It was over in less than a minute.
Sarah caught the cream on his handkerchief as he spilled it, then carefully patted his flaccid member dry and tucked it back into his stockinette drawers and buttoned his trousers. She folded the handkerchief into a neat little square, then turned her back to him and busied herself in smoot
hing out the coverlet on the bed and fluffing the pillows, erasing all signs of use, giving Jarrod time to compose himself.
"You may turn around now," he told her. "I'm presentable."
Sarah handed Jarrod his handkerchief. "And if I prefer you in disarray?"
"Then you must keep that preference and how you came to have it to yourself," he told her. His knees still felt like jelly and he blushed like a schoolboy as he took the square of soiled linen from her and shoved it into the inside pocket of his jacket.
Sarah found that boyish reaction more endearing than anything he could have done. "Can't I share it?" she asked sweetly. "If only with you."
"Only with me."
"There's no one else with whom I want to share it," she said softly. "And there's no need for you to be embarrassed," she told him. "I wasn't embarrassed for you to make me lose control. And you shouldn't be embarrassed because I did the same for you." She walked up to him and straightened his cravat. "I'm honored that you trusted me enough to allow me to ease the ache I caused."
"I'm not…" Still reeling from his own audacity at allowing Sarah to perform such an intimate act for him, Jarrod found it hard to give voice to his feelings. "Christ, Sarah! I've never done anything like that in my life."
"You seemed quite good at it for a novice," she teased.
He made a face at her. "That I've done more times than I care to remember." Jarrod reached out and smoothed a stray lock of red hair back into place, then handed her her black glove. "And if your father was right, I'm well on my way to hell, because I've never allowed a lady to witness that particular act before, much less participate, and tonight I encouraged an innocent young lady to do both."
"Papa must have misinterpreted the scripture," Sarah decided. "For nothing that extraordinary can be sinful. And you needn't worry about shocking me," she continued, even though she allowed that she'd been more than a little shocked at the powerful feelings surging through her at the sight of so potent a man as Jays made vulnerable by the motion of a woman's hand. She wanted to hold him and protect him and love him forever. "I'm not so innocent anymore," she told him proudly, "thanks to my most excellent tutor."
"Still more innocent than you know," he replied.
"We did what we set out to do," she reminded him. "We made it possible for you to return to the ballroom and we found the perfect way to do it." She stood on tiptoe and planted a kiss at the corner of his mouth. "A most pleasurable way, I might add."
"Very pleasurable," Jarrod agreed. "For me."
"For me as well," she admitted.
Jarrod smiled at her. "Imagine Little Miss Nosey Nell so full of surprises."
"Imagine Know-It-All Jays able to appreciate it at last." His kiss took her by surprise.
Without warning, Jarrod leaned over, pulled her close, and kissed her, hard.
Sarah looped her arms around his neck, closed her eyes, and kissed him back. She used her tongue to tempt and lease him as they played a game of advance and retreat, of give and take, of mutual surrender. She followed his lead until he relinquished control and followed hers. They played the game over and over again, leading each other on a merry chase with every stroke of their tongues as they leased and tormented each other with kisses that were so hungry and hot and wet and deep that Jarrod was finally forced to end them. "I believe that's enough kissing for tonight," he said softly, tenderly. "Any more and I won't be able to stand it."
"We can't have that, now can we?" she teased.
"Careful," he issued another warning, "ladies who play with fire often get burned — twice in one night."
"Luckily, I know how to handle it now," she said.
Jarrod burst out laughing. "Oh, Sarah…" He broke off before he made a complete fool of himself. He wanted to tell her how much he'd missed having her to spar with, how much he'd missed having someone follow him around, how much he'd missed showing her the things that interested him, the things he knew. Once he'd gone to great lengths to pretend disgust at her ignorance as he'd patiently taught her the names of the trees and birds, flowers and rocks surrounding Helford Green and Shepherdston Hall. But he'd been secretly pleased to have someone with whom to share his knowledge and now, suddenly, he delighted in giving her pleasure and showing her how to please him. But that was as far as it could go. He'd already compromised her beyond the bounds of decency. He couldn't allow himself to ruin her completely. She deserved better. She deserved the best.
"Yes?" Sarah leaned closer, waiting for him to say what was in his heart, waiting for him to trust her with his heart as he had just trusted her with his body.
"We'd better get back to the party," he said. "We've been gone much too long. Your aunt will be looking for us."
Sarah did her best to hide her disappointment as he placed his arm around her and ushered her to the front door of the folly. She waited while he locked the door and returned the key to its hiding place, then took his hand and let him lead her out of the maze.
"How do you do it?" she asked as they turned the first corner of the maze in the dark.
"Do what?"