His hands closed around her head, she could feel him fighting the urge to move against her mouth. ‘You shouldn’t.’
‘You don’t like it?’ She looked up.
‘I shouldn’t ask it of you,’ he ground out.
&n
bsp; ‘But you aren’t asking and I want to.’ And when she bent her head and began to lick he stood there and let her.
Smooth and hot and hard and musky with the scent of man, of her lover. Of Will. Impatient, Verity pushed at his breeches, pulled them down over his narrow hips, closed her hands over his taut buttocks and took him into her mouth.
It lasted one dizzying moment of discovery, then he pulled her to her feet, kicking his breeches away. ‘I can’t... Too good... Not this time. Verity.’
She sank into the feather mattress under his weight, his mouth sealing in her whimpers of need as he caressed her, palms skimming over peaking nipples, down over her belly, down to push her legs gently apart and tease his way between the folds that were wet for him already.
‘Let me,’ he murmured, lifting on one elbow as his fingers continued to work wicked magic. ‘I won’t hurt you, tell me if you want me to stop.’
‘You won’t. I won’t.’ The words were wrenched out of her as he slid two fingers into her and her whole body convulsed into pleasure. ‘Will.’
‘Yes, my love,’ he said, and shifted over her. ‘I’m here.’
And he was, filling her, possessing her. He was true to his word, it didn’t hurt, not like it had with Thomas, but it was overwhelming, even so. But she trusted him and her body wanted him and adjusted and welcomed him in. She rose up to meet him, dug her fingers into his back and wrapped her legs around his waist and cried out her encouragement, urging him on when he would have held back, learning to move so he gasped out his own pleasure with each thrust and she lost herself, not sure where she stopped and Will began.
She opened her eyes and found his were intent on her, every line of his face taut and racked as though in pain. ‘Yes,’ she said and the world unravelled as he shouted her name and shuddered in her arms and the world swirled around her.
* * *
‘How long can we stay here?’ Verity asked after they had made love twice and were lying in a tangle of limbs.
‘Like this?’ Will heaved himself up on one elbow and began to toy with her left nipple, making her squeak. ‘About another ten minutes, then we will feel sweaty and sticky and I will light the fire so you have hot water to wash. Then we will eat something and come back to bed.’
‘That is not what I meant.’ Verity pushed his hand away, rolled over and began to play with the hair on his chest in revenge. ‘Here, on our island.’
‘For two days. Then the food will run out and I’ll hoist the flag on our new flagpole to summon the rowing boat.’
‘Can we come back whenever we want?’
‘Of course. Why?’
‘Because I intend to be a very respectable, dignified, dutiful duchess. But I want to be able to escape with you to be an absolutely disgraceful one on a regular basis.’
‘That sounds an excellent scheme.’ Will sounded as though he rather doubted her ability to be dignified and dutiful for very long at a time and had no objections to that. ‘I think I will love both my duchesses equally, but so far you haven’t been absolutely disgraceful.’
‘Have you any suggestions, Your Grace?’
‘I have.’ Will stood up, pulled her to her feet and led her outside.
‘My love, we have no clothes on.’
‘Darling, I cannot see as much as a sparrow to be scandalised. I think we shall have to go and shock some trout.’ He scooped her up and marched purposefully towards the beach.
‘Will? Will! Don’t you dare! Will—’
The splash as they hit the lake was loud, the cold shocking, the feel of the water on her bare skin, delicious. ‘You beast,’ Verity said as she surfaced, splashing. ‘I adore you. This feels almost as good as your lovemaking.’
‘Nothing is as good as my lovemaking,’ Will said, diving under. He came up in front of her, lifted her. ‘Put your legs around my waist and slide down.’
‘Oh!’