pleasure. The fullness of him coming inside her. The heat and the friction, and the encompassing feeling of wellness. It felt as if everything was right in the world. It strangely felt a little like coming home, as if this was where she was supposed to be. A strange notion she couldn’t entirely explain, but it was glorious.
A deep groan rumbled through his chest. Every part of him was tense as he held them in a moment of quiet, completely joined with him fully inside her. He watched her for a moment, but through a glassy distance as he moved, drawing out of her and pushing in again. The edges of her consciousness threatened to unravel each time he did, the tension in her building with each. Her legs drew him to her, her hands on his hips doing the same.
Again his lips sought hers, but there was a stillness now, a desire to just be together as they navigated the pleasure building between them. She couldn’t keep still through the intensity of it, and before long, sharp and powerful pulses of sheer pleasure surged through her, so she had to pull away from the still togetherness by the
