Her lips were so hot, soft as silk as they moved sensually over his. He drew her close. The desperate need burning within threatened to consume him. Blood rushed to his cock, fast, furious, the throbbing ache growing in intensity until the desire to bury himself deep inside her became unbearable.
He had never needed her like he did at that moment.
The thought forced a groan from the depths of his throat, and he coaxed her plump flesh apart with his tongue to penetrate her mouth. Pure carnal lust ripped through him. His heart swelled until he feared it might burst from his chest.
“God, I have waited so long to taste you,” he panted as they broke to catch their breath. “I will die if I don’t have you.”
She stepped back out of his grasp. The loss of her warm body made him want to cry out in despair, the pain growing unbearable when she walked over to the door.
“I have waited a lifetime to feel your touch, too.” She turned the key in the lock. “And I can wait no longer.”
As she swung back around to face him, she wore her desire like her masquerade mask: with confidence, with pride. Her eyes sparkled like the dark jewels beneath the candlelight. Her aura held the same magnetic quality as it had done that night. Yet there was one intrinsic difference. As she came to stand before him, her lips were curved up into a bright smile.
Bloody hell.
He wanted to spend his whole life making her happy.
When he held out his hands, she hurried into his arms. They embraced for a few seconds, clung on to each other, their breathless pants evidence of what this moment meant to both of them.
“Know I will never desert you,” he whispered as he rained kisses along the elegant line of her jaw. “You will never be alone again.”
She closed her eyes, tilted her neck to one side to allow him easier access. “Tell me I am not dreaming. Tell me you’re really here, that I will not wake to find the last few days never existed.”
With trembling hands he cupped her face, revelled in the smoothness of her skin. “Trust me. It is a dream. One I have spent many restless nights imagining. But dreams do come true, Isabella.” He bent his head and traced the line of her lips with his tongue. “Does that not feel real?”
“Yes.” The word was but a whispered sigh.
He kissed her deeply, their tongues dancing slowly and elegantly at first, building in intensity until reaching a crescendo of wild thrusts, whimpers, and groans. Rampant hands grappled for some way to ease the flames roaring within.
“I have never stopped wanting you,” she said, pushing his coat from his shoulders until it fell to the floor. “I never expected to know your body again.”
He fiddled with his cravat, angled his head so he still had access to her mouth. His waistcoat joined the pile on the threadbare rug. But before he could drag his shirt off his back, delicate hands found their way beneath the fine lawn to caress the hard planes.
“Isabella.” Her name left his lips as he closed his eyes and let his head fall back. Every part of him responded to the touch of her hot hands. He gulped as they drifted down to the fall of his breeches.
“Tell me the truth,” she whispered, her voice rich, luxurious as she stroked the evidence of his arousal through the material. “Have you truly saved yourself all these years?”
Saved was not the word he would use. He had starved himself, and she was the only woman capable of satisfying his hunger. Indeed, he felt no shame for his lack of experience.
“It was always you.” His desire spiralled. “It was only ever you.”
She reacted instantly to his words, claiming his mouth as though she, too, was famished beyond measure.
“I am empty inside without you.” She broke contact to fiddle with the buttons on her dress, gestured for him to offer his assistance.
With his mind lost in a blissful blur he undressed her, stripped her bare, and almost expired from her blinding beauty. Every luscious curve was as he
remembered.
He dragged his shirt over his head with such vigour he feared he might tear the fine lawn. “I have a feeling this will be … will be a cumbersome affair.” He struggled to form coherent words. “God, I cannot wait a moment longer.”
He pulled her into his arms, captured her mouth, his tongue delving deep inside where it was warm and wet. The feel of her soft skin against his chest heightened his arousal. Her fingers found their way into the hair above his nape; the gentle tug made him swell and pulse with need.
“I need you now,” he muttered against her deliciously divine lips.
Her fingers travelled slowly down the front of his chest until she reached the band of his breeches. “Then we must do something about these,” she said with a smirk. “And do you intend to wear your boots? Will it not be a little uncomfortable?”
Damn it all. He felt like a boy fresh from the schoolroom. “I want you so badly I have lost all use of my faculties.”