The Undoing of a Libertine (Somerset Historicals 2)

“I love your scent. It’s soothing and stirring at the same time.”

She didn’t say anything, just nestled closer.

He felt the softness of her breasts pressing onto his chest. Bed. Need to get to the bed…

Before he could think too much, he just scooped her up and carried her to the massive bed, where he laid her out and then put himself in next to her. Better to just start, he thought. Get them to the place where things would play out, and stop worrying. She was soft in his arms and submitted to him leading the way.

“You are beautiful all the time, but right now, in this moment, there are not words for how you are.” He spoke softly, stroking the back of his hand along her cheek and then her neck and across the low neckline of her gown. His fingers curled up until just the middle one was left trailing down between the valley of her breasts and then back and forth over the exposed part of the swells.

She surged into the finger touches and closed her eyes. He felt her chest moving, her breathing increasing its pace. “Gina, are you nervous?” Like I am.

She nodded solemnly, her eyes still closed. “I don’t want to disappoint you.”

“You couldn’t possibly, and you don’t look nervous. You look like a goddess to me.” He nuzzled soft kisses at her throat, very close to her ear. “But are you remembering things that hurt you?”

“I don’t want to remember,” she said.

“It won’t be like that.” He kissed her lips. “I hate the idea of you afraid.”

“But you don’t frighten me, only the memories do.” She lifted her eyes, glittering with emotion, and he could see there was bravery in them, too. “Make me forget, Jeremy.”

That’s my girl. “I am. I’m going to replace that evil. With something good, something you’ll want to remember.”

He dipped down to her lips again. Very gently he put a hand to the back of her head and pulled her to him, thinking that her body felt like a paradise he wanted to explore forever.

Her soft curves and hollows, her scent, the golden color of her, the sounds of her body moving against his, the steady beat of her heart and her breathing—all of it was soothing. The emotions with Gina were new for Jeremy, feelings he’d never experienced before with any woman. Gina was solace to him, and the knowledge of the power she held over him was a surprise.

He sensed her softening into him, melting into surrender. Things were going well, he thought. She was pliant under his lips and hands.

His body knew what it wanted. Oh, did it ever. He felt his cock respond, stretching out, growing long and hard—anticipating the moment her body would take him in. As much as he wanted to be inside her, he was remarkably in check. She controlled him. Jeremy needed her, but Georgina controlled his path to her. Right now, he drew strength from her.

Pressing his pelvis forward, he arched into her hip, finding the pressure of that hard bone meeting his hard cock to be so exquisite, he was afraid for a second he might embarrass them both by spilling all over the sheets.

“You feel so good,” he murmured.

She nodded back. He was sure he felt her nod, but she didn’t offer any words of her own.

I want in you. He wanted his mouth on her quim and her hand around his cock, or maybe her lips. That would have to wait though. She wasn’t even close to being ready for that sort of thing yet, but the naughty idea of teaching her such delights was certainly worth contemplating and propelled him higher with desire.

Kissing her throat and collarbone, he nudged lower below the wide neckline of her gown.

“I want this off.” He tugged with his teeth. “So I can see you now—see how beautiful you are. All of you. I want our skin touching.” He moved his face to hover directly over hers, asking for her agreement and hoping like hell she said yes.

She answered stiffly, her voice flat, as if she were far, far away from him. “Whatever you want. I am not afraid of you. I—I want to please you.”

You should be afraid of me. If Georgina knew what he really wanted to do to her, she’d probably leap up and run far and long, away from him.

Very slowly his hands went to the ties of her gown and loosened them. When he pushed it open, he could feel her trembling. She was stiff as a board. And so was he, but in a very different way from her.

By her words, she showed him she was willing, but he could tell the intimacy unnerved her. She was submitting to duty, he knew, and while it should relieve him, it did not. He didn’t like it. He wanted more from her than just capitulation in the marriage bed.

“You please me, sweetheart, but I want you to let me please you.”

He kissed over the tops of her breasts ever so slowly and softly, moving inch by inch across delicious skin as soft as down. He felt the pounding of her heart beneath his lips. Felt his own heart match the throb. Torn between desire and nurture, he struggled to temper his need.

Georgina seemed fretful. Skittish as a colt, wary of him getting close. She knows what you’re going to do. She knows, and she’s afraid.

“Relax,” he told her, pulling away from her breasts to brush gentle kisses along her neck. “Just let me touch you—it’ll feel nice.”