Something Scandalous

Will rose and drew her into his arms. “What do you mean, you know?”

Her lower lip quivered. “He told me I wasn’t his daughter. After my mother died, he told me. Perhaps he wanted to punish me for her death, I don’t know. But he told me that my mother had an affair, and I was the result. I don’t know who my father is.”

The anguish in her eyes struck straight to his heart. He pulled her close and held her tight against his chest. Her tears dampened his shirt and the edges of his cravat. He forced himself to ignore the sensual feel of her warm body touching his. Comfort her, he told himself.

Gently, he caressed her hair and several pins fell to the floor. Her tears slowed to a stop but still she clung to him. Warm lips kissed his jaw and he knew he was in deep trouble. He wanted to take away her pain, make her forget for a moment the torment in her heart. But the minute her lips touched his skin, he was lost.

This was wrong.

She needed comfort, not passion. As he tried to draw away, she tightened her arms around his neck and pulled his lips to hers. He tasted the salty tears on her lips until she opened for him. Deepening their kiss, he realized he was done for. She didn’t want his comfort any longer.

Drowning in the flaring passion, he removed her hairpins. Her glorious red tresses curled down her back and he threaded his fingers through them. God, he wanted to see her naked with all that hair flowing down her back. He wanted to see her rosy nipples, erect and ready for his mouth.

He walked them both to the sofa and brought her down on top of him. He moved her leg so that she now straddled his hips. Her warmth pressed down on his hard cock and he wondered just how much control he had left.

Grabbing her hips, he rubbed her against his trouser-covered shaft. The sound of her low moan dropped his control lower. He had to stop this madness.

“Elizabeth,” he mumbled against her lips. “We need to stop.”

Elizabeth moved away slightly. While she knew he was right, she needed him. And she did not want to stop. Not now. She wanted to feel his body in hers. She wanted the intimacy of being with him.

“Elizabeth—”

She cut off his words with a kiss. She didn’t care if he tried to stop her. She wanted more than just a kiss. The need to feel something other than misery was driving her to the edge. She wanted him, and she was going to have him. To hell with the consequences. For once in her life, she was going after what she wanted without fear.

She wrenched at the neatly tied cravat and loosened it until she could pull it away from his strong neck. Warmth emanated from him, and she moved her lips to his strong jaw. His head tilted back against the sofa, giving her access to his neck. As she kissed down his neck, she worked at the buttons on his linen shirt, but with his jacket still on, she had no way of removing it. Moving her hand to the bare skin revealed, she heard his hiss.

“Elizabeth, this is—”

She kissed him again before he could deny her. Finally, she drew back and placed her finger on his lips. “Don’t,” she pleaded.

For a long moment, he stared at her as if trying to make up his mind. Then he slowly drew her finger into the hot recesses of his mouth and swirled his tongue up the length. She shivered as he gave her a wicked smile. He removed her finger and moved his lips to the palm of her hand. Tiny shivers raced down her skin. She’d never realized what a sensitive spot that was until now.

He trailed his lips up her arm until blocked by the green silk sleeves of her gown. Undaunted, he progressed to the buttons on the back of her dress. As each button popped out, her dress slipped down a little more until he reached her shoulders and drew it down over her arms.

Elizabeth shivered again as he stared at her with an intensity that made her tremble with hot need.

“If we continue much further, there will be no going back,” he whispered as he kissed her neck. “I won’t stand for regrets, so if you want me to stop, say so now.”

“No,” she whispered hoarsely.

“Oh, God,” he muttered against her neck. “You have no idea how much I want you.”

“I think I do,” she replied.

He loosened her stays and then pulled her breasts out of their cotton prison. As he drew his thumb across her pebbled nipple, she shivered and moaned. Moist heat flowed to her womanly folds and without thinking, she rubbed herself against his hardness.

Hearing his groan of pleasure, she smiled. She needed more than this teasing. And suddenly, his mouth was on her breast, laving her, suckling her, driving her completely mad.

“Will,” she moaned.

“Yes,” he replied, and then moved to her other breast.

“Please,” she begged, though not sure for what. An end to this exquisite torture? “Please…”

He skimmed a hand under her skirts until he found her folds. Elizabeth almost jumped as his finger crossed over her sensitive spot. But he didn’t stop. He rubbed her nub until she shook with passion. Need spiraled within her, stronger with each caress until she didn’t think she could go higher. Suddenly she couldn’t keep her eyes open as a million stars burst behind her lids.

He kissed her as she moaned into his mouth, her body shaking with desire and spent passion. She felt him fumble with his trousers and then felt a thickness between her folds. This time it wasn’t his finger rubbing against her.