Mistletoe Wishes: A Regency Christmas Collection
Firelit night descended like a benediction. With a luxuriant sigh, Maggie melted against Joss as he bent his ruffled head to kiss her. The snuffed candle fell to the ground with a soft thud, as she kissed him back with all the longing in her heart.
The flickering, concealing darkness was welcome. It saved her blushes. Because while she came to Joss with no regrets, enough of the vicar’s daughter remained for shyness to set its claws into her.
She knew now how to tease and lure and play, so their kisses quickly turned into a passionate game. After a brief, fumbling moment, he whipped the nightdress over her head and cast it away. Fleeting self-consciousness cramped her stomach. She’d never been naked with a man before. But the heat of Joss’s lips against hers soon blasted any bashfulness to ashes.
His hands explored bare skin, tracing searing trails wherever he touched. He kissed an incendiary line down her neck, making her shiver and gasp. His hands found her breasts, and he played with her nipples until they were hard and aching. A powerful pulse set up between her legs. On an incoherent plea, she pressed closer, shoving the edges of his dressing gown aside.
Shocked pleasure punched the breath from her lungs, when she felt his hardness rising against her stomach. The dark encouraged her boldness, although she couldn’t help remembering how huge and demanding he’d looked when he left the bed. She shivered with a heady mixture of trepidation and excitement.
Maggie sucked air into her starved lungs. He smelled like heaven. Surely she could live on his scent alone. She rubbed her face against him, feeling the soft friction of hair against her cheek.
“May I touch you?” she murmured into his skin.
“Oh, yes,” he groaned, nipping at the curve of her shoulder.
Grateful that the banked fire left her in shadow, she pulled far enough away to untie the dressing gown. Her hands were clumsy, and by the time she’d released the knot, they were both panting with impatience. She pushed the heavy garment from his shoulders. With a rustle, it fell to the floor.
Tentative hands fluttered up his arms and down his chest. She’d touched his chest before, but now every caress brought her nearer to their union.
“You’re so warm.”
He caught her hand and pressed it to where his heart hammered against his ribs. “Let me keep you warm.”
What an irresistible offer. Until he came to Thorncroft, her life had been endlessly cold.
“Yes,” she whispered, leaning in to kiss one firm male pectoral. The room’s dusky light brought senses other than sight to the fore. His scent hung rich in the air. His skin was smooth beneath her hands, and tasted of salt and snow. His breath was an erratic rasp in her ears.
“Let me undo your hair.” Joss shivered under her kiss and spread his hand across the back of her head, holding her face against him. He nuzzled her temple. “I’ve dreamed about seeing your hair loose around your shoulders.”
“Have you?” Maggie asked in surprise.
His low groan was a growl against her ear. “Good God, yes.”
Wonder flooded her, and she felt like she dissolved into a warm puddle of honey. He’d dreamed of her. How amazing. Perhaps they were more equal in this desire than she’d imagined. “I had no idea.”
“Don’t you know you’ve haunted my every thought, since the moment I stumbled over the threshold and fell into the clutches of a cranky fairy?”
With a choked laugh, she pressed another kiss to his chest. “That doesn’t sound very appealing.”
His lips drifted down, and he nipped her earlobe between his teeth. The sting set desire churning in her belly and jammed the breath in her throat. Her fingers encircled the hard flesh of his arms, as she fought to keep her balance under the overwhelming onslaught of sensation.
“A sweet, exquisite fairy.”
“That’s better.” She’d arrived at his door in a grim spirit of necessity. Joss, bless him, showed her that starlight shone through the darkness.
“I’ve had a million fantasies about your beautiful hair.”
She straightened and stared up at him. When he smiled, she caught the gleam of his eyes. “You make me so happy.”
He cradled her head between his hands and kissed her. “And I’ve hardly started.”
“Undo my hair,” Maggie said, amazed at the way such a seemingly innocuous act became so significant, when she stood naked before the man she wanted. As he reached out and with a shaking hand untied the ribbon, she felt like she presented him with a precious gift.
They stood so close, she heard the hitch in his breath when he began to p
art the strands. She trembled under his touch. As his hands moved, his knuckles brushed her breasts, setting off a cascade of thrills.
It took him forever to unbind her hair, but some instinct held her back from helping. At last she felt the soft tickle of hair across her naked skin.