A Scandal Made in London

‘Yes. I would.’

‘In that case, I’ll just have to close mine.’

He stood there before her, enviably unselfconscious, and regarded her thoughtfully. ‘You have no idea how much I want you, do you?’

‘Well, I guess...that...is some sort of indication,’ she said, waving a hand in the direction of his erection and vaguely wondering how on earth something of that length and girth was supposed to fit, ‘but seeing as I have nothing to compare it with, no, not really.’

‘You will.’

He leaned down, putting one knee on the mattress, and as he came down beside her he tugged the sheet down to her waist. When she tried to grab it back he took her wrists and held them to the bed. He ran his gaze over her for one long slow moment and a rush of heat surged through her. Her nipples tightened and a fresh ribbon of desire began to unfurl deep inside her.

‘You are stunning,’ he murmured and she wished she could believe it. At least he hadn’t called her beautiful. If he’d done that she’d have known he was lying. ‘And I am extraordinarily attracted to you,’ he added gruffly, ‘so stop worrying.’

Easier said than done. But the physical responses he aroused in her body did seem to obliterate her self-consciousness and whitewash her mind, so maybe she ought to trust it would work again. ‘Make me,’ she breathed, and he didn’t need asking a second time.

Bending his head, Theo kissed her long and hard, and as she’d hoped, as before, her insecurities faded, and rational thought gave way to something primal, instinctive and way beyond her control.

As he continued his devastating assault on her mouth she softened inside with renewed need. He lowered himself, twisting slightly so he lay half on top of her, and the deliciously heavy weight of him pressed her down. So much strength and power, she thought giddily. So contained. And as for his scent, that was a dizzying combination of spice and wood and something she couldn’t identify but tugged at a spot deep inside her.

Swept up in a maelstrom of desire and heat, and feeling slight and feminine for the first time in her life, Kate moaned as she kissed him back and writhed against him in a desperate, instinctive effort to get closer.

With a harsh groan, Theo tore his mouth from hers and moved it to her breast, and if she thought the sensations had been stunning when he’d touched her there earlier they were nothing compared to the electricity that zinged through her at the heat and feel of his mouth.

She clamped a hand to the back of his head and let out a strangled gasp as her stomach liquefied. He turned his attention to her other breast and as the desire rocketed through her with ever-increasing intensity, the need to touch him back became overwhelming.

She wanted to explore him. Everywhere and at length. With her hands and her mouth. She wanted to learn the texture of his skin and the strength of his muscles. She wanted to see if she could drive him as crazy as he was driving her. She’d read books. She’d seen films. She had a fairly good idea of what to do.

But what if she did it wrong? niggled the tiny voice in her head that managed to penetrate the chaos. He’d implied he wanted her a lot, and it certainly seemed that way, but what if her clumsy, naïve attempts put him off? What if he laughed? She couldn’t risk it. And besides, she was getting impatient. Theo’s kisses and caresses were divine but she wanted more. She needed more. Deep inside she actually ached.

The sheet that before had acted as a shield was now just in the way. It was stopping her from feeling the whole length of his body against hers, and she wanted it gone. She wanted nothing between them, not even air. So beneath him she wriggled and struggled, kicking at the fine white cotton, and Theo froze.

‘What’s wrong?’ he said sharply, instantly lifting himself off her, and staring down at her, his eyes blazing. ‘Do you want to stop?’

‘Stop?’ Kate muttered with a frown. ‘Why would I want to stop?’ Nothing short of Armageddon would make her want to stop now. Maybe not even that.

‘Then what’s the matter?’

‘The sheet. I’m trying to get rid of it.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Never been more so.’

‘Thank God for that,’ he breathed, yanking it off her and tossing it to one side.

Finally free, Kate bent her leg and, turning slightly, pressed her pelvis to his, her body clearly knowing how to ask for what it wanted. And Theo seemed to get it because he put a knee between her thighs and nudged her legs apart, and then he was between them, looming over her, his jaw clenched and his face dark and tight.

She could feel him at her entrance and she caught her breath, her pulse racing. It was about to happen, she thought, her entire body trembling and her heart swelling with a giant tangle of emotions she couldn’t begin to unravel even if she wanted to. It was finally about to happen. After all these years. After everything...

She let her knees drop, parting her legs even wider, and then he was sliding into her, inch by incredible inch, giving her time to adjust to the strange feeling of being stretched and filled.

‘Oh, my God,’ she breathed, when he was embedded in her, deep and hard and strange.

‘Are you all right?’ he muttered harshly.

She took a moment to think about it. It might feel odd, but it hadn’t hurt. She was getting used to it, and the promise of what he could do to her, how he could make her feel, bloomed inside her. ‘Extremely all right,’ she said, the desire and excitement building all over again at the thought of the pleasure to come. ‘You?’

‘Fine.’