“Spread your legs for me, Catherine,” he demanded in a raw rasp, the words vibrating against her stomach.
Feeling as if she were burning from the inside out, she obeyed, and he rewarded her by stroking the swollen, wet folds between her thighs. A gasp, followed by a long purr of pleasure rippled in her throat, and she gripped his shoulders.
He pressed his lips to the sensitive skin just below her navel, then his lips glided lower, lower, until his tongue caressed her as his fingers just had.
Amazing, shocking sensations ripped through her. She closed her eyes and pressed her head against the wall, inflamed beyond reason as he cupped her bottom in his palms and made love to her with his mouth, worshiping, tormenting her with his lips and tongue until she thought she’d go mad from the pleasure. Her climax roared through her, flashes of all-consuming fire, dragging a harsh cry from her lips.
Her spasms had no sooner subsided than he stood and swiftly carried her to the bed, where he laid her upon the counterpane. With exquisite tremors still rippling through her, she held out her arms, silently beseeching him to come to her, desperate to feel his delicious weight, the thrust of his arousal inside her. The five seconds it required him to free his erection from his breeches seemed to her like an eternity. He loomed over her, settling himself between her splayed thighs, and entered her in one long, smooth, heart-stopping stroke.
Their gazes locked, and with every nuance of his intense expression visible in the soft sunlight filtering through the curtains, he moved slowly within her, penetrating deep, then almost withdrawing from her body, only to sink deep once again. Her hands strayed restlessly over his back, then gripped his shoulders. He quickened his strokes, and she moaned, meeting, accepting, savoring his every thrust. She arched her back, and her pleasure overtook once more. A masculine moan, sounding as if scraped from his throat, echoed in the room. He buried his head in the V of her shoulder and shuddered his release, murmuring her name over and over, like a prayer.
Breathing hard, Andrew rolled onto his side, bringing her with him, then closed his eyes and fought to regain control. Bloody hell, this woman, their lovemaking, rendered him vanquished. Vulnerable. More raw and exposed man he’d ever felt in his entire life. How would he bear it if she did not return his feelings? Didn’t want him to be part of her life permanently? She cared, he could tell she did. But did she care enough?
When the world righted itself again, he leaned back and brushed her tousled hair from her flushed face. She dragged her eyes open with obvious effort, and he swallowed a groan of longing at the slumberous, languorous smolder in her golden brown depths. Surely there was something he should say to her. God knows his heart was close to bursting with all he felt for her. But he feared saying too much. Worried that if he spoke, he wouldn’t stop until he told her she owned his heart. Had owned it for much longer than she knew. Would always own it. Yet he knew he wouldn’t be able to contain the words much longer. Soon, she would know. And he prayed to God that telling her wouldn’t cost him what they now shared. Because as miraculous as it was, having her body simply wasn’t enough.
For several seconds she said nothing, just looked at him with an expression that seemed troubled. And confused. Then her expression cleared and a tiny smile lifted one corner of her lips, coaxing him to touch his lips to the spot. “Oh, my.” She sighed. “I just added to my list of firsts. That was my first time being led astray. I hope it isn’t my last.”
“I’d be delighted to oblige you at any time, my lady. You’ve only to ask.”
“I very much enjoyed my proper good-bye, Andrew.”
He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose. “That’s because it was your improper good-bye. And if you enjoyed that, I’m certain you’ll like tomorrow night’s proper, or rather improper, hello even more.”
“Oh, my. What does that mean?”
“I cannot tell you. It is a surprise.” When she appeared about to argue, he said, “Do I need to fetch the dictionary?”
“No.”She tilted her chin, feigning sticking her nose in the air. “However, I am therefore not going to tell you about the surprise I have planned.”
“A surprise? For me?”
“Perhaps,”she said airily.
“What is it?”
“Ha! Who requires the dictionary now?”
“How about a hint? Just a tiny one?” he asked, holding his thumb and forefinger close together.
A delightful sound that could only be described as a giggle bubbled from between her lips. “Absolutely not.”
Leaning forward, he brushed his tongue over the delicate shell of her ear. “Please?”
“Ooh. Well, perhaps… no. Definitely not.”
“Ah, a woman of strong will,” he murmured, skimming his fingers lightly down the center of her spine.
“As Today’s Modern Woman should be.”
“However, Today’s Modern Woman also knows that it is wise to make an indelible impression in her gentleman’s mind so he cannot ever completely dismiss her from his thoughts. Giving me a miniscule hint regarding the nature of your surprise would surely whet my appetite and guarantee that you’d remain uppermost in my mind while I’m away.”
She went perfectly still-except for her eyes, which narrowed. “What did you say?”
“That by giving me a hint-”
“Before that.”
Andrew frowned and thought for several seconds. “I believe I said, ‘Today’s Modern Woman also knows that it is wise to make an indelible impression in her gentleman’s mind so he cannot ever completely dismiss her from his thoughts.' Is that what you’re referring to?”
“Yes.”Her eyes narrowed further. “Where did you learn such a dung?”
“Why, from A Ladies‘ Guide, of course.”
Andrew had to clench his jaw to keep a straight face at her dumbfounded expression. “How on earth would you know what was written in A Ladies Guide?”
“Brace yourself, my dear, but one often does learn something when one reads.”
“Don’t tell me you’ve read the Guide.”
“Very well, I won’t tell you that, but why you’d want me to lie to you is a mystery.”
“You read the Guide?”
“Every word. Cover to cover.”
“When? Where? How?”
“Such an inquisitive nature. Let me see. As to when, the night before last-before we met at the springs. As for where, in my bedchamber. And to answer how, I purchased a copy the morning we departed London. Our conversation at your father’s party intrigued me, and I decided to read the tome to see what all the fuss was about. And I must confess, I was somewhat contrarily driven by the fact that you seemed so positive I would not read such drivel.”
“That was your description, not mine.”
“Was it? Well, I stand corrected.”
“Meaning what precisely?”
“That I found the Guide very… informative. And well written.”
There was no missing the smug satisfaction that fired in her eyes. “I believe I mentioned as much.”
“You did. Indeed, you defended the book and the author with the sort of fierce loyalty a mother tiger normally bestows upon her cubs.”
Crimson suffused her cheeks, and she averted her gaze. He brushed the pad of his thumb over the wash of brilliant color. “Surely you can understand why the book is causing such a scandal.”