Page 74 of A Problem Princess

In a single heartbeat, Clayton lost his restraint, his control, and his mind, and he simply didn’t care.

All that mattered was the taste of her lips as he plundered her mouth and the softness of her warm body pressing against his. All the reasons he needed to stay away from her vanished like the mist beneath the light of dawn until there was only Cordelia, a woman who needed him.

Thewoman who needed him.

He cajoled her into parting her lips beneath his, and when she opened to him with a soft sigh, he pulsed his tongue between her lips in a heady rhythm that left no misunderstanding of how thoroughly he meant to learn all her body’s secrets tonight. His hand brushed through her long hair that fell across her bare shoulders, then cupped the back of her head against his palm and held her still as he increased the intensity of the kiss, until every deep thrust of his tongue into her mouth brought soft whimpers from her lips.

She tore her mouth away from his to gasp back the air he’d stolen.

But he refused to give quarter and placed his mouth against her throat to lick at her spiking pulse. Her heart raced so furiously that he could feel it beating into his own chest as she pressed her breasts against his front, and the delicious sensation whipped through him, right down to the tip of his hardening cock. Unschooled need practically dripped from her as she trembled in his arms, and the fact that she desired him nearly undid him.

She trusted him. He would never break that trust.

He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the bed. With a lingering kiss, he slipped out of her arms and stepped back.

He stared down at her.Sweet Lucifer, she was glorious. Her brown eyes watched him, fascinated, as he yanked off his neckcloth and finished removing the waistcoat she’d left open. He peeled down his braces to let them dangle around his hips and pulled his shirt off over his head.

Her lips parted at the sight of his bare chest. Certainly, she’d never seen a naked man before.

Not wanting to overwhelm her, he turned down the lamp until the flame sputtered out and the room was cast into dark shadows. In the slant of faint moonlight that fell through the open shutters into the room, he removed the rest of his clothes, then slowly crawled onto the bed and stretched his tall body alongside hers. Her skin was soft and warm, her arms welcoming, and when he leaned over her, her fingertips trembled as she reached up to caress his cheek.

She couldn’t be his beyond dawn. He knew that and accepted it. But he could give her tonight, and he would make it as special for her as possible.

“If you want me to stop at any time,” he told her, turning his head to place a kiss to her fingers, “you only have to—”

“I don’t want to stop.” She lifted her head from the pillow to kiss him, and he surrendered beneath her spell.

The kiss grew in urgency and heat. As he kissed her, he caressed her body and reveled in the soft feel of her. He cupped her left breast in his hand and felt her breath catch against his mouth, only for her to let out a long sigh when he began to massage her. His thumb circled her nipple, whose taut arousal gave proof of her growing desire.

Unable to resist, he lowered his head to take her nipple between his lips and suckle.

She arched her back to push herself deeper into his mouth, her fingers digging through his hair and scraping at his scalp. She might have been innocent in matters of sex, but she wasn’t afraid to take the pleasures he offered.

With a soft chuckle at her eagerness, he bit lightly at the sensitized nipple and elicited a shuddering moan from her. The sound reverberated into him, and he gave her nipple a soothing lick before moving his attentions to her other breast and beginning the sweet torture all over again.

Cordelia wiggled beneath him as the world spun around her. Having his mouth on her was the sweetest, most decadent pleasure-pain she’d ever experienced in her life because each wonderful kiss and touch left her feeling oddly frustrated and empty, inexplicably craving more. His mouth and hands on her body grew the ball of tingling frustration tightening low in her belly instead of easing it away as she’d thought he would.

“Clayton, I want you to…” Her plaintive whisper trailed off. She didn’t know how to ask for what she wanted, but she trusted him to know what she needed.

“Do this?” His hand fluttered down her body and caressed between her legs.

“Yes,” she cried out. Taking a deep breath, she moved her legs wider apart. “Oh, yes.”

He groaned, and the caresses grew harder and faster, the ache inside her pounding away just beyond his fingertips.

“And this?” He slipped a finger inside her.

She gasped, and her eyes flew open at the unexpected caress. Immediately, he stilled and gazed down at her. The concern in his eyes warmed through her, and she smiled to reassure him. “And that.” She buried her face shyly against his shoulder as she fought back a begging whimper. “I like that…a great deal.”

“So do I.” His lips curled into a lazy grin, and he began to stroke inside her. Soon, a second finger joined the first, and she closed her eyes, both to enjoy the sensation of being filled by him and to prevent any embarrassment by showing how much she enjoyed it.

But even that wasn’t enough.

“More,” she begged and wiggled her pelvis against his hand. “Oh please, more!”

With one last touch of his lips to hers, he slowly slid down her body and trailed his lips down her front in hot, openmouthed kisses that seared her skin. Down across her breasts, lower to her belly, lower still…

When his warm breath tickled the damp folds between her legs, she realized what he planned to do and stiffened—