Mad Jack (Sherbrooke Brides 4)

He groaned instead, and was on her. Buttons, he thought, usually his friends, were slipping everywhere but out of their holes. He cursed.

“No, don’t say it. Your mother made you eat turnips. I promise you, Jack. No more bleeding and no pain.”

“I believe you. You’re being clumsy, Gray. Do you know how that makes me feel?”

He looked at her. “Like you want to run back to your own bedchamber and hide under the bed? Like you want to go find yourself another husband who could demonstrate a modicum of competence?”

“No, you’re far off the mark. Every time your fingers slip and fumble, it makes me feel blessed. You want me so much you’re losing control of yourself. I like that, Gray, very much.” She laid her hands over his and together they unfastened the row of buttons that marched down the front of her gown.

Finally her slippers were tossed atop that Spanish chest, her stockings were off her feet, and Gray stepped back to look at her. “I’m exhausted from getting you out of all those bloody clothes, Jack. But now, at last, you’re naked, standing here right in front of me, and I can touch you wherever I want to. I don’t know where to start.”

“Perhaps,” Jack said, her voice a bit on the reedy side, “perhaps you could take off your clothes too? I feel very strange just standing here.”

“All right, but you’re so beautiful, Jack, I will have to get out of my clothes by touch. No, I can’t look away from you, I won’t. I love your breasts, did I ever tell you that?”

“Yes,” she said and slapped his hands away from his waistcoat buttons. His buttons were larger than hers and easier to work out of their fastenings. “Do you know what I want?”

He gulped, reached out his hand to touch her, then dropped it to his breeches buttons. He began fumbling. “What?”

“I want to unbutton your breeches for you.”

“Oh, God, I couldn’t bear that. No, keep your distance. You have no idea what that would do to me. I’m already closer to the edge than I was our first time together and that first time I was barely hanging on by my fingernails, and then of course I lost my grip.

“No, it’s better that you don’t do anything except stand there naked and breathe very lightly, and let me stare and go all dry in the mouth. Very well, go ahead, unfasten my breeches buttons. Oh, yes, there are three buttons. Now you’re on the last and your hand, Jack, my God, that hand of yours is—”

She touched him and he shuddered like a palsied man. It was going to be close. When he knew he simply couldn’t have her touching him any longer, he pulled away. “No more,” he said, panting, “no more.”

It took another three minutes to get him naked. He kicked his left boot out of his way, grabbed her by the waist, and tossed her onto the bed. “It’s a big bed, belonged to my grandfather. He died in this bed, but perhaps you don’t want to think about that event at this precise moment.”

He came down over her, closed his eyes, tried to get hold of himself, then said, “Now, I’m coming up on my elbows so I can see your breasts.”

“Gray?”

“Hmmm. I’m nearly ready to let myself touch you, Jack. No, I won’t think about how my belly is against yours and I can feel every white inch of you. You’re smooth and soft and—”

“Gray? I just wanted to say that I’d like to perhaps go over to the window and pull back the draperies.”

His fingers were nearly touching her breast. He blinked down at her, his fingers still hovering. “I’m sorry, Jack. What did you say about the draperies? If you don’t like them, then we can pull them down. Now—”

“No, please, Gray. You stopped teasing me. You mean business now. You’re like a racehorse who sees the finish line and is going all out to get there first. I’m the jockey, Gray, and I don’t even know where the reins are now. I’m not sure of any of this anymore.”

It was the hardest thing he’d ever done, at least the hardest thing he’d ever done that he could remember at this moment. Jack was afraid. Curse it, she was right. He was galloping. She wasn’t galloping. She’d come to a full stop. She’d lost the reins. He cursed, saw a plate of turnips, and rolled off her.

“I’m sorry,” he said, coming onto his side. “This is a very odd thing, Jack. No, I’m not lying to you. If you hadn’t stopped me, I don’t know what I would have done. Probably you would have been left in the dust again, wondering what kind of a clod I was.” He leaned down and kissed her breast.

She froze. He continued kissing her, light, nipping little kisses on her mouth, her chin, her eyes, nothing menacing or suspect. Slowly she began to ease. Gray kissed very well and he tasted sweet, and her interest grew. She placed her hand on his shoulder and brought him just a little closer to her. He raised his hand and lightly brought it down on her breast.

“Oh,” she said. “Gray, this is all very nice. You’re teasing me again.”

“I’ll tease you forever, Jack. I swear I won’t forget anymore.”

He kissed her breasts, then moved to her mouth while his hands caressed her. When she lifted herself toward him, he wanted to shout. “That’s right,” he said between kisses, “just enjoy yourself, Jack. I’m not going to roll over on you and crush you into the bed.”

It was then that she arched up and kissed him herself. He started to say something more, and to his nearly hysterical pleasure, she slipped her tongue into his mouth. Not a moment later, she was pulling at him. She even tugged on his hair.

And he, an intelligent man of superb judgment, said easily, “No, Jack, not just yet.” He smiled down at her as his palm flattened on her belly. Her muscles tightened beneath his hand. He didn’t move his palm, just let it lie there, warming her. Finally, she said, “Oh, dear, Gray, perhaps you could consider remaining there for a while longer, even extending beyond the present reach of your fingers.”

“I know,” he said, “I know.” When his fingers found her, she nearly trembled herself off the bed.