“Be assured, I’m compelled to work hard this evening.”
“Then we should not delay.”
She captured his hand and pulled him towards the door. An excitable energy vibrated between their palms. Anticipation had his heart pounding, his cock throbbing.
Once inside her bedchamber, she released his hand.
“Close the door, Noah.” She kicked off her slippers and placed them carefully in a box on her dressing table, along with the dainty diamond earrings she clutched in her hand.
He closed the door. The click of the key in the lock was like sweet music to his raging lust—the introduction to this intriguing sonata.
“Is it bright enough for you to make your observations?” she said, unstoppering the bottle of rosewater on the side table and dabbing the scent on her wrists.
A single lamp cast the room in a soft golden glow. Her porcelain skin would look pearlescent beneath the seductive lighting.
“I intend to study the evidence closely.” He could barely keep his breathing even. “One lamp is sufficient.”
She touched her fingers to her neck, moistening her lips as she stroked absently back and forth. “I expect you’ll need me out of this gown, though I have no wish to disturb Kathleen. I usually bathe before bed, though it’s too late to lug buckets.”
He crossed the room and closed the gap between them. “Then allow me to play lady’s maid. Allow me to remove your clothes and draw damp linen over every inch of your skin.”
She smiled, though he sensed her nerves. “Is that before or after you make a study of my bare thigh?”
It occurred to him that he should be mindful of her situation. “Eva, you understand what will happen if I do any of those things? You understand how events will naturally unfold?”
“Yes,” she panted, lust clearly holding her body in its tight grip, too. “We will make love, Mr Ashwood, though I ask that you do not raise your expectations. Inexperience hinders one’s pleasure, I’m told.”
Was that another tale she’d heard from her godfather?
He smiled. “I am already satisfied beyond measure, and we’re still fully clothed. But yes, we will make love, Eva. I imagine it will be wild and deeply passionate, though you may stop proceedings at any time. You need only say the word.”
Her bright blue gaze dropped to his mouth. “Then while I still have command of my senses, let me say that I have never wanted a man the way I want you.”
The knowledge sent a rush of blood to his heart, despite having little to spare. “And I have never wanted anything as much as I want you.”
She seemed pleased. “Perhaps you should kiss me.”
“We are equals in this bedchamber, madam,” he teased. “Perhaps you should kiss me.” When she hesitated, he added, “Embrace the woman who indulges her pleasures. Know that I am entirely at your disposal.”
With sudden confidence, she touched her palms to his chest, smoothed her hands over every taut muscle as she pushed his coat off his shoulders. “I would like to undress you, sir. Will you indulge me that?”
Damn right, he would!
“Noah,” he reminded her, shrugging out of the garment and throwing it to the floor. “Kiss me first, and then you may tear these clothes off my back.”
The first tentative brush of her lips fed the flames that had been simmering since he entered Newberry’s ballroom and caught sight of her through the crowd. The sweet taste of her, the unique taste that had him in a delightful quandary, rippled through his body in penetrating notes and musical waves.
If this was a sonata, the teasing sweep of their tongues was the exposition. Desire laid bare. Raw. Exposed. Their need to explore this profound connection being the main theme of the composition.
It came as no surprise that the first movement progressed quickly. The soft, temperate caresses exploded into a frantic rhythm, a need to delve deep into each other’s mouths, to taste, to drink, to feast. Breathless pants filled the air. Groans of pleasure rang through the room—the tempo stimulating and highly erotic.
Eva tried to unbutton his waistcoat while still devouring his mouth. His lips were anchored firmly to hers as he tugged her skirts up to her waist, stroked her bare thigh, grasped her bottom.
He should slow things down, but he tore his mouth from hers, swung her around and tugged at the row of tiny red buttons. Impatience made him clumsy. One button tumbled to the floor and went skittering across the rug.
“I shall pay for any repairs.”
Eva pulled at the neckline. “Just get me out of this dress, Noah.”