Page 34 of The Rake's Revenge
Chapter Ten
After supper thatevening, Dorian paced his chamber like a caged lion, half convinced he’d wear a path in the hideous rug. When the small gilt clock on the mantle finally chimed the appointed hour, desire thrummed in his veins like a thoroughbred at the start of a race.
He crept soundlessly from his room and made his way to the wing with the family’s bedchambers. He lifted his hand to knock on Amelia’s chamber door, but it swung open to reveal her in her wrapper with her rich caramel hair neatly plaited and draped over her shoulder. She’d told him once that she found her hair color quite boring and ordinary; he’d never agreed. He believed it to be a warm, enticing shade, like sunbeams on polished wood in one’s favorite room in the house—comforting enough to draw you in for hours.
“Stay—go to your place,” she said to Faye in a quietly commanding tone. The dog obeyed, though she looked none-too-pleased about it. Using a key from a heavy ring, Amelia locked the door and turned to him. His eyes swept her from head to toe, absorbing her alluring state of undress, and she suddenly became shy, a blush heating her cheeks.
“So beautiful,” he murmured and grazed her cheek with the pad of his thumb.
Reaching up, Amelia took his hand and led him to another hallway, eventually guiding him up a winding stone staircaseto a tower room. She explained that it was far removed from the other chambers and infrequently used, but clean. It was somewhere she’d enjoyed exploring in the early days of her life at Coylton Castle. Looking around at the lovingly organized pallet bed, it appeared that she’d taken great care and a great deal of time preparing the room with blankets and pillows, though the hearth remained cold.
“I didn’t dare give away the location to any of the staff, and I’ve no idea the last time this particular chimney had been swept. I thought it safer to leave it unlit so as not to create a dangerous situation.” She locked the door behind them as Dorian walked in a small circle, appraising their surroundings.
“Sufficient?” she asked, her voice small and uncertain.
He turned to her and smiled warmly. “Perfect.” He took the ring of keys from her hand and set them aside atop a slightly dusty table before pulling her into his arms, saying, “Absolutely perfect…”
Taking their firstopportunity at freedom from discovery, their kisses were slow and leisurely. They licked and nibbled, teased and caressed, and memorized the taste of every newly exposed inch of flesh. They learned together—how Amelia’s knees went weak when his teeth latched onto the lobe of her ear, how Dorian groaned when her nails raked the bumps of his ribcage. They were determined to take their time despite the nearly feral need spurring them on.
Amelia did not know which of them was more involved in removing Dorian’s breeches, but they were soon kicked across the room. Both of them bare, bodies pressed as closely as they could be, chests heaving, dilated eyes devouring one another.
Dorian maneuvered to sit on the edge of the mattress and ran his hands along her curves. He was the first man to see her fully unclothed since she gave birth to Archie; she thought shewould have felt more trepidation about it, but instead, she felt cherished. She experienced only excitement. Even as his long fingers ran along the silvery lines left behind by her pregnancy, she never doubted how much he wanted her. And, by God, he was beautiful. From his dark, tousled hair to the defined muscles of his torso, his long, strong legs, and, yes, especially the straining organ of his impossibly large, incredibly erect sex. Her inner muscles fluttered and clenched, aching for him to fill her.
“I promise we will move more slowly next time,” Dorian said, guiding her to straddle his lap. “For now, you look too delectable to resist any longer.” His fingers caressed the dripping petals of her sex, testing her readiness, stroking her to near insensibility, until he finally moved her hips to slide her down on his turgid shaft. As he filled and stretched her more and more, she cried out from the deep, delicious burn of it—not from the pain of it, but the joy.
Once he was fully seated within her, they began to rock together and set a slow, languid rhythm. Pelvises grinding together in a slick slide of flesh on flesh, each movement caused the most wonderful friction against the pearl of her sex. Amelia clung to his shoulders, and her sensitive nipples grazed the dark whorls of hair covering his chest with each bounce she made on his lap.
“Wrap your legs around me,” Dorian demanded when she was nearly desperate to reach her climax. Unable to think, she did as he commanded. Instantly, he cupped her bottom and, displaying an impressive amount of both strength and grace, he stood and began pounding up into her. She clung to him as he used his powerful thrusts and gravity to impale and possess her. He was so hard, so deep.
It was delicious.
However, it was not until he laid her back onto the mattress, keeping his feet on the floor for leverage as he filled her fast and hard, that Amelia finally shattered.
“Dorian!” she sobbed as she came apart in brilliant shards of light.
“Yes,” he grunted above her. “Say it again.”
“Dorian, Dorian, Dorian…” she sighed and gasped his name over and over until he suddenly withdrew from her body. Before she could question what had happened, he slid down and dipped his head between her thighs. Her hands flew to his head in shock and then tangled there when her sensitized nerves were once again plucked to life. If she’d thought the rest of him talented, then his lips and tongue were nothing short of godlike. Dorian nibbled and sucked, licked her in long strokes, and speared his tongue as deeply as he could. Every last inch of her was at his mercy as he seemed to revel in the sweet nectar of her body.
Just as she was writhing and rocking against his face, Dorian broke away and crawled back up her body, his wicked smile glistening with her slick as he entered her in one deep, swift thrust.
“You taste…so fucking good…” he growled just before his vigorous rhythm sent them both careening over the edge, blind in joy and release.
As Dorian, trembling,collapsed atop Amelia, he enfolded her in his arms and rolled to hold her close. Cupping his cheek, she placed kiss after kiss on his head and face. Gradually, his vision returned, but his thudding heart did not slow its pace because he truly realized the depth of the mistake he’d made.
Having known the heaven of Amelia’s good graces once more, and now having learned of the bliss to be found in her arms, he could never, ever let her go again.
While Dorian dozed,Amelia wrapped herself in one of the many woven blankets and crossed the room to the narrow window set into the thick stone wall. The tower was in the oldest part of the castle, built back when it had been a strategic outpost. Now, it afforded a magnificent view of the lands and, in the distance, the loch glittering silver and white in the moonlight. She contemplated what she’d just done—she’d given herself to a man she’d thought she would hate for the rest of her days; a man who had betrayed her heart. And yet…and yet she more so felt a warm glow of contentment than anything. In fact, she felt almost giddy. It went against everything she believed she’d known for the past decade, yet something about it also felt so right.
She watched Dorian sleep, beautiful and masculine, all hard lines and sharp angles, and she pondered the situation and what had drawn her to him once more. It almost seemed as if they were connected by an invisible thread—an inexplicable attraction—destined to be brought together again, no matter their past. And yet…the past haunted her.
He’d promised no pretty words of love, no relationship, and a part of Amelia was still raw with the fear that he would somehow destroy her again. These past days had rekindled some very powerful emotions and seeing him with Archie had afforded her a view of a different side of him.
Still…
Strong arms enfolded her in their embrace from behind. Though a blanket separated their naked bodies, she could still feel the heat from him as if they were both completely bare and entwined once more. Dorian kissed her bare neck, and she closed her eyes, allowing her head to fall back against his chest.
“You look so thoughtful,” he said against her pulse. “You are not regretting tonight, are you?” She heard the jest in his voice, but he held very still when she did not immediately respond. “Amelia?” he asked softly, warily.
